dark money

[ dahrk muhn-ee ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dark money¹

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

At, or at least near, the top of the campaign’s chain was sitting GOP Virginia state senator and veteran political operative Jill Vogel—managing partner at Holtzman Vogel, a heavyweight in the world of conservative politics and dark money groups.

From The Daily Beast

Some of the money raised from Fancelli flowed to dark money groups that supported the rally, according to wire transfers described to ProPublica, planning documents and interviews with insiders.

From ProPublica

It was initiated by a consortium of conservative states’ attorneys general, funded by dark money.

From The Daily Beast

A leading progressive legal advocacy group is spinning off from the sprawling dark money network that seeded it, the group tells Axios.

From Axios

In part, some suggest media owners might be leery of running misleading or distasteful ads from dark money groups.

From Digiday

A brilliant Silicon Valley entrepreneur may have found a way to get dark money out of politics without changing any laws.

From The Daily Beast

The group was founded in 2008 by operatives who would later have ties to the dark money powerhouse Crossroads GPS.

From The Daily Beast

Five, the tens or arguably hundreds of millions of dollars in dark money that flowed from corporate sources into GOP coffers.

From The Daily Beast

Super PACs have aided both candidates, but Grimes has less dark-money support than McConnell.

From The Daily Beast

Undisclosed dark money contributions to political candidates and office holders.

From The Daily Beast