US RIGHT TO KNOW

What US RIGHT TO KNOW does

U.S. Right to Know (USRTK) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative newsroom and public health research group founded in 2015 and headquartered in Oakland, California. The organization investigates corporate wrongdoing and government failures that affect public health, food systems, pesticides, and risky research, serving a broad audience of health-conscious citizens, journalists, academics, and policymakers. Its work is built on obtaining internal corporate and government documents through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, litigation, and whistleblower disclosures, and on collaborating with public health researchers and journalists worldwide.

USRTK's core outputs are investigative journalism articles, science-based fact sheets on chemicals of concern (read by over one million people), 16 or more co-authored peer-reviewed public health journal articles, and three document collections donated to the UCSF Industry Documents Library covering the agrichemical industry, the food industry, and Monsanto Papers Roundup litigation. The team comprises nine individuals, including investigative journalists and two PhD scientists, supported by co-founders Gary Ruskin (Executive Director) and Stacy Malkan (Managing Editor). USRTK investigations have been featured in The New York Times, BMJ, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, and the organization has received the James Madison Freedom of Information Award (2021 and 2025) and the 2024 Global AMR Media Award. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying "infrastructure" is a curated document corpus, a self-operated website (usrtk.org), an email newsletter, and social channels, making USRTK functionally a content and data publisher rather than a technology company.

As a donor-funded nonprofit, USRTK has no products or services for sale. Its revenue model relies entirely on charitable contributions, accepted via checks, stocks, cryptocurrency, and legacy gifts, with major donors and IRS filings publicly disclosed on its website. Distribution occurs through its own website, email newsletter, Twitter/X, Facebook, RSS feed, academic journal publications, the UCSF Industry Documents Library, and earned media coverage in major outlets. The organization is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and operates as an independent 501(c)(3) with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership.

Name

US RIGHT TO KNOW

Legal name

U.S. Right to Know

Website

https://usrtk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

U.S. Right to Know is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2015 that investigates corporate wrongdoing and government failures affecting public health, food systems, and pesticides, serving the general public, journalists, and academics through FOIA-obtained documents and peer-reviewed research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism (Nonprofit Newsroom and Public Health Research)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAGAK

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYMPAJACAI

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Professional & Legal Publishing (Standards, Compliance, Reference)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAB

Medical, Clinical & Biomedical Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Public health research
• FOIA document disclosure
• Transparency advocacy
• Nonprofit newsroom

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: U.S. Right to Know is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations. The organization accepts various payment methods including checks, stocks, cryptocurrency, and legacy gifts. Their major donors and IRS filings are publicly available on their website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

U.S. Right to Know is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative newsroom and public health research group that produces independent, nonpartisan journalism on corporate wrongdoing and government failures affecting public health, food systems, pesticides, and risky research. Its core activities are conducting FOIA requests and litigation to obtain internal corporate and government documents, publishing investigative reports and science-based fact sheets, co-authoring peer-reviewed public health research, and donating document collections to the UCSF Industry Documents Library for free public access. All content is offered free of charge and funded through charitable donations.

Product overview

U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit newsroom and public health research group (501(c)(3) organization established in 2015) that operates as a single, unified investigative journalism operation rather than a platform with modular products. The organization produces investigative reporting, science-based fact sheets, and FOIA-obtained documents on corporate wrongdoing and government failures affecting public health, food systems, and the environment. Core offerings include investigative journalism on COVID-19 origins, pesticides, ultra-processed foods, and industry influence; public health fact sheets on chemicals of concern; Freedom of Information requests and litigation to obtain internal documents; donated document collections to the UCSF Industry Documents Library; and academic research collaborations resulting in peer-reviewed journal articles. The organization also offers a newsletter subscription for ongoing updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigative Journalism Independent, nonpartisan journalism investigating corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten public health, the environment, and the food system. Produces news articles and reports on topics including COVID-19 origins, pesticides, ultra-processed foods, and industry influence, intended for the general public.
• Public Health Fact Sheets Science-based fact sheets documenting health risks of chemicals of concern, including artificial sweeteners, food additives, pesticides, and ultra-processed foods, aimed at the general public. Over 1 million people have read these fact sheets.
• UCSF Industry Documents Collections Document collections donated to the UCSF Industry Documents Library, including the USRTK Agrichemical Collection, USRTK Food Industry Collection, and Monsanto Papers Roundup Litigation Collection, providing free public access to industry documents for researchers and the public.
• Academic Research Collaboration Co-authored more than 16 peer-reviewed public health journal articles investigating food and agrichemical industry influence on science, policy, and public opinion, collaborating with academics, scientists, and journalists worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million readers reached with fact sheets on chemicals of concern
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Industry Documents LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UCSF to host and provide free public access to documents uncovered in investigations. UCSF hosts three collections: USRTK Agrichemical Collection, USRTK Food Industry Collection, and Monsanto Papers Roundup Litigation Collection in their searchable Industry Documents Library.
• Institute for Nonprofit NewsminorOthersProud member of INN, a membership organization supporting nonprofit news organizations
• Public Health Academics, Scientists and Journalists WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborate with public health academics, scientists and journalists around the world to share findings. Have co-authored 16 peer-reviewed public health journal articles with these collaborators.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usrighttoknow
• Facebookfacebook.com/USRightToKnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/us-right-to-know

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about US RIGHT TO KNOW