How to Find Political Donations: A Complete Guide
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) requires disclosure of all contributions over $200 to federal candidates and committees. This guide explains how to search for political donations using FEC data, including individual donor records, employer-level giving, and committee expenditures.
Search Individual Donations
Our donation search tool lets you look up individual political contributions by name, employer, occupation, or ZIP code. All data comes directly from FEC filings covering the 2024 election cycle, with 2,62,810 donors contributing $2.89B across all tracked employers.
What You Can Search For
- Donor Name Search — Find individual contributions by name
- Employer Search — See which companies' employees donate the most
- Occupation Search — Explore donations by professional field
- ZIP Code Search — Find top-donating neighborhoods
- Candidate Rankings — See which candidates raised the most
Understanding FEC Disclosure Rules
Federal law requires that contributions over $200 to federal candidates, parties, and PACs be itemized and publicly disclosed. This means the donor's name, address, employer, occupation, and contribution amount are all public record.
What Is Disclosed
- Donor name and address
- Employer and occupation (self-reported)
- Contribution amount and date
- Recipient candidate or committee
What Is NOT Disclosed
- Contributions under $200 (aggregated, not itemized)
- Donors to certain 501(c)(4) organizations
- Some dark money spending sources
Other Ways to Research Political Money
- Independent Expenditures — Track Super PAC and outside group spending
- Campaign Vendors — See where campaign money is spent
- Lobbying Firms — Explore the lobbying industry
- Lobbying Clients — See who hires lobbyists
Frequently Asked Questions
Are political donations public record?
Yes. Federal law requires that all individual contributions over $200 to federal candidates, parties, and political committees be disclosed publicly through FEC filings. Our database tracks 2,62,810 itemized donors.
How do I look up someone's political donations?
Use our donation search tool to search by name, employer, or ZIP code. You can also search directly on the FEC website at fec.gov. All contributions over $200 are publicly available.
Can I find out who my employer donates to?
You can search for employee donations by employer on our employer page. Note that these are individual employee contributions, not corporate donations, which are prohibited in federal elections.
How current is the donation data?
Our data is sourced from FEC filings for the 2024 election cycle. FEC filings are typically updated quarterly, with more frequent reporting closer to elections.