About Cars Helping Kids

Our mission

We turn donated vehicles into direct programs for children and families who need them. Our community of focus is North Georgia — Hall County, Forsyth, Jackson, Banks, Habersham, White, Lumpkin — but our pickup operation runs in all 50 US states because donors live everywhere, and every donation funds the same mission.

Who runs Cars Helping Kids

Cars Helping Kids is operated by Fainting Goat Foundation, a Georgia nonprofit corporation registered with the Georgia Secretary of State and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. The foundation is governed by an unpaid volunteer board of directors and operates under standard nonprofit governance, audit, and disclosure requirements.

What we do with proceeds

After the actual cost of towing (varies by distance, typically $75–$200) and the DMV title-processing fees, every dollar funds programs. There is no third-party processor taking a percentage between you and the kids — this is the structural advantage of donating direct to the operating charity rather than through a national brand that licenses its name to a for-profit middleman.

Specific program lines funded by vehicle donations:

• School-year backpacks stocked with grade-appropriate supplies, distributed in August through local schools and partner organizations.
• Weekend food bags for kids identified by school counselors as food-insecure between Friday afternoon and Monday morning.
• After-school tutoring partnerships with North Georgia schools and tutoring programs.
• Winter coats and holiday gifts coordinated through schools and community partners in November and December.

Transparency

Like every registered 501(c)(3), we file Form 990 (or 990-EZ / 990-N depending on revenue) annually with the IRS. These are public documents searchable on the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search and via independent third parties like ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.

For donors who want third-party validation:

• IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search — confirms our 501(c)(3) status and good standing.
• Georgia Secretary of State Charitable Solicitations Division — verifies our state charitable-solicitation registration.
• Candid (formerly GuideStar) — independent profile aggregating IRS and self-reported data.

How we're different from for-profit brokers

Many national "donate your car" brands you see advertised are not the operating charity. They're for-profit intermediaries that license a charity's name, run the towing and sale operation themselves, and pass a percentage — often 30–60% of net proceeds — to the named charity. The donor often doesn't realize the percentage split exists.

Cars Helping Kids cuts out that layer. The entity that picks up your vehicle is the same entity that runs the programs. Your tax-deductible donation is documented on a 1098-C issued directly by Fainting Goat Foundation. Net proceeds, minus tow and processing costs, fund programs — not a third party's "administrative fee."

How to verify any car donation charity (including us)

Three free, public, definitive checks:

1. IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search — search the charity's legal name (for us: Fainting Goat Foundation). Confirms 501(c)(3) status, EIN, and good standing.
2. Your state's Secretary of State charitable solicitation registry — confirms the charity is legally registered to solicit donations from your state's residents.
3. Look at Form 990 — every registered 501(c)(3) files it annually; it's free and public on the IRS site or ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Contact us

Phone or text: 770-871-9422 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm ET · Text anytime · Same-day reply; texts answered after hours)
Email: donate@carshelpingkids.org
Location: Gainesville, Georgia, USA
Service area: All 50 US states for pickup. Charitable programs primarily serve North Georgia.