Cars for Charity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that facilitates vehicle donations nationwide, handling the donation process end-to-end to make car donation easy and to maximize returns to donor-designated charities.
Cars for Charity Inc uses vehicle donations as a funding channel for nonprofits, with a large share of its recent dollars flowing to public radio stations and other donor-designated charities. The biggest grants in the file go to Minnesota Public Radio in Saint Paul, including awards of $569,494 in 2025, $493,890 in 2023, and $425,021 in 2025, showing repeated support for the same recipient across years. Other large awards also go to Wamu in Washington, DC, KQED in San Francisco, and New York Public Radio in New York, indicating that the foundation’s funding is tied to organizations that can benefit from remarketed vehicle proceeds at scale. The organization’s model is transactional rather than a conventional open grant program: it processes donated vehicles, auctions or recycles them, and directs proceeds to registered nonprofits chosen by donors or partner charities. Its public materials also describe branded partner registration for nonprofits, including a vehicle donation setup for charity partners that want to receive proceeds from donated vehicles. The latest filing year on file is 2025, and the foundation’s reported annual grants far exceed its asset base, consistent with a pass-through funding structure.
A major theme in the file is public broadcasting. Cars for Charity Inc directed $291,184 in 2025 to Wamu in Washington, DC, and $186,750 in 2025 to KQED in San Francisco, both part of a broader pattern of support for radio and media organizations. Minnesota Public Broadcasting in Duluth received $153,112 in 2025, extending the same channel into another Minnesota market. The grant list also includes support for community-focused nonprofits outside broadcasting: Samaritan’s Purse in Boone, NC received $129,120 in 2025. The foundation’s own program descriptions emphasize fundraising via vehicle donations, so these awards appear to move through a resale-and-remittance model rather than through traditional project grants.
Typical grant size clusters in the low tens of thousands: the 25th percentile is $7,548, the median is $13,102, and the 75th percentile is $22,924. At the same time, the recent-grants list shows a much wider upper range, with a few large awards in the hundreds of thousands. Recipients do repeat across years and sometimes multiple times within the file, including Minnesota Public Radio, Wamu, KQED, Wdet, Chicago Public Radio, and New York Public Radio. Cars for Charity Inc is a regular funder and a national giver, with a fee-for-service style model built around vehicle donation processing and nonprofit partner registration. Unsolicited participation is supported through the vehicle donation and partner-registration programs.
$7.8M
$738K
$4.6M
$4.6M
Most grants fall between $8K and $23K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$23K
About 4% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Grantmaking is national, and every recipient in the country distribution is in the United States. The highest concentration of grants goes to New Jersey recipients by count, even though the foundation is headquartered in Golden, Colorado. Recent named recipients cluster in Saint Paul, Washington, DC, San Francisco, New York, Detroit, Seattle, and Chicago. Colorado recipients account for 4% of grants, showing that most awards land outside the headquarters state.
Its recent grants go to donor-designated charities, with a strong concentration in public radio and broadcasting. Examples in the file include Minnesota Public Radio in Saint Paul, Wamu in Washington, DC, KQED in San Francisco, New York Public Radio in New York, and Chicago Public Radio in Chicago.
The middle of the distribution is modest: the 25th percentile is $7,548, the median is $13,102, and the 75th percentile is $22,924. The file also includes much larger awards, showing that the program can produce high-value payouts when vehicle proceeds are substantial.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years or more than once in the recent-grants list, including Minnesota Public Radio, Wamu, KQED, Wdet, Chicago Public Radio, and New York Public Radio. Minnesota Public Radio appears with awards in both 2023 and 2025.
The grantmaking is national, with all grants in the recipient country distribution going to the United States. By state count, New Jersey receives the most grants, while Colorado accounts for 4% of grants.
