01
How your money moves
Ritmo isn't the one holding your money. That's on purpose.
Every contribution you make through Ritmo is processed and disbursed by Givinga Foundation - a registered 501(c)(3) public charity and donor-advised fund sponsor based in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Givinga holds the funds, runs the checks, and disburses the funds. Ritmo builds the experience and passes your recommendations along.
Why it works this way: keeping the money with a dedicated charitable foundation means every dollar sits inside a regulated charitable structure from the moment you give. Ritmo never takes custody of your donation.
When you give, your tax-deductible contribution is made to Givinga Foundation, the public charity that operates the donor-advised fund behind Ritmo. You choose the cause; on your recommendation, Givinga grants the funds out to eligible nonprofits. Grants are unrestricted, and your donation receipt comes from Givinga Foundation.
What it costs: Ritmo may charge a flat monthly Service Contribution for the platform and/or a percentage of the total donations. Certain third-party payment-processing fees may also apply to your gift. You'll see the full breakdown before you confirm any donation directly in the app.
Before any money reaches an organization, Givinga Foundation runs a multi-layer eligibility check. Here's what that actually involves.
02
What gets checked before a dollar moves
IRS 501(c)(3) status - anchored by Charity Navigator
Every organization on Ritmo is screened to confirm it is a legally registered, active 501(c)(3) nonprofit in good standing with the IRS. Givinga Foundation uses Charity Navigator - one of the most widely recognized independent charity evaluators in the US, covering 225,000+ nonprofits - as the principal input of this process. For each organization, this confirms:
- Active inclusion in the IRS Business Master File;
- Current listing in IRS Publication 78 (the official list of tax-deductible recipients);
- The organization's public charity classification under the Internal Revenue Code.
Charity Navigator folds in weekly IRS Bulletin updates, so an organization that has lost its tax-exempt status gets flagged before any money moves. For the small number of organizations not covered by Charity Navigator, Givinga Foundation applies additional review - and in most cases will not approve a grant unless specific eligibility criteria are met.
Government sanctions screening - OFAC
Every organization is screened against the US Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). No money can move to any individual or entity on that list. Givinga Foundation also screens its own officers and directors against the same list, and is required to report any suspicious activity relating to terrorism to the proper authorities.
Anti-money-laundering compliance
This isn't a "trust us" situation. Givinga Foundation's grant-making follows the US Treasury's Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for US-Based Charities and USA Patriot Act requirements - the recognized standard for charitable grant-making compliance. Through its partnership with Givinga Foundation, Ritmo operates inside that framework.
A second check at the moment of payout - not just once
Even after an organization clears the initial eligibility check, Givinga Foundation runs a second eligibility check at the moment of payout - not only when you give. If an organization's status changes between your donation and the disbursement, the payout is paused and resolved before any funds move.
- Verification is handled by Givinga Foundation, 396 Washington St., Suite 307, Wellesley, MA 02481 · (339) 200-9064 · support@givingafoundation.org
- Read Givinga Foundation's full Grant Due Diligence Policy.
03
What the "Verified" badge means
When you see "Verified" on an organization in Ritmo, it means one specific thing:
This is a registered, active 501(c)(3) nonprofit, verified by Givinga Foundation, and screened against US government watchlists before any donation is processed.
It's a check on the legal and financial fundamentals - that the organization is real, registered, in good standing, and cleared to receive charitable funds. It is not a rating of the organization's mission, programs, or results. That distinction matters, and we'd rather be clear about it than let a green badge say more than it should.
04
Where the line is
Our commitment
Ritmo works to ensure every organization on the platform is a legally registered, active 501(c)(3) nonprofit in good standing with the IRS, and screened against US government sanctions watchlists before any donation is disbursed. That process is run by Givinga Foundation, whose Grant Due Diligence Policy is publicly available.
What verification doesn't cover
Verification confirms that an organization is legitimate and eligible. It doesn't evaluate the mission, values, or day-to-day programs of an organization, and it isn't a judgment on how effective any nonprofit is or whether it aligns with your personal values. The choice of which cause to support is always yours.
Your part
We do the legal and financial checks. You bring the judgment about what you want to support. If you're giving to an organization you don't know well, a little of your own research goes a long way - and if something doesn't sit right, don't give until it does. Independent tools like Charity Navigator are a good place to look into an organization's financials, accountability, and transparency.
A note on the numbers you see
The cost and impact figures you see in Ritmo come from our intelligence engine, which reads the public record - IRS Form 990 filings, third-party evaluations, and self-reported nonprofit data - so you don't have to. They're estimates, not audited outcomes. Methodologies vary from one organization to the next, and these figures are meant to give you a directional sense of what giving can do - not a guaranteed or audited outcome. Grants to nonprofits are unrestricted, so the receiving organization decides how to put the funds to work.
05
Report a concern
See something that doesn't look right?
Tell us. Email hello@joinritmo.com, or use the report option on any organization's profile. We review every report and follow up as quickly as we can.
All donations are processed by Givinga Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Givinga Foundation issues your donation receipt directly. Ritmo does not hold donation funds, does not issue tax receipts, and does not provide tax advice.
Ritmo | Trust & Verification | Updated June 2026