# Dark Money Definition

> Dark money: political spending by groups that don't name donors but report ad spending to FEC.
- Title: Dark Money Definition · USAFacts | Shortify
- Summary: Dark money: political spending by groups that don't name donors but report ad spending to FEC. Dark money is political advertising funded by nonprofits that…
- Keywords: dark money, federal election commission, political action committee, super pac, 501c4, 501c5, 501c6, nonprofit, political advertising, election spending, news, politics
- Source: USAFacts — https://usafacts.org/articles/dark-money-definition
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: dark money, federal election commission, political action committee, super pac, 501c4, 501c5, 501c6, nonprofit, political advertising, election spending, news, politics
## Dark money definition
Dark money refers to political spending by groups that disclose their election spending but not the sources of their funds.
## Who spends dark money
Social welfare organizations (501(c)(4)), labor unions (501(c)(5)), and trade associations (501(c)(6)) can pay for political advertising without naming their donors.
## How dark money works
Donors give money to nonprofits that buy ads without naming donors, then file FEC reports for ad purchases.
## Dark money vs super PAC
Super PACs name donors and file public FEC reports; dark money groups do not name donors but report ad spending.
## Dark money impact
Over 75% of 2024 election funds came from PACs and party committees that redistribute money to campaigns.
## Key takeaway

Dark money is political advertising funded by nonprofits that don't disclose donors but report ad purchases to the FEC.