Frequently Asked Questions

Transparency, Analysis & Stewardship Foundation for Governance Accountability is a proposed independent, nonpartisan public-interest organization currently in formation. Its planned mission is to identify gaps in governance and accountability across institutions whose decisions touch public life — then to propose concrete fixes and track whether they are actually implemented, not just written down.

Any body whose decisions affect the public: elected officials (assembly, senate, mayors, governors, U.S. Congress), public agencies, municipalities, corporate and institutional boards, and private governance structures like HOAs, condominium boards, and cooperative boards. Anything that touches legislation or operates under a duty to follow the law is within our scope.

Because it's the clearest test case. A multi-trillion-dollar sector with almost no governance-specific oversight, decades of failed reform attempts, primary sources documented everywhere, and more than one million New Yorkers living in co-op and condo housing with few accountability mechanisms. The intent is that if the planned accountability loop works there, it would generalize to the other proposed areas of focus.

The planned three-step model: Identify the gap (primary-source research), Propose the fix (model bills, standards, disclosure templates), and Verify implementation (public, versioned scorecards on whether the fix was actually adopted and whether behavior changed). Most reform work stops after step 1 or step 2. TASFGA intends to run all three, on the record, year after year.

No. TASFGA is pre-incorporation. The plan is to incorporate as a New York not-for-profit and to seek IRS recognition under 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4); no determination has been issued, and donations are not yet tax-deductible. It plans to advocate for public-sector oversight and to publish research that may inform regulators and legislators, but it is not part of any government.

Not with subpoena power. TASFGA plans to publish research, document patterns, and support people navigating complaint and litigation pathways. For in-field reporting on the planned Focus 1 (residential community governance), see condoscoopsnyc.org.

The planned funding model is membership dues, individual donations, and foundation grants, with a policy of accepting no funding from entities whose conduct it audits — see the Financials & Transparency page for the proposed Independence Policy. Because TASFGA is pre-incorporation and has no IRS determination, donations are not yet tax-deductible.

A first draft of Focus 1 Standards is in preparation and would be opened for public comment once the Accountability Council is convened. A certification program is planned to follow once Standards are adopted. None of these programs exists yet. Subscribe on the Support page to be notified.

Under the planned, not-yet-available model, membership ($75–$250/yr, illustrative) would include the research library, Monthly Brief, and 1–2 free quick lookups per month. Deep research questions — primary-source cited, 2–8 pages — would be priced at roughly $150 each for members and $300 for non-members. This hybrid model is intended to keep membership accessible while ensuring each researched answer is sustainably funded, with each published answer feeding back into the member library so the knowledge base compounds over time. See Ask-a-TASFGA for the proposed scope. (TASFGA has no staff or engaged counsel yet; the research and review steps describe an intended future process.)

Register interest in membership, volunteer expertise toward the planned Council, submit documentation of governance failures you've witnessed, or support the effort financially (note: donations are not yet tax-deductible). Start at Support.