F1Fund and Government Benefits

What is F1Fund?

F1Fund is web funding platform designed only to bring people with a need and people who can help together. F1Fund does not donate, sponsor, endorse or solicit funds. F1Fund ONLY provides the platform for campaign creators to advertise their campaigns and individually solicit pledges or donations from pledgors.

How does it work?

Every campaign creator sets their campaign's timeline and creates their own campaign. If people like it, they can pledge money. At the end of the campaign, the proceeds from the campaign are distributed to the campaign creator. F1Fund applies a 3% fee to the funds collected and is also reimbursed the credit card, PayPal or other bank fees. Funds are distributed either in 1 lump-sum payment, equal monthly payments over a period of time, or both, depending on the selection made by the campaign creator.

How does F1Fund affect government benefits being received by a campaign creator?

First and most important, we cannot give you legal advice. We are not your lawyer or advisor of any kind and use of our services does not constitute a fiduciary or special relationship of any kind. By using our service, you must agree to this, and therefore, agree that any information we provide you is only our effort to help, or get you started finding the information you need. Ultimately the responsibility is on the campaign creator to determine if receiving money through a F1Fund campaign will or will not affect their government benefits.

In general, in the US, funds raised on F1Fund are considered donations or gifts. However, this can still affect your government benefits.

Many government benefits are “income” based, meaning that you must have less than a certain income or you may not qualify for your benefits. Many government benefits are “asset” based, meaning that if you have a certain amount of assets as of a certain date, your benefits may reduce, or stop, for a period of time or forever. Other names for government needs testing for governmental benefits programs may be “means-tested”, “income”, “countable resources” and many others.

Most governmental means-tested programs WILL count gifts in their eligibility testing! F1Fund campaigns can result in you receiving money that could affect your eligibility!

We do our best to assist with this by providing you funds after the first of the month when many programs are means-tested, or through monthly payments. Monthly payment options involve your proceeds being held by F1Fund and only transmit to you when each monthly payment is made. By choosing this option, you agree and consent to FM4L, Inc. receiving donations and simply then providing you a monthly distribution so you have not received this money until each monthly payout. THIS MAY STILL AFFECT YOUR BENEFITS. If so, FM4L, Inc. can assist you in availing yourself of options to help protect your benefits like Special Needs Trusts or similar.

If you have government benefits, you are required by this site to disclose this before your campaign is launched. As such, you may have a brief phone exit interview so that we may try to help you identify potential problems and seek advice from a lawyer or professional before receiving your funds. REMEMBER, IT IS UP TO YOU TO DETERMINE IF THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR BENEFITS OR NOT, AND TO TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION OR PAYOUT OPTION TO AVOID AFFECTING YOUR BENEFITS. FM4L, Inc. IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY EFFECT ON YOUR GOVERNMENTAL BENEFITS AND YOU AGREE TO HOLD FM4L, Inc. HARMLESS FOR ANY EFFECT RECEIPT OF DONATIONS OR PLEDGES THROUGH F1Fund MAY HAVE.

If you have any questions, make sure you seek advice before you launch your campaign from an appropriate third-party, lawyer, professional, or your governmental benefits administration.