Frequently Asked Questions

The American Society for Governance Accountability is an independent, nonpartisan public-interest organization. We identify gaps in governance and accountability across every institution whose decisions touch public life — then we propose concrete fixes and verify 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 essentially zero regulatory oversight, sixty years of failed reform attempts, primary sources documented everywhere, and a million New Yorkers alone under unaccountable governance. If our accountability loop works there, it generalizes to the other focus areas.

Three steps: 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. We run all three, on the record, year after year.

No. TASFGA is a private nonprofit in formation, organized as a 501(c)(3) under U.S. law. We advocate for public-sector oversight and publish research that may inform regulators and legislators, but we are not part of any government.

Not with subpoena power. TASFGA publishes research, documents patterns, and supports people navigating complaint and litigation pathways. For our in-field reporting on Focus Area 1 (residential community governance), see condoscoopsnyc.org.

Membership dues, individual donations, and foundation grants. We accept no funding from entities whose conduct we audit — see our Financials & Transparency page for the full Independence Policy.

Focus Area 1 Standards draft 0.1 is under Council review. Public comment opens before adoption. Certification launches with a pilot cohort once Standards are adopted. Subscribe on the Support page to be notified.

Membership ($75–$250/yr) includes the research library, Monthly Brief, and 1–2 free quick lookups per month (staff-researched, 2-hour cap). Deep research questions — counsel-reviewed, primary-source cited, 2–8 pages — are $150 each for members, $300 for non-members. This hybrid model keeps membership accessible while ensuring each researched answer is sustainably funded. Every published answer feeds back into the member library, so the knowledge base compounds over time. See Ask-a-TASFGA for the full scope and SLA.

Join as a member, volunteer expertise to the Council, submit documentation of governance failures you've witnessed, or support us financially. Start at Support.