# FEC Campaign Finance Scraper (`fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper`) Actor

Search FEC campaign finance data. Get donations, expenditures, PAC contributions, and candidate financials. Essential for political research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fortuitous\_pirate/fec-spending-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Fortuitous Pirate](https://apify.com/fortuitous_pirate) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 4 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## FEC Campaign Spending Scraper - Disbursements, Super PAC & Political Spending Tracker

### Overview

Track where campaign money goes. Scrape FEC disbursements (Schedule B), independent expenditures (Schedule E), and committee totals. Monitor Super PAC spending, vendor payments, ad buys, and political consulting fees.

### Features

- Search by keywords to find specific results
- Filter results by category or type
- Export data in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats
- Control output volume with configurable result limits

### Use Cases

- **Track** - Track federal government data releases and updates
- **Build** - Build datasets for policy research and analysis
- **Monitor** - Monitor regulatory changes and compliance requirements
- **Aggregate** - Aggregate public government data for transparency projects

### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|-----------|------|-------------|---------|
| `apiKey` | string **(required)** | Your API key from api.data.gov (free signup). DEMO\_KEY works for testing but ... | `DEMO_KEY` |
| `mode` | string **(required)** | What type of spending data to retrieve | `disbursements` |
| `committeeId` | string | FEC Committee ID to filter by (e.g., C00703975 for ActBlue). Required for com... |  |
| `candidateId` | string | FEC Candidate ID for independent expenditure tracking (e.g., P80001571 for Bi... |  |
| `recipientName` | string | Filter disbursements by who received payment (partial match supported) |  |
| `twoYearPeriod` | integer | Two-year election cycle (e.g., 2024 for 2023-2024 cycle) |  |
| `minAmount` | integer | Minimum dollar amount to include |  |
| `maxAmount` | integer | Maximum dollar amount to include |  |
| `maxResults` | integer | Maximum number of records to return | `100` |
| `supportOppose` | string | For independent expenditures: filter by whether spending supports or opposes ... | `all` |

### Output Example

Each result contains structured data like this:

```json
{
  "committee_id": "ABC-12345",
  "committee_name": "FEC Campaign Spending Sample Item",
  "recipient_name": "FEC Campaign Spending Sample Item",
  "candidate_name": "FEC Campaign Spending Sample Item",
  "disbursement_amount": 50000,
  "expenditure_amount": 50000,
  "disbursement_date": "2025-01-15",
  "expenditure_date": "2025-01-15",
  "disbursement_description": "Sample disbursement_description",
  "expenditure_description": "Sample expenditure_description",
  "support_oppose": "Sample support_oppose"
}
```

### Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-result pricing:

- **$0.001** per result
- **$1.00** per 1,000 results

No monthly fees. You only pay for what you scrape. [Apify Free plan](https://apify.com/pricing) includes $5/month in platform credits.

### How to Run

#### Apify Console

1. Go to the [FEC Campaign Spending Scraper - Disbursements, Super PAC & Political Spending Tracker](https://apify.com/fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper) actor page
2. Configure your input parameters
3. Click **Start** and wait for the results
4. Download data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format

#### API

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fortuitous_pirate~fec-spending-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"maxResults": 10}'
```

#### Python SDK

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper").call(
    run_input={"maxResults": 10}
)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

### Integration

Connect FEC Campaign Spending Scraper - Disbursements, Super PAC & Political Spending Tracker with your existing tools and workflows:

- **API access** - Programmatic access via [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2)
- **Webhooks** - Get notified when scraping completes
- **Scheduling** - Set up recurring runs on any schedule
- **Zapier / Make** - Connect with 5,000+ apps via [Apify integrations](https://apify.com/integrations)
- **Python / Node.js SDKs** - Native client libraries for easy integration

# Actor input Schema

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Your API key from api.data.gov (free signup). DEMO\_KEY works for testing but has stricter rate limits.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What type of spending data to retrieve

## `committeeId` (type: `string`):

FEC Committee ID to filter by (e.g., C00703975 for ActBlue). Required for committee-totals mode.

## `candidateId` (type: `string`):

FEC Candidate ID for independent expenditure tracking (e.g., P80001571 for Biden)

## `recipientName` (type: `string`):

Filter disbursements by who received payment (partial match supported)

## `twoYearPeriod` (type: `integer`):

Two-year election cycle (e.g., 2024 for 2023-2024 cycle)

## `minAmount` (type: `integer`):

Minimum dollar amount to include

## `maxAmount` (type: `integer`):

Maximum dollar amount to include

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of records to return

## `supportOppose` (type: `string`):

For independent expenditures: filter by whether spending supports or opposes a candidate

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "apiKey": "DEMO_KEY",
  "mode": "disbursements",
  "maxResults": 100,
  "supportOppose": "all"
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fortuitous_pirate/fec-spending-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/FO5IsRqIxc23bi0zI/builds/ZhEB6Hl9QMHNvE6E1/openapi.json