George Floyd's GoFundMe memorial campaign received the most donations in platform's history
- George Floyd's memorial campaign on GoFundMe received the most donations of all time on the site.
- TMZ was the first to report the news on Friday and a representative for GoFundMe confirmed to Insider that the memorial fund has received more than 480,000 donations from people in 140 countries worldwide.
- Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 27 after a police officer named Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes.
- The fundraiser was created by Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, and has accumulated more than $13,400,000 in donations at the time of this article's publication.
George Floyd's GoFundMe campaign reportedly received the most donations of all time on the platform, with more than $13 million raised since it was launched in late May.
On Friday, TMZ was the first to report that the fundraising site hit a new record after the official George Floyd memorial fund, which was created by brother Philonise Floyd, surpassed the original goal of $1,500,000 by millions.
A representative for GoFundMe confirmed to Insider that the campaign received the most individual donations of all GoFundMe fundraisers, with more than 480,000 donations from people in 140 countries worldwide. The fundraiser has received more than $13,400,000 at the time of this article's publication.
Money from the fundraiser will contribute to "funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George," the campaign's description reads. Some of the funds will also be allocated to Floyd's estate and his children.
In addition to the memorial fund, younger sibling Bridgett Floyd also created a GoFundMe to cover "traveling and other expenses."
The memorial fund was developed on May 27, two days after Floyd, a black Minneapolis man, was killed after a white police officer named Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. The moment was captured on video and widely circulated online.
An independent autopsy found that Floyd died from asphyxia due to compression of the neck and back. The results also contradicted a Hennepin County Attorney's Office autopsy, which found no evidence of "traumatic asphyxia or strangulation."
Since Floyd's death, arresting officer Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was later charged with second-degree murder as well.
The three other officers present — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane — lost their jobs and were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The death of Floyd and many others, like Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, has sparked outrage and nationwide protests in the US as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. Celebrities have been donating money to organizations, marching in protests, sharing resources with fans, and vowing to change in support.