Omar Bennett
In the US, donations made to political campaigns are a matter of public record. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates, as well as any committees authorized to raise money for them, are required to report campaign donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC maintains a database of individuals who have contributed to federally registered political committees, and this information is searchable by the public. However, it is important to note that reporting requirements vary for state candidates based on state laws, and small-dollar contributions may not always require the disclosure of donor identities. To make the process of searching for donor information easier, there are several organizations and websites that compile and present this data in a more user-friendly way, such as OpenSecrets, FollowTheMoney.org, and Lifehacker.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Donations made to political campaigns are a matter of | Public record |
| All Senate, House, and presidential candidates and committees authorized to raise money for them must report campaign donations to | Federal Election Commission (FEC) |
| FEC rules require campaigns to track all contributions, but the amount of information collected and reported varies by donation amount | Contributions of $50 or less do not require the collection of donor information |
| State candidates' reporting requirements vary by state law | Small-dollar contributions under $50–$100 may not require donor disclosure |
| The FEC has a searchable donor database that allows users to | Browse by recipient or contributor and narrow results by zip code, donor occupation, employer, contribution amount, and more |
| Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization | OpenSecrets |
| OpenSecrets has a searchable campaign donation database that shows which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to | Users can sort by recipient or donor data like occupation, employer, or zip code |
| OpenSecrets does not provide street address or phone information for contributors | Federal law prohibits the use of contributor information for soliciting contributions or commercial purposes |
| OpenSecrets includes Federal Election Commission records of receipts from all individuals contributing at least $200 | Smaller contributions are not part of the public record |
| Contributions to politicians can also be made through | Political Action Committees (PACs) |
| OpenSecrets offers a "Get Local!" tool that allows users to select a candidate's state and view reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more | The tool also has a zip code search to narrow donations to a specific neighborhood |
| The FEC collects data on | Federal campaigns and candidates only |
| The National Institute on Money in Politics runs a tool called | FollowTheMoney.org |
| FollowTheMoney.org provides data on | State and local campaigns |
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What You'll Learn
Campaign donations are public record
Campaign donations are a matter of public record in the United States. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) maintains a database of individuals who have made contributions to federally registered political committees. This includes Senate, House, and presidential candidates, as well as any committees authorised to raise money for them. The FEC's searchable donor database allows users to browse by recipient or contributor and narrow results by zip code, donor occupation, employer, contribution amount, and more.
However, it is important to note that not all donations are part of the public record. FEC rules require campaigns to track all contributions, but the amount of information collected and reported varies depending on the donation amount. For donations of $50 or less, campaigns are not required to collect any identifiable information about the donor. Similarly, state candidates may not need to disclose donor identities for small-dollar contributions below a certain threshold, which can range from $50 to $100. In Tennessee, for example, donations of $101 and above are considered public, while smaller donations are not.
To effectively search for campaign donation records, individuals can utilise resources such as OpenSecrets (formerly known as the Center for Responsive Politics) or FollowTheMoney.org. OpenSecrets is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation that tracks money in U.S. politics and provides a searchable database to trace donations to politicians and political committees at the federal and state levels. It also offers advanced search options to sort data by recipient or donor information, such as occupation, employer, or zip code. FollowTheMoney.org, on the other hand, allows users to browse state campaign finance data and narrow their searches by selecting specific states and office types, such as gubernatorial races.
While these tools provide valuable insights into campaign donations, it is essential to consult official sources as well. The FEC website offers detailed information on individual contribution research, allowing users to search for contributions to federally registered political committees by name, employer, occupation, location, date, or amount. Additionally, judicial committees must file electronically with the Secretary of State once they reach a certain threshold of contributions and expenditures, typically $25,000. Regular reporting is required throughout the campaign, and filing schedules can vary, with reports being due quarterly, semi-annually, or during election years as pre-election reports.
In summary, campaign donations are generally a matter of public record in the United States, but the level of disclosure depends on the donation amount and applicable state laws. Individuals can utilise resources like OpenSecrets and FollowTheMoney.org, as well as official sources like the FEC database, to research and track campaign donations made to political candidates and committees.
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Nonprofit, nonpartisan organisation OpenSecrets
OpenSecrets has a searchable campaign donation database that allows users to trace donations to politicians and political committees at the federal and state levels. It also provides information on influential organisations that spend billions of dollars lobbying Congress and federal agencies. The database includes Federal Election Commission (FEC) records of receipts from individuals contributing at least $200 (smaller contributions are not part of the public record). Users can search by recipient or donor data, such as occupation, employer, or zip code.
The organisation also offers a "Get Local!" tool, which allows users to select a candidate's state and then access reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more. Additionally, OpenSecrets provides industry profiles that uncover the influence of entire industries and economic sectors, as well as organisation profiles that track campaign contributions from corporations, trade associations, labour unions, nonprofits, and advocacy groups.
