How We Research: Investigative Rigor

Maps With Teeth operates with the evidentiary standards of an investigative newsroom. We do not use automated scrapers, unvetted 211 dumps, or promotional marketing summaries. We map what it actually takes to reach help in the real world.

THE 10-STAGE INVESTIGATION PROTOCOL

How Each Pathway Is Discovered, Audited, and Monitored

10 STAGES OF RIGOR

Resource Discovery

EVIDENCE LEAD

Identifying emergency relief programs, obscure statutory rights, and industry benevolence funds through primary public-interest filings, municipal registries, union charters, and field caseworker leads.

Primary-Source Review

STATUTE AUDIT

Reviewing original authorizing legal texts: Texas legislative statutes, Texas Administrative Code (TAC), FCC Federal Register orders, IRS internal revenue codes, or formal 501(c)(3) program bylaws.

Eligibility Extraction

CRITERIA DECODED

Deconstructing exact qualifying thresholds (income percentages vs FPL, employment tenure, industry hours per week, household dependent definitions) rather than accepting marketing summaries.

Barrier Identification

FRICTION TAGGED

Isolating 'The Catch' for every listing: mandatory advocate referral rules, police report mandates, congregate shelter prerequisites, vendor-only payment constraints, and out-of-pocket deposits.

Geographic Boundary Verification

JURISDICTION MAPPED

Verifying exact parcel, municipal, and county service boundaries to eliminate suburban transfer traps and cross-county refusal loops.

Direct Agency Verification

AGENCY CONFIRMED

Conducting periodic direct inquiries with provider leadership, intake coordinators, and legal advocates to confirm current open intake vs paused intake.

Last-Reviewed Timestamping

TIMESTAMPED

Every single resource card visibly displays its specific review date (e.g. August 2026). No un-dated or perpetual listings are permitted.

Explicit Marking of Unknowns

HONEST GAPS

If funding limits, waitlist durations, or discretionary approval ratios cannot be verified, they are prominently designated as [UNKNOWN / UNCONFIRMED] rather than guessed.

Community & Caseworker Corrections

PEER REVIEWED

Frontline advocates, survivors, and labor representatives submit real-world ground-truth updates when an agency changes intake rules or runs out of funds.

Re-Verification & Staleness Cycle

RE-AUDIT CYCLE

Quarterly automated and manual audit schedules. Listings older than 90 days are flagged; listings older than 180 days are quarantined until re-verified.

Research Verification Tiers

Never trust a generic “Verified” label without knowing what was actually verified. We distinguish among specific evidentiary tiers:

[AGENCY CONFIRMED]

Directly confirmed via written communication or interview with program leadership to confirm current budget availability and application criteria.

[OFFICIAL SOURCE CHECKED]

Verified against Texas Capitol statutes, Texas Administrative Code (TAC), FCC regulations, or IRS official publications.

[PUBLIC SOURCE CHECKED]

Verified against active 501(c)(3) published charters, formal annual reports, and live application intake portals.

[TEMPORARILY CLOSED]

Grantmaking or intake is actively paused (e.g. CERF+ through September 30, 2026), documented with expected reopening target dates.

Staleness Monitoring & Quarantine Thresholds

● 0–90 DAYS: ACTIVE

Audited within the past quarter. Operating normally.

● 91–180 DAYS: REVIEW DUE

Scheduled for quarterly re-audit to verify budget availability.

● 180+ DAYS: QUARANTINED

Automatically hidden from search until re-verified.

[MANDATORY EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION NOTICE]

The statutory summaries and directory entries on Maps With Teeth are provided for educational and navigational purposes only and do not constitute formal legal advice. Maps With Teeth is an independent public-interest initiative and is not a government agency, legal aid provider, or emergency crisis hotline.