Free to read. Not free to make.
Nothing on this site is paywalled and nothing is sponsored. Here is what it costs to keep it that way, and how you will be able to help.
Not accepting donations yet
We are not taking money at the moment — there is no donate button on this page on purpose. We would rather get the giving set up properly than bolt a payment form onto a site that has not earned it yet. When it opens, it will be announced here first.
What your money would actually pay for
- Research time. The slow part is reading the source document end to end and checking claims against filings. That is hours per measure, and it is the part that cannot be automated away.
- AI and hosting. Running two models over every document, plus the server, the domain and the email.
- Covering more ground. Right now we can do one project at a time. Local measures, school districts, utility rate cases and bond questions are where people are most in the dark and where almost nobody is explaining anything.
What we will never do with it
- Take money from a campaign, a party, a committee or anyone with a position on a measure we cover.
- Let a donor see an explanation before it publishes, or change one after.
- Run ads against the content, or sell what we know about you. We do not sell or share your email, ever.
If we take money from someone whose interests touch something we cover, we will say so on the page it touches. That is the deal.
Coming: become a patron
The plan is a recurring supporter tier — a small monthly amount, cancel whenever, with early access to new projects and a say in what we take on next. Tell us now if you want to hear when it opens.
Want to know when it opens?
Create a free account. It is also what lets you comment and rate.
Create a free accountOther ways to help, right now
- Send a page to one person who is undecided and does not have time to read a 104-page booklet.
- Tell us when we are wrong. A correction is worth more than a donation.
- Request a project. Knowing what people are actually confused about is the thing we cannot buy.
WhatItMeans.org is not currently a registered charity, so if and when donations open, they will not be tax-deductible unless we say otherwise. We will be clear about our legal status before taking a cent.