Key Facts
Key Information
About
Conservative Transparency is an interactive online database launched on November 1, 2009, by the Media Matters Action Network, a 501(c)(4) affiliate of the progressive media watchdog organization Media Matters for America. The platform serves as a transparency tool focused on mapping the financial networks of the conservative movement in the United States, tracking the flow of money from donors to advocacy groups, political committees, candidates, and other entities. It aggregates data from publicly available sources such as IRS Forms 990, providing detailed profiles on conservative foundations, think tanks, and super PACs to highlight patterns of influence and funding in right-wing politics. As an investigative resource, it aims to counterbalance the opacity of dark money in conservative circles, offering searchable databases that reveal connections between wealthy donors and political outcomes. The organization's methodology relies on reviewing tax filings and other public records to document contributions, grants, and expenditures, enabling users to explore relationships like those involving DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, which are frequently cited in its reports. Founded amid growing concerns over undisclosed political spending post-Citizens United, Conservative Transparency has positioned itself as a nonpartisan tracker, though its origins with a left-leaning parent group have drawn criticism from conservatives who view it as a partisan effort to expose and undermine their funding streams. It continues to operate as a key resource for journalists, researchers, and activists interested in conservative influence networks, with no indications of dissolution.