# White House Ballroom Donors: What the Records Show
> The Washington Post reported $333M in ballroom donations on Oct. 15, 2026. What the White House list, the YouTube settlement and the donor agreement show.
**TL;DR:** On Oct. 15, 2026, The Washington Post reported that internal fundraising records show $333 million from private donors for the White House ballroom, with the largest commitments, $25 million each, from Nvidia, Apple, the Adelson family and Charles Ergen. The White House's October 2025 list named 37 donors (the Post's count) and gave no amounts.
- **Only in the Post's records:** most amounts, and at least $77 million from donors who asked for anonymity. The Post says its reporting does not establish a link to favorable government actions.
- **On the public record:** a court filing routes $22 million of YouTube's settlement to the Trust for the ballroom, and the donor agreement, released after a FOIA lawsuit, keeps donors anonymous, as far as the law allows, unless the Executive Residence approves naming them.
- **The response:** spokesman Davis Ingle declined to discuss individual gifts and said the administration will pursue those responsible for the leak.
## What did The Washington Post report?
According to the Post, which obtained an internal tracking spreadsheet:
- **Size:** the spreadsheet covers every donation over $10,000 logged through late September, 67 in all, with each one's source, date and amount, and shows a total of $333 million from private donors.
- **Largest gifts:** Nvidia, Apple, the Adelson family and Ergen, Dish Network's co-founder and chairman, each committed $25 million.
- **Anonymity:** other internal records indicate at least $77 million came from donors who requested anonymity. Nvidia was one of them.
- **Concentration:** more than three-quarters of the money came in commitments of $5 million or more. Companies, or executives of firms, with federal contracts during Trump's second term accounted for about half.
- **Who is missing:** Trump, though he said in 2025 the project was "being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine." The list does not include in-kind contributions.
The Post's story also describes government contracts, regulatory decisions and, for one donor's relative, a pardon. The Post wrote that its reporting "does not establish a connection" between the commitments and favorable actions by the administration; donors who commented told it there was none. Reuters said it had not verified the Post's report.
Amounts from internal records the Post obtained. Source: The Washington Post (Oct. 15, 2026); Deadline; N.D. Cal. No. 4:21-cv-08009, ECF 178.
## How did the White House and donors respond?
White House spokesman Davis Ingle declined to discuss individual donations and called the donors "a wide array of great American companies and generous individuals," adding: "The same critics who are alleging fake conflicts of interests, would also complain if American taxpayers were footing the bill for these long-overdue renovations." He added that the administration will "relentlessly pursue those responsible for this cowardly leak while continuing to protect all those who give."
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters in October 2025 that the company was contributing "in a small way," the Post reported. An Nvidia spokesperson told the Post its "support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests." Apple declined to comment, Reuters reported. AT&T, the only line marked "pledged" ($5 million), told the Post it appeared to have been listed in error. The Trust for the National Mall said it "is committed to honoring donors requesting anonymity."
## What is on the public record?
### The White House's own disclosures
- **July 31, 2025:** the White House said Trump "and other patriot donors" had committed to fund an "approximately $200 million dollar structure."
- **October 2025:** it released donor names, no amounts: 37 people, companies and foundations, matching the Post's count and the list CNN published. It includes Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Nvidia and Ergen are not on it.
- **Gaps:** according to the Post, three names on that list, Hard Rock International, Tether America and Paolo Tiramani, are not in its spreadsheet.
On cost, Trump said in October 2025 it would be "about $300 million," CNN reported. The Post reported that he has said he intends to raise $400 million, and that a March projection put the new East Wing, ballroom included, at $600 million.
The 2025 list gave names; the Post's records added most amounts. Source: White House; N.D. Cal. ECF 178; donor agreement; CNN; Public Citizen; No. 26A203; The Washington Post.
### Court filing: the $22 million from the YouTube settlement
Trump's 2021 suit against YouTube ended with a settlement notice filed Sept. 29, 2025, in federal court in Oakland. Alphabet, YouTube's parent, agreed to transfer $24.5 million in total:
- **$22 million** to settle Trump's claims, which he "has directed to be contributed, on his behalf, to the Trust for the National Mall" for the ballroom's construction.
- **$2.5 million** to the other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union.
The filing says it is not an admission of liability. Deadline, summarizing the Post's list, reported that $22 million came from Google's settlement.
