It is that time of year when we ask for you to help support fact-based reporting on major public policy issues.
This year, we have brought you reports on the Capitol riot, including a same-day fact-checking article of then President Donald Trump’s falsehood-filled speech at the rally that preceded the riot. We also launched SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project and have greatly expanded our coverage of COVID-19 misinformation.
We now provide COVID-19 articles and videos in Spanish. We also created a “COVID-19 Misconceptions” page in English and Spanish that groups our COVID-19 articles by category of deception, making it easier to find what you are looking for.
This year also marked a shift in power in Washington, and we have brought you reports on the new Democratic president and the Democratic-controlled Congress and their agenda – including fact-checking articles on such issues as the bipartisan infrastructure law, the partisan Build Back Better Act and the new administration’s response to COVID-19.
In 2022, we will continue to cover all of those ongoing issues – plus bring you coverage of the key House and Senate races that will decide control of Congress.
But we cannot do it — at least for very long — without your help.
FactCheck.org started with a founding grant from the Annenberg Foundation and has received funding over the years from other foundations, too. (See “Our Funding” page, which discloses any contribution of $1,000 or more.) But your donations have extended the life of FactCheck.org, allowing us to diversify our funding sources and continue to bring you the kind of fact-based reporting you have come to expect.
We started accepting individual contributions from our readers in 2010 and our last fiscal year was our best year ever. We received 2,629 gifts from individual donors totaling $208,990 – mostly in small amounts. The median contribution was $25.
So please consider a donation to FactCheck.org.
Your support will help offset the cost of some of our most important projects, including our 2022 election coverage and our undergraduate fellowship program. In 2022, we will retain the services of an ad-tracking service that will provide us with TV and digital ads for all House and Senate races. We will also train a new class of undergraduate University of Pennsylvania students, who will learn how to monitor political claims, conduct research using the best evidence and write fact-checking articles. Your donations will help fund both key programs.
If you would like to make a contribution, credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page, which is maintained by the University of Pennsylvania. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3806. Checks can be made payable to “The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” with a note in the memo field indicating the donation is for FactCheck.org.
FactCheck.org is a project of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. The University of Pennsylvania is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your contribution is deductible from U.S. federal income taxes to the full extent allowed by law.
Thank you for all of your support. Have a happy holiday, and a safe and healthy new year.
Update, Jan. 3: As of Jan. 2, we have received 421 online donations totaling $49,353. Thanks for your continued support.