by: AIA New York
In November 2022, New York State (NYS) created a program that matches and multiplies small donations. The NYS Public Campaign Finance Program allows candidates running for statewide or state legislative office the ability to qualify for public matching funds. The 2024 election cycle will be the first time the state program will be in action.
Under this program, contributions between $5 and $250 from individuals who are residents of the candidate’s district are eligible for public matching. This means a contribution of $100 to a candidate running for a state legislative office is the equivalent of $1,150. The match formula for state legislative offices is as follows: $12 to $1 for the first $50, $9 to $1 for the next $100, and $8 to $1 for the next $100. Therefore, a $100 contribution gets $1,050 in public matching funds—$600 for the first $50 and $450 for the next $50—for a total of $1,150.
To find your state legislative representatives, search for your senator here and search for your state assemblymember here. This spring, the AIANY Political Action Fund will be releasing its 2024 Voter Guide, which will include details on how to support candidates that it “highly rates.”