Simone Lawson
It is no secret that money plays a significant role in politics. Donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations can influence policies and political decisions, so it is essential to keep track of who is donating to politicians and how much they are giving. Various tools and databases are available to help you do this, such as the Federal Elections Commission's search engine, which provides information on donors and candidates running for federal offices. Additionally, OpenSecrets, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, offers a searchable database of campaign donations, allowing you to see which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to. For state and local campaigns, FollowTheMoney.org provides a tool to track donation details for specific races. These resources empower citizens to make informed decisions, understand the financial forces behind political decisions, and hold their government accountable.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Data Availability | Data is available for politicians at every level of government, from state to federal candidates |
| Data Sources | Federal Elections Commission (FEC), National Institute on Money in Politics, Center for Responsive Politics, OpenSecrets, Power Search (California), Goods Unite Us, MarketWatch, Zippia, etc. |
| Data Coverage | Personal financial reports, appointees and administrators, lobbyists, political action committees (PACs), interest groups, etc. |
| Search Parameters | Donor name, recipient candidate name, donation amount, date range, contribution location, etc. |
| Search Results | Donor and recipient details, donation amount, date of donation, etc. |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Use the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) search engine to find information about donors and candidates
- Search by donor on OpenSecrets.org to see which candidates they support
- Find out which political causes company executives have donated to using resources like Goods Unite Us
- Use Power Search to find contributions from specific donors to any set of recipient committees
- Track donations to state and local campaigns using FollowTheMoney.org
Use the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) search engine to find information about donors and candidates
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is a US government body that collects data on federal campaigns and candidates. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates must report campaign donations to the FEC, and FEC rules require campaigns to track all contributions. The FEC website, FEC.gov, provides access to a range of data and tools for searching and browsing this information.
The FEC website allows users to search for individual contributions to see who is donating to candidates and committees. This can be done by searching for contributors by name, location, employer, occupation, and/or party account. The FEC database also allows users to search for contributions by the date of the contribution, the amount, and the committee receiving the contribution. Users can also search allocated federal and non-federal disbursements across committee types, as well as electioneering communications by the spender, candidate mentioned, date, or amount spent.
The FEC website also provides access to a range of files containing financial information related to candidates and committees. These include the all-candidate summary file, which contains summary financial information for all candidates who raised or spent money during a given period, and the committee master file, which contains summary financial information for each committee registered with the FEC. Another file gives overall receipts and disbursements for each PAC and party committee, along with a breakdown of overall receipts by source and totals for contributions to other committees.
In addition to the FEC, there are other organizations and tools that provide access to information on political donations. One example is OpenSecrets, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that tracks money in US elections and politics. OpenSecrets provides a searchable database of campaign donations, allowing users to see which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to. Another similar tool is FollowTheMoney.org, run by the National Institute on Money in Politics, which allows users to browse and search state campaign finance data.
Kamala Harris' Rallies: Size, Enthusiasm, and Impact
You may want to see also
Search by donor on OpenSecrets.org to see which candidates they support
OpenSecrets.org is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation that tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and policies. It is a great resource to search by donor to see which candidates they support.
The website has a searchable campaign donation database that allows you to see which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to. You can search for a donor by entering their name into the "company, organisation, or person" box in the "Contributors" section. You can also use the advanced search option to refine your search by adding parameters such as the donor's occupation, employer, or zip code.
OpenSecrets also allows you to search for a state or federal candidate to see a list of their donors and the industries that support them. This can be done by selecting the candidate's state from the drop-down menu and then using the tabs to pull up reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more.
In addition to its donor database, OpenSecrets offers a range of resources and tools to enhance your understanding of political finance. These include in-depth analyses, workshops, and training on money-in-politics data. The website also provides breaking news and reports on the financial side of politics and policy, as well as original journalism uncovering the financial forces behind political decisions.
It is important to note that OpenSecrets' data primarily originates from official government sources, which are then enhanced through additional processing and research. This ensures that you are accessing reliable and up-to-date information about campaign donations and their impact on U.S. politics.
Donate to Harris: Campaign Contribution Options and Methods
You may want to see also
Find out which political causes company executives have donated to using resources like Goods Unite Us
Political donations are a matter of public record in many places. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates (and any committees authorized to raise money for them) must report campaign donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC website has a tool to search for individual contributions by the donor's name. However, poring over FEC reports can be overwhelming.
Non-profit, non-partisan organizations like OpenSecrets (formerly the Center for Responsive Politics) track money in U.S. elections and politics and compile detailed reports on spending by lobbyists, political action committees (PACs), interest groups, and other donors. OpenSecrets has a searchable campaign donation database that tells you which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to. You can also use the advanced search option to sort by recipient or donor data like occupation, employer, or zip code.
