Fifteen companies have contributed to at least three of Trump’s pet projects — Methodology

CREW tracked hundreds of corporate donations to political, government and special project funds supported by President Trump. We included pledged donations, in-kind donations and donations given to settle lawsuits, which have been criticized as attempts to curry favor. 

These are the funds included in CREW’s analysis: 

• Semiquincentennial celebration (America 250 and Freedom 250)
  • America 250 and Freedom 250 have raised money from corporations for events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Since America 250 was a pre-existing organization, our analysis includes donors since the 2024 election, likely solicited by fundraisers close to the president, according to the New York Times. In 2025, America 250 was involved in a military parade that coincided with Trump’s birthday. Freedom 250 was created by the White House in December 2025 as a public-private partnership and includes a list of corporate sponsors on its website.
• Inauguration
  • The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee raised $241 million, according to data available from the FEC. Funds left over from the inauguration may be donated to Trump’s presidential library. 
• MAGA, Inc.
  • MAGA, Inc. is the primary super PAC supporting Donald Trump and reports its donors to the FEC. We included in our analysis corporate donors since the 2024 election, according to data available from the FEC. 
• Trump Accounts
  • Trump Accounts are tax-deferred investment accounts for young Americans seeded with funding from the government, created by the One Big Beautiful Bill. Our analysis includes corporations that have agreed to participate by providing funding to Trump Accounts for the children of employees, according to a list compiled by Americans for Tax Reform. Secretary Scott Bessent called these donations “essential to bringing the President’s vision to life.”
• White House ballroom (Trust for the National Mall) 
  • Our tracking includes a list of donors to the ballroom project that was released by the White House, as well as additional donors identified by public reporting, including funds routed to the ballroom as a result of lawsuit settlements. 
• Kennedy Center 
  • Weeks after his inauguration, President Trump fired Kennedy Center board members and was installed as chair. By the end of the year the board voted to rebrand the institution with Trump’s name. We include in our analysis new donors to the Kennedy Center since Trump’s inauguration as well as donors who have disclosed Trump and other administration officials as honorees for their donations on lobbying reports, according to reporting by Sludge.
•  White House Easter events
  • The White House’s “solicitation for sponsorships mark[ed] an unprecedented offering of corporate branding opportunities on White House grounds running counter to long-established regulations prohibiting the use of public office for private gain,” according to CNN. Sponsors have been named in press releases from the White House. 
• Trump presidential library
  • The Trump Organization appears to be involved in developing Trump’s presidential library in Miami, which may include a hotel. The library has received pledged donations from four tech and media companies to settle lawsuits brought by Trump, in addition to other reported donations.