dark money

American  

[dahrk muhn-ee] / ˈdɑrk ˈmʌn i /

noun

1. money donated to politically active nonprofit organizations or anonymous corporate entities, which spend this money to influence political campaigns or other special interests but are not required to reveal their donors.

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Etymology

Origin of dark money

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

L.A. voters have seen the arrival of AI campaign videos, an influx of dark money mailers and national media coverage from US Weekly, Vanity Fair and many other outlets, thanks in large part to Pratt.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Since the nonprofit is a so-called dark money group — one that’s not required to disclose the names of its donors — the original source of the money remains unknown.

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2025

Householder and Borges were among five people arrested by federal authorities in July 2020, charged along with a dark money group, for their roles in the wide-ranging scheme.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

The funds came from the Judicial Education Project, a dark money group that listed its address as a UPS Store in Georgetown.

From Slate • May 8, 2023

“My fear is that the dark money is entering Hawaii politics and I don’t believe that it belongs there,” Saiki said.

From Washington Times • Jun. 10, 2022