Car Donation Foundation
Car Donation Foundation (CDF) is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) that operates vehicle-donation programs — including Wheels For Wishes, Vehicles For Veterans, and Animal Car Donation — which raise proceeds for Make‑A‑Wish chapters and other charitable partners. The site lists EIN 26-3408048, a St. Louis Park, MN address, recent financial statements, and an active online donation form.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Established national or regional charities (especially veteran service organizations, Make‑A‑Wish chapters, child health or related nonprofits) that can absorb multi‑state general support and demonstrate proven programmatic capacity.
Good Fit
- • Mission aligns with veterans, child health/Make‑A‑Wish, or similar charitable partners.
- • Ability to use unrestricted/general support at the scale of $50K–$500K.
- • Organizational track record and capacity to operate across states or as a large regional chapter.
- • Existing organizational profile or relationships with vehicle‑donation partner programs.
Geography
The foundation distributes grants nationally: the latest filing lists recipients in 40 states and only about 4–5% of dollars stayed in the home state, indicating a broad multi‑state footprint.
Recipient Variety
In the latest year the filer made 87 grants to 84 distinct recipients, including many independent national and regional charities (Make‑A‑Wish chapters, veteran organizations); while some larger national partners receive sizeable awards, the funded recipient set is broad.
New Applicants
Direct evidence of sustained turnover is limited to two years: 78 returning recipients and six new recipients in the latest year show occasional new entrants, but no public application process was found; the website and listed executive director contact create an outreach route even though selection appears largely repeat/relationship influenced.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
