What is dark money?

The short version

Dark money is money spent to influence elections by groups that are not required to disclose their donors. Most of it moves through nonprofit organizations, such as 501(c)(4) social welfare groups and 501(c)(6) trade associations.

How it works

Nonprofits of this kind may engage in some political activity as long as politics is not their primary purpose. They report to the IRS, but their donor lists are not public.

Because super PACs must disclose their donors, a contribution from a nonprofit appears on a super PAC report under the nonprofit's name, not the names of the people who funded it. Money can pass through several layers this way before it is spent.

Why it matters

Voters cannot weigh who is behind a message if the funders are hidden. Officials, however, often know who paid for the ads that helped elect them.

How Swamp Watch uses this

When a gift is routed through a group that does not disclose its donors, we say so, and we only name the original source when a filing, a court record, or credible reporting identifies it.