Claim:
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk launched a $175 million charity project for a Chicago boarding school named The Kirk Academy of Hope.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online in December 2025 claimed Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, launched a $175 million “dream project” — a boarding school named The Kirk Academy of Hope — for homeless children and orphans in Chicago. According to the story, she said of the alleged plans, “This isn’t just a school. It’s Charlie’s legacy — a second chance for the kids who never got a first.”
For example, on Dec. 11, a Facebook user posted (archived) two pictures of Kirk, as well as a third photo showing other adults and children. The post’s text caption began as follows:
BREAKING: Erika Kirk Stuns the Nation With $175 Million Launch of Charlie Kirk’s Dream Project — A First-of-Its-Kind Boarding School for Orphans and Homeless Kids in Chicago.
In an emotional, nationally televised announcement, Erika Kirk unveiled The Kirk Academy of Hope — a $175 million initiative to fulfill her late husband’s lifelong dream: a place where the most forgotten children in America can finally feel seen. Housing. Mentorship. Full education.
The post also claimed, “The story has gone viral, with millions calling it ‘the most meaningful tribute in modern American philanthropy.'”
Other users shared the same rumor as far back as October 2025 on Bluesky, Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived). Some of the posts featured images of Kirk standing in front of a building with a sign reading “Orphanage” and a video showing her writing on paper next to another clip of her with her husband and their children. The posts also featured comments containing links to advertisement-filled articles hosted on WordPress blogs.
In short, the rumor was false and featured text, and some images and videos, generated with artificial intelligence. Someone fabricated the story, photos and videos as one of at least hundreds of inspirational tales that depicted famous people performing inspiring acts of charity and kindness. Those users aimed to earn advertising revenue on the blogs linked from the aforementioned Facebook posts.
TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet told Snopes via email, “This is a fake story and not true.”
Digging into the rumor
One of the aforementioned WordPress articles, hosted on Top News Source — a website we previously reported has managers residing in Vietnam — displayed several signs of AI. For example, the ending of the story resembled the same dramatized way that AI tools have historically concluded similar tales. That conclusion read as follows:
As the nation mourns his death, Americans find comfort in knowing that Charlie Kirk did not spend his final days under pressure—but in peace. Not in division—but in love. Not as an icon—but as a father.
And perhaps that is how he would want to be remembered.
Not for the battles he fought in public—but for the love he poured out in private.
The aforementioned AI-generated video brought to life an AI-generated picture of Kirk writing on paper, as well as a genuine photo of the Kirks and their children. The fake image of Kirk writing on paper displayed one primary sign of AI — the overly shiny and smooth look of her skin. Photos appearing in other posts showing Kirk standing in front of buildings with signs reading “Orphanage” also featured the same overly shiny and smooth look.
For further reading, Snopes previously reported on another rumor claiming Kirk was involved with child trafficking in Romania.
