Trump will split his $1 million Harvey donation among 12 charities

Trump details $1 million donation to Harvey relief

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

last updated 7 September 2017

On Wednesday, the White House said that President Trump and first lady Melania Trump had announced "a personal donation of $1 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts," split among 12 nonprofit organizations. The largest slices of the donation, $300,000 each, are going to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Another $100,000 apiece is slated for Reach Out America, a Houston-based charity, and Samaritan's Purse, run by Trump supporter and evangelical Christian leader Franklin Graham. The other eight charities will get $25,000, including Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, the Houston Humane Society, the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Operation Blessing.

"The president and first lady witnessed the work of some of these groups first hand while visiting with hurricane survivors, first responders, volunteers, and federal, state, and local officials, and are proud to further assist the recovery efforts in Texas," the White House said in a statement. "Several of the following organizations were recommended, at the invitation of the president, by members of the White House press corps, and he would like to thank those who made recommendations for their attention to this important cause."

"It was not immediately clear, from the White House's statement whether the charities had received the donations or whether the checks would arrive in the coming days," said The Washington Post's David Farenthold, noting that Trump has a long history of either not actually making promised donations, doing so only under intense scrutiny, or giving away other people's money instead. You can see a list of all 12 charities here.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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