Dark money

Spending by groups — typically 501(c)(4) nonprofits and trade associations — that are not required to disclose who funds them. Estimates, not reported totals.

Dark money, 2024

$1.9B record

Brennan Center estimate

Dark money, 2010

$139M

OpenSecrets, FEC-reported only

Since Citizens United

$4.3B+

Brennan Center cumulative

Reported directly to FEC, 2024

$43M <2.5%

The only slice visible in real time

2024 partisan lean

$1.2B D

vs $664M R · tilted D since 2018

Estimated dark money by cycle

OpenSecrets · Brennan Center

Dark money spending by cycle ($ millions)
Cycle	Dark money ($M)	Source
2010	139	OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07)
2012	312.5	OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07)
2014	180.3	OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07)
2016	183.5	OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07)
2020	1000	OpenSecrets (2021)
2024	1900	Brennan Center (2025)

Source & notes

Sources: OpenSecrets (2010–2016, FEC-reported undisclosed-donor spending; and 2020, ~$1B under the broader method) and Brennan Center (2024, $1.9B). The 2020/2024 estimates add undisclosed TV and digital ads, so they are much larger and not directly comparable to the 2010–2016 series — the jump partly reflects better measurement.

How 2024 dark money was spent

Brennan Center

2024 dark money by channel ($ millions)
Channel	Amount ($M)
Contributions to super PACs	1300
Online ad spending	315
Television ad spending	242
Direct spending reported to FEC	43

Source & notes

Source: Brennan Center for Justice, Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024 Federal Races (2025). Channels are de-duplicated and sum to ~$1.9B. Direct spending reported to the FEC — the only slice visible in real time — was just $43M, under 2.5% of the total.

2024 dark money by partisan lean

Brennan Center

2024 dark money by partisan lean ($ millions)
Lean	Amount ($M)
Democratic-aligned	1200
Republican-aligned	664

Source & notes

Source: Brennan Center for Justice (2025). Figures are approximate and rounded; they do not sum to $1.9B because some spending is unaligned. More dark money has favored Democrats every cycle since the 2018 midterms; before that it typically favored Republicans.