Biden’s presidential library effort lags far behind $200M goal with minimal funds raised: Report
WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Joe Biden has raised only a "small fraction" of the money needed to build a presidential library, according to a report published on Saturday, December 13, by The New York Times.
The outlet reported that Biden's library foundation has not disclosed significant new fundraising activity and remains far short of its stated $200 million goal.
Public filings and donor interviews suggested that the effort had lagged behind comparable projects launched by recent presidents. The report also indicated that alternative plans were being considered to address the funding shortfall.
Fundraising falls well short of expectations
According to the outlet, Joe Biden's presidential library foundation did not receive any new donations in 2024, during the last presidential election, and instead relied on approximately $4 million left over from his 2021 inauguration to seed the effort.
The foundation declined to disclose how much money it had raised so far in 2025, saying that Biden was only now beginning to actively fundraise for the project.
The report cited that the foundation told the Internal Revenue Service that it expected to raise just $11.3 million in total by the end of 2027.
That pace would place the effort far behind other modern presidential libraries and well below the $200 million mark that Biden's aides said they hope to reach.
Former President Barack Obama's presidential center in Chicago has raised approximately $1.5 billion in comparison.
President Donald Trump has also announced plans to raise more than $950 million for a planned presidential library in Miami.
Democratic donors told the outlet they were unlikely to give, even if asked, citing their focus on opposing Trump or dissatisfaction with Biden's term in office.
John Morgan, a major Democratic donor and longtime Biden supporter said, "The Biden staff, they ruined any type of good library for him," adding, "He’ll be lucky to have a bookmobile."
Possible consolidation and donor challenges
The outlet also reported that discussions are underway about potentially consolidating the planned presidential library with existing Biden-related projects at the University of Delaware, Biden's alma mater.
Such a move could allow the library to be housed within the 'Biden Hall', a separate project already funded by millions of dollars raised by the university.
The University of Delaware said it has not yet transferred any funds to the Biden library foundation and declined to comment on whether the projects might eventually emerge.
Kelly Scully, a spokeswoman for Biden told the outlet, "we continue to be in an exploratory and planning phase."
