Paragon Philanthropy equips grantmakers across Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and the United States with the tools to fund responsibly — and confidently — across borders. From sanctions screening and reputational due diligence to ongoing grantee monitoring, our comprehensive approach helps safeguard your mission, protect institutional reputation, and strengthen the integrity of your domestic and international grantmaking. Wherever your philanthropy leads, we help ensure your funding drives impact — not risk.

Aligned with the Needs of Today’s Funders

We understand that each of the entities we serve faces distinct operational risks, reputational considerations, and regulatory expectations — and we adapt our approach accordingly. Our services are tailored for private foundations, corporate giving programs, government-linked funders, and grantmaking nonprofits — including community foundations, donor-advised fund sponsors, universities, and international NGOs with regranting portfolios.

Tiered Due Diligence, Designed for Global Grantmakers

Paragon Philanthropy’s tiered due diligence framework empowers foundations, corporate philanthropies, and government-linked funders to align vetting depth with grant size, complexity, and risk. From basic eligibility checks to sector-sensitive, stakeholder-informed reviews, our model ensures mission protection without unnecessary cost or friction.

Tier 1: Baseline Screening

Essential screening to identify major red flags quickly and cost-effectively.

• Global sanctions and terrorism watchlist screening (OFAC, UN, UK, EU, AU)

• Corporate and charity registry verification

• High-level adverse media review

• Optional: Annual re-screening or risk refresh

Best for:

• Low-value grants or renewals

• Early-stage eligibility screening

• Low-risk grantees in regulated jurisdictions

Turnaround: 5-10 business days

Tier 2: Enhanced Organizational Profiling

A deeper operational and governance scan for new, larger, or more complex grants.

• Litigation, bankruptcy, and regulatory enforcement checks

• Financial health and governance disclosures review

• ESG controversy and basic leadership verification

• Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening

• Beneficial ownership and control check

• Grantee policy scan (e.g., safeguarding, organizational ethics, financial controls)

• Optional: Foreign Country Regulatory Snapshot (cross-border grant risk memo)

• Optional: Ongoing grantee monitoring (6–12 month re-screen)

Best for:

• First-time grantees or new geographies

• Moderate- to large-value grants

• Institutional funders with ESG or governance expectations

Turnaround: 2-4 weeks

Tier 3: Strategic Sector & Reputational Due Diligence

A comprehensive reputation and sector-aligned assessment for high-profile or sensitive engagements.

• Discreet stakeholder reputation checks (peers, funders, local contacts)

• Leadership background and historical controversy review

• Alignment with philanthropic mission and ESG principles

• Subgrantee and delivery partner screening

• Optional site verification (virtual or in-person, where feasible)

• Social license scan (community legitimacy or perception)

• Foreign country compliance risks and political context memo

• Beneficial ownership, political exposure, and governance review

• Grantee policy review (human rights, safeguarding, transparency)

Best for:

• Strategic partnerships or multi-year flagship grants

• Sectors involving heightened scrutiny (e.g., human rights, climate, gender equity)

• Complex jurisdictions or politically sensitive environments

Turnaround: 4-8 weeks (based on location and availability)

Add-On Options (Available with Tier 2 or Tier 3)

• Annual Risk Refresh / Re-Screening

• Foreign Country Requirements Memo

• Beneficial Ownership & Control Map

• Subgrantee or Delivery Partner Vetting

• Local Sentiment Scan (via trusted networks)

• Grantee Safeguarding & Governance Policy Review

Region-Specific Guidance for Global Funders

Philanthropic risk environments vary widely across jurisdictions. Paragon supports funders operating under diverse legal frameworks and reputational standards — including those based in the UK, Canada, Australia, and EU member states. Explore how our services align with your region’s expectations:

“We have been working with Paragon for a couple years now and couldn’t be more pleased with the relationship. Paragon relieves us of all the burdensome requirements associated with processing international grants. Because Paragon is so thorough, professional and responsive, I can count on the work being performed accurately and in a timely manner. They are also simply a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Paragon Philanthropy.”

— Pegine E. Grayson, Senior Vice President/Philanthropic Services, Whittier Trust

Standalone Services

Global Regulatory and Corporate Good Standing Verification

Paragon Philanthropy verifies a nonprofit’s active legal and operational standing across global jurisdictions by conducting corporate registry and nonprofit status checks at national, state, and provincial levels. In addition to confirming official recognition, we perform enhanced reviews to uncover emerging risks such as administrative dissolution, regulatory sanctions, or other legal vulnerabilities that basic verification may overlook. This service provides essential assurance for global grantmaking, helping funders validate good standing under both local and foreign legal frameworks, detect inactive or noncompliant entities early, and strengthen their cross-border due diligence.

Global Sanctions and Watchlist Screening

Paragon Philanthropy protects your grantmaking activities from cross-border exposure by screening grantees and affiliated individuals against a comprehensive range of international sanctions and watchlists. Our vetting spans authoritative sources including the U.S. OFAC lists, United Nations Security Council sanctions, the European Union and United Kingdom lists (OFSI), Canada’s Consolidated Sanctions List, Australia’s DFAT designations, and Interpol notices. This critical screening process helps safeguard your funding from reputational, regulatory, and financial risks associated with fund diversion, terrorism financing, or sanctioned affiliations, while supporting compliance with global anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) frameworks, including the FATF recommendations.

Local Sanctions and Enforcement Screening

Paragon Philanthropy goes beyond global watchlists to help grantmakers detect hidden in-country risks by screening for sanctions, blacklists, and enforcement actions issued by national, provincial, and regional authorities in the jurisdictions where grantees operate. This localized scrutiny enables early detection of corruption-related designations, financial penalties, or domestic regulatory breaches that international lists may miss. By addressing risk at the ground level, this service enhances due diligence for cross-border and domestic grants, providing added assurance in complex regulatory environments and protecting your portfolio from unforeseen compliance or reputational vulnerabilities.

