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Donate

$40 is a light, an alarm, and a person who comes back.

Your gift doesn't disappear into an overhead line item. It becomes a specific kit, carried on a specific route, handed to a specific person — and ten cents of every dollar goes to teens and women before anything else is spent.

Make a donation

Make a gift

Choose an amount

$40 puts one complete Lantern Kit in someone's hands tonight, with a hygiene bag included.

Continue to secure checkout

Processing is handled by a PCI-compliant payment provider. We never see or store your card number. A written acknowledgment is emailed for every gift.

Set-up note for the site owner: connect a donation processor and point the button above at it. Most nonprofits at this stage use Givebutter, Donorbox, Every.org, or Stripe Checkout — all support one-time and recurring gifts, and all handle receipting.

Monthly giving

Become a Lightkeeper.

Recurring gifts are the difference between guessing and planning. They let us buy in bulk, commit to routes six months out, and promise a shelter that restock is coming.

$10/mo

Spark

A hygiene bag with period care, socks, and wipes every month. The item people run out of first.

Give $10/mo
Most chosen
$40/mo

Lightkeeper

One complete Lantern Kit, every month, forever. Twelve people a year who have a working light and a way to be heard.

Give $40/mo
$100/mo

Route Sponsor

Underwrites a share of one weekly outreach route — supplies, replacements, printed cards, and volunteer gear.

Give $100/mo
$500/mo

Founding Circle

Funds an entire outreach night every month and helps stand up the next chapter. Includes a quarterly call with the founder.

Give $500/mo

Change or cancel any time, no conversation required. We'd rather you give what's sustainable than give once and regret it.

Other ways to give

Money is the fastest way. It isn't the only way.

In-kind supplies

New, unopened items only. Our standing wish list:

  • Cotton crew socks (the single most-needed item)
  • Period products of all types
  • Personal alarm keychains
  • USB-C power banks and cables
  • Travel hygiene items and wipes
  • Hand warmers, ponchos, thermal layers

Arrange a drop-off

Employer matching

Thousands of companies match employee donations dollar for dollar, and many match volunteer hours with cash grants. It's the easiest way to double a gift, and most people never check.

Ask us for matching paperwork

Stock, DAF & crypto

Gifts of appreciated securities or donor-advised fund grants can be more tax-efficient than cash. We accept DAF grants and stock transfers.

Request transfer details

Give in honor or memory

Dedicate kits to someone. We'll send a card to whoever you name, and tell them which city the kits went to.

Birthdays & fundraisers

Ask for kits instead of gifts. We'll send you a link, a photo pack, and the exact language that works.

Start a fundraiser

Legacy giving

A bequest costs nothing today and can fund routes for years. We can send simple language for your will or beneficiary designation.

Talk to us privately

Donor questions

Straight answers about your money.

How much of my gift reaches the street?

Our target allocation is 78% to direct programs (68% kits and services, plus the 10% Dignity Fund), 14% to outreach operations, and 8% to administration and fundraising. Actual figures for every completed quarter are published on the Impact page, including when we miss the target.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Hope in the Dark Project is organized as a nonprofit and pursues 501(c)(3) recognition. Donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and we send a written acknowledgment for every gift with the information the IRS requires. Please consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.

Can I choose where my money goes?

Yes — use the designation menu above, or tell us in the notes. Designated gifts are tracked separately and spent only on that program. Gifts of $1,000 or more can be assigned to a specific city or route, and we'll report back on what those kits did.

Will you sell or share my information?

Never. We do not sell, rent, trade, or share donor data with anyone, and we don't run donor-list exchanges. See our privacy policy. You can ask us to delete your record at any time.

How often will you email me?

Once a month at most, plus a receipt and an annual impact summary. No guilt-driven appeal cycles, no "urgent" emails that aren't. Unsubscribe in one click.

Can I see how a specific gift was used?

Gifts of $250 or more are assigned to a batch of kits and a route, and we send you the city, the month, and how many kits went out. We do not send photographs of recipients — not for any donation amount. That is a line we won't cross.

Someone is deciding where to sleep right now.

They will make that decision with or without a light. Ten seconds and forty dollars changes which.

Give $40 now Become a Lightkeeper