The NYC Matching Funds Program makes it easier for everyday New Yorkers to run for office and win, and easier for people to meaningfully support the candidates they like.
The program makes small contributions much more powerful. Here’s the math: take the original contribution, multiply it by 8, and add up those two numbers. That’s the value of a small contribution – think $10 or $20 – to a campaign. Put another way, your $10 turns into $90, or your $20 turns into $180, for the campaign to spend on events, mailers, volunteer programs, social media, and other ways to reach voters.
Making small contributions more powerful means candidates don’t have to spend all their time chasing big money, like from billionaires and corporations. They can spend it talking to community members, finding out what matters to everyday people, and still run a competitive campaign.
The matching funds program has been around for decades, and the impact is clear. It has helped create a local government that looks more like our city. With the support of the program, the City Council elected in 2021 included the first-ever majority of women on the Council, and people of color, who represent close to 70 percent of New Yorkers, increased their representation on the Council from 51 percent to 67 percent.
When everyday New Yorkers can have a real chance to lead, and voters have more power to support their candidates of choice, our leaders will reflect our communities and be accountable to all of us.