The Informed
Funder.

"Inside how foundations and donors decide."

For donors who want more than feel-good headlines.

Most philanthropists are making decisions based on information the nonprofit sector curates for them. The annual report. The impact story. The overhead ratio. The five-star rating.

The Informed Funder is different. It's written by people who spent decades inside organizations, across development, operations, and the board room. Who know what's real and what's marketing. Who have seen the money flow in and watched what happens next.

If you've accumulated meaningful wealth and you're serious about giving well, not just giving, this is written for you.

Lead Story

How nonprofits actually function from the inside. The machinery most funders never see.

Field Signal

One sector trend, data point, or development worth knowing this week.

Funder Corner

One practical framework for evaluating organizations, asking better questions, or thinking about giving strategy.

Rotating Feature

Vetting File case study / Red flag–Green flag breakdown / Reader Q&A / Cause area field map.

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  • Lead Story: How nonprofits actually function from the inside. The m
  • Field Signal: One sector trend, data point, or development worth know
  • Funder Corner: One practical framework for evaluating organizations, a
  • Rotating Feature: Vetting File case study / Red flag–Green flag breakdown
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  • The four-dimension assessment framework: the full methodology
  • Financial screening protocol: what to look for in the 990
  • Governance research checklist: 12 things to investigate before funding
  • Culture and capacity assessment guide: how to read organizational health
  • Field orientation reports: homeless services, education, disability, and more
  • Monthly office hours: live Q&A with Joe
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"Most charity rating systems measure inputs and overhead ratios. They don't tell you whether an organization's leadership has turned over three times in two years, whether the board has actual governance authority, or whether the program model has ever been tested against anything. That's the information gap GPA is built to close."

From Issue #1, The Informed Funder

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Weekly. No fluff. No promotion. Just the inside view.