Contact

Reaching the editorial and research team behind this reference on dark money in American politics requires accurate expectations about scope, response timelines, and the nature of inquiries this office handles. This page outlines the contact channels available, the geographic and subject-matter scope of coverage, and the specific information that should accompany any message to ensure a useful response. The focus of this resource is the structure, financing, and policy consequences of undisclosed political spending under US law.

Additional Contact Options

Direct written correspondence remains the primary channel for substantive inquiries. For those researching dark money statistics and totals or seeking sourcing guidance on specific spending figures, written requests allow the editorial team to reference primary documents — such as IRS Form 990 filings, Federal Election Commission records, and nonprofit registration data — before responding.

For journalists, academics, and policy researchers conducting formal inquiries, the distinction between two inquiry types matters:

Background editorial inquiries — questions about sourcing, methodology, or factual disputes — are handled separately from public information requests, which concern the underlying public documents (FEC filings, OpenSecrets datasets, IRS determinations) that this site synthesizes.

The site does not serve as a legal referral service, lobbying registry, or campaign finance compliance office. Questions about compliance obligations are better directed to the Federal Election Commission (fec.gov) or the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities division (irs.gov/charities-non-profits).

How to Reach This Office

Written messages submitted through this site's contact form are the standard intake mechanism. When submitting:

1. State the inquiry category — editorial, factual correction, research collaboration, or press inquiry
2. Reference the specific page where a question or dispute arises — for example, Citizens United and Dark Money or IRS Rules for Dark Money Nonprofits
3. Include institutional affiliation if the inquiry originates from an academic institution, news organization, or advocacy group
4. Specify the deadline for time-sensitive press inquiries — responses to press are prioritized when a deadline is stated explicitly

Response timelines vary by inquiry type. Factual correction requests receive acknowledgment within 3 business days. Research collaboration inquiries may take up to 10 business days depending on the scope of the request. No phone line is maintained for general public inquiries.

Service Area Covered

This reference covers dark money as defined under the framework of US federal campaign finance law — specifically the post-Citizens United v. FEC (2010) environment in which 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and 501(c)(6) trade associations may spend on political activity without disclosing donors to the FEC or the public.

Coverage is national in scope, spanning:

• Federal elections — presidential, Senate, and House races regulated by the FEC under 52 U.S.C. § 30101 et seq.
• State elections — including state legislative and gubernatorial races where 37 states have adopted some form of independent expenditure disclosure, though thresholds and definitions differ (National Conference of State Legislatures, campaign finance data)
• Judicial elections — including state supreme court contests where undisclosed spending has emerged as a documented pattern, addressed in detail at Dark Money in Judicial Elections
• Issue advocacy — spending that references candidates but does not expressly advocate for election or defeat, as analyzed under Dark Money Issue Advocacy

Coverage does not extend to foreign campaign finance law, comparative international political financing systems, or state-level lobbying disclosure regimes separate from campaign finance.

What to Include in Your Message

The quality of a response depends directly on the specificity of the inquiry. Vague requests — such as "send information about dark money" — cannot be usefully answered. The following structured breakdown identifies what effective messages contain.

For factual corrections:
- The exact claim disputed, quoted directly from the page
- The page URL or slug where the claim appears
- The named public source (statute, agency document, or named research organization) that contradicts the claim
- The correction being proposed

For research inquiries:
- The research question or publication context
- The specific subject area — for example, Dark Money and Climate Policy, Koch Network Dark Money, or Pass-Through Nonprofits
- Whether raw data, analysis, or sourcing methodology is needed
- Institutional affiliation and, where applicable, IRB or editorial oversight structure

For press inquiries:
- Publication or outlet name
- Publication date or broadcast deadline
- Whether a named spokesperson or attribution to the site is sought

What not to include:
- Requests for legal advice on compliance with 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(4) or FEC reporting rules — those require licensed counsel
- Requests to identify anonymous donors — this resource analyzes publicly available records and does not conduct private investigations
- Fundraising or advertising solicitations

Messages that include a specific page reference, a named source dispute, or a clearly scoped research question receive substantive responses. Messages lacking these elements are acknowledged but may not receive detailed replies.

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