# VigilData — Budget summary (planning)

> This is a planning-stage budget summary for funder discussions. Final budget
> figures will be published in VigilData's annual transparency report once a
> full fiscal year of nonprofit operations is complete.

## Cost categories (early-stage, single-founder LLC)

| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Application & database hosting | Vercel + Supabase tier sized to current public traffic |
| Scheduled enrichment & cron jobs | Periodic ingestion of campaign finance, congressional, and judicial sources |
| Third-party data API access | FEC, congressional disclosure, judicial records, federal spending |
| AI / model provider usage | Rate-limited public AI Watchdog usage; cost-capped per query |
| Email / transactional services | Corrections, support, grants, governance inboxes |
| Domain, security, compliance | TLS, monitoring, audit logging |

Current operating budget: under $75,000 for the first full year of expanded
public-interest operations. Major expansion lines (state-level pilot,
responsible-AI safeguards, editorial review capacity) are scoped against
specific grant tiers described at /for-funders.

## Use of funds at $50K / $100K / $200K tiers

- **$50,000.** Stabilize federal accountability data infrastructure; publish
  first flagship research brief.
- **$100,000.** Expand AI Watchdog safeguards (source-trail capture, human
  review, model disclosure); expand editorial review capacity.
- **$200,000.** Launch state-level accountability pilot with public dashboards
  and partner-newsroom integrations; expand corrections and explainer
  publishing.

## Donor-independence policy

- Decline donations conditioned on coverage, priorities, or conclusions.
- Aim to not rely on any single funder for more than one-third of operating
  budget where feasible.
- Significant donors will be disclosed at the threshold set in VigilData's
  governance documents.

## Legal status

VigilData currently operates as **VigilData LLC** and is preparing a nonprofit
conversion path. We do not yet claim recognized 501(c)(3) status. Donations
are not represented as tax-deductible unless made through a qualified fiscal
sponsor. See /financial-transparency for current legal status.

## Contact

Grants: grants@vigildata.org · Support: support@vigildata.org