MATT T DENDORFER
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Cars for Charity that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Must be a registered nonprofit (501(c)(3)). Organizations must register as a charity partner to receive proceeds from vehicle donations.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO | SAINT PAUL, MN | $569,494 | 2025 | — |
| MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO | SAINT PAUL, MN | $425,021 | 2025 | — |
| MISC SMALL GRANTS 5000 | — | $379,554 | 2025 | — |
| WAMU | WASHINGTON, DC | $291,184 | 2025 | — |
| WAMU | WASHINGTON, DC | $242,283 | 2025 | — |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $186,750 | 2025 | — |
| WSHU PUBLIC RADIO | BOSTON, MA | $166,733 | 2025 | — |
| MINNESOTA PUBLIC BROADCASTING DULU | DULUTH, MN | $153,112 | 2025 | — |
| WSHU PUBLIC RADIO | BOSTON, MA | $151,183 | 2025 | — |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO | NEW YORK, NY | $144,352 | 2025 | — |
| NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO | NEW YORK, NY | $135,474 | 2025 | — |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $129,120 | 2025 | — |
| WDET | DETROIT, MI | $127,691 | 2025 | — |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $114,568 | 2025 | — |
| KUOW | SEATTLE, WA | $103,702 | 2025 | — |
| WDET | DETROIT, MI | $100,219 | 2025 | — |
| CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO | CHICAGO, IL | $86,381 | 2025 | — |
| KUOW | SEATTLE, WA | $84,001 | 2025 | — |
| CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO | CHICAGO, IL | $81,249 | 2025 | — |
| KCLU | THOUSAND OAKS, CA | $76,668 | 2025 | — |
| CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING - W | HARTFORD, CT | $71,427 | 2025 | — |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $67,527 | 2025 | — |
| WYPR | BALTIMORE, MD | $62,643 | 2025 | — |
| KCLU | THOUSAND OAKS, CA | $61,324 | 2025 | — |
| COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO | CENTENNIAL, CO | $61,165 | 2025 | — |
| WLRH | HUNTSVILLE, AL | $55,795 | 2025 | — |
| VPM | RICHMOND, VA | $55,513 | 2025 | — |
| MAINE PUBLIC | BANGOR, ME | $55,438 | 2025 | — |
| KPCC | PASADENA, CA | $50,208 | 2025 | — |
| CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING W | HARTFORD, CT | $49,845 | 2025 | — |
| MAINE PUBLIC | BANGOR, ME | $49,296 | 2025 | — |
| WVTF | ROANOKE, VA | $49,143 | 2025 | — |
| WGBH | BOSTON, MA | $47,906 | 2025 | — |
| COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO | CENTENNIAL, CO | $47,015 | 2025 | — |
| MICHIGAN RADIO | ANN ARBOR, MI | $45,776 | 2025 | — |
| WVTF | ROANOKE, VA | $45,702 | 2025 | — |
| RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC RADIO | PROVIDENCE, RI | $45,514 | 2025 | — |
| CAPITAL PUBLIC RADIO | SACRAMENTO, CA | $44,393 | 2025 | — |
| KJZZ | TEMPE, AZ | $44,234 | 2025 | — |
| WYPR | BALTIMORE, MD | $43,263 | 2025 | — |
| WLRH | HUNTSVILLE, AL | $43,166 | 2025 | — |
| KCRW | SANTA MONICA, CA | $41,430 | 2025 | — |
| WFAE | CHARLOTTE, NC | $39,997 | 2025 | — |
| KCRW | SANTA MONICA, CA | $39,089 | 2025 | — |
| KPCC | PASADENA, CA | $38,715 | 2025 | — |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO | CONCORD, NH | $37,896 | 2025 | — |
| KJZZ | TEMPE, AZ | $36,884 | 2025 | — |
| MICHIGAN PUBLIC | ANN ARBOR, MI | $35,750 | 2025 | — |
| KPBS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $35,616 | 2025 | — |
| WHYY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $31,397 | 2025 | — |
MISC SMALL GRANTS 5000
$379,554NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO
$144,352NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO
$135,474WDET
$127,691WDET
$100,219COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
$61,165VPM
$55,513MAINE PUBLIC
$55,438KPCC
$50,208MAINE PUBLIC
$49,296COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
$47,015MICHIGAN RADIO
$45,776RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC RADIO
$45,514KJZZ
$44,234KPCC
$38,715NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO
$37,896KJZZ
$36,884MICHIGAN PUBLIC
$35,750