The world of nonprofits is vast — including everything from tiny charities to giant hospitals, from political committees to global aid organizations. Because of the great work that many of them do, nonprofits often get special status in our societies, with lighter regulation and reflexive public trust.
I’m interested in how these trusted groups are used, abused and policed — both in America and around the world.
I have been a reporter since 2000, and I spent my first 22 years at The Washington Post. I started as a night-cops reporter, covering homicides in the District of Columbia, and later covered the environment, New England, Congress, and the federal bureaucracy.
My first foray into nonprofit reporting came in 2016, when I wrote a series of stories for The Post about Donald J. Trump’s private foundation. As a result of those stories, a New York judge ordered Mr. Trump to shut down his foundation and pay a $2 million penalty. I was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. I joined The Times in early 2022, to take on the nonprofit beat full time.
I’m a native of Houston, Texas, and a graduate of Harvard.
All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. In plain English, that means I follow the facts wherever they lead. It also means I don’t publish anything about somebody without giving them a chance to respond first. It also means I will fight to protect my sources.
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The former national security adviser took over a nonprofit group. Soon, it was paying five of his relatives and trafficking in conspiracy theories.
By David A. Fahrenthold and Alexandra Berzon
Prosecutors accused the defendants of stealing millions of dollars from programs meant to feed children. A juror was replaced after officials said she was apparently offered a bribe of $120,000 to acquit.
By Ernesto Londoño and David A. Fahrenthold
Prosecutors said the financial chief of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy used the group’s funds for personal purchases from Louis Vuitton and a diamond dealer.
By David A. Fahrenthold
A stranger dropped off cash at a juror’s house and offered more if she voted to acquit defendants charged with defrauding federal food programs.
By David A. Fahrenthold and Ernesto Londoño
Five months after filing for bankruptcy, the former New York City mayor disclosed his company’s income from a foundation established to honor a firefighter killed on Sept. 11, 2001.
By David A. Fahrenthold and Eileen Sullivan
The Conservative Partnership Institute’s three highest-paid contractors had connections to the group’s leaders or their relatives, raising concerns about self-dealing.
By David A. Fahrenthold
The proposal had been years in the making, in an effort to curb death rates of Black smokers targeted by Big Tobacco. In an election year, the president’s worries about support among Black voters may have influenced the postponement.
By Christina Jewett and Noah Weiland
As the death toll in Gaza climbed, the pro-Palestinian movement grew into a powerful, if disjointed, political force in the United States. Democrats are feeling the pressure.
By Katie Glueck, Katie Benner and Sheera Frenkel
Every team in the Sweet 16 round has been touched by “name, image and likeness” rules, which allow student athletes to be paid for endorsements, appearances and other work.
By David A. Fahrenthold and Billy Witz
Tesla and China built a symbiotic relationship, with credits, workers and parts that made Mr. Musk ultrarich. Now, his reliance on the country may give Beijing leverage.
By Mara Hvistendahl, Jack Ewing and John Liu