A charity coin on Pump.fun is a token that presents itself as supporting a nonprofit, and the platform does let a creator route the creator fee, 0.3% of each bonding-curve trade, to a chosen charity through its built-in Donate.gg integration (source: Pump.fun fee schedule). But turning that routing on is voluntary, so a charity logo alone proves nothing.
The artwork and the donation switch are two different things. A creator picks the name and image at launch, then separately chooses whether to send the creator fee to a charity, the same way some creators send fees back to holders through an opt-in cashback model.
So it comes down to three questions the logo leaves open: whether the routing is switched on, whether the named charity is real and willing, and how much survives the trip.
Where a charity coin's branding comes from
A charity's name, ticker, and logo on a coin page are fields the creator filled in at launch, so they reveal only who typed them, not who agreed to them. Pump.fun does offer a real donation route, but the artwork sits completely apart from it.
The launch flow asks the creator for a name, a symbol, a description, an image, and optional social links, then writes them into the token's on-chain metadata (source: Pump.fun create-a-coin guide). None of those fields is checked against the charity they may reference. Anyone can type "Red Cross" into the name field and upload a matching logo, so a charity's brand on a coin page carries as little weight as a username. The description field is free text as well. A line like "we donate every fee" ships in the same unverified metadata as the picture, and the launch form leaves that promise unproven. The real organization may be unaware the coin exists, and the page looks identical either way.
Regulators describe this exact move outside of crypto. The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers often use names that sound a lot like the names of real charities, which is why its guidance tells donors to research before giving (source: Federal Trade Commission). A memecoin borrowing a charity's identity is the same tactic in a new venue: a familiar name lowers your guard so you assume good intent that stays unverified.
Treat the artwork as marketing copy that tells you what the creator wants you to feel. It belongs on the same watch list as Pump.fun's core risks as much as in the trust column. The branding still leaves one question open: whether the donation route is actually turned on.
How a charity coin actually routes money, and where it leaks
When a charity coin really does give, the money moves through one specific path: the creator directs the creator fee to Pump.fun's Donate.gg integration, which forwards it to a nonprofit. Every other part of the trade stays inside the platform's own system, so the creator fee is the only slice that can ever reach a charity.
On the bonding curve the creator receives 0.3% of each trade, the protocol keeps 0.95%, and the total fee is 1.25%, a structure that has applied to all bonding-curve and PumpSwap coins since May 13, 2025 (source: Pump.fun fee schedule). Only the creator-fee row can flow outward.
| Fee slice | Who receives it | Bonding-curve rate |
|---|---|---|
| Creator fee | The coin's creator (routable to charity) | 0.3% |
| Protocol fee | Pump.fun | 0.95% |
| Liquidity pool fee | The trading pool | 0% |
| Total | 1.25% |
Pump.fun's Charity Coins disclaimer describes the route plainly: the platform integrates the Donate.gg service to pass creator fees to charities, and its own role is limited to providing the technical interface that lets a user voluntarily direct certain creator fees to Donate.gg (source: Pump.fun Charity Coins disclaimer). Donate.gg, rather than Pump.fun, keeps the list of verified nonprofits and handles the payout.
That hand-off is where the money leaks. Fees leave Pump.fun in Solana, and Donate.gg converts them to a currency the charity accepts and charges a fee for its service, so a cut comes out before anything lands. Because Donate.gg sets that cut and the exchange rate, and Pump.fun is unaware of them, the exact percentage stays unknowable from the coin page alone. Pump.fun also states that it leaves the charities unvetted and unaudited and "makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee that any particular portion of any donation will be received by any charity" (source: Pump.fun Charity Coins disclaimer). So the routing can be genuine while the charity still receives less than the fee collected, or, if the switch stayed off, zero.
Pump.fun's own protocol token, PUMP, is a separate asset from any coin launched on the platform, charity-themed or otherwise; on BloFin it trades as the PUMPUSDT Perpetual against USDT.
What it costs to hold that position, the funding rate and the fees, is set out on BloFin's fee page.
How to verify the donation on-chain
Because the routing is voluntary and the payout happens off the platform, the only proof a charity coin donates is the on-chain record itself. Every Pump.fun trade settles on Solana, so the creator fee wallet is a public address, and you can read whether those fees actually leave for the donation route or simply build up in the creator's control.
Say a coin promises to send its fees to a named food bank. The creator wallet is the account that launched the coin, linked from its profile, and the fee-recipient address is where the creator fee is credited. Open that wallet on a block explorer such as Solscan, read the creator fees flowing in, then look for outgoing transfers toward the Donate.gg route or an address the charity has published itself (source: Solscan). A coin that really gives shows a repeating pattern: fees arrive, then leave again toward the same donation address soon after. If the fees only pile up while outgoing transfers stay absent, the donation has yet to start, whatever the coin page promises. If transfers exist but land at an address you are unable to tie to the charity, you have confirmed only a payment to an unknown wallet.