Reputational Risk and Adverse Media Screening

Paragon Philanthropy monitors global, national, and regional media sources to identify reputational risks linked to your current or prospective grantees. Our screening includes structured searches across trusted news outlets, regulatory bulletins, and industry publications to uncover issues such as fraud, financial misconduct, governance failures, discrimination, or harassment. This early warning system helps grantmakers protect their institutional reputation and funding integrity by flagging material concerns before they escalate. As part of a comprehensive due diligence process, this service aligns with international expectations for enhanced risk screening in both domestic and cross-border philanthropy.

Foreign Affiliation and Sanctions Exposure Review

Paragon Philanthropy conducts in-depth assessments to uncover foreign ownership, prohibited affiliations, and indirect sanctions exposure that may compromise a grantee’s regulatory standing or pose reputational and legal risks to your organization. We examine control structures, cross-border relationships, and potential obligations under foreign agent or foreign influence transparency laws — including frameworks relevant to jurisdictions like the U.S., UK, EU, Canada, and Australia. This service helps funders proactively identify hidden risks and prevent grantmaking to entities that may fall under foreign control, sanctions restrictions, or influence obligations that could jeopardize compliance and public trust.

Political Activity and Advocacy Risk Review

Paragon Philanthropy reviews proposed grant activities, public-facing materials, and organizational disclosures to identify potential political or advocacy risks that could undermine charitable purpose, trigger regulatory scrutiny, or damage public trust. While thresholds for permissible political activity vary by jurisdiction — from the IRS restrictions in the U.S. to Charity Commission guidance in the UK or ACNC standards in Australia — all funders must remain alert to public perception, reputational exposure, and misuse of charitable funds for partisan purposes. This service helps grantmakers evaluate advocacy-related risks in both domestic and cross-border contexts and ensures alignment with the spirit of philanthropic neutrality and integrity.

Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) Screening

Paragon Philanthropy conducts PEP screening to help grantmakers identify individuals associated with heightened risk due to political influence, public prominence, or potential corruption exposure. We review key personnel — including board members, senior leadership, founders, and significant controllers — using global databases such as Dow Jones RiskCenter and CSI WatchDog Elite. This review supports responsible stewardship of funds by flagging connections to politically exposed persons or their close associates, enabling grantmakers to exercise enhanced due diligence in line with international anti-bribery standards, including the UK Bribery Act, EU AML directives, and similar frameworks in Canada, Australia, the United States and beyond. While political affiliation alone does not preclude funding, this screening helps ensure transparency, mitigate reputational risk, and uphold public trust in philanthropic giving.

Ongoing Grantee Monitoring

Paragon Philanthropy offers continuous monitoring of grantees throughout the grant lifecycle to help funders detect emerging risks after disbursement. This service includes periodic re-screenings against global sanctions and watchlists, annual regulatory status verifications, and monitoring for reputational events or leadership changes. Especially valuable for multi-year or high-risk grants, this proactive approach helps ensure ongoing alignment with risk management policies, supports audit readiness, and enables timely intervention if compliance or credibility concerns arise — strengthening oversight across both domestic and cross-border grant portfolios.

Portfolio Development and Strategic Grantee Research

Paragon Philanthropy supports foundations, corporate philanthropies, and government-linked grantmakers in Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and the United States by delivering tailored research to build resilient, mission-aligned grant portfolios. We produce in-depth profiles of prospective and current grantees, evaluating program effectiveness, financial health, governance structures, leadership credibility, and sector reputation. Our research also highlights potential risk factors — such as leadership turnover, governance concerns, or reputational vulnerabilities — empowering you to make informed, strategic grantmaking decisions that enhance impact, resilience, and public trust across both domestic and cross-border contexts.

Mission and Program Alignment Assessment

Paragon Philanthropy reviews grantee proposals, program materials, and public disclosures to assess alignment with your organization’s charitable mandate, geographic priorities, and strategic focus. This evaluation ensures that funded activities are not only mission-consistent but also support long-term compliance with regulatory expectations for charitable purpose and public benefit across jurisdictions. By identifying misalignments early, this service helps prevent misdirected funding, strengthens impact reporting, and reinforces credibility with regulators, partners, and the public — especially in cross-border contexts where mission drift can carry elevated reputational and governance risks.

Back-Office Grant Administration

Paragon Philanthropy provides secure, efficient administrative support for every stage of the grantmaking process, helping foundations, corporate philanthropies, and government-linked funders manage grants with confidence across borders. Our services include facilitating grant agreement execution via DocuSign, securely collecting and verifying wire transfer information through dual confirmation protocols, and confirming fund disbursement. Following grant issuance, we track reporting deadlines, collect interim and final reports, and compile complete, audit-ready grant files. By reducing administrative burden and enhancing fraud prevention, we help grantmakers maintain operational integrity and streamline compliance for both domestic and international grants.

Review of Foreign Country Requirements and Verification of Grantee Compliance

Paragon Philanthropy reviews foreign country laws governing the receipt of international funding by nonprofits to help grantmakers proactively navigate local restrictions and safeguard grant integrity. Many jurisdictions impose specific registration, reporting, or approval requirements on organizations receiving cross-border grants. Noncompliance with these local rules can expose both funders and grantees to fines, penalties, asset freezes, grant invalidation, and reputational harm. Our service assesses publicly available country-specific regulations, verifies grantee compliance where possible, and equips grantmakers with the intelligence needed to fund responsibly across complex legal environments. (Please note: this service is informational and does not constitute legal advice.)

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