Regular email
tips@civicintelligence.newsFor tips that do not require anonymity. We read every message; we respond to most. If you want your name kept out of any resulting coverage, say so in the email and we will treat it as on background.
TipsConfidential · encrypted options available
Send us a tip.
If you work inside a federal agency, a state program, a grant-receiving nonprofit, or a contractor firm and you see federal funds being misused, we want to hear from you.
Pick the channel below that matches how cautious you need to be. For any sensitive submission, read the “Before you send anything” note at the bottom of this page.
Signal
Signal is the most reliable end-to-end encrypted messenger for journalism tips. Install Signal, then message the number posted here when it becomes available. Until then, use Signal's own 'message yourself' feature to draft your note and send it via the ProtonMail channel below once the number is live.
Signal number: coming soon
ProtonMail
tips.ci@proton.meFor stronger email protection than our normal inbox provides. ProtonMail is end-to-end encrypted when you email from another ProtonMail account. If you email from a different provider, the message is still delivered but is only protected in transit.
This inbox is checked daily.
Postal mail (anonymous)
If you can't send anything digital safely, print documents and mail them. A P.O. box will be posted here once established. For now, please use one of the options above.
Mailing address: coming soon
What makes a good tip
- Documents beat allegations. A copy of an internal email, memo, contract, invoice, or budget document is worth a hundred secondhand accounts.
- Specifics beat generalities. Program name, office, exact dates, dollar amounts, names of officials involved. The more specific, the faster we can verify.
- Where to look publicly, if you know. The USAspending.gov award ID, the FOIA request number, the court docket number — anything that points us at a paper trail we can pull ourselves.
- Your role and how you know. Not your name (we do not need it), but a sentence on why you are in a position to know helps us triage credibility.
Before you send anything
- Do not send tips from a work device or work email account. Agency IT can see both.
- Do not send tips over an employer’s Wi-Fi network. Use a personal mobile hotspot or home connection.
- Remove metadata from documents before sending. On Windows: file → Properties → Details → Remove Properties. On photos: open in any image editor and re-save.
- If the tip involves classified information, consult the federal whistleblower channels first — we cover public-record fraud, not classified leaks.
- We never reveal a source without explicit permission. We are not a law-enforcement agency; we are a publication.