Public Interest Watch (PIW) was established in 2002 in response to the growing misuse of charitable funds by nonprofit organizations and the lack of effort by government agencies to deal with the problem. PIW works to fight charitable trust abuse by exposing individual cases of abuse and advocating for stronger governmental oversight, including requirements for greater financial disclosure by charitable organizations.

PIW is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit corporation, with additional offices in California. PIW is a 501(c)4 tax-exempt organization, which means contributions to PIW are not tax-deductible. Initial funding for PIW has been provided by business organizations.