Herbert Sandler

Herbert Sandler and his wife Marion, who built the savings bank Golden West Financial, funded ProPublica's launch in 2007 with a commitment of around ten million dollars a year. They put it under an independent board and an experienced editor, Paul Steiger, and it has since won multiple Pulitzer Prizes while diversifying its donors. The bank's sale shortly before the 2008 crash and its mortgage products drew criticism, which is part of the record.