Small Donor Matching Funds: The NYC Election Experience

To limit the role of big money in politics, New York City provides public money to candidates in exchange for the candidate's compliance with expenditure limits and enhanced disclosure requirements. The City supercharges small donations by matching up to $175 of each contribution at a six-to-one ratio. Thanks to their matching system, the number of overall contributors and the number of small donors has increased. It has also enabled a diverse pool of candidates with substantial grassroots support but little access to large donors to run competitive campaigns.