### The donor agreement
The rules are set out in a 14-page "Philanthropic Support Agreement" among the National Park Service, the White House's Executive Residence and the Trust. The Park Service and the Trust dated their signatures Oct. 7, 2025. Public Citizen requested it under the Freedom of Information Act, sued in December 2025, and the administration released it in April 2026. Its terms:
- **Who finds donors:** the Executive Residence identifies potential donors on the Park Service's behalf and tells the Trust whether each wants anonymity.
- **Anonymity:** the Trust keeps donors anonymous to the extent the law allows and recognizes one publicly only with the Executive Residence's explicit written approval.
- **Vetting:** for gifts over $25,000, the Trust will take "reasonable efforts" to learn whether a donor is in litigation or controversy with the Park Service or Interior Department, has or seeks Park Service business or permits, is debarred, has a recent public record of violations that could cause controversy, or wants marketing tied to the gift. It will not take gifts from foreign nationals or entities.
- **Fee and transfers:** the Trust may keep 2.5% of the first $200 million in cash donations, then 2%, and sends funds to the government on written request.
The agreement was released after Public Citizen's FOIA lawsuit. Source: Philanthropic Support Agreement (NPS, Executive Residence, Trust), released April 2026.
### Tax filings: why the names are not public
The Trust is a 501(c)(3) charity. Its latest Form 990 on ProPublica, for 2024, reports total revenue of $10,237,447; the Post's $333 million in commitments is more than 32 times that (our arithmetic). The IRS says tax-exempt groups other than private foundations and political organizations generally need not publicly disclose contributors' names on annual returns.
## Background: the construction case
The construction itself is being challenged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (No. 1:25-cv-04316, D.D.C.):
- **March 31, 2026:** the district court's injunction, as later clarified, barred further above-ground work except as "strictly necessary" to protect the White House, the President and his staff, the Supreme Court recounts.
- **Aug. 7:** the D.C. Circuit upheld it 2-1. The majority wrote that funds donated to the Park Service are not funds "appropriated under" 3 U.S.C. ยง 105(d), the law on Executive Residence repairs and improvements.
- **Aug. 31:** the Supreme Court, 5-4, stayed the injunction, saying the government is likely to show the National Trust lacks standing. Chief Justice John Roberts, in dissent, wrote that the construction "is likely unlawful."
Related: our reports on the [East Potomac tree removal order](/blog/east-potomac-golf-course-tree-removal-court-order/) and [DHS-funded Trump ads](/blog/trump-taxpayer-funded-ads-court-order-common-cause-dhs/), and the [politics section](/category/politics/).
## What could go right / What could go wrong
For the White House and the Trust:
- **What could go right:** IRS rules generally do not require naming donors, the agreement commits the parties to anonymity as far as the law allows, and construction continues while the case goes on.
- **What could go wrong:** amounts are now published, three named donors are missing from the spreadsheet, and the Post reported that taxpayer dollars have covered some construction costs.
For those seeking disclosure:
- **What could go right:** the Post's records add amounts, and the agreement became public through a FOIA lawsuit.
- **What could go wrong:** Reuters has not verified the Post's report and the White House said it would not release donor information.
## FAQ
Q Who donated to the White House ballroom?
A According to records reported by The Washington Post on Oct. 15, 2026, the largest commitments were $25 million each from Nvidia, Apple, the Adelson family and Charles Ergen. The White House's October 2025 list named 37 donors (the Post's count) without amounts.
Q How much money has been raised for the White House ballroom?
A The Post reported a total of $333 million from private donors as of late September 2026. In July 2025, the White House called the ballroom an approximately $200 million structure.
Q Is the White House ballroom donor list public?
A Only partly. The White House released a donor list without amounts, and the donor agreement keeps donors anonymous, as far as the law allows, unless the Executive Residence approves in writing. Most amounts became known through the Post's report.
Q Did Google pay for the White House ballroom?
A A Sept. 29, 2025, court filing says $22 million from Alphabet's settlement of Trump's YouTube lawsuit was directed, on Trump's behalf, to the Trust for the National Mall for the ballroom.
Q Who manages the ballroom donations?
A The Trust for the National Mall, a 501(c)(3) charity, under an agreement with the National Park Service and the White House Executive Residence. It may keep 2.5% of the first $200 million in cash donations and 2% after that.
