Hello from Washington, D.C.,

As we wrap up the week at the International Anti-Corruption Conference, we’re honored and encouraged to be in this space with so many smart, dedicated people all working toward the same goal: to end the crime and corruption that damages societies around the world.

We shared our ideas for a future where strong cross sectoral alliances are able to end criminals’ corrupt dreams and toxic dystopias. We were honored by how many people spoke positively about our work and that of our partners, while acknowledging the truly singular role investigative journalists play in ending this scourge. 

We got another boost this week: In less than a month, almost 200 contributors helped us reach our goal of raising $100,000 for our SLAPP Back Fund, which will go toward battling frivolous lawsuits filed by crime figures, corrupt government officials, and politically connected businessmen against the journalists and outlets in our network. 

This astonishing support for investigative journalists also unlocked a match grant of an additional $100,000. This is a promising start to the long process of building up our reserve fund to fight these lawsuits that keep coming. In fact, since we started the campaign, we’ve been hit with another SLAPP, making the total 42.

If you have not yet donated, we are keeping our portal open, so please consider contributing to the fund to help us fight this legal bullying — you can make your donation here. Support entails a membership in our Accomplice program.

As always, thank you for reading OCCRP and we’re so grateful for your support,

P.S. The Accomplice program grants you access to our live events, including this one on Dec. 14: “Crypto, SLAPPs, and Dark Money,” where we’ll be discussing the year ahead in global crime and corruption.