Pennsylvania-based pharmacist Kenneth Kim had always “wanted to do something with crypto” that could “make the world a better place.” In 2019, he founded what is known today as Crypto for the Homeless (CFTHL), a New Jersey registered non–profit organization which has fed more than 5,000 homeless people around the world through the use of digital currencies. “I always had the desire to get involved with some kind of project in crypto. If it made the world better that would be the best possible scenario,” Kim told Cointelegraph. While he was a pharmacy student at Temple University in Philadelphia between …

The billionaire founder and CEO of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried, has revealed he intends to spend anywhere between $100 million and $1 billion to help influence the 2024 United States presidential election campaigns. In a podcast interview on Tuesday, Bankman-Fried was asked how much money he might donate during the next presidential election cycle, answering he’d give “north of $100 million” with a “soft ceiling” of $1 billion if he were to bankroll the person running against former president Donald Trump: “I would hate to say hard ceiling because who knows what’s going to happen between now and …

Depending who you ask, NFTs are either a new and exciting way to invest, or a bearish, overhyped sector. Regardless, journalists, investors and collectors have paid significant attention to the growing NFT market in the past year. NFTs continue to be one of the most popular Web3 entry points, an opportunity for everyone from casual art fans to crypto billionaires to own a unique asset stored on the blockchain. As NFT visionaries have recently pointed out, NFTs also have the potential to be used for incredible causes beyond digital asset collection. In the past six months, communities have launched NFTs …

A California state regulator may be looking at overturning a ban on cryptocurrency donations to political campaigns which has been in effect since 2018. According to its May 2022 agenda, California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, or FPPC, has scheduled a “pre-notice discussion” on Thursday on the use of cryptocurrencies for campaign contributions in the state, opening the topic to public comment before officially revisiting it. The commission said it will be considering drafting amendments to its regulations requiring that “no contribution may be made or received in cryptocurrency.” In September 2018, the FPPC voted to ban both sending and receiving …

Ukrainian officials have used funds from the crypto donation platform launched by the government to purchase supplies for the country’s military amid its ongoing war with Russia. In a Friday tweet, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced that the country had purchased five all-terrain vehicles, which “will come in handy for a challenging environment” — possibly referring to conditions near the front lines with Russia or where roads have been damaged or destroyed. Funds for three of the ATVs originated from Aid for Ukraine, a platform the government launched in March that accepts crypto donations “to support people …

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has donated $4 million worth of USD Coin (USDC) to the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to support the development of a pandemic detection tool. The capital, which equates to roughly 5.3 million Australian dollars, is part of Buterin’s self-described “moonshot anti-COVID effort” dubbed Balvi Filantropic Fund in partnership with the Shiba Inu (SHIB) memecoin project and Crypto Relief. The funds will further support the development of the Shiba Inu Open-Source Intelligence- (OISNT)-based EPIWATCH tool, which utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and open-source data to create early pandemic warning signs. Created by Kirby Institute professor and …

The Wikimedia Foundation, which backs Wikipedia, will shut down its BitPay account and has announced it will stop accepting cryptocurrency donations based on community feedback. The decision to end crypto donations was made after 232 members, or 71% of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) community, voted in favor of a Jan. 10 proposal that cited energy consumption, ease of use for sanctioned individuals, exposure to crypto scams and environmental sustainability as reasons to stop it. These issues raised concerns about how accepting crypto could damage the foundation’s reputation in the long run. Wikipedia is an open-source online encyclopedia and BitPay is …

Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, tweeted that the Ukrainian government will accept war effort contributions in the form of nonfungible token (NFT) donations and purchases. Via the official "Aid for Ukraine" crypto fund, individuals can donate cryptocurrency, fiat and now NFTs. So far the initiative has raised over $60 million, according to the website. All funds go toward supplying Ukrainians with weapons, medical gear, medical kits and other expenses outlined on the Aid for Ukraine website. Total expenses amounted to $45,103,538 by April 14. The Aid for Ukraine platform is powered …

Donations made to political parties using cryptocurrencies will be banned in Ireland under new political integrity laws drafted due to concerns around foreign interference in politics. Amendments proposed by Minister Darragh O’Brien also cover rules around foreign donations, misinformation, and other transparency requirements for political parties, citing fears of Russian interference in Ireland’s elections. Speaking with the Independent on Monday, O’Brien said that the laws will further protect Ireland’s democratic system “given the escalating threat of cyber warfare targeting free countries,” and a newly established Electoral Commission will oversee compliance with the laws. It is unclear what percentage or monetary …

Protect Our Future, a political action committee set up in January, with backers including FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, has spent more than $9 million to support candidates running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to expenditures reported to the U.S. Federal Election Commission, as of April 14, Protect Our Future has used $9,024,317 toward supporting the campaigns of Carrick Flynn, Lucia McBath, Shontel Brown and Jasmine Crockett to represent separate districts in Oregon, Georgia, Ohio and Texas, respectively. McBath and Brown are incumbent candidates, while Crockett currently represents Texas’ 100th District in the state’s House of Representatives. …

Terra blockchain developer Terraform Labs (TFL) has gifted the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) 10 million LUNA, worth around $820 million at current prices. LFG is a nonprofit organization attached to Terra tasked with collateralizing the network’s algorithmic stablecoin, Terra USD (UST), to keep it pegged with the U.S. dollar. TFL’s latest announcement came on Thursday via Twitter, but it did not outline what the funds would go toward specifically. However, transaction data from Terra Finder shows that 7.8 million LUNA (roughly $630 million) was promptly transferred out of LFG’s reserve wallet on Thursday. TFL has gifted an additional 10 million …

Requests for comments on a proposal urging the Wikimedia Foundation to stop accepting donations in cryptocurrency have closed, with the majority of users voting in favor. According to a Tuesday update on the proposal, roughly 71%, or 232 out of 326, Wikimedia contributors who responded requested that the Wikimedia Foundation — the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia — stop accepting cryptocurrency donations. The arguments in favor of the proposition included environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin (BTC) transactions and “the risk to the movement’s reputation for accepting cryptocurrencies.” The community first opened the proposal to comment on Jan. 10, expanding the discussion to …