Project Vote Smart - Non-partisan information on U.S. federal and state candidates, ballot measures, issues and legislation. Includes directory of national and state political resources. LegiStorm - Provides searchable databases of U.S. Congress information, including congressional staff salaries and privately financed travel. OMB - Earmarks Database - Database of earmarks provided by the Congress for projects or programs, in appropriation and authorization bills, which circumvent the merit-based or competitive allocation process. From the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Data.gov - Official U.S. government site providing increased public access to federal government datasets. Includes metadata, how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage them. The Center for Public Integrity - Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization does investigations and analyses of public service, government accountability, and ethics related issues. Features news, projects and reports. FactCheck.org - Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Offers email newsletter. From the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. FollowTheMoney.org - State-level campaign finance information now intended for academics, advocacy groups and journalists rather than the general public. Sells custom research services. Opensecrets.org - Guide to money in U.S. politics, including campaign money amounts and sources, searchable by party, candidate, lobbyist and election cycle. From the Center for Responsive Politics. Politics1 - Directory of American politics. Features links to information on ideologies, issues, parties and candidates. Sunlight Foundation - Advocates for open government globally, using technology to make government more accountable. WhoRunsGov.com - In-depth profiles of government decision-makers and institutions. Includes administration, legislators, governors, aides and committee staff, and experts at think tanks and interest groups. CREW Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - Watchdog group uses legal actions to target government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests. Includes their blog, research and investigations, video and legal filings. Code for America - Non-profit enlists the talent of the web industry into public service to use their skills to solve core problems facing our communities. Includes blog, issues, projects, fellows and partners. MapLight - Combines data sets to illuminate the connections between campaign contributions, legislative votes, and support and opposition to key bills by interest groups and companies. NYTimes.com - Where Americans Most Depend on Government Benefits - Interactive map showing, by county, the share of Americans’ income that comes from government benefit programs broken down by income support, veterans benefits, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. NYTimes.com - What Percent Are You? - Interactive feature showing how household income ranks in 344 zones across the United States. ProPublica - Free the Files - Project to identify secret donors who are funding outside groups to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to influence elections. Socrata - Helping government and public sector organizations provide data to citizens, employees and developers to improve transparency, citizen service and fact-based decision-making through web, mobile and machine-to-machine interfaces. Includes online Open Data Field Guide and GovStat How-To Guide. The White House - Open Government Initiative - Official government site for open government, working to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation and collaboration. Bridge Project - "Dedicated to exposing the conservative movement's dishonest tactics, dismantling its extreme ideology, and shining light on the moneyed special interests that fund it." PolitiFact - Project of the Tampa Bay Times to help people find the truth in Washington and the Obama presidency. Media Trackers - Dedicated to media accountability, government transparency, and quality fact-based journalism. Examines stories published in the mainstream media, explores claims made by some of the more partisan political groups, and provides facts on issues, people and elections. State Integrity Investigation - Data-driven analysis of transparency and accountability in all 50 state governments. Joint project of Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International. Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity - Identifies, trains and supports journalists working to detect and expose government corruption and incompetence, supporting transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility. U.S. Office of Government Ethics - Fosters high ethical standards for executive branch employees and strengthens the public’s confidence that the Government’s business is conducted with impartiality and integrity, both domestically and internationally.