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LobbyMap

Our Methodology

LobbyMap makes federal lobbying disclosures searchable. We report what organizations disclosed in their legally required lobbying filings — factually and without editorialization. Lobbying is a legal activity; our role is to make the data accessible.

Data Sources

  • Senate Office of Public Records LDA API (lda.senate.gov/api/) — Our primary source. Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), organizations that lobby Congress or the executive branch must file quarterly reports disclosing their spending, the issues they lobbied on, and the lobbyists they employed.
  • FEC Bulk Data — Campaign contribution data from the Federal Election Commission, used to supplement the lobbying picture with political donation patterns where relevant.

How We Calculate the Influence Score

Every organization receives an Influence Score on a 0-100 scale (A-F) that measures the breadth and depth of their lobbying activity. A higher score indicates more extensive lobbying — not a value judgment on the organization.

  • Total Lobbying Spend — 40% weight. Total reported lobbying expenditures, normalized against the distribution of all reporting organizations. The top 1% of spenders (typically Fortune 100 companies and major trade associations) score highest.
  • Issue Breadth — 30% weight. The number of distinct policy areas (as defined by LDA issue codes) the organization lobbied on. Organizations lobbying on 10+ issues have broader influence than single-issue advocates.
  • Revolving Door Connections — 30% weight. The percentage of registered lobbyists working for this organization who previously held government positions. Former members of Congress, senior staffers, and executive branch officials bring existing relationships and institutional knowledge.

Letter grades: A (80-100) indicates extensive lobbying presence; F (0-34) indicates minimal lobbying activity.

Data Collection Process

We query the Senate LDA API for quarterly lobbying disclosure filings, normalize organization names across filings (handling subsidiaries, name changes, and mergers), and aggregate spending by calendar year. Lobbyist backgrounds are cross-referenced with government employment records where available.

Update Frequency

LDA filings are due quarterly (20 days after each quarter end). We update our database within two weeks of each filing deadline. Year-end totals are typically finalized by late January.

Known Limitations

  • LDA only requires disclosure of direct lobbying of Congress and covered executive branch officials. Grassroots lobbying, public affairs campaigns, and strategic consulting that does not involve direct contact are not required to be reported.
  • Spending amounts are self-reported and often rounded to the nearest $10,000 or $20,000. The true cost of influence campaigns may be higher.
  • The revolving door metric relies on publicly available employment histories. Some government connections may not be captured.
  • The Influence Score measures lobbying activity, not effectiveness. High spending does not necessarily mean the organization achieved its policy goals.

How to Cite This Data

If you use data from LobbyMap, please cite:

LobbyMap. "[Organization Name] Lobbying Data." lobbyspend.org, 2026. Accessed [date].

Underlying data is sourced from Senate LDA disclosures and FEC filings. All sources are in the public domain.