The routing check also sets your expectations on size. Since Donate.gg takes its own cut on conversion, even a wallet that clearly forwards fees sends less than the full amount onward, so a "100% of fees" claim is already loose before the money leaves Solana. The same evidence-first habit that helps you spot a Pump.fun rug applies here: judge the coin by what the chain shows rather than what the description intends.
Confirm the charity through the charity, then decide
The last check closes the loop the branding opened: confirm with the nonprofit, through its own official channels, that it actually receives from the coin. A name, a logo, and a linked account are all creator-supplied, so a matching X or Telegram handle can be freshly made or lifted. Go to the organization's official website, find any statement about crypto donations, and match the address there against the wallet the coin actually pays. Reputable nonprofits that accept crypto tend to publish their wallet and campaign details in writing, so a charity that has truly partnered with a coin will usually say so itself. Silence, or a notice disowning the token, is an answer in its own right.
A stated allocation means little until the transfer settles on-chain: what counts is the recorded movement of funds to a confirmed address, beyond any label attached to it.
The FBI's guidance on crypto fraud lands in the same place, telling people to verify an opportunity independently rather than trust the pitch, and to watch for actors impersonating trusted names (source: FBI). If the charity stays silent on the coin, is unable to confirm the wallet, or disowns the token, the safe reading is that it stands apart from the project. Borrowing a trusted name to win misplaced confidence is textbook social engineering in crypto, and it is the reason the three checks exist. Run them, and a charity coin becomes a claim you can accept or reject on evidence rather than on artwork.
Looking to trade PUMP? To get started, you'll need to first create a BloFin account, fund your account with cryptocurrency, and navigate to the PUMP/USDT Spot trading page or PUMPUSDT Perpetual page.
Frequently asked questions
Does a charity's X or Telegram link on the coin page prove the charity is involved?
A linked account only shows what the creator chose to attach, since the social links are one of the optional launch fields. The handle can be a look-alike, a brand-new account, or a real account outside the creator's control. Treat a linked profile as a lead to check rather than confirmation, and verify it from the charity's official website instead of the link on the coin page.
Is a coin using a charity's name automatically illegal or a scam?
It depends, and that is what makes it tricky. Many charity-themed coins are speculative memecoins that leave the routing switched off entirely, which is legal in most places even when the branding is misleading. Using a charity's registered name or marks it never sanctioned can cross into impersonation or misrepresentation depending on the jurisdiction, but the coin page alone leaves that unclear. The practical risk for a buyer is simpler: paying a premium for a donation the money trail fails to show.
How is a charity coin different from a cashback coin?
A cashback coin routes fees back to the coin's own holders through logic encoded in its smart contract, so the redirection runs automatically once the coin launches. A charity coin instead depends on a creator choosing to send the creator fee to the Donate.gg route, which then pays a nonprofit off-platform. One is aimed at holders and enforced by code; the other is aimed at a charity, is voluntary, and passes through a third party that takes a cut.
Who chooses the charity that receives the money?
Two different parties, which is easy to miss. The creator only chooses whether to route the creator fee into the Donate.gg integration; Donate.gg maintains and controls the list of verified nonprofits that can actually receive funds. Pump.fun states that selecting, verifying, and endorsing those organizations sits outside its role. So the charity named in the coin's branding may differ from the one that gets paid, even when routing is switched on.
How much of a charity coin's fees actually reach the charity?
The share is variable, because two deductions sit between the trade and the charity. Only the 0.3% creator fee can be routed at all; the protocol keeps its 0.95% inside Pump.fun. Then Donate.gg converts the routed Solana into a currency the charity accepts and charges a fee for that service, so the sum that lands is smaller than the fee collected. Because Donate.gg sets both the cut and the exchange rate, a round-number promise like "100% of fees" is a ceiling at best. Read the on-chain transfers and confirm the received amount with the charity to see what truly arrived.
Researched and written by the BloFin Academy editorial team with AI-assisted drafting. Primary sources include Pump.fun's Charity Coins disclaimer, its fee schedule, and the US Federal Trade Commission. All facts independently verified against cited documentation current as of September 2026.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Cryptocurrencies are volatile and speculative, and memecoins on platforms like Pump.fun carry a high risk of total loss. Donations route through a third-party service (Donate.gg) and are not verified, controlled, or guaranteed by Pump.fun or by BloFin. Always do your own research, verify claims on-chain and with the named organization directly, and consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.