Our mission

Why we exist

Public records about how government works — votes, contracts, donations, court filings, regulatory actions, disclosure forms — already exist. The problem is that they live in silos, behind inconsistent interfaces, and with no shared connective tissue. VigilData connects them and opens the result to the public.

Origin story

VigilData began as an investigative tool tracking the financial connections behind congressional votes. As coverage grew to include executive agencies, the federal judiciary, state legislatures, antitrust cases, and dark-money networks, it became clear the work belonged in a public-interest nonprofit, not a subscription product.

Public benefit

• Free access to integrated civic datasets for journalists, researchers, educators, students, and citizens.
• Open methodology, documented sources, and a published corrections policy.
• Civic-tech tools that primary sources alone do not provide: linkage, comparison, timeline, and pattern views.

Who VigilData is for

Investigative reporters and newsroom data teams, academic researchers and graduate students, civic technologists, librarians, policy analysts, educators, and members of the public who want to verify what their government is doing.

What VigilData does not do

• We do not endorse candidates, parties, or political campaigns.
• We do not provide legal, financial, investment, or tax advice.
• We do not publish AI-generated outputs as final conclusions.
• We do not sell user-identifying data or do targeted political profiling.

Team

VigilData is built and maintained by a small team of researchers and engineers. A public team roster, contributor list, and editorial masthead will be added as the organization formalizes.

Contact

For corrections, partnerships, dataset funding, or press inquiries, contact contact@vigildata.org.