ProPublica
Skip
Confidence: Medium
ProPublica is a free nonprofit newsroom, not a purchasable tool . use it as an investigative news source and for its Nonprofit Explorer IRS database.
New check
Comparison
ProPublica vs GuideStar (Candid)
ProPublica lands on Skip, and GuideStar (Candid) lands on Depends.
GuideStar (Candid)
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Nonprofits should claim the free profile . funders and donors expect to find you there.
| Compare | ProPublica | GuideStar (Candid) |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Skip | Depends |
| Best for | Readers wanting investigative reporting | Nonprofits seeking donor trust |
| Who it's not for | Anyone shopping for software . it is a news site, not a tool | Small teams wanting a simple CRM . this is a directory, not one |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁷ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.13 |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources | No support evidence in sources reviewed |
| Public sentiment | User feedback is sparse; Reddit commenters broadly praise ProPublica's rigor and credibility, with some debate over bias and funding.⁹ | Nonprofits value the free profile and funder recognition but voice frustration over the Candid platform swap and paid-tier costs. |
| Biggest gotcha | Expect frequent donation asks and fundraising emails; free is donor-funded.⁵ | Basic profile is free; deeper data sits behind paid subscriptions . confirm current tier pricing16 |
Pick ProPublica when
- Readers wanting investigative reporting
- Researchers using Nonprofit Explorer IRS data
- Donors backing nonprofit journalism
When ProPublica is not a fit
- Anyone shopping for software . it is a news site, not a tool
- Teams needing CRM, analytics, or workflow features
- Buyers wanting SLAs, support, or integrations
Pick GuideStar (Candid) when
- Nonprofits seeking donor trust
- Grantmakers doing due diligence
- Donors vetting charities
- Researchers needing Form 990 data
When GuideStar (Candid) is not a fit
- Small teams wanting a simple CRM . this is a directory, not one
- Anyone needing fundraising or donor-management features
- Orgs wanting star-rating charity reviews
- Buyers doing one-off lookups . free tools suffice
Sources
official
- ProPublica . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
- Trustpilot reviews of propublica.orgtrustpilot.comreview
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer . IRS Tax Filing Dataprojects.propublica.orgofficial
- Support Fearless Journalismpropublica.orgofficial
- How to Contact ProPublica or Send a Tip Securelypropublica.orgsecurity
- Product security pagepropublica.orgsecurity
news
review
- ProPublica . Bias and Credibilitymediabiasfactcheck.comreview
- ProPublica . MacArthur Foundation grantee pagemacfound.orgnews
official
- Product security pageguidestar.orgsecurity
- GuideStar - Crunchbase Company Profile & Fundingcrunchbase.comnews
- GuideStar vs Canva for Nonprofitssoftwr.comreview
review