OpenSecrets also sheds light on the activities of "dark money" groups, which spend millions of dollars on elections without disclosing the source of their funds. It provides information on outside spending by party committees, super PACs, and these "dark money" groups. The platform also offers workshops and training on money-in-politics data and has a newsletter to help users track the influence of money on US elections and public policy.
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Search FEC donor database by recipient or contributor
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) maintains a database of individuals who have made contributions to federally registered political committees. The FEC's searchable donor database allows users to browse donors by recipient or contributor and further narrow their results using filters such as zip code, donor occupation, employer, contribution amount, and more.
To search the FEC database, you can visit the FEC website and access the individual contribution section. Here, you can search for an individual contributor by their first and/or last name, employer, occupation, city, state, zip code, date of contribution, or contribution amount. You can also search for contributions by the committee receiving the donation.
In addition to the FEC database, there are other resources available to search for political campaign donations. One notable resource is OpenSecrets, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that tracks money in U.S. politics. OpenSecrets has a searchable campaign donation database called Donor Lookup, which includes Federal Election Commission records of receipts from individuals who contribute at least $200 (smaller contributions are not part of the public record). OpenSecrets allows users to search for donors to specific candidates or explore donations by industry, organization, or special interest group. The website also offers tools like Get Local!, which enables users to select a state and view reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more.
Another option for tracking campaign donations is FollowTheMoney.org, run by the National Institute on Money in Politics. This website allows users to browse and search state campaign finance data, select specific office types, and enter names to search for individual contributions. These tools can provide valuable insights into the financial backing of political campaigns and the interests that donors support.
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FollowTheMoney.org for state and local campaigns
The National Institute on Money in Politics runs a tool called FollowTheMoney.org, which is a non-profit, non-partisan website that tracks donations to state and local campaigns. The website displays state campaign finance data that is current through the 2024 election year. The data is sourced from government disclosure agencies.
To use FollowTheMoney.org, you can select a state from the map, which will open a new tab with an overview of that state. You can then choose the office type (e.g. gubernatorial) to narrow down donation details for specific races. Alternatively, you can scroll past the map to the Tools section and use the drop-down menus to select your state and election cycle. You can also try entering a name into the main search bar to bring up an individual's contributions and, if they are a candidate, the money they have received.
The National Institute on Money in Politics has now joined forces with the Center for Responsive Politics to become OpenSecrets, which will house all the available data in the future. OpenSecrets is a research group that tracks money in US politics and its effect on elections and public policy. It has a searchable campaign donation database that allows you to search by recipient or donor data, such as occupation, employer, or zip code. You can also use the Get Local! tool to select a candidate's state and pull up reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more.
Please note that contribution data on OpenSecrets' Donor Lookup is currently limited for 2024, with the most recent contributions available being between June 30 and August 31, 2024. Additionally, federal law prohibits the use of contributor information for soliciting contributions or for any commercial purpose.
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Search by name, employer, occupation, city, state, zip code, date or amount
In the US, donations made to political campaigns are a matter of public record. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates are required to report campaign donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC maintains a database of individuals who have made contributions to federally registered political committees, which can be searched by name, employer, occupation, city, state, zip code, date, or amount.
For example, if you want to search for donations by a particular individual, you can search by their first and/or last name. If you want to know about donations from a particular company, you can search by the employer's name. You can also search by occupation, which may be useful if you want to find out about donations from people in a particular industry.
You can also narrow your search by location. For example, if you want to know about donations in a particular state, you can search by state. If you want to focus on a particular city, you can search by city and state, or even by zip code to find out about donations in your neighborhood.
Finally, you can search by date or amount. For example, you could search for all donations to a particular committee on a specific date, or all donations over a certain amount.
While the FEC database is comprehensive, it can be a little overwhelming to navigate. A more user-friendly option is the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization OpenSecrets (formerly known as the Center for Responsive Politics), which has a searchable campaign donation database. You can also use the National Institute on Money in Politics' tool FollowTheMoney.org to track donations to state and local campaigns.
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Frequently asked questions
You can find out by searching publicly available financial disclosure records. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates have to report campaign donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC has a searchable donor database that lets you search by recipient or contributor name, and narrow results by zip code, donor occupation, employer, contribution amount, and more.
Yes, you can use the website OpenSecrets, which is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that tracks money in U.S. politics. It has a searchable database that tells you which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to.
Yes, the FEC database includes records of receipts from all individuals who contribute at least $200. Smaller contributions are not part of the public record.
Yes, you can use the website FollowTheMoney.org, which is run by the National Institute on Money in Politics. This site displays state campaign finance data.
