The Sentry
The Sentry is a 501(c)(3) investigative and policy organization founded in 2016 that follows illicit financial flows from conflict zones to global financial centers, producing reports and the Atlas network-mapping platform to enable governments, banks, law enforcement, and civil society to sanction, prosecute, and recover assets tied to war crimes and kleptocracy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Sentry does
The Sentry is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative and policy organization founded in 2016 by George Clooney and John Prendergast. It targets the financial infrastructure of violent conflict, mass atrocities, repression, and kleptocracy by following illicit money flows from war zones to global financial centers. Its core outputs are investigative reports and dossiers on individuals and entities tied to grand corruption and conflict financing, supported by the Atlas Project (atlas.thesentry.org) — an interactive network-mapping and data-visualization platform that exposes kleptocratic networks such as the Aliyev corporate empire and South Sudan's Kiirdom — and by a GlobaLeaks-based anonymous whistleblower submission channel. Its work is directed at three stakeholder audiences: governments and policymakers (sanctions, prosecutions, asset recovery), financial institutions (anti-money-laundering compliance and illicit-flow interdiction), and law enforcement (evidence for criminal cases), with civil society and media partners (Enough Project, PPLAAF, EIC, C4ADS, Forbidden Stories) amplifying downstream reach.
The Sentry does not sell products or services; it is funded entirely by donations and grants. Its institutional supporter base includes Nationale Postcode Lotterij, UK Postcode Lottery (£1,100,000 from Postcode Justice Trust in 2025), Swedish Postcode Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, National Endowment for Democracy, Giustra International Foundation, Clooney Foundation for Justice, Humanity United, Woven Foundation, and CapCon Foundation, supplemented by individual donors. The team of 11–50 staff blends financial investigators, former law enforcement and intelligence officers, ex-US Treasury and DOJ officials, ex-Europol staff, and investigative journalists. The organization holds a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid and a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, signaling strong governance and accountability standards typical of high-quality investigative nonprofits.
Geographically, The Sentry has historically focused on Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Libya) and is extending its investigative scope into new theaters including Gulf-based enabler networks (Dubai, UAE), the post-Soviet space (Azerbaijan), and Russia-linked activity in West Africa. Distribution is through direct publication on thesentry.org, email subscriber lists, LinkedIn, YouTube multimedia, and earned media via op-eds in Forbes, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Foreign Policy, and Common Dreams.
The Sentry firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Sentry
- Legal name
- The Sentry
- Website
- https://thesentry.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Sentry is a 501(c)(3) investigative and policy organization founded in 2016 that follows illicit financial flows from conflict zones to global financial centers, producing reports and the Atlas network-mapping platform to enable governments, banks, law enforcement, and civil society to sanction, prosecute, and recover assets tied to war crimes and kleptocracy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Sentry industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Policy Research and Anti-Corruption Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Information (51)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AML/CTF Transaction Monitoring & Case Management (FSAGAFAC)
Keywords
Where The Sentry is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Sentry business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: The Sentry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by donations and grants from individuals and organizations. EIN: 20-8827879.
- Foundational Support: Supported by core partners including Nationale Postcode Lotterij, UK Postcode Lottery, Swedish Postcode Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, National Endowment for Democracy, The Giustra International Foundation, Clooney Foundation for Justice, Humanity United, Woven Foundation, and CapCon Foundation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Sentry product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sentry is a 501(c)(3) investigative and policy organization that follows dirty money from war zones to global financial centers, producing hard-hitting investigative reports, dossiers, and policy recommendations to enable governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold perpetrators and enablers of war, mass atrocities, and corruption to account. It also operates the Atlas Project, an interactive network mapping and data visualization platform that exposes kleptocratic networks and corporate empires of corrupt actors.
Product overview
The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization (not a technology product company) that produces hard-hitting investigative reports and dossiers on individuals and entities connected to grand corruption and violence. Its core offerings include: (1) Investigative Reports and Dossiers covering financial crimes, sanctions evasion, and conflict financing across Africa and other regions; (2) The Atlas Project, an interactive network mapping platform that exposes kleptocratic networks and corporate empires of corrupt actors; (3) Policy Advocacy Services promoting anti-money laundering measures, targeted sanctions, criminal prosecutions, and asset recovery; and (4) An Anonymous Information Submission Platform powered by GlobaLeaks for secure whistleblower submissions. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but rather produces analytical intelligence publications and tools for governments, banks, law enforcement, and civil society.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Atlas: Interactive network mapping project exposing kleptocratic networks (e.g., Aliyev Empire, Kiirdom)
Products and services
- Investigative Reports and Dossiers Hard-hitting investigative reports and dossiers on individuals and entities connected to grand corruption and violence, covering financial crimes, sanctions evasion, and conflict financing primarily across Africa and other conflict-affected regions. Targeted at governments, banks, law enforcement, journalists, and civil society organizations.
