In fiscal year 2023, as an individual trainee for the Duskin training program, I researched the finances and fundraising of disability organizations, primarily in the United States.
The theme was ‘Fundraising in the disability movement.’
I examined the financial documents of about 20 organizations and agencies, including disability organizations, advocacy agencies, and centers for independent living, and I actually visited them or spoke with staff online.
At the time, what I wanted to know was simple.
Why do disability organizations in the United States receive so much money?
Are they good at collecting donations?
Is their approach to companies different?
Do they have the know-how to get grants from foundations?
If there are methods that can be used in Japan, I want to learn them.
I started my research with that feeling.
However, as I looked at the flow of money in various organizations, I gradually began to see something different.
It wasn’t just about ‘techniques for collecting donations.’
・Government
・Companies
・Foundations
・Individuals
・Events
・Tax systems
・And laws and institutions
In the United States, there was not just one source of money supporting the activities of disability organizations.
1. There is a mechanism to receive money from the government while also being able to conduct investigations or take legal action against the government if necessary.
What surprised me most was the mechanism called P&A (Protection & Advocacy).
P&A is a disability rights advocacy mechanism located in each state and territory across the U.S., and there are 57 P&A systems nationwide.
They receive public funding based on federal law and conduct investigations into abuse and neglect, policy advocacy, and, if necessary, legal responses against parties including the government.
Disability Rights California, which I visited, is one of them.
A scene from the lunch welcome party they held for me when I visited in 2024. The author is in the back right.
What surprised me here was,
being able to receive money from the government while also being able to conduct investigations or take legal action against the government if necessary.
That is what it was.
Instead of having to raise funds for advocacy activities on their own, there is a system in place to support them with public funds.
This was quite impressive.
(2) Corporations provide funding
Another thing that left an impression was the relationship with corporations.
Looking at the events and programs of disability organizations in the United States, many companies such as the Coca-Cola Foundation, Microsoft, United Airlines, and the Arconic Foundation participate as sponsors.
When I interviewed a representative from a disability organization, what struck me was
the idea of not just seeing corporations as ‘someone who gives money,’ but as partners to build a relationship with
that they talked about.
Rather than just asking, ‘Please donate,’ and leaving it at that, they consider what they can do for the company and what the organization and the company can do together.
What can the organization do for the company?
What can the organization and the company do together?
They think about fundraising in a way that includes building those kinds of relationships.
This was quite impressive to me.
(3) GALAs connect money and people
As a place to build relationships with those companies and supporters, the GALA came up many times.
Simply put, it is an event aimed at fundraising.
– Having a meal.
– Introducing activities.
– Honoring supporters.
– Interacting with companies and donors.
– And, collecting funds from participation tickets and corporate sponsors.
What I found interesting was
that fundraising and relationship building with people are taking place in the same venue
as it were.
It is an event to raise money, but at the same time, it is also a place to build relationships with the next supporters and companies.
4. Foundations are also a major source of funding
Private foundations are also important.
The United States has large-scale foundations that provide grants to NPOs working on various social issues.
The field of disability rights advocacy is also a target for this.
For example, the Ford Foundation positions Disability Rights as a grant-making area. In 2024, it provided 69 grants totaling approximately $19.43 million in the Disability Rights sector within the U.S. (Ford Foundation)
I felt this was a scale unimaginable in Japan.
Of course, it is not as simple as just applying and receiving funds. There is competition, and some grants have time limits.
Even so, I was struck by the fact that working on disability rights and social participation itself is established as a theme for receiving funding from foundations.
5. There is also a tax system that supports donations
In the United States, there are tax incentives for donations to non-profit organizations that meet certain requirements, such as 501(c)(3) status.
Many of the disability organizations I visited had also obtained 501(c)(3) status.
The number of eligible organizations is also very large, with over 1.5 million organizations in the U.S. falling under 501(c)(3).
Furthermore, starting in 2026, a system will begin that allows individuals who do not itemize deductions to deduct up to $1,000 per person, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly, for certain cash donations.
Also, regarding participation fees for GALAs and charity events, the portion exceeding the value of items received, such as meals, may be treated as a donation.
Japan also has a donation deduction system, but there are differences in the eligible organizations and the scope of what is recognized as a donation.
What I felt in the United States was that the base of organizations collecting donations is broad, and the systems to make it easier to donate are quite well-established
as well.
I would like to write in more detail about the differences between this 501(c)(3) and the Japanese system in a future installment.
6. Furthermore, there are laws and systems behind it all
As I investigated the finances of various organizations, connections to laws and systems also became visible.
For example, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is a landmark U.S. civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
The ADA itself does not distribute money directly to disability organizations. However, there is a mechanism that allows for seeking redress through lawsuits in the event of a violation, and in cases where the plaintiff wins, the opposing party is required to pay attorney’s fees. (Reference: 42 U.S.C. § 12205 – Attorney’s fees)
Furthermore, in California, state law also allows for seeking damages in certain cases. (Reference: Discrimination at Business Establishments – Unruh Civil Rights Act)
Additionally, there is IDEA, which supports the education of children with disabilities; the Rehabilitation Act, which provides federal funding for Centers for Independent Living (CILs); and P&A, which also receives public funding based on multiple laws.
In other words, in the United States, not only are rights guaranteed by law, but the funding and mechanisms to realize them are also built into the system.
I would like to cover the relationship between these laws and funding in more detail in a future installment.
Tracing the flow of money reveals the system
In looking at the finances of various disability organizations this time, what I felt was that fundraising is not simply a ‘technique for collecting donations.’
Public funding from the government, corporate sponsors, GALAs, foundations, tax incentives for donations, and laws and systems. Multiple mechanisms overlap to support the activities of disability organizations.
What left a particular impression on me was the structure where there are laws that define rights, systems that make those rights actually usable, and some of those systems are also backed by public money. structure.
Where does the money to continue the activities of disability organizations come from?
Starting from what I have actually seen in the United States, I would like to think about this from both the perspective of numbers and systems from here on out.
Also, how have the funding and systems surrounding disability organizations changed since the second Trump administration began in 2025? I will not leave the information I heard and saw on the ground as it is, but will also follow the latest developments, update the numbers, and look at them in conjunction with changes in the system.
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