Did Charlie Kirk start Turning Point USA with just $50,000 seed money? Philanthropist Rebecca Dunn recalls the origin of the nonprofit organization 

Conservative philanthropist Rebecca Dunn has recounted the origins of Charlie Kirk's conservative nonprofit, Turning Point USA.

As reported by Fox Business, the organisation, which now boasts millions of dollars in assets and annual revenue, was launched with just a $50,000 seed fund. Dunn was recalling the time she and her husband, Bill Dunn, met Kirk for the first time over a decade ago, when he was trying to get the nonprofit up and running.

She was at a memorial in honor of Kirk at the time, which was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sunday. Kirk was slain at the age of 31 on September 10 at Utah Valley Campus. Tyler Robinson, 22, has since been arrested and detained in connection with the shooting.

Rebecca Dunn says she gave millions in donations to Charlie Kirk's organisation: Read more

Bill and Rebecca Dunn, the Florida-based pair, were reportedly among the first to donate to Charlie Kirk's student organisation. The latter was just 19 years old when they met him 12 years ago, and their funding allowed him to rent out office space and hire his first employees.

"I was so impressed that I invited him to come to our home and tell my husband and me more about his organization," Dunn said. "That young man, of course, was Charlie Kirk and his organization was Turning Point USA. Charlie told us how he wanted to start two chapters in North Florida. When asked how much money it would take, he told us he thought it would take about $50,000," Dunn recalled.

Rebecca Dunn also recalled challenging Charlie Kirk to raise the first $25,000, which she said she would match:

"Two days later. Charlie called to say that he had raised the money he would. He was not in his hometown. He was not even in his home state. He was 20 years old. And yet he met our challenge. I laughed and I told him, I said, ‘well, Charlie, I guess we owe you a check’," Dunn told the crowd.

Rebecca Dunn and her husband continued to fund the organization in increments until it surpassed millions, she claimed.

Fox Business has reported that Turning Point USA has now gained significant traction following Kirk's slaying. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for the organization and executive producer of the late host's "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast, claimed the group got over 37,000 inquiries from individuals looking to launch their own new campus chapters.

Turning Point USA currently boasts over 900 official college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters.

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