Questions have emerged regarding a 2024 fundraising campaign organized by Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, after a report alleged that proceeds from a T-shirt fundraiser intended for a Gaza aid organization were never transferred to the charity.
According to the New York Post, Duwaji created a limited-edition T-shirt campaign in 2024 to benefit Dahnoun Mutual Aid, a Gaza-based organization that provides assistance to displaced Palestinians.
The shirts, sold through the London-based fundraising platform Everpress, featured artwork depicting a bird perched on a woman’s head alongside the Arabic phrase “Khair Ya Tair,” translated as “Good news, oh bird.”
The campaign stated that 100% of the profits would be donated to Dahnoun Mutual Aid.
According to the Post, the campaign generated approximately $2,000. The newspaper, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that the funds remained in an Everpress creator account because the company was unable to obtain Duwaji’s banking information to transfer the proceeds.
The source told the newspaper that Everpress contacted Duwaji multiple times through email and Instagram but did not receive a response.
According to the source, Everpress’ standard process was to transfer campaign proceeds to the creator, who would then donate the funds to the designated charity.
The source also said company employees could not verify that the funds had been donated independently.
New York City Hall disputed any suggestion that Duwaji personally retained the money.
In a statement to the New York Post, mayoral spokeswoman Dora Pekec said the funds were never deposited into Duwaji’s personal account.
“The shirt was sold via the third-party site Everpress HQ, which allows independent creators to sell clothing without upfront costs,” Pekec said. “At no point were the proceeds in the First Lady’s account. The proceeds remain at Everpress HQ and will be sent to the mutual aid organization.”
The statement came after Everpress announced earlier this year that it would cease operations, citing financial challenges.
According to the report, Duwaji’s fundraising campaign concluded in 2024, giving creators time to claim proceeds before the platform began winding down.
The Post reported that Dahnoun Mutual Aid’s public fundraising page did not list a donation from Duwaji. The organization has raised more than $1.1 million toward a stated $2 million goal and did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment, per Trending Politics.
In the campaign description, Duwaji described the artwork as symbolizing hope and identified the Palestinian sunbird as representing “freedom and defiance of restrictions and borders.”
Duwaji, 29, is a Brooklyn-based Syrian illustrator and animator whose work focuses on portraiture, movement and communal experiences, according to her artist profile.
As of Saturday, there was no public indication that the reported fundraising proceeds had been transferred to Dahnoun Mutual Aid, though City Hall maintains the funds remain with Everpress and are expected to be sent to the organization.
