2029 Citywide Elections
Contribution limits apply to all campaigns, whether or not you join the CFB’s Matching Funds Program. Both monetary and in-kind contributions of goods and services are subject to these limits.
All candidates are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations, LLCs, partnerships and political committees not registered with the CFB for the current election cycle.
View a list of registered political committees for the 2029 election cycle here.
|
Office |
Participant |
Non-Participant |
|---|---|---|
|
Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$2,500 |
$4,350 |
|
Borough President |
$1,900 |
$3,150 |
|
City Council |
$1,250 |
$1,900 |
If an individual has business dealings with the city at the time their contribution is made, their contribution is subject to lower limits. Doing business contribution limits apply to contributors who are listed in the Doing Business Database at the time of their contribution. Contributions made by individuals listed in the Doing Business Database are not eligible for matching funds and do not count toward the threshold to receive public funds. For more information on who is subject to the doing business limits and restrictions, please review the Doing Business FAQs page and Chapter 2 of the Campaign Finance Handbook.
|
Office |
Doing Business Contribution Limit |
|---|---|
| Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$400 |
|
Borough President |
$320 |
|
City Council |
$250 |
Program participants must observe strict spending limits. A spending limit is the maximum total amount a campaign can spend during different periods of an election cycle. The amounts vary depending on which office you seek. Non-participants are not subject to a spending limit. Learn more about spending limits and other expenditure guidelines in our video on campaign spending here!
|
Office |
Out-Year * |
Primary Election† |
General Election |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mayor |
$442,000 |
$9,376,000 |
$9,376,000 |
|
Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$442,000 |
$5,862,000 |
$5,862,000 |
|
Borough President |
$196,000 |
$2,110,000 |
$2,110,000 |
|
City Council |
$65,000 |
$245,000 |
$245,000 |
* Spending in excess of these amounts will be charged against the first limit applicable.
† If no primary is held, there is no primary election spending limit.
If a non-participant raises or spends more than half the applicable spending limit, the spending limit for all participants in that race will be increased by 50%. If a non-participant raises or spends more than three times the applicable spending limit, participants in that race will no longer be subject to a spending limit. The CFB will review disclosure statements to see if expenditure limit relief is warranted and will notify affected campaigns. Candidates may also petition the Board if they believe that a non-participating opponent has triggered expenditure limit relief. Candidates should never assume that their expenditure limit has been increased or suspended unless they receive written confirmation from the CFB.
Program participants must meet this two-part fundraising threshold, abide by Program requirements, and face opposition on the ballot to qualify for public funding. Only the first $175 to $250, depending on the office sought, of an individual New York City resident’s contribution is applied toward meeting the dollar amount threshold.
|
Office |
Minimum Funds Raised |
Number of Contributors |
|---|---|---|
|
Mayor |
$250,000 |
1,000 |
|
Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$125,000 |
500 |
|
Borough President |
$10,000 – $54,721* |
100† |
|
City Council |
$5,000 |
75‡ |
*The threshold amount is based upon the number of persons living in each borough, according to the 2020 Census and rounded to the nearest dollar. The amount for each borough is: Bronx ($29,453), Brooklyn ($54,721), Manhattan ($33,885), Queens ($48,109), and Staten Island ($10,000).
† Must be borough residents.
‡ Must be district residents.
Public Funds Matching Rate
The Program matches each dollar a New York City resident gives, up to $250 (depending on office sought), with eight dollars in public funds, for a maximum of $2,000 in public funds per contributor.
|
Matching Rate |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Office |
Matching Rate |
Maximum Matchable Per Contributor |
Maximum Public Funds Per Contributor |
|
Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$8-to-$1 |
$250 |
$2,000 |
|
Borough President, City Council |
$175 |
$1,400 |
|
Maximum Public Funds Payment
The Campaign Finance Act requires that contribution and expenditure limits and maximum public funds payments be adjusted every four years based on changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Note: Current limits are subject to change. Updated limits for the 2029 elections based on changes to the CPI will not be reflected until March 2026.
|
Maximum Public Funds Payments* |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Office |
Primary Election |
General Election |
|
Mayor |
$8,334,222 |
$8,334,222 |
|
Public Advocate, Comptroller |
$5,210,667 |
$5,210,667 |
|
Borough President |
$1,875,556 |
$1,875,556 |
|
City Council |
$217,778 |
$217,778 |
* Approximately 89% of applicable spending limit.