Race to the Top: How Public Funds Encourage Individual Contributions
New York City’s public matching funds Program encourages participating candidates to raise small contributions ($175 or less) from individuals living in the city. Below we highlight those City Council candidates who had the most success reaching that goal by engaging with the highest number of small contributors to fund their campaigns in the 2013 elections.
Participating candidates received 239 small-dollar contributions on average for a total value of more than $14,000 per campaign. People giving $175 or less account for over four-fifths of all individual contributors to participating City Council candidates. Their contributions account for 46 percent of the money participating Council candidates raised from individuals on average.