The official $1,000,000 individual gift, or $2,000,000 corporate gift per employee, is separate from the nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee. The processing fee is nonrefundable; the official page does not describe the gift as a refundable deposit.
Do not treat the fee as a deposit toward the gift
Mr. Whitfield should budget the gift and the nonrefundable processing fee as distinct payments, plus any State Department, medical or professional charges that apply. Current official terms should be re-verified before any money moves.
A sound cost memo distinguishes the applicant’s payment to the U.S. government from any service, document, currency-transfer, tax, or professional costs. It should identify the official recipient and payment mechanism in force on the planned payment date. Hypothetical example: A forensic-accounting practice owner budgets a single contribution, but her bank proposes an international transfer charge and a consultant proposes a separate “government liaison” fee. Those charges are not interchangeable, and only the official payment instruction can establish what belongs to the U.S. government transaction. Do not send funds to a marketer, intermediary, or business seller on the theory that it will be converted later. Confirm the recipient directly from current official materials and retain the payment receipt.
Before authorizing any transfer, read the bank’s recipient details aloud against the official instruction and preserve a screenshot or PDF of both. This simple verification can prevent an irreversible payment from being sent to an account that has no official connection to the program.