Traceability over sophistication
A method we cannot explain to a finance committee is a method we will not ship. Where a simple threshold performs as well as a model, we use the threshold.
An independent initiative for rigorous public finance
RIGFOA builds analytical tooling and publishes open research for the officials who steward public money. We are funded by memberships and platform subscriptions, and we publish our methodology so that anyone can check it.
Mission
Make the warning signs visible while they are still cheap to fix
Fiscal deterioration in the public sector is rarely sudden. The indicators are usually present in the records for several years before anyone assembles them in one place, and the reason nobody assembles them is almost never negligence — it is capacity.
RIGFOA exists to close that gap. We build the tooling that turns records an entity already holds into indicators an entity can act on, and we publish the research that explains what the indicators mean and where they mislead.
We work with municipalities, counties, school districts, special districts and public authorities across the United States, and with the auditors, advisors and oversight bodies that work alongside them.
At a glance
- Founded
2024, as an independent research and technology initiative - Focus
Financial oversight, compliance and analytics for public entities - Location
10 Dorrance Street, Suite 700, Providence, RI 02903 - Funding
Memberships and platform subscriptions - Research access
Open, unregistered, permanent
What this is, and what it is not
RIGFOA provides analytical tools and published research. We are not a law firm, an accounting firm, a registered municipal advisor or an audit organisation, and nothing we produce constitutes legal, accounting, audit or financial advice. Our tools are designed to support the judgement of qualified public finance professionals, not to replace it.
Principles
Six commitments that constrain what we build
These are constraints rather than values. Each of them has caused us to decline to build something.
Advisory by default
Our tools rank, register and check. They do not block payments, score vendors, or determine outcomes affecting third parties. Those are decisions for accountable officials.
Publish the method
Indicator definitions, detection logic, evaluation results and known limitations are published. Proprietary methodology is a liability in a field built on auditability.
Data minimisation
We collect what a check requires and no more. Entity data is not used to train models and is exportable and deletable on request.
State the limits
Every tool page on this site carries a section describing what the tool does not do. It is the section we would want to read first.
Free where it should be free
The research library is open to everyone, without registration, permanently.
How we are organised
Four functions, one accountability line
RIGFOA is directed by an executive team accountable to its members. Named leadership and advisory listings are published on this page as appointments are confirmed.
Research
Produces the published library and the methodology notes that sit behind each tool. Research output is not reviewed by commercial staff before publication.
Analytics engineering
Builds and maintains the indicator definitions, detection logic and data pipelines, and owns the model inventory and validation schedule.
Public finance practice
Staffed by people who have prepared an annual comprehensive financial report and closed a set of books. Owns the accuracy of every accounting position the tools take.
Client delivery
Implementation, chart-of-accounts mapping, and the training that determines whether anything actually gets used.
Independence
RIGFOA is an independent organisation. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency, standard-setting body or professional association, including the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and the Government Finance Officers Association. References to accounting standards on this site are descriptive. We accept no vendor sponsorship of research, and research staff do not report to commercial functions.
Talk to us about your oversight programme
Walk through the platform with your own chart of accounts, or start with the research library. Both routes are free to begin.