National Institute on Money in State Politics

The National Institute on Money in State Politics (the Institute) documents the influence of campaign contributions on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states. The Institute is the only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization collecting and analyzing the full range of financial data related to state-level elections. Its campaign-finance databases and issue analyses are provided to the public and to organizations across the political spectrum free of charge, and its findings and data regularly inform national news reports, scholarly research, issue advocacy, court decisions, and legislative debates. Media, scholars, and others have used data provided by the Institute to demonstrate how political contributions correlate with judicial decisions, legislative votes, and other government decisions.


The National Institute on Money in State Politics documents the influence of campaign contributions on state-level elections and public policy. The Institute collects, analyzes, and publishes campaign finance data covering more than 16,000 candidates and elections in all fifty states. Its web site, FollowTheMoney.org, allows citizens, journalists, public officials and others to see the sources of funding for particular legislators, parties, and candidates as well as the influence of industries in different states and payments made to lobbyists. This grant will provide the Institute with an operating reserve and upgrades to its data infrastructure and documentation.

The National Institute on Money in State Politics documents the influence of campaign contributions on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states. The Institute’s data and research are increasing public understanding of the effects of contribution limits. This two-year grant will support collection, analysis, and publication of campaign finance data covering more than 16,000 candidates nationwide.

The National Institute on Money in State Politics documents the influence of campaign contributions on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states through campaign-finance databases, tools, and issue analyses, all available from http://followthemoney.org. The Institute’s data and findings are widely cited in the media, legislative debates, policy discussions, and court decisions, and are routinely used by other organizations involved in campaign finance reform. Based in Helena, Montana, the Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1991 with a grant from MacArthur Foundation’s Democracy Program to the Western States Center.