 | |
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Bill Bigley Randy Heiligman |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Purpose | Car donation |
| Headquarters | St. Louis Park, Minnesota |
| Website | https://wheelsforwishes.org/ |
The Car Donation Foundation, doing business as Wheels For Wishes, is a nonprofit car donation organization based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The organization donates its proceeds to charitable organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Vehicles For Veterans, and Animal Car Donation.
Wheels for Wishes is the trade name of Car Donation Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that financially supports charitable organizations through motor vehicle donations. [1] [2] It accepts donations of cars, boats, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles. [3] Proceeds from the sale of vehicles are donated to nonprofit organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, [4] [5] Vehicles For Veterans, which benefits veterans living with disabilities and homeless veterans, [6] and Animal Car Donation, which benefits animal rescues. [7]
Wheels For Wishes was founded in 2009 by Bill Bigley and Randy Heiligman. [1] It is headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. [8] As of 2015, it was the largest auto donation charity in the United States. [9]
A 2014 report published by the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General found that 20% of the organization's proceeds were donated to its partner Make-A-Wish chapters and 30% was spent on advertising. [9] [10] After the initial report, the organization was criticized for misleading advertising, [11] and the Minnesota and Connecticut chapters of Make-a-Wish Foundation ended their relationship with Wheels for Wishes. [12] [13] They subsequently renewed their contracts with Wheels For Wishes. [14] A 2017 article in The Orange County Register reported that 51% of proceeds went to charity. [15] The remaining proceeds are spent on administrative costs including advertising, towing, and auction house fees. [16]
As of 2024, it had donated $114 million to Make-A-Wish, accounting for 13,672 wishes. [17]
In 2024, the organization partnered with the rock band Green Day to raise money through a sweepstakes that awarded the 1968 Mercury Monterey convertible featured in the music videos for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Holiday". [18]