https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money
Proponents of dark money maintain it is protected under the First Amendment, while critics complain recipients of dark money (as with any contribution) are beholden to their funders, while voters are kept in the dark about connections between donor and politician when favors are paid back. [3]
https://www.opensecrets.org/dark-money/basics
Dark Money refers to political spending meant to influence the decision of a voter, where the donor is not disclosed and the source of the money is unknown. Depending on the circumstances, Dark Money can refer to funds spent by a political nonprofit or a super PAC.
https://www.brennancenter.org/topics/money-politics/influence-big-money/dark-money
May 7, 2025 · Dark money continues to seep into executive, legislative, and even judicial elections, threatening the impartiality of state supreme courts across the country. Without transparency, voters don’t know who is trying to influence them, making it harder for them to reach informed decisions.
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/what-dark-money-5-questions-answered
Oct 30, 2019 · Remember: Some dark money spending is reported to the Federal Election Commission without disclosing donors and some dark money spending isn’t reported at all. The campaign finance watchdog Center for Responsive Politics found that dark money groups reported spending US$181 million in the 2016 federal elections.
https://theconversation.com/what-is-dark-money-political-spending-and-how-does-it-affect-us-politics-236294
Sep 25, 2024 · Donors often try to conceal their involvement in politics, and campaigns try to hide what they spend their money on.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/politics/dark-money-nonprofits-explainer.html
Apr 3, 2026 · The left is creating new, obscure nonprofits to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into politics and advocacy.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/money-politics-roundup-may-2026
Jun 9, 2026 · Money in Politics Roundup — May 2026 As midterm races heat up, we review major developments in campaign finance, from dark money loopholes to new levels of entanglement between Trump’s business and his presidency.
https://metropolitandigital.com/the-conversation/17362-what-is-%E2%80%98dark-money%E2%80%99-political-spending-and-how-does-it-affect-us-politics
2 days ago · Every campaign season brings renewed attention [1] to the amount of money influencing American politics, and who is spending it, and for what purposes. In particular, people are concerned about what is called “ dark money [2].” For instance, recent media coverage has pointed to escalating dark money spending on both the Democratic [3] and Republican [4] sides. The term sounds scary and ...
https://politicaldictionary.com/words/dark-money/
Dark Money “Dark money” describes political donations that are made by individuals or organizations in a way that hides their identity from the public. In the United States, political donations are typically required to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission, which makes the information available to the public.
https://finbold.com/guide/what-is-dark-money-in-politics-definition-how-it-works-examples/
Nov 19, 2024 · In politics, dark money is spending aimed at influencing political outcomes, such as elections and public policy, without disclosing the source of the funds to the public. Dark money can have a substantial role in elections, primarily via ‘independent expenditure’ and ‘social welfare’ groups.
