More people are relying on GoFundMe to pay for rent, groceries and other necessities as living costs squeeze household budgets. The for-profit crowdfunding platform’s 2025 “Year in Help” report says campaigns created to cover “essential” expenses such as housing, utilities and food rose by 20% this year, after already quadrupling in 2024.
“Monthly bills” was the platform’s second-fastest-growing category in 2025, trailing only individual fundraisers in support of nonprofits. According to GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan, requests for help with day-to-day costs have been rising across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The report, based on activity on the site, underlines how crowdfunding has shifted from backing creative or business projects to plugging gaps in basic household budgets. It also comes as GoFundMe expands its reach: in 2024 the company said campaigns on its crowdfunding and nonprofit platforms had raised about $30 billion since 2010, and it has pushed into markets such as Mexico to attract more users.
Economic Pressures Drive Rising Demand
The latest figures arrive at the end of a difficult year for lower-income households in the United States. Wage growth for workers at the bottom of the income distribution has slowed, hiring has cooled and the unemployment rate has ticked higher, while consumer confidence has stayed weak. Against that backdrop, GoFundMe’s data suggests more people are turning to online appeals when paychecks are no longer enough to cover essentials.
One sign of those pressures appeared in late autumn, when food-related fundraisers nearly sextupled on the platform between the end of October and the first weeks of November. Cadogan said that surge coincided with a disruption that abruptly cut off SNAP food benefits for many Americans during a government funding lapse, prompting a wave of campaigns to help families restock their kitchens.
When people fall behind on rent, face utility shut-offs or cannot afford groceries, many now treat a crowdfunding campaign as one of the levers they can quickly pull, even though the company presents its platform as a complement rather than a substitute for government safety nets or traditional charities.
Crowdfunding As An Informal Safety Net
Researchers who track online fundraising say the evolution of GoFundMe shows how crowdfunding has become an informal safety net for people who may not qualify for, or cannot easily access, public assistance. Martin Lukk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto who studies economic inequality and digital fundraising, has described the trend as a rough “barometer” of financial strain when other systems fall short.
The 2025 report highlights individual stories that illustrate this dynamic. One example is Iesha Shepard, a 34-year-old single mother in New Orleans who lives with chronic heart failure after surviving a shooting four years ago. She fell ill this autumn and missed several weeks at her part-time hotel job, then received an eviction notice as she struggled to keep up with rising rent and food costs.
After her application for Social Security disability benefits was denied for a second time, Shepard started a GoFundMe campaign to avoid becoming homeless with her two daughters around the holidays. She was initially reluctant to ask for help but eventually viewed the fundraiser as a last option. Donations accelerated once she shared her story on TikTok, where a late-November video drew more than 10,000 views and helped push the campaign beyond $1,000 toward its $1,800 goal.
Uneven Access And Unmet Needs
Even as more campaigns seek help for basic needs, experts caution against treating GoFundMe’s data as a complete picture of economic hardship. Only people with internet access, basic technical skills and at least some social network are likely to organize a campaign, while many who are struggling never appear on the site at all. Successful fundraisers often require compelling storytelling, active promotion on social media and connections to potential donors with disposable income.
Those constraints mean that the platform’s “Year in Help” report may understate the true scope of financial distress, particularly in communities with limited broadband access or weaker ties to online fundraising culture. At the same time, campaigns that gain traction can direct significant resources to individuals and local organizations – including food banks, which GoFundMe says were the most common community-focused beneficiaries on the site in 2025.
Cadogan has said the company’s goal is to make it easier for people to ask for and channel help, while acknowledging that no country’s public programs fully shield residents from every setback, even in a year when more users are crowdfunding simply to keep the lights on.