Another tool for tracking donations to state and local campaigns is FollowTheMoney.org, run by the National Institute on Money in Politics.
If you want to find out about the political donations of company executives, you can use the Goods Unite Us app. This free app allows users to search for a company and learn about which political parties and candidates senior employees have donated to. The app was started by legal professionals and claims to have information on over 4,000 brands. It uses publicly available FEC data to track political contributions made by companies and their executives, as well as the nature of the causes supported by the recipients of the contributions.
Blocking Presidential Texts: A Step-by-Step Guide to Peace and Quiet
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Use Power Search to find contributions from specific donors to any set of recipient committees
Power Search is a tool provided by the California Secretary of State that allows users to search for contributions from specific donors to any set of recipient committees. It is a quick and easy way to search for contributions to candidates and ballot measures, as well as contributions from individuals, businesses, and other campaign committees.
To use Power Search to find contributions from specific donors to any set of recipient committees, follow these steps:
- Begin by accessing the Power Search tool on the California Secretary of State website.
- Enter the contributor's name or names into the "company, organization, or person" box in the "Contributors" section. Multiple keywords can be entered, separated by semicolons. Use double quotes for a more precise match over multiple terms.
- If you know the official committee ID# of the contributor, you can enter it, and the search will recognize it.
- To narrow your search by the contributor's state, select the state from the "Contributor Location" dropdown menu.
- Click on the "Search Contributors" button to initiate the search.
- The search results page will display a summary of the total amount and number of contributions made by the specific contributor(s) to all recipient committees.
- This information will then be broken down by contributor type, such as an organization or an employee of an organization.
- To view more contributions than the default 10 displayed, click on the "Next" button or select a number greater than 10 to show more rows.
- To sort the data, use the "Sort by..." dropdown menu to select the column and choose "Descending" or "Ascending" order.
- If you wish to download the contributions data as an Excel spreadsheet, click on the "Download CSV" button.
It is important to note that Power Search only provides electronically reported, state-level, campaign contribution, and independent expenditure data. For contributions to federal candidates or lobbying activities, you may need to refer to other sources or tools, such as CAL-ACCESS or the Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports.
Political Advertising Regulation: Who's Watching the Watchers?
You may want to see also
Track donations to state and local campaigns using FollowTheMoney.org
In general, donations made to political campaigns are a matter of public record. 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, however, only collects data on federal campaigns and candidates.
To track donations to state and local campaigns, you can use the National Institute on Money in Politics' tool, FollowTheMoney.org. This website displays state campaign finance data through the 2024 election year. Here's a step-by-step guide to using FollowTheMoney.org to track donations to state and local campaigns:
- Select the state you're interested in from the map on the homepage. This will open a new tab with an overview of the selected state.
- From the state overview page, you can further narrow down your search by selecting the office type (such as gubernatorial) to access donation details for specific races.
- Alternatively, 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 find an individual's contributions. If they are a candidate, it will also show the money they have received.
- If you can't find what you're looking for on FollowTheMoney.org, you can visit your state's campaign finance or election commission website to search disclosure forms.
- Additionally, some state-based organizations, like the Virginia Public Access Project, track money in local elections, and you can find these groups with a quick Google search.
It's worth noting that the National Institute on Money in Politics has merged with the Center for Responsive Politics, so all the data will eventually be housed on OpenSecrets.org, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that tracks money in U.S. elections and politics. OpenSecrets offers a searchable campaign donation database, allowing you to explore politicians and donors to see which campaigns or candidates a donor has contributed to. You can also use the Get Local! tool on OpenSecrets to select a state and pull up reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more.
Escape the Republican Text List: A Step-by-Step Guide
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You can use the Federal Elections Commission’s search engine to find information about both donors and candidates running for federal offices. For state-level data, you can use the National Institute on Money in Politics' tool, FollowTheMoney.org. There are also non-profit, non-partisan organizations like OpenSecrets that track money in U.S. elections and compile detailed reports on spending by lobbyists, political action committees, and other donors.
By law, campaigns and political action committees must disclose the personal details of individuals who donate $200 or more, including their names, addresses, and employers. You can search these individual contributions by the donor's name on the Federal Election Commission website to find out how much they donated, the date of the donation, and the recipient.
You can use the lobbying section on OpenSecrets to understand a company's political spending. Other options include the Goods Unite Us mobile app, which allows users to search for a company and learn about which political parties and candidates senior employees have donated to. Financial news website MarketWatch also compiled the political contributions of every CEO of an S&P 500 company during the 2018 midterm election cycle and created a searchable database.
All state and county political candidates and committees are required to register with the Secretary of State’s office. You can search a candidate’s name or a committee using the Campaign Finance System page to find information about their donors.
