master-donor-database reference index methodology
related: _VAULT_INDEX Financial Services Donors Democratic Donor Network Trump Donor Coalition
What This Is
The Master Donor Database. A reference node for the vault’s comprehensive donor tracking system. The Donor Map Database tracks political contributions, lobbying expenditures, and donor-policy pipelines across the entire American political system — organized by sector, party, and analytical pattern.
This vault contains 1,200+ files tracking donors, politicians, PACs, corporations, dark money organizations, and analytical stories. The donor database is structured around the vault’s core thesis: donors control politicians, not the other way around.
Data Sources
| Source | Type | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSecrets | Contributions, lobbying, dark money | Comprehensive federal |
| FEC | Campaign finance filings | Federal candidates, PACs, parties |
| FPPC | California political spending | State-level California |
| FollowTheMoney | State-level contributions | All 50 states |
| ProPublica | Nonprofit 990 filings | 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) |
| USASpending | Government contracts | Federal procurement |
How to Navigate
- By Donor: Browse
Donors & Power Networks/by sector - By Politician: Browse
Politicians/by party and chamber - By Story: Browse
Stories/for analytical pieces tracing money-to-policy pipelines - By Index: See
_VAULT_INDEX.mdfor the complete file manifest
Sources
- OpenSecrets: Campaign finance data and lobbying database (Tier 1)
- FEC: Federal Election Commission disclosure portal (Tier 1)
- ProPublica: Nonprofit Explorer — 990 filings (Tier 1)
- USASpending: Federal procurement and contract data (Tier 1)
content-readiness:: ready