Methodology & Data Sources
Every dollar on this platform is a matter of public record. We aggregate, clean, deduplicate, and visualize data from seven government sources so you don't have to.
The Ledger exists because no single platform connects the full money path in American politics: Corporation donates to PAC, PAC funds Candidate, Candidate awards Government Contract back to Corporation. Existing tools — OpenSecrets, FEC.gov, LittleSis, USASpending — each cover one slice but force users to toggle between five websites. We built The Ledger to close that gap.
How It Works
1. Ingest
Automated pipelines pull data from seven government APIs and bulk data sources. FEC filings arrive within 15 minutes. Federal contracts update daily. State data syncs as it's published.
2. Resolve
The same entity appears under different names across sources. "Google LLC" in FEC filings, "Alphabet Inc" in SEC filings, "GOOGLE LLC" in lobbying disclosures — all the same entity. We use exact ID matching, normalized name matching, and contextual signals to unify records.
3. Aggregate
Raw transactions are aggregated into entity-level summaries and flow relationships. Pre-computed tables power the Sankey diagrams and network graphs without expensive real-time queries.
4. Serve
All data is served through a Next.js API backed by PostgreSQL. Visualizations use D3.js for Sankey money flow diagrams and force-directed network graphs. No paywalls, no editorializing.
Data Sources
All data comes from official government sources and is freely available to the public.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Campaign contributions, committee filings, independent expenditures, and candidate financial summaries. Updated every 15 minutes via the OpenFEC API.
USASpending.gov
Federal contracts, grants, loans, and other financial assistance. Updated daily from 100+ federal agencies.
Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA)
Lobbying registrations, quarterly activity reports, and contribution reports. Filed by registered lobbyists and lobbying firms.
FollowTheMoney.org
State-level campaign contributions across all 50 states. The most comprehensive source for state and local campaign finance.
SEC EDGAR
Proxy statements (DEF 14A) for executive compensation and corporate political spending disclosures from public companies.
IRS 990/527
Tax filings from PACs, Super PACs, 527 organizations, and nonprofits. Includes revenue, expenses, and executive compensation.
Congress.gov
Legislation, voting records, and committee information from the Library of Congress.
ROI Calculation
This measures the “return” corporations get on their political spending. For example, if a company spends $8M on donations and lobbying and receives $45B in contracts, their ROI is approximately 5,600x. This metric does not imply direct corruption or quid pro quo. It highlights the statistical correlation between political spending and government contract awards, which the public has a right to examine.
What We Cannot Track
Dark Money. Spending by 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and certain 501(c)(6) trade associations does not require donor disclosure. We track the spending side when it appears in FEC independent expenditure reports, but the original source of the money is legally hidden.
Informal Influence. Phone calls, personal relationships, fundraiser attendance, and other forms of soft influence leave no paper trail. The data here captures only formal, disclosed financial transactions.
State-Level Gaps. While FollowTheMoney.org covers all 50 states, disclosure requirements vary dramatically. Some states have excellent real-time reporting; others have minimal requirements with significant delays.
Entity Resolution Errors. Despite best efforts, some entities may be incorrectly merged or remain unlinked. Contributions from “John Smith” in different states may be different people, or the same person filing under variations of their name.
Editorial Principles
No editorializing. We present the data as-is. We do not label spending as “corrupt” or “suspicious.” Readers draw their own conclusions.
Non-partisan. We track both parties equally. Money flows wherever it flows. The data does not have a political affiliation.
Open methodology. Every calculation, data source, and assumption is documented. If we make an error, we correct it transparently.
Free and open. This platform is free to use. All source data is publicly available. We believe sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Start Exploring
See the money. Follow the connections. Draw your own conclusions.