This Instagram Memer Is Raising Millions to Fly Afghans Out of Kabul

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Watching the humanitarian crisis unfold in Afghanistan, Tommy Marcus felt powerless. Like many people, the 26-year-old New Yorker wanted to help. Unlike most people, though, he has a popular Instagram meme account, @quentin.quarantino, with nearly 800,000 followers. 

After some brainstorming with his followers (and some former military people), Marcus started a GoFundMe to sponsor emergency evacuation flights, which quickly went viral. The meme account FunnyIntrovert shared it to 2.7 million followers; so did clothing brand chnge (2.5 million followers). Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland even shared it.   

Within two days, Marcus has raised nearly $6 million for what may be the largest crowdfunded evacuation effort in history to get people out of Afghanistan, where the Taliban retook control after the U.S. withdrew troops from a nearly 20-year engagement. In fact, Marcus has received so many donations that he recently had to expand his plans. 

“With the incredible influx of money into this fund, we have expanded the original goal of making 2-3 flights into Kabul, to as many flights as the fund as the governments we are collaborating with will allow for,” Marcus posted to his Instagram account Wednesday night.

The project involves a host of logistical challenges: landing safely on uncertain ground in a turbulent country, vetting the would-be evacuees (Marcus says most of them are personally known by volunteers), and successfully integrating them into foreign society. It’s a tall order. 

Some commenters were skeptical it could be done—which Marcus acknowledges, given the scope of the project and the necessary secrecy around key details. But he’s working with nonprofit and logistics agencies, which plan to fly into Kabul from an undisclosed foreign location. The ultimate destinations, however, like many of the other details of the plan, are not being shared out of security concerns. Marcus says over 100 veterans and members of humanitarian and charity organizations are “working around the clock” to help him pull this off. 

As the Taliban began closing in on Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital and the last remaining stronghold, at the time, of its government, Marcus posted an Instagram story over the weekend about wanting to help—he didn’t want to just donate money that might disappear without having any effect. 

His followers piped up with ideas, and he soon connected with Karen Craft, a former Army officer from the nonprofit Veterans in Media and Entertainment, and Sheffield Ford, a retired US Army Special Forces veteran who runs a logistics and consulting firm, Raven Advisory, LLC. 

The two former military members pitched Marcus on the idea of an emergency rescue mission: Fly into Afghanistan, pick up 300 people, and fly them out. The real hurdle, as they saw it, was the money. They’d need $550,000. 

After what he describes as a six or seven hour phone call, Marcus was convinced. He was pretty confident he could raise the money. Gabriel Reilich, head of content for Good/Upworthy, a social impact company that later boosted the campaign, helped connect Marcus with GoFundMe. He says it took three and a half days to get the fundraiser through GoFundMe’s vetting; he and his growing team didn’t want to cut corners. 

Finally, Marcus created the fundraiser, laying out the details of the project. 

After chaotic scenes of aircraft trying to take off amid crowds of refugees, the US military is running Kabul international airport, with extremely limited commercial flights. But with $550,000, Raven Advisory could fly two planes into Kabul. 

As the GoFundMe page describes, they’d then pick up passengers who’ve been “extensively vetted” and deliver them out of the country. Any overages would be donated to the International Women’s Media Foundation, which would help settle the evacuees. 

In an hour, they’d hit the $550,000 goal. Soon the original plan of two or three round trips expanded—they’d fly as many trips as the money and cooperating governments would allow. 

“My faith in humanity has really been significantly elevated in the last 24 hours,” Marcus said. “The outpouring of support, the sharing, the emotions that people have toward this—I just can’t even believe it.” So far, more than 100,000 people have contributed, from $20,000 on down. The next step—the hardest step, really—will be turning all of that money and goodwill into real change on the ground. 

Marcus started his account in March 2020 to meme his way through the challenges of pandemic living. 

“It was first just kind of memes about the coronavirus and stuff,” he said, “then it became a bit political, as the coronavirus became political.” 

That meant memes skewering anti-vaxxers, underscoring the seriousness of the pandemic, and generally tweaking conservative foolishness. His Instagram bio used to include a critique from a former follower: “You’re like if John Oliver made a meme page. Leftist scum.”  

In February, following the death of right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, Marcus donated $100 to Planned Parenthood in the shock jock’s name. He turned that into the Quentin Quarantino Rush Limbaugh Memorial Planned Parenthood Fundraiser, which eventually raised more than $1 million. “Once I saw the power of my platform to raise money, I've been really trying to help humanitarian and social justice issues in America and abroad,” he said.

So far in 2021, Marcus has raised more than $2 million for various groups.