$1.51M
Direct disbursements
37
Distinct vendors
445
Disbursement rows
$5K
Independent expenditures
May 2021 – Feb 2026
Activity window
$530Kacross 12 months
Top vendors paid last 12 months · top 10
Staff & officers 1 officer on file (FEC Form 1)
Treasurer
Kaufman, Stephen J
Also serves at 2 other committees: SHERMAN FOR CONGRESS · SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FUND.
No cross-committee operative network for DEFEND THE DREAM — this committee's officers don't serve at other committees in our records. Common for institutional committees (national party committees, large PAC infrastructure) where a single staff treasurer manages only this filer.
Connected committees 10 peers with shared infrastructure Open in hub explorer →
Other federal committees that pay the same vendors or share officers with this one — the operational network this filer sits inside. Inferred from cross-filing, not present in any single source. Click a row to open the full relationship page.
| Committee | Shared | Combined spend | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | WOMEN'S POLITICAL COMMITTEE FEDERAL | 1 officer | — | Network ↗ |
| D | SHERMAN FOR CONGRESS | 1 officer | — | Network ↗ |
| D | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FUND | 1 officer | — | Network ↗ |
| · | SEA CHANGE PAC | 1 officer | — | Network ↗ |
| D | ALEX PADILLA FOR SENATE | 7 vendors | $3,638,709 | Network ↗ |
| D | DNC SERVICES CORP / DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE | 4 vendors | $4,035,931 | Network ↗ |
| · | CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY COMMITTEE | 3 vendors | $4,034,132 | Network ↗ |
| · | ADELANTE FUND | 4 vendors | $53,498 | Network ↗ |
| D | DSCC | 3 vendors | $1,393,108 | Network ↗ |
| · | CALIFORNIANS FOR CHOICE | 3 vendors | $759,176 | Network ↗ |
People paid by DEFEND THE DREAM top 8 · $18,490 · 3 of 8 linked to person profile
Individuals who received disbursements from this committee — salaried staff, consultants on personal-name contracts, and reimbursements for travel / mileage / per diem. Includes 1 name identified via state-data name-pattern fallback (entity_tp not populated on state filings).
| Name | Most-common purpose | Payments | Total paid | Activity window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Stiles | REIMBURSEMENT | 6 | $6,737 | Jun 2024 → Sep 2025 |
| Michael Mirmehdi | FOOD & BEVERAGE E… | 2 | $3,232 | Apr 2024 → May 2024 |
| Alex Padilla · | 1 | $2,500 | Jan 2023 | |
| James Schwab | REIMBURSEMENT | 2 | $1,759 | Mar 2024 → Feb 2026 |
| Michael Tuchin | FUNDRAISING EVENT… | 1 | $1,353 | Nov 2023 |
| Ernest J. Gallo | FUNDRAISING EVENT… | 1 | $1,243 | Dec 2023 |
| Jennifer Liu Tazewell | REIMBURSEMENT | 1 | $915 | Jun 2023 |
| Jaime Araujo | FUNDRAISING EVENT… | 1 | $750 | Apr 2025 |
Spend by service category
| Category | Total spend | Disbursements |
|---|---|---|
| Fundraising | $840,630 | 263 |
| Legal & Compliance | $284,769 | 91 |
| Digital | $185,000 | 37 |
| Strategy & Research | $120,081 | 13 |
| Contributions & Transfers | $49,372 | 13 |
| Travel & Events | $30,686 | 9 |
| Software & Tech | $5,745 | 16 |
| Admin & Office | $250 | 1 |
| Other / Unclassified | -$4,500 | 2 |
Recent activity showing 20 of 445
| Date | Vendor | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2026 | ActBlue, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $89 |
| Feb 27, 2026 | AMALGAMATED ANALYSIS ACTIVITY | BANK FEES | $102 |
| Feb 26, 2026 | FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA | CREDIT CARD PAYMENT - SEE MEMO ITEMIZATION BELOW | $275 |
| Feb 26, 2026 | BERTOLINA & BARNATO, INC. | PAC CONSULTING FEES | $1,081 |
| Feb 26, 2026 | BERTOLINA & BARNATO, INC. | PAC CONSULTING FEES | $7,000 |
| Feb 23, 2026 | ActBlue, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $138 |
| Feb 20, 2026 | THRIVE STRATEGIES | FUNDRAISING AND MEDIA CONSULTING FEE | $1,277 |
| Feb 18, 2026 | SCHWAB, JAMES | REIMBURSEMENT - SEE MEMO ITEMIZATION BELOW | $1,206 |
| Feb 18, 2026 | PLASTICARD LOCKTECH INTERNATIONAL | SPONSORSHIP | $6,679 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | DEMOCRACY ENGINE, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $200 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | ActBlue, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $316 |
| Feb 13, 2026 | FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA | CREDIT CARD PAYMENT - SEE MEMO ITEMIZATION BELOW | $740 |
| Feb 11, 2026 | SGR CONSULTING, LLC | FUNDRAISING CONSULTING FEE | $5,000 |
| Feb 10, 2026 | THRIVE STRATEGIES | FUNDRAISING AND MEDIA CONSULTING FEE | $7,000 |
| Feb 10, 2026 | SGR CONSULTING, LLC | FUNDRAISING CONSULTING FEE | $5,000 |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Aisle 518 Strategies, LLC | DIGITAL FUNDRAISING | $5,000 |
| Feb 9, 2026 | KAUFMAN LEGAL GROUP | LEGAL & TREASURY FEES | $6,500 |
| Feb 9, 2026 | ActBlue, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $40 |
| Feb 4, 2026 | BERTOLINA & BARNATO, INC. | PAC CONSULTING FEES | $14,000 |
| Jan 31, 2026 | ActBlue, LLC | MERCHANT FEES | $217 |