Kars4Kids: The Truth Behind The Jingle

The money, the insiders, and the Israel connection

For years, one of the most recognizable charity jingles in America has delivered a simple directive, repeated endlessly across airwaves: “Donate your car today.” It is cheerful, repetitive, and effective. Millions of Americans have responded, believing they were helping children in need, often in their own communities.

What most donors were never told, and what regulators, watchdogs, and now federal courts are examining, is that the story behind the jingle is far more troubling.

This story is about disclosure and omission. It is about money flows, governance, and incentives. It is about who gets paid, who decides where the money goes, and what donors are not told while believing they are helping children.

The 2025 federal class-action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California clearly defines the issue. The complaint alleges that Kars4Kids’ advertising campaign deceives donors into believing their contributions support local or broadly defined children’s programs, when in reality, the overwhelming majority of proceeds are funneled to Oorah, an Orthodox Jewish outreach organization based in Lakewood, New Jersey, serving a narrow geographic and Jewish population in New York and New Jersey. That fact, according to the complaint, is never stated in Kars4Kids advertising. This allegation did not emerge in a vacuum.

A long record of government scrutiny

In 2009, the attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Oregon reached settlements with Kars4Kids and Oorah over misleading solicitations. Those settlements required changes in disclosure and imposed penalties. Those funds used to pay the penalties came from donors who believed they were helping children.

In 2017, the Minnesota Attorney General released a detailed report following an investigation into Kars4Kids’ fundraising in the state. The findings were stark. Approximately $3 million was raised from Minnesota donors. Less than one percent of that amount was spent on charitable activities benefiting Minnesota children. The rest flowed to Oorah.

CBS News covered the report extensively. Minnesota’s attorney general concluded that the charity’s advertising created the impression of local benefit that was not borne out by the actual use of funds.

Despite these findings, the advertising model did not materially change.

CharityWatch has issued repeated warnings over the years, citing high fundraising costs, insufficient donor disclosure, and the reality that Kars4Kids operates primarily as a fundraising arm for Oorah. In December 2025, CharityWatch reported on the new federal class-action lawsuit, noting that it aligns with concerns the watchdog has raised for years.

The leadership and the overlap

At the center of both organizations is Eliyahu Mintz.

Mintz is the CEO of Kars4Kids and also serves as a senior executive at Oorah. IRS filings show that he receives compensation from both organizations. In Oorah’s most recent Form 990, Mintz is listed as CEO and trustee, with reportable compensation and additional compensation from related organizations. Kars4Kids filings similarly list Mintz as a compensated executive.

Kars4Kids 2024 990 Non-Profit Filing

Oorah was founded by Rabbi Chaim Mintz, Eliyahu Mintz’s father. This is not incidental. Oorah’s own filings describe its mission explicitly as Jewish outreach, imparting Orthodox Jewish education, values, and traditions. What regulators and plaintiffs deliberately obscure is that this is where most Kars4Kids donations actually end up. The money either goes to the Jewish communities in New Jersey or to Israel.

Multiple trustees, executives, and family members appear across filings. Schedule J and Schedule L disclosures show related-party relationships and transactions. Schedule L, Part IV, confirms business transactions with current or former officers, trustees, family members, and entities they control. This is not illegal per se. However, it is incredibly relevant to this story.

Oorah 2024 990 Non-Profit Filing

Where the money actually goes

Kars4Kids’ own IRS filings show that the vast majority of its charitable grants go to Oorah. Schedule I reflects tens of millions of dollars transferred. In recent years, roughly $35 million in grants has flowed to Oorah.

That alone contradicts the impression left by nationwide advertising that donations support children broadly, locally, or non-sectarianly.

Oorah’s Form 990 adds further context. In the most recent filing, Oorah reports net assets approaching $210 million. This is not a struggling charity. It is a well-capitalized organization.

Oorah also reports approximately $4.6 million annually in grants or assistance connected to Israel, disclosed on Schedule F, Part I. That international funding is lawful, but again, it is never disclosed in Kars4Kids advertising that donor funds are sent overseas.

Advertising, contractors, and opaque spending

Kars4Kids’ business model depends on relentless advertising. In some years, advertising and promotion have approached or exceeded a quarter of total revenue.

Google is listed as a top independent contractor, having received more than $22 million in a single year for marketing services. That fact alone places Google among the most significant financial beneficiaries of the donation pipeline. This section will be extremely relevant in our next story, how American money is funneled to Israel. The money our government sends to Israel pales in comparison to military and corporate contracts, non-profits, and of course our tax dollars. I digress…

Authority Wit LLC appears on Oorah’s Form 990 as a top independent contractor, paid approximately $1.35 million for “housekeeping.” Public records show Authority Wit LLC is an expert witness and litigation-support firm, a subsidiary of DOAR, Inc., specializing in high-stakes legal disputes involving advanced technologies and life sciences.

Why an Orthodox Jewish outreach charity requires a seven-figure relationship with an expert witness agency is not explained in the filings. It’s probably because they are constantly in court defending their schemes, spending over $1 million of people’s kind donations to keep the lid on their operation.

Likewise, Oorah reports nearly $10 million in “other salaries and wages,” over $2.7 million in repairs and maintenance, and substantial conference, travel, and occupancy expenses. These are not inherently improper. But they stand in tension with donor assumptions that funds are primarily helping disadvantaged children. What are the repairs for? Does a family member own a maintenance & repair company? It’s a fair question, knowing what we now know.

Related entities and real estate

Schedule R discloses related entities, including K4K LLC, a real estate entity associated with Kars4Kids, with assets exceeding $17 million. Oorah and Kars4Kids operate in Lakewood, New Jersey, an area where real estate holdings have featured prominently in their financial statements.

Again, none of this is illegal. All of it is relevant.

Family compensation

IRS filings also list family members of trustees receiving compensation. One example disclosed is Yisachar B. Broyde, a family member of trustee Joseph Weinberger, receiving nearly $100,000 in payroll compensation. This is where frustration sets in. Why do we allow Non-profits to have trustees who receive compensation and pension funds? These nonprofits cover housing, living expenses, hotels, and flights for executives and staff. It’s indefensible, yet it draws little public scrutiny.

Charity Navigator’s assessment

Charity Navigator currently assigns Kars4Kids an Accountability and Finance score of 68. Among the key metrics: zero out of six points for independent board size, with only four independent members out of a six-member board. While the organization has audited financial statements, the governance score reflects structural concerns that watchdogs have long raised.

The central issue

Strip away the noise, and the issue is simple.

Kars4Kids advertising does not tell donors that their contributions overwhelmingly fund Oorah, an Orthodox Jewish outreach organization based in New Jersey, with programs concentrated in specific regions and significant international spending, including millions sent to Israel each year.

That omission is material. Regulators have said so. Watchdogs have said so. Plaintiffs in federal court are now saying so.

There are few things more corrosive to public trust than people getting wealthy, building empires, and accumulating hundreds of millions in assets. At the same time, donors believe they are helping children in need close to home.

This is not about faith. It is not about legality alone. It is about honesty.

And the jingle does not tell the truth.