When Joe Biden announced his presidential library plans back in September, the writing was already on the wall. Donors were checked out, interest was nonexistent, and the whole thing smelled like a vanity project nobody wanted to fund. Now, a New York Times article confirms what was painfully obvious from the start — Biden’s library is turning into an epic fundraising disaster.
The numbers are embarrassing. According to the report, Biden’s library foundation received no new donations in 2024, the final year of his presidency. All of its initial funding — a measly $4 million — came from leftover cash from Biden’s 2021 inauguration, not from donors eager to immortalize his legacy. The foundation refuses to disclose how much, if anything, it has raised in 2025, which obviously means the number is so disastrously low that they’re too embarrassed to give figures publicly.
Biden is about to actively seek donations for the project, but this isn’t exactly a sign that help is on the way. He’s hosting his first event explicitly aimed at potential library donors on Monday in Georgetown, but calling it a fundraiser would be generous. I’m not expecting this social hour to move the needle much.
The news actually gets worse.
Biden’s foundation told the Internal Revenue Service that it expects to raise a grand total of about $11.3 million by the end of 2027. That figure is laughably low compared to what recent presidents have accomplished. George W. Bush’s team hit its $500 million fundraising goal before his library was even dedicated. Obama’s library reportedly costs about $850 million. Even President Trump’s library expects to raise more than $900 million.
Hellbound and Down 