Why this brief exists
Public-interest democracy funders commonly support work that promotes democratic practice, advances rights and human dignity, and protects equitable governance. They often support both project grants and general operating support, and frequently work through invitation, concept papers, and program inquiries. This brief is structured to help a program officer quickly evaluate whether VigilData fits a democracy / rule-of-law / public-interest-AI portfolio.
Alignment areas
Democracy accountability
VigilData strengthens nonpartisan civic accountability infrastructure — making campaign-finance records, congressional activity, judicial disclosures, and federal spending easier for journalists and citizens to access and audit. The platform is designed to function the same regardless of which party holds power.
Campaign finance and dark money transparency
VigilData consolidates primary-source campaign-finance records, donor-network signals, and outside-spending disclosures into open dashboards. The framing focuses on what public records permit us to document about dark money's footprint — not on speculative criminality.
Public-interest AI and source verification
VigilData's AI Watchdog is positioned as a research aid with source trails, human review, model disclosure where available, and an appeals/corrections path. The goal is AI that supports source-verifiable accountability work, not an AI that produces legal findings.
Civic access and equity
VigilData is free at the point of use. Core datasets and tools are not behind a subscription. This is deliberate: under-resourced newsrooms, community organizations, and educators are the platform's primary intended beneficiaries.
Nonpartisan safeguards
VigilData does not endorse candidates, parties, or ballot measures. Editorial independence, conflict-of-interest, corrections, and donor-independence policies are published. Tools and signals are framed as accountability research, not as legal conclusions.
12-month work plan
- Months 1–3. Stabilize ingestion pipelines, complete nonprofit conversion path, publish methodology and corrections logs.
- Months 4–6. Ship first flagship research brief on campaign-finance transparency; expand AI Watchdog safeguards.
- Months 7–9. Launch one-state accountability pilot; publish two explainers and a public watchlist.
- Months 10–12. Publish annual transparency report; expand state coverage; evaluate Form 1023 filing window with counsel.
Budget request options
- $50,000. Stabilize federal accountability data infrastructure and publish first research brief.
- $100,000. Expand AI Watchdog safeguards, source-verification tooling, and editorial review capacity.
- $200,000. Launch state-level accountability pilot with public dashboards and partner newsrooms.
VigilData's policy is to not rely on any single funder for more than one-third of its operating budget where feasible. Project grants and general operating support are both welcome.
Legal status
VigilData (VigilData LLC) is currently preparing a nonprofit conversion path. We do not yet claim recognized 501(c)(3) status, and donations are not represented as tax-deductible unless made through a qualified fiscal sponsor.
We will not represent VigilData as a recognized 501(c)(3) or claim tax-deductibility until those statuses are formally established and reflected in this configuration. See IRS Form 1023 and IRS application for recognition of exemption for the formal process we are tracking against.
Process & next step
VigilData is happy to provide a concept paper, budget, or LOI in a program's preferred format on request. Initial program inquiry: grants@vigildata.org.
Reference sources informing this alignment brief, all publicly available: OSF "How we fund", OSF grants FAQ, OSF elections page, and OSF public-interest AI page. These citations indicate funder priorities we map to — they do not represent endorsement of VigilData.