A curated list of nonpartisan tools for researching political finance, lobbying, and media integrity. Each resource provides verifiable data to help readers evaluate the forces shaping U.S. policy and public perception.

Campaign Finance & Lobbying

• OpenSecrets.org — Tracks campaign finance, lobbying, and dark money in U.S. politics. Operated by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
• Federal Election Commission (FEC.gov) — Official U.S. government source for campaign finance filings, including PAC and candidate reports.
• FollowTheMoney.org — State-level campaign finance data maintained by the National Institute on Money in Politics.
• ProPublica’s Represent Database — Searchable records of members of Congress: bills, votes, and donors.
• GovTrack.us — Tracks federal legislation, voting records, and committee assignments.

Watchdog & Oversight

• Lobbying Disclosure Act Database — Official Senate database of registered lobbyists, clients, and issues.
• Project On Government Oversight (POGO) — Independent watchdog investigating conflicts of interest, ethics violations, and federal contracting.
• The Revolving Door Project — Tracks how corporate interests influence regulatory agencies and monitors personnel movement between government and industry.
• Accountable.US — Research group focusing on corporate and political accountability.

Investigative Journalism & Transparency

• Center for Public Integrity — Nonprofit newsroom investigating money and influence in politics and government.
• Sunlight Foundation (archived) — Legacy open data and transparency projects now integrated into other civic tech initiatives.
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) — Global investigations into offshore money networks and corruption.

Fact-Checking & Media Literacy

• FactCheck.org — Monitors factual accuracy of political statements and news claims.
• PolitiFact — Rates truthfulness of political statements and viral claims.
• Media Bias/Fact Check — Evaluates reliability and political bias of media outlets.

Public Data & Government Databases

• USAspending.gov — Official U.S. database showing how federal money is spent on contracts, grants, and loans.
• Data.gov — Repository of open government datasets across health, environment, and public policy.
• Congress.gov — Searchable database of all U.S. legislation, sponsors, and committee reports.

Global Transparency

• Transparency International — Global corruption index and anti-corruption research.
• OECD Public Integrity Hub — International data and standards on ethics and governance.