Big Firms Gave $185-Million to Political Nonprofits in 2012
January 16, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
Scores of major U.S. corporations collectively contributed at least $185-million over the 2012 campaign season to more than 1,000 politically active nonprofit organizations that are not required to disclose their donors, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Trade and business associations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute were the primary beneficiaries, receiving 84 percent of the corporate political spending, while 501(c)(4) “social welfare” groups got 13 percent.
The center analyzed voluntary disclosures, most covering the 2012 calendar year, filed by America’s 300 biggest public companies as ranked by Fortune. About a third of the firms revealed dues payments, grants, or donations to trade groups and other political nonprofits.
