About This Tool
What is Who Pays Them?
Who Pays Them is a free, non-partisan tool that makes campaign finance data accessible to every voter. Enter your zip code and instantly see which candidates are running in your district and who is funding their campaigns — all sourced directly from federal public records.
Where Does the Data Come From?
All campaign finance data comes from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the independent federal agency that regulates campaign finance in the United States. By law, all federal candidates must report their campaign contributions and expenditures to the FEC, and this data is public record.
We use the FEC's public API to retrieve candidate information, campaign financial summaries, and itemized contributions (donations over $200). The zip code to congressional district mapping uses U.S. Census Bureau data.
How Often Is It Updated?
The data refreshes automatically every week. Candidates file financial reports with the FEC on a regular schedule (quarterly, with additional pre-election reports), so the numbers you see here reflect the most recently filed reports.
What Do the Numbers Mean?
Total Raised — The total amount of money a candidate's campaign committee has received during this election cycle.
Individual — Contributions from individual people (both itemized donations over $200 and smaller unitemized donations).
PAC — Contributions from Political Action Committees, which pool money from members to donate to campaigns.
Party — Contributions from political party committees (DNC, RNC, state parties, etc.).
Self-funded — Money the candidate contributed from their own personal funds.
Top Donors — The organizations and individuals who have given the most to this candidate. Organization names represent contributions from employees of that organization, not the organization itself (corporations are prohibited from making direct contributions to federal candidates).
Non-Partisan Commitment
This tool does not endorse or oppose any candidate, party, or political position. We present the same public data for every candidate equally, using the same methodology and the same data source. We do not editorialize, filter, or rank candidates. The data speaks for itself.
Legal Disclaimer
This tool presents publicly available campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission. It is provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, data may be delayed or incomplete due to FEC reporting schedules. For the most current and authoritative data, visit FEC.gov. The appearance of donor employer names does not imply that the employer endorsed or directed the contribution.