USAFacts is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public service dedicated to providing factual information, so that citizens can find answers about the state of the nation. It rely’s exclusively on data from government agencies. It provides this information as a free public service and are committed to maintaining and expanding it in the future. It also gives out an annual report, a summary report, and a “10-K” modeled on the document public companies submit annually to the SEC for transparency and accountability to their investors.

USAFacts was inspired by a conversation Steve Ballmer had with his wife. She wanted him to get more involved in philanthropic work. He thought it made sense to first find out what government does with the money it raises. Where does the money come from and where is it spent? Whom does it serve? And most importantly, what are the outcomes?

With his business background, Steve searched for solid, reliable, impartial numbers to tell the story… but eventually realized he wasn’t going to find them. He put together a small team of people – economists, writers, researchers – and got to work.