- Atlas Project Interactive network mapping and data visualization platform (atlas.thesentry.org) that exposes kleptocratic networks, corporate empires, and financial connections of corrupt actors and enablers. Used by researchers, journalists, and policymakers to explore financial networks tied to conflict and corruption.
- Policy Advocacy Services Advocacy for financial and legal pressure tools including anti-money laundering measures, targeted network sanctions, criminal prosecutions, compliance actions by banks, and asset recovery. Delivered to governments, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies.
- Anonymous Information Submission Platform GlobaLeaks-based secure and anonymous platform enabling whistleblowers and sources to securely share information about corruption, theft of state resources, and war profiteering with The Sentry's investigators.
Quantifiable outcome
- Money laundering routes exposed and shut down, assets frozen, travel bans implemented, corrupt networks cut off from international financial system
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Sentry
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Sentry technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Sentry partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Enough ProjectcoreThe Sentry works closely with the Enough Project, an initiative focused on ending genocide and crimes against humanity. The Sentry site was developed by Tilden in collaboration with The Enough Project.
- Not On Our Watch ProjectcoreThe Sentry maintains partnerships with Not On Our Watch and the Enough Project as part of its independence commitment.
- Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF)majorPartnered with The Sentry for Congo Hold-up investigation, sharing millions of leaked bank records obtained from BGFIBank.
- European Investigative Collaborations (EIC)majorCollaborated on Congo Hold-up investigation, sharing leaked bank records with The Sentry.
- Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS)majorProvided database of leaked Dubai property records used in investigations.
- Forbidden StoriesmajorCollaborated with The Sentry on exposing connections between Azerbaijani enablers and the kleptocratic regime.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Sentry competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bellingcat: Open-source investigations organization best known for conflict and human rights investigations. Comparable to The Sentry in methodology and impact-driven publication model, though broader across conflict and security domains.
- Transparency International: Global anti-corruption NGO producing indices, reports, and advocacy outputs targeting kleptocracy and illicit finance. Highly comparable to The Sentry in operating model, geographic reach, and policy advocacy function, though broader in scope.
- Enough Project: Policy and advocacy organization focused on genocide and mass atrocities in Africa, co-founded by John Prendergast. Listed as a core strategic partner of The Sentry and operates an overlapping Africa-conflict and resource-finance mandate.
- Forbidden Stories: Consortium that continues the work of threatened journalists, including investigations into kleptocratic regimes. Listed as a major investigative partner of The Sentry and operates a comparable cross-border investigative-reporting model.
- Tax Justice Network: Independent organization focused on tax havens, illicit financial flows, and beneficial-ownership transparency. Directly comparable to The Sentry's anti-money-laundering and kleptocracy focus at the financial-system-policy layer.
- Global Witness: Investigative nonprofit that exposes corruption, conflict-financing, and environmental crime tied to corporate and state actors. Closest direct peer to The Sentry in mission, methodology, and donor base, with comparable publication-driven impact model.
- International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ): Global investigative journalism network coordinating cross-border leak-based investigations (e.g., Pandora Papers, FinCEN Files). Methodological peer to The Sentry for leaked-bank-record investigations and network-mapping outputs.
- Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP): Investigative journalism network that collaborates on cross-border corruption and financial crime reporting. Closely comparable to The Sentry's investigative-report-and-leaked-data methodology, with shared partners such as Forbidden Stories.
- Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS): Nonprofit that conducts open-source data-driven analysis on illicit networks and conflict financing. Direct methodological peer to The Sentry — both use open-source data plus network analysis — and is an active data-sharing partner.
- Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF): Whistleblower-supported investigative nonprofit exposing corruption and illicit finance in Africa. Active investigative partner of The Sentry (Congo Hold-up) and operates a closely aligned open-source investigations model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Sentry social profiles
Digital presenceThe Sentry compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Sentry financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Sentry leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Sentry funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Sentry M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Sentry
What does The Sentry do?
The Sentry is a 501(c)(3) investigative and policy organization that follows dirty money from war zones to global financial centers, producing hard-hitting investigative reports, dossiers, and policy recommendations to enable governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold perpetrators and enablers of war, mass atrocities, and corruption to account. It also operates the Atlas Project, an interactive network mapping and data visualization platform that exposes kleptocratic networks and corporate empires of corrupt actors.
Is The Sentry a public or private company?
The Sentry is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Sentry founded?
The Sentry was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Sentry based?
The Sentry is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Sentry make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are foundational Support.
Who are The Sentry's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bellingcat, Transparency International, Enough Project, Forbidden Stories, Tax Justice Network, Global Witness, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF).
Does The Sentry have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Sentry.
What industry is The Sentry in?
The Sentry's product category is Investigative Policy Research and Anti-Corruption Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAFAC, AML/CTF Transaction Monitoring & Case Management. Its NAICS code is 541720.