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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Do presidents-elect seek private contributions to fund their transition offices?

By Esther Honig
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YES

A 1963 law allows for both federal funding and private donations to support a new president's transition planning between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Direct support from the General Services Administration covers costs for office space, administrative support and staff and travel expenses. The law allows any single individual or entity to make a contribution of up to $5,000 to the effort.

In 2008, President-Elect Obama raised $1.2 million for his transition in the 11 days after his election, according to federal filings tracked by Open Secrets. In 2016, President Trump raised $6.5 million in private donations, according to the Center for Public Integrity. On Nov. 23, the GSA formally unlocked the government funding for the Biden transition team, which has also been seeking private-sector donations.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Center for Presidential Transition: Presidential Transition Act summary
Federal Election Commission: Funding the presidential transition
OpenSecrets: President Obama's transition fundraising
Center for Public Integrity: President Trump's transition fundraising
GSA: Presidential transition directory
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.