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Who Pays For PolitiFact?
(Last updated: March 2024)
PolitiFact is a nonpartisan fact-checking website to sort out the truth in American politics. PolitiFact was created by the Tampa Bay Times, a Florida newspaper, in 2007. In 2018, PolitiFact was acquired by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalists.
You can view The Poynter Institute’s 990 and major donor list here.
PolitiFact receives funding from online advertisements placed on the website. PolitiFact also receives compensation for selling its content to media publishers and companies. Organizations that contributed more than 5 percent of total PolitiFact revenues in the previous calendar year will be listed here:
• Meta
• TikTok
PolitiFact also accepts grants, which are listed by calendar year below.
In 2017, PolitiFact launched a membership campaign called the Truth Squad to allow individual donations.
Accepting financial support does not mean PolitiFact endorses the products, services or opinions of its donors. Donors have no say in the ratings PolitiFact issues. PolitiFact does not give donors the right to review or edit content.
As part of PolitiFact’s mission to remain transparent and independent, PolitiFact will disclose on this page any individual donation in excess of $1,000. PolitiFact does not accept donations from anonymous sources, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office, or any other source with a conflict of interest as determined by PolitiFact’s executive director.
See the Poynter Institute’s impact report.
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $405,538
Truth Squad members: 4,138
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 15
Meredith Dreman, $5,000
Bessie Rattner Foundation, $5,000
Coast to Coast Services Kingsbury, $4,000
Margaret Jean Cannon $3,568
Brent Noorda, $2,200
Barbara Fite, $2,000
Evalyn Milman, $2,000
Christie Cadwell, $1,500
Mark W Blackman, $1,250
Michael Bennett, $1,200
Jan Cummings, $1,023
Dan Mausner, $1,050
Kyle Kerbawy, $1,000
E. C. Sheeley, $1,000
David Peeler, $1,000
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $50,000
Catena Foundation: $50,000 (for coverage of immigration issues)
Gill Foundation: $84,650 (for coverage of LGBTQ+ issues)
Joyce Foundation: $45,089: (for coverage of climate issues)
Loud Hound Partner Fund: $20,000 (for matching individual donations to PolitiFact)
See PolitiFact’s 2022 annual report.
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $435,228.18
Truth Squad members: 3,155
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 13
John Rogers $5,000
Edward Arens $3,000
Christie Cadwell $2,000
Kevin Laughlin $2,000
Romelle Castle $2,000
Kevin D Murphy $1,200
Michael Bennett $1,224
Rita Tamerius $1,200
Jeff Swift $1,200
Carol Hall $1,120
Evalyn Milman $1,100
Rory Litwin $1,025
Brent Noorda $1,011
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $117,000
Catena Foundation: $50,000 (for coverage of immigration issues)
Common Cause: $25,000 (for Spanish language fact-checking)
International Fact Checking Network: $35,000 (for coverage of climate change issues)
Joyce Foundation: $122,000: (for coverage of voting and democracy issues)
YouTube: $25,000 (for sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Loud Hound Partner Fund: $20,000 (for matching individual donations to PolitiFact)
See PolitiFact’s 2021 annual report.
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $484,733
Truth Squad members: 2,125
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 7
Kristina McNeff: $3,000
Kevin Laughlin: $1,500
Ethan Koenig: $8,000
Brent Noorda: $1,025
Romelle Castle: $2,500
Edward Arens: $2,000
Craig Zabel: $2,100
Microsoft: $20,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Facebook: $25,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
SmartNews: $5,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
TikTok: $25,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
AmeriHealth Caritas: $25,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Google News Initiative: $25,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Craig Newmark Philanthropies: $25,000 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Trust Project: $2,500 (For sponsorship of United Facts of America)
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $50,000
Facebook: $85,000 (NABJ fact-checking fellowship)
Facebook: $10,000 (Facebook business accelerator)
Friends of the Earth: $13,000 (Support fact-checking claims about the environment and climate change)
Common Cause: $5,000 (Support fact-checking claims about Virginia election)
See PolitiFact’s 2020 annual report.
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $585,069
Truth Squad members: 4,207
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 8
Bessie Rattner Foundation: $5,000
Community Foundation of New Jersey: $5,000
The Stelter Foundation: $2,000
Grounds for Promotion LLC: $1,150
Pryor, Jack: $2,500
Arens, Edward: $2,000
Beason, William: $1,500
Koenig, Ethan: $1,500
Democracy Fund: $75,000 (For general operating support)
Craig Newmark Philanthropies: $100,000 (Misinformation coverage around COVID-19)
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $73,000
Google: $50,000 (fact-checking of coronavirus misinformation)
International Fact Checking Network: $39,319 (video fact-checking on coronavirus)
Common Cause: $20,000 (Support fact-checking claims about the 2020 election)
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $235,930.23
Truth Squad members: $1,650
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 3
Dume Wolverine Foundation: $20,000
Bessie Rattner Foundation: $5,000
Lovestrand, Jennifer: $2,300
Democracy Fund: $200,000 (To expand fact-checking into new states and grow PolitiFact)
Craig Newmark Philanthropies: $99,500 A previous version listed $99,5000 in error.
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $25,000
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $242,454.66
Truth Squad members: 1,628
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 3
Hamilton, Mary J.: $1,000
Chinn, Donna: $1,000
Bessie Rattner Foundation: $5,000
Democracy Fund: $200,000 (To expand fact-checking into new states and grow PolitiFact)
The Craig Newmark Foundation: $5,000 (Truth Squad matching donation)
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $69,000
Individual donations to the Truth Squad: $206,143
Truth Squad members: 1,612
Truth Squad donations in excess of $1,000: 5
Wagner, Bill: $1,600
Kuzyk, Mark: $2,400
Collie, James: $1,500
Hutton, Marilyn: $1,100
Mahaffey, R. Ernest: $1,200
Reynolds Journalism Institute: $10,000 (To develop a new promise tracking tool)
Democracy Fund: $125,000 (To expand fact-checking into new states and grow PolitiFact)
Knight Foundation: $50,000 (To reach new audiences and address the spread of misinformation)
The Craig Newmark Foundation: $50,000 (General support)
Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust: $20,000
Democracy Fund: $250,000 (To expand fact-checking into new states and grow PolitiFact)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: $126,650 (To fact-check claims about global health and development in partnership with Africa Check)
Reynolds Journalism Institute: $10,000 (To develop a new promise tracking tool)
Democracy Fund: $125,000 (To expand fact-checking into new states and grow PolitiFact)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: $70,000 (To fact-check claims about global health and development in partnership with Africa Check)
The Knight Foundation: $167,500 (To fact-check claims on Medium; support the creation of new technologies to assist fact-checking)
Democracy Fund: $162,500 (To develop PunditFact)
Ford Foundation: $150,000 (To develop PunditFact)
Democracy Fund: $162,500 (To develop PunditFact)
Ford Foundation: $150,000 (To develop PunditFact)
The Knight Foundation: $125,000 (To develop the Settle It! app)
craigconnects: $10,000 (Seed money to develop PunditFact)
The Knight Foundation: $200,000 (To train Florida news organizations how to use PolitiFact)
Collins Center for Public Policy: $15,000 (To fact-check proposed Florida constitutional amendments)
Craigslist Charitable Fund: Funding for the creation of PolitiFact Florida