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.

URL

https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/

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

Free
Partially Free
Paid

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. While the tool has a feature that shows similar donors, a user may also need to be aware of acronyms or name variations of the organizations of interest.