Bellingcat's Online Investigation Toolkit
  • About
  • Most Used
  • New Tools
  • ⚒️Categories
    • Maps & Satellites
      • Maps
      • Satellite Imagery
      • Street View
    • Geolocation
    • Image/Video
      • Reverse Image Search
      • Facial Recognition
      • Metadata
      • Misc
    • Social Media
      • Discord
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • LinkedIn
      • Reddit
      • Telegram
      • Tiktok
      • Twitter/X
      • Vkontakte
      • Youtube
      • Other Networks
      • Multiple Networks
      • International
    • People
    • Websites
    • Companies & Finance
    • Conflict
    • Transport
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Archiving
    • Data Organization & Analysis
  • 📖Resources
    • Guides & Handbooks
    • Education
    • Newsletters & Toolkits
    • Stay Safe
  • More
    • All Tools
      • 4plebs
      • 527 Explorer
      • About Maps and Satellites
      • ACLED
      • AllTrails
      • Apollo Mapping
      • Apple Maps
      • Archive.today
      • Atlos
      • Auto Archiver
      • AutoStitch
      • Azure AI Video Indexer
      • Baidu Maps
      • Bellingcat OpenStreetMap Search
      • Bing Maps
      • Blackbird
      • Blender
      • Bluesky Insights
      • BskyFollowFinder/Bluesky network analyzer
      • BskyThreadReader
      • Bulletpicker.com
      • CAT UXO
      • China-related resources
      • Chronotrains
      • CITES Trade Database
      • Companies House
      • Convert Geographic Units
      • Datawrapper
      • DeHashed
      • DiscordLeaks
      • Distill.io
      • DomainTools Whois Lookup
      • Earth Explorer
      • Earth Online
      • EDGAR Suite
      • EDGAR
      • Equasis
      • Etherscan
      • EU consolidated corporate registers
      • ExifTool
      • F4Map
      • FaceCheck.ID
      • FlightAware
      • Flightradar24
      • Forensically
      • GeoHints
      • Gephi
      • Ghunt
      • Global Fishing Watch Map
      • Global Forest Watch
      • Global Monitoring System - ECOSOLVE
      • Global Suppliers Online
      • Google Earth Engine
      • Google Earth Pro
      • Google Flood Hub
      • Google Lens
      • Google Maps
      • GovMap
      • GPSJam
      • Have I Been Pwned
      • Hitta.se
      • Hoaxy
      • Hugin
      • Hunchly
      • ICANN Lookup
      • ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database
      • ImportGenius
      • ImportYeti
      • Index Database
      • Instagram Location Search
      • Instant Data Scraper
      • Intelx.io
      • InVID
      • KartaView
      • Leak-Lookup
      • License Plate Maps
      • LittleSis
      • Liveuamap
      • Logseq
      • Lumen
      • Maigret
      • Maltego Graph
      • MapChecking
      • Mapillary
      • MapSwitcher
      • MarineTraffic
      • Meta Content Library
      • MW Geofind
      • Name Variant Search
      • Namechk
      • NASA Firms
      • NASA Worldview
      • NeutrOSINT
      • North Data
      • Obsidian
      • OCCRP Aleph
      • Open Measures
      • Open Ownership
      • Open Source Munitions Portal
      • OpenCorporates
      • OpenSanctions
      • OpenSecrets
      • OrbTrack
      • Osint Tools Map
      • Overpass Turbo
      • PeakVisor
      • Picuki
      • PimEyes
      • Pinpoint
      • PixPlot
      • Planet Labs
      • QGIS
      • Quick geolocation search
      • Radar Interference Tracker
      • RAWGraphs
      • RootAbout
      • RuPEP
      • SanctionsExplorer
      • satellites.pro
      • Search by Image
      • Sentinel Hub Playground
      • ShadeMap
      • Shadow Finder
      • ShadowMap
      • Sherlock
      • Skopenow
      • SkyFi
      • Snap Map
      • Strava
      • Suncalc
      • Telegago
      • Telegram Group Joiner
      • Telegram Phone Number Checker
      • TelegramDB
      • Telemetrio
      • Telemetry
      • Telepathy
      • Tencent Maps
      • TGStat
      • The Information Laundromat
      • TinEye
      • TrueCaller
      • TruffleHog
      • Twitter Advanced Search
      • Twitter Location Search
      • Twitter Video Downloader
      • Umbra Space
      • UN Comtrade Database
      • UNOSAT Analyses
      • Uwazi
      • VesselFinder
      • Wayback Machine
      • Web Archives
      • What CMS
      • WhatsMyName
      • Who posted what?
      • Whoxy
      • Wikimapia
      • Wikipedia list of registers
      • WildEye
      • Wildlife Trade Portal
      • xIFr
      • Yandex Maps
      • Zotero
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • URL
  • Description
  • Cost
  • Level of difficulty
  • Requirements
  • Limitations
  • Ethical Considerations
  • Guides and articles
  • Tool provider
  • Advertising Trackers

Was this helpful?

Edit on GitHub
Export as PDF
  1. More
  2. All Tools

527 Explorer

ProPublica's 527 Explorer is a database that allows users to examine the finances of organizations known as 527s in the United States, which can raise unlimited sums for political purposes.

Last updated 17 days ago

Was this helpful?

URL

Description

ProPublica's 527 Explorer allows people to review the finances of nonprofit organizations known as 527s in the US. 527s file reports with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but these filings appear in a section separate from most nonprofits on the IRS website. ProPublica's database is intended to make searching these filings easier by including tools to help match names, addresses and other information that may have spelling variations. The tool also shows similar contributions and expenditures, allowing the user to possibly uncover other connections between organizations. The database also has a feature which shows which 527s have similar donors and expenditures.

Cost

Level of difficulty

Requirements

-

Limitations

The tool is likely best used together with other databases that look at other types of financial contributions and expenditures (Federal Elections Commission, state and local level election office websites, lobbying disclosure databases, etc.). If a user wishes to view the original IRS form, they may need to visit the IRS website anyway.

Ethical Considerations

None

Guides and articles

Tool provider

Advertising Trackers

Page maintainer

Bellingcat Volunteer Team

ProPublica:

ProPublica: , Youtube, July 2024.

Ellis Simani: , ProPublica, June 18, 2024.

OpenSecrets:

, US.

https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/
527 Explorer
How to Use ProPublica's 527 Explorer
How a Network of Nonprofits Enriches Fundraisers While Spending Almost Nothing on Its Stated Cau
se
527 Basics
ProPublica