Amid Riots and Protests, Money Flows to Democrats, Bail Funds, and Charities

The riots and protests that have swept the nation in recent days have been paired with a flood of financial donations, as hundreds of thousands of Americans have opened their wallets to give to charitable groups, community bail funds, and Democratic candidates.

A tweet by a New York Times reporter last night said that ActBlue has shattered the 2020 record in money donated in a day that it set only the day before. “The site has processed more than $20 million today and appears on pace to break its all-time record later tonight.”

NEWS: ActBlue has shattered the 2020 record in money donated in a day that it set only *yesterday.*

The site has processed more than $20 million today and appears on pace to break its all-time record later tonight.https://t.co/NJiLyvCSlPhttps://t.co/CxPpLfB6sM

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) June 2, 2020

From the New York Times:

The sum given on ActBlue on Sunday topped all the presidential primary debate nights and election nights in 2020, and was more than double the amount given on the final day of April (monthly deadlines tend to drive online political giving). The previous high for the year was the day in late February when former Vice President Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary and revived his campaign for president; donors contributed $18.3 million that day.

The giving timed to the protests was not just a one-day phenomenon: ActBlue processed more than $40 million between Friday and Sunday, a sign that the energy spilling into the streets nationwide might also be matched by a wave of money for Democratic causes. (The closest Republican equivalent of ActBlue, called WinRed, does not have a public donation ticker.)

ActBlue does not disclose in real time how donations to the platform are divided between candidates and causes, but a spokesperson for the site said half of the donations Sunday went to charitable causes.

One ActBlue page where supporters could split a donation across 37 different bail funds reported more than 20,000 donations worth about $1.5 million as of late Monday morning. Such funds help cover the costs of posting cash bail for those jailed before trials and are seen as a way to support protesters who have been arrested.

So much money is flowing so fast it is hard to keep track.

Newsweek said that they had contacted multiple people who have spoken of donating their stimulus checks to such causes.

They also noted that a Change.org petition titled “Justice for George Floyd” has garnered more than 10 million signatures.