documented
Documented is a US nonprofit investigative journalism outlet that exposes dark money networks, political influence, and threats to democracy through in-depth reporting, co-published with The Guardian, ProPublica, and The Intercept, and funded primarily by donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What documented does
Documented is a US-based nonprofit investigative journalism organization that investigates and reports on corporate and political influence, focusing on threats to democracy, dark money networks, and the coordination of special interests. The organization covers topics including elections, the Koch network, the Council for National Policy, conservative movement coordination, Supreme Court ethics, oil and gas industry accountability, and the Christian right, producing in-depth investigations and daily reporting from a small team of 1-10 employees.
The organization's core product surface includes: long-form Investigations, daily Reporting, the Swamp Dollars dark money tracking database, a "Use Our Research" resource library for journalists, and a free newsletter ("The ShakeDown") distributed via Substack. A spin-off watchdog organization called Fieldnotes, launched in December 2024 by former Documented researchers, focuses specifically on oil and gas industry investigations. Documented leverages co-publishing partnerships with The Guardian, ProPublica, and The Intercept to extend distribution reach well beyond what its small staff could achieve independently, with investigations frequently appearing in The New York Times, Washington Post, Mother Jones, Politico, and Axios. The organization also maintains a "Leak To Us" channel, indicating use of leaked source material alongside FOIA-based reporting.
Documented operates a donation-based revenue model, accepting contributions through Buy Me a Coffee and direct website donations, supplemented by support from journalism infrastructure initiatives such as Type Investigations' Springboard Project. All content is provided free of charge; the organization does not charge subscriptions or paywalls. Its customer segments are horizontal: the general public, democracy advocates, and peer journalists/researchers who reuse its research outputs. Leadership includes Executive Director Nick Surgey (formerly of Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause) and Director of Research Karen Goll (formerly of the Moonlight Foundation), with additional researchers including Victoria Cadostin, Alice Herman, Brendan Fischer, Andy Kroll, Stuart Richardson, and Phoebe Petrovic.
documented firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- documented
- Legal name
- Documented
- Website
- https://documented.net
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Documented is a US nonprofit investigative journalism outlet that exposes dark money networks, political influence, and threats to democracy through in-depth reporting, co-published with The Guardian, ProPublica, and The Intercept, and funded primarily by donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
documented industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Journalism
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), All Other Publishers (513199)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
Keywords
documented business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Donations and Support: Documented operates as a nonprofit investigative outlet accepting donations through various platforms including Buy Me a Coffee and direct donation options on their website.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
documented product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Documented is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization that produces in-depth investigations, daily reporting, and research resources focused on exposing threats to democracy, tracking dark money networks, and revealing connections between special interests and political influence in the United States. Content is distributed for free through its website, a Substack newsletter, and co-publishing partnerships with major outlets like The Guardian and ProPublica, supported by reader donations.
Product overview
Documented is an investigative journalism organization that operates as a single unified news platform focused on exposing threats to democracy through in-depth investigations, daily reporting, and research resources. The organization produces investigative content (Investigations), news reporting (Reporting), and maintains a dark money database (Swamp Dollars). It distributes content via a Substack newsletter (The ShakeDown) and offers research resources for journalists. A spin-off organization called Fieldnotes focuses specifically on oil and gas industry investigations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple investigations picked up and published by major outlets including The Guardian, ProPublica, The New York Times, and Washington Post
Companies that use documented
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
documented technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
documented partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- The GuardiancoreDocumented partners with The Guardian US for investigative journalism, co-publishing major investigations on topics including the Christian right's use of Bonhoeffer and other political investigations.
- ProPublicacoreDocumented frequently co-publishes investigations with ProPublica, including investigations into dark money networks, Supreme Court ethics, and conservative movement coordination.
- The InterceptsecondaryDocumented has collaborated with The Intercept on investigations including coverage of fossil fuel-funded political operations.
- Type Investigations (Springboard Project)minorThe Springboard Project is a Type Investigations initiative that supports local and diverse newsrooms with $10,000 stipends, mentoring, and training. Documented has partnered with this initiative as a recipient organization for investigative journalism support.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
documented competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
documented social profiles
Digital presencedocumented financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
documented leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
documented subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
documented funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
documented 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 documented
What does documented do?
Documented is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization that produces in-depth investigations, daily reporting, and research resources focused on exposing threats to democracy, tracking dark money networks, and revealing connections between special interests and political influence in the United States. Content is distributed for free through its website, a Substack newsletter, and co-publishing partnerships with major outlets like The Guardian and ProPublica, supported by reader donations.
Is documented a public or private company?
documented is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was documented founded?
documented was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does documented make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Support.
Does documented have an API?
No public API is recorded for documented.
What industry is documented in?
documented's product category is Investigative Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.