When you hear about money in politics, most of it flows through organizations called Political Action Committees (PACs). A PAC is a fundraising organization that collects contributions from individuals, corporations, or unions and then donates that money to candidates running for federal office. Traditional PACs can give up to $5,000 per candidate per election and must register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Super PACs, created after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money — but they are not allowed to donate directly to candidates or coordinate with their campaigns. Instead, Super PACs run their own ads, mailers, and outreach efforts independently.

Beyond PACs and Super PACs, you will also see party committees (run by the Democratic or Republican national or state parties), joint fundraising committees (which split raised funds among multiple candidates and committees), and leadership PACs (controlled by sitting members of Congress to support their allies). Corporations and unions cannot donate directly to candidates, but they can fund PACs and Super PACs. Individuals can donate up to $3,300 per candidate per election directly, but may give much larger sums to PACs and party committees.

All of this data comes from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which requires every committee, PAC, and candidate to file detailed financial reports disclosing who gave them money, how much, and where they spent it. We pull these filings for the current 2025–2026 cycle and organize them so you can see which committees are active, who is funding them, and how money flows through the political system.

The goal is simple: let you follow the money and understand who is financially backing the people who represent you — all from legally required public disclosures that every committee must file by law.