Frequently asked questions

Where does this data come from?

Directly from the U.S. Federal Election Commission’s public bulk data — the government’s own record of who gave to federal candidates and committees.

Is this legal?

Yes. Federal campaign finance disclosures are public records by law, and DonorTrail publishes information the FEC already makes public. One rule worth knowing: that data may not be used for commercial purposes or to solicit donations.

I made a donation that isn’t showing up. Why?

Most likely it was under the itemization threshold. Committees only report a donor by name once their giving passes about $200, so smaller gifts aren’t individually disclosed. It’s also possible the filing hasn’t been published by the FEC yet.

Why do I see two profiles for the same person?

We group contributions by name, state, and ZIP, and we keep records separate whenever we aren’t confident they’re the same person. If someone moved or filed under noticeably different spellings, their giving can split across profiles. We prefer that to wrongly combining two different people.

The information about someone is wrong. How do I fix it?

If it’s a grouping problem on our end — two people merged, or a contribution on the wrong profile — email corrections@donortrail.com. If the underlying filing itself is wrong, that’s the FEC’s record to correct.

Can I use this to build a mailing or donor list?

No. Federal law prohibits using contributor names and addresses for commercial purposes or to solicit contributions or donations. DonorTrail is for public information only.

Do you cover state and local races?

Not yet — federal only for now. State and local disclosures live in dozens of separate systems; adding them is on the roadmap.

How current is the data?

We refresh from the FEC as it publishes new filings and updates.