DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER
IE spent supporting candidates
$691,005
IE spent opposing candidates
$1,034,081
Connections
4
How money flowed from DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER directed $5.0M to REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC across 2 contributions between December 2023 and October 2024.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER spent $772K opposing Donald J. Trump across 10 contributions between January 2024 and February 2024.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER spent $217K supporting Nikki Haley across 3 contributions.
Where DEFENDING DEMOCRACY TOGETHER’s money ended up
Attributed amounts are modeled estimates of how money flowed through intermediary PACs, computed by proportional apportionment of FEC-reported transactions. They are not reported transactions themselves. How we compute this
smallest single documented leg $12K
smallest single documented leg $12K
Outside Spending and Dark Money
Dark money is election spending by organizations that do not disclose their donors: 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(6) trade associations, and similar non-committee filers (FEC Form 5 and Form 9). Registered super PACs also make independent expenditures. But they itemize their donors with the FEC, so their spending is not dark money. Figures below are never combined with disclosed-donor totals.
Dark money IEs (Form 5)
$1,725,086
Form 5 Independent Expenditures Filed
| Target Candidate | Amount | Support/Oppose | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald J. Trump | $136,734 | Opposing | Jan 16, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $101,409 | Opposing | Jan 13, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $82,269 | Supporting | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $82,269 | Opposing | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $76,917 | Opposing | Jan 17, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $68,984 | Supporting | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $68,984 | Opposing | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $65,499 | Opposing | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $65,499 | Supporting | Feb 21, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $60,000 | Opposing | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $60,000 | Supporting | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $60,000 | Supporting | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $60,000 | Supporting | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $60,000 | Supporting | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $60,000 | Opposing | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $60,000 | Opposing | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $60,000 | Opposing | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Donald J. Trump | $60,000 | Opposing | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $60,000 | Supporting | Feb 22, 2024 |
| Nikki Haley | $46,933 | Supporting | Feb 21, 2024 |
Source: FEC Form 5 filings. Independent expenditures by organizations not registered as political committees.
IRS 990 Schedule I Grant Chain
Grants between nonprofits reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule I. Grants between organizations are one route for dark money. A nonprofit may receive a grant from one entity and then spend that money on election ads.
IRS 990 Schedule I grants given
$2,925,000
| Grantee | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| TELL IT LIKE IT IS PAC | $500,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. |
| PRINCIPLES FIRST FOR AMERICA LTD | $212,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. |
| C & B GROUP | $212,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. |
| REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC INC | $2,000,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations) via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and IRS 990 XML e-files. Grant amounts represent the most recent filing year available.
IRS 990 data lags a year or more behind filing. Grants shown are for the stated tax year and do not establish current-cycle funding.
Methodology Disclosure
Dark money figures are derived from FEC Form 5 (independent expenditures by non-committee organizations) and Form 9 (electioneering communications). These filings capture spending on ads and election communications but do not reveal the identity of the organization's donors. QPQ totals may differ from benchmarks like the Brennan Center's estimates. QPQ includes all Form 5 filers, while some benchmarks count only a subset of non-disclosing nonprofits. Grant chain data is from IRS Form 990 Schedule I and may not include all years or all grantee organizations.
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Donations Given and Outside Spending
Largest 50 records. Rows badged “Spent to support” or “Spent to oppose” are independent expenditures this entity paid to vendors for or against the named candidate. That money was not given to them.
| Recipient | Amount | Date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC | $3,000,000 | Oct 17, 2024 | 2024 |
| REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC | $2,000,000 | Dec 29, 2023 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$136,734 | Jan 16, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$101,409 | Jan 13, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $82,269 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$82,269 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$76,917 | Jan 17, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $68,984 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$68,984 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$65,499 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $65,499 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $60,000 | Feb 22, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $46,933 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$46,933 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $45,900 | Jan 16, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$45,900 | Jan 16, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $40,264 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$40,264 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC | $34,500 | Dec 27, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $29,527 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$29,527 | Feb 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$16,086 | Jan 16, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$11,930 | Jan 13, 2024 | 2024 |
| Donald J. TrumpSpent to oppose | −$11,632 | Jan 19, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nikki HaleySpent to support | $11,632 | Jan 19, 2024 | 2024 |
Relationships
| Type | Connected To | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gave money to | TELL IT LIKE IT IS PAC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $500,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. | Source |
| Gave money to | PRINCIPLES FIRST FOR AMERICA LTD | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $212,500 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. | Source |
| Gave money to | C & B GROUP | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $212,500 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. | Source |
| Gave money to | REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PAC INC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $2,000,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL MISSION. | Source |