https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money
In politics, particularly the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections, public policy, and political discourse, where the source of the money is not disclosed to the public.
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 · The Brennan Center publishes extensive research on the effects of dark money in politics, including its effects in state and local elections, risks to judicial independence, and the threat of foreign funds in U.S. elections.
https://theconversation.com/what-is-dark-money-political-spending-and-how-does-it-affect-us-politics-236294
Sep 25, 2024 · When people talk about dark money, they’re usually referring to money spent on elections that comes from sources that cannot be identified. Federal and state laws impose some limits on...
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/what-dark-money-5-questions-answered
Oct 30, 2019 · “Dark money” refers to campaign money whose sources are not disclosed. An expenditure – for example, for a television ad criticizing an opponent – will often be publicly reported to the FEC but not the identities of the people, firms or organizations that pay for it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/politics/dark-money-nonprofits-explainer.html
Apr 3, 2026 · For the first decade after the court’s decision, Republicans dominated the so-called dark money game. But nowadays, it’s the Democrats who are running the table.
https://publicintegrity.org/politics/what-is-political-dark-money-and-is-it-bad/
Jan 20, 2016 · What does political dark money look like? The two most common vehicles for dark money in politics are politically active nonprofits and corporate entities such as limited liability companies.
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 · When people talk about dark money, they’re usually referring to money spent on elections that comes from sources that cannot be identified. Federal and state laws impose some limits on contributions [6] and require some political contributions and expenditures to be publicly disclosed.
https://www.opensecrets.org/dark-money
Dark money groups spend millions to shape our elections without revealing where their money comes from. Learn more about their outsize influence below.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dark-money-hit-record-high-19-billion-2024-federal-races
May 7, 2025 · The term dark money as used in this analysis refers to election spending and contributions by nonprofits and shell companies that are not legally required to — and do not — disclose the identities of their donors.