Module 3: Citizen Action Card, Follow The Money
Follow the Money Through the Anonymization Engine
Shadow Patriots Action Library · Project Milk Carton
Pairs with Module 3: “The Anonymous Donor” — DAF Stacking
You now know what a Donor-Advised Fund is and how it erases the donor’s name from the donation. This card teaches you how to find DAF money on any organization’s 990 — and what questions to ask when you do.
The DAF Fingerprint: What to Look For
When you pull a 990 on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/), look at Schedule I (grants received) and Part VIII (revenue). You are looking for grants from any of these names:
The Big Three DAF Sponsors
Politically Aligned DAF Sponsors
Community Foundation DAFs
Any grant from a “Community Foundation of [City/Region]” may also be DAF money. Community foundations operate DAF programs alongside their own grantmaking — you cannot always distinguish between the two from the 990 alone.
The 5-Minute DAF Audit
Step 1 — Pull the 990
Go to projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/ and search for the organization you care about. Click on the most recent filing year. Download or view the full 990.
Step 2 — Check Schedule I (Grants Received)
Look for the names listed above. If you see “Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund” or “Schwab Charitable Fund” or “National Philanthropic Trust” as a grantor — that is DAF money. The actual donor is anonymous.
What to note: - The dollar amount of the DAF grant - What percentage of total revenue it represents (Part VIII, Line 1h shows total contributions) - Whether multiple DAF sponsors appear (multiple anonymous donors, or possibly the same donor using multiple DAFs)
Step 3 — Check for DonorsTrust or Tides
If you see DonorsTrust or Donors Capital Fund, the anonymous donor specifically chose a conservative-aligned vehicle. If you see Tides Foundation, the anonymous donor specifically chose a progressive-aligned vehicle.
This does not tell you who the donor is. But it tells you something about the donor’s intent — they chose a vehicle that aligns with a political orientation, not just a financial services firm.
Step 4 — Calculate the anonymity ratio
Add up all grants from DAF sponsors. Divide by total contributions (Part VIII, Line 1h).
Example from the article: Elev8hope total contributions: ~$835,000. DAFgiving360 grant: $60,000. Anonymity ratio: ~7.2%.
If the anonymity ratio is above 25%, a significant portion of the organization’s funding is untraceable to individual donors through public filings. If it is above 50%, the majority of funding is anonymous.
Neither number is inherently suspicious. But both are worth knowing.
Step 5 — Cross-reference with Module 2’s entity ID
Use the 60-Second ID Check from Module 2. Is this organization a (c)(3)? A (c)(4)? Does it share officers with other entities? If a (c)(3) receives heavy DAF funding AND shares officers with a (c)(4) or PAC — you are looking at an entity stack funded by anonymous money. That is not illegal. But it is the architecture this series is teaching you to see.
Your Assignment
Pick ONE of these:
Option A — The DAF Audit: Take the (c)(3) you identified in Module 1 and audited in Module 2. Pull its most recent 990 on ProPublica. Run the 5-Minute DAF Audit above. Calculate the anonymity ratio. Report what you find.
Option B — The Big Three Check: Go to ProPublica and search for “Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.” Look at its 990. See how much it distributed in the most recent year. Now do the same for “Schwab Charitable Fund” and “National Philanthropic Trust.” You are looking at the three largest anonymization engines in American philanthropy. Note the total.
Option C — The DonorsTrust Trail: Search ProPublica for “DonorsTrust.” Pull its 990. Look at Schedule I — the list of grants made. Pick any three recipient organizations. Search each of those recipients on ProPublica. Check their officer lists. Do any of those recipients share officers with each other? You may be looking at a coordinated funding network — all funded by anonymous donors through a single DAF sponsor.
Report what you find. Post it in the comments. Tag us. Every citizen who runs this audit makes the system slightly less opaque.
Shadow Patriots Action Library · Module 3 · Project Milk Carton · 501(c)(3) · EIN 33-1323547