Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported on July 30, 2025, that Qualcomm gave $1 million to Securing American Greatness, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that supported President Trump in the 2024 election and is now spending to boost his agenda. The donation was …
QualcommSecuring American GreatnessTaylor BudowichDonald Trumpsystematic-corruptiondark-moneycorporate-influencepay-to-playtech
While serving as governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem received $80,000 from a dark money nonprofit called American Resolve Policy Fund to her personal LLC, Ashwood Strategies, which she failed to disclose on federal ethics forms before her confirmation as DHS Secretary. The payment structure …
HBO’s “The Dark Money Game” by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney exposed systematic corruption through FBI wiretaps of officials saying “it’s good now because of Citizens United.” Documentary series revealed how untraceable funding enables institutional …
Alex Gibney (filmmaker)HBOFBIUnnamed officials (wiretapped)dark-moneycitizens-uniteddocumentarycorruption-exposedastroturfing+2 more
Brennan Center for Justice documented record-breaking dark money spending of $1.9 billion in 2024 federal election cycle, nearly doubling previous record. Dark money groups contributed $1.3 billion to super PACs, more than prior two election cycles combined, often routed through shell companies to …
Dark money groupsFidelityCharles SchwabVanguardProject 2025 groups+1 moredark-moneycampaign-financeproject-2025electoral-corruptiondonor-advised-funds+1 more
While serving as South Dakota governor, Kristi Noem secretly accepted $80,000 from a dark money nonprofit called American Resolve Policy Fund, routing the payment to her personal LLC Ashwood Strategies in Delaware. She failed to disclose this payment to the public and later failed to include it in …
Kristi NoemLee Schoenbeckcorruptiondark-moneykristi-noemsouth-dakotaethics-violation+2 more
The Arabella Advisors network, managing five nonprofit funds including the Sixteen Thirty Fund, raised $1.35 billion from anonymous donors in 2022, making it the dominant force in Democratic dark money operations. The Sixteen Thirty Fund alone spent $196 million on political causes including $66 …
Chicago businessman Barre Seid provided an unprecedented $1.6 billion donation to Leonard Leo’s Marble Freedom Trust through a strategic stock transfer of Tripp Lite to Eaton Corporation. This donation, the largest known to a political advocacy group in U.S. history, potentially avoided …
Barre SeidLeonard LeoMarble Freedom TrustEaton Corporationdark-moneyconservative-movementjudicial-capturenonprofit-financingtax-avoidance+1 more
Stephen Miller launched America First Legal Foundation (AFL) on April 6, 2021, creating a conservative legal organization explicitly designed to serve as a right-wing counterweight to ACLU and SPLC while advancing Miller’s white nationalist policy agenda through litigation. Miller established …
Stephen MillerMark MeadowsMatthew WhitakerStephen MillerAmerica First LegalWhite NationalismDark Money
Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison donated $30 million to Opportunity Matters Fund, a super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), over the course of 2021 and 2022. This massive contribution followed an initial $5 million donation in October 2020, bringing Ellison’s total support for Scott to $35 …
Larry EllisonTim ScottOracleOpportunity Matters Fundpolitical-donationsoraclecorruptiondark-moneyrepublican-party
Billionaire Barre Seid donated $1.6 billion to Leonard Leo’s Marble Freedom Trust in one of the largest dark money transfers in U.S. political history. The donation, structured through a sophisticated tax-minimization strategy, involves transferring 100% of Seid’s Tripp Lite company …
Barre SeidLeonard LeoMarble Freedom Trust$1.6-billion-donationdark-moneyleonard-leomarble-freedom-trustconservative-movement-funding+2 more
The Federalist Society, funded by $250 million in dark money from anonymous donors, orchestrated the most systematic judicial capture in U.S. history. Trump outsourced judicial selection to the Society, appointing 231 federal judges including 3 Supreme Court justices, all from their pre-approved …
The Koch brothers coordinated an extensive political donor network in the 2012 election cycle, spending approximately $407 million through multiple nonprofit organizations. Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce emerged as the primary funding vehicle, distributing $250 million to 30 different …
Charles KochDavid KochAmericans for ProsperityFreedom Partners Chamber of CommerceCenter to Protect Patient Rightsdark-moneykoch-networkelection-influencecampaign-financeamericans-for-prosperity+1 more
DC Circuit Court of Appeals rules that independent expenditure committees can accept unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations, directly applying Citizens United reasoning to create modern Super PACs
SpeechNow.orgFederal Election CommissionDC Circuit Court of AppealsDavid KeatingClub for Growthsuper-pacscampaign-financeunlimited-contributionsindependent-expendituresappellate-decision+2 more
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that corporations can spend unlimited amounts on elections through independent expenditures, enabling creation of Super PACs and dark money networks. The decision dramatically reshaped campaign finance, allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on independent …
Supreme CourtCitizens UnitedFederal Election CommissionJustice Anthony KennedyJustice John Paul Stevensdark-moneycampaign-financesupreme-courtcorporate-powerfirst-amendment+1 more
The Supreme Court issues its landmark 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, fundamentally reshaping American campaign finance law by allowing unlimited corporate and union spending in federal elections. The case originated from the conservative organization Citizens …
citizens-unitedcampaign-financecorporate-influenceregulatory-capturesupreme-court+1 more
Supreme Court 5-4 decision with Thomas and Alito in majority allows unlimited corporate political spending, directly benefiting their billionaire donors Koch, Crow, and Singer
Clarence ThomasSamuel AlitoCitizens UnitedFederal Election Commissioncampaign-financecorporate-powerjudicial-capturedark-moneydemocracy-erosion+1 more
Analysis of congressional testimony revealed that think tanks funded by corporations and wealthy donors appeared as expert witnesses before congressional committees without disclosing their financial conflicts of interest. Between 2021-2024, 34% of think tank witnesses came from “dark …
Following Rick Santelli’s CNBC rant criticizing Obama’s mortgage bailout, the Koch brothers’ network immediately mobilized to create the Tea Party movement. Within hours, Americans for Prosperity registered TaxDayTeaParty.com, while other conservative organizations quickly …
Rick SantelliDavid KochCharles KochEric OdomAmericans for Prosperity+1 morekoch-networkastroturftea-partypolitical-manipulationamericans-for-prosperity+1 more
ExxonMobil significantly expanded its climate denial funding operation in 2003, channeling millions of dollars to a network of think tanks and front groups designed to manufacture doubt about climate science. The oil giant gave £3.5 million ($4.8 million) to climate skeptic organizations in the …
ExxonMobilAmerican Enterprise InstituteCato InstituteMarshall InstituteInternational Policy Network+1 moreclimate-denialdark-moneythink-tank-fundingfossil-fuelsdisinformation+1 more
In 1987, the Philanthropy Roundtable was founded as a project of the Institute for Educational Affairs, establishing itself as a conservative alternative to the Council on Foundations. The organization would become an independent nonprofit in 1991, serving as a coordination hub for right-wing …
Philanthropy RoundtableInstitute for Educational AffairsKoch NetworkConservative foundationsdonor-coordinationdark-moneyconservative-fundingstrategic-philanthropyinfrastructure-coordination