A contribution includes:
- Any payment, donation, gift, subscription, assessment, contract, payment for services, dues, loan, forgiveness of a loan, advance or deposit of money or any valuable thing, to a candidate or political committee made for the purpose of influencing any election in this Commonwealth;
- Paying debts incurred by or for a candidate or committee before or after an election;
- Purchasing tickets for events such as dinners, luncheons, rallies and all other fundraising events;
- Granting discounts or rebates not available to the general public;
- Granting discounts or rebates by television and radio stations and newspapers not extended on an equal basis to all candidates for the same office;
- Any payments for the benefit of any candidate;
- Any payments for the services of any person serving as an agent of a candidate or committee by a third party;
- Any receipt or use of anything of value received by a political committee from another political committee; and
- Any return on investments by a political committee.
- Note: Limitations related to contributions do not apply to volunteer labor hours.
Limits:
Contributions come in many forms beyond monetary donations, including but not limited to: a comped ticket, special discount from a vendor, or even someone else's spending to a third party based on the circumstances. There are additional restrictions on cash donations under state law.
AMOUNT: City of Pittsburgh (and as of 2023, Allegheny County) align campaign contribution limits with the FEC. As of late January, these limits increased and are now $3,500 for Individuals and $5,000 for Committees. A candidate or committee can follow up with applicable donors and request the difference between the old limit and new. Note a lower limit applies to subordinate City employees/contractors, as detailed below.
TIMING: Contribution limits relating to the public (non-City employees and contractors) are tied to the election cycle. Each election cycle starts the date after the last covered election for the desired seat. For 2025 City of Pittsburgh races, the last covered election is the general election, because no special election occurred. The election cycle will conclude on the date of the primary election. Then, a new election cycle begins for the few months between the primary and general elections.
INCUMBENTS: Additionally, City of Pittsburgh employees/contractors may be limited to contributing $100 (or $200 for department heads) depending on the elected office. This limit only applies to incumbents and their subordinates - for example, employees/contractors of the Controller are subordinates of the Controller and their restriction would not apply to contributions for Council or Mayor; similarly, DPW is part of the executive branch, therefore subordinates of the Mayor and their restriction would not apply to the Controller or Council. The contribution limit extends for the prior four-year consecutive period, as detailed in § 197.04. A recent advisory opinion issued by the Board found that the limit of $100/200 also applies to City of Pittsburgh professional service contractors who are acting as employees.
To learn more, or for questions about whether something is a contribution or independent expenditure, please request advice at https://pittsburghpa.gov/ehb/advice.