The Center for Political Accountability asks companies to disclose their corporate political contributions in the form of a report on the company website. On TrackYourCompany, we present the data found in company disclosure reports and enable users to search and sort the disclosed contributions.
Of the 499 S&P 500 companies included in the 2017 CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability, 295 publicly disclosed some or all of their corporate political spending on their website.
Q: What does disclosure of corporate political spending entail?
A: To receive full credit for disclosure on the CPA-Zicklin Index, companies must itemize their disclosed contributions, including the names of recipients and amounts given to each.
Q: What kinds of contributions do companies disclose?
A: CPA asks companies to disclose both direct and indirect political spending. This includes contributions to candidates, parties, and committees; 527 groups; 501(c)(6) trade associations; 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organizations; ballot measures; and direct independent expenditures. If a company does not disclose certain types of contributions, a note will appear in that company’s search results.
Q: Does TrackYourCompany include contributions from companies’ employee-funded PACs?
A: No. The database only contains contributions from corporate treasury funds.
Q: How current is TrackYourCompany’s data?
A: We collect data from company websites twice a year. The database currently contains information about contributions made in 2015 and 2016.
Q: Where else can I find information about companies’ political spending practices?
A: Each company details page contains links to OpenSecrets.org, which contains information about political spending at the federal level, and FollowTheMoney.org, which contains information about political spending at the state level. Unlike TrackYourCompany.org, which focuses on contributions from corporate treasuries, these sites include data on spending by company PACs and individuals.
For more information on the standards and best practices governing corporate political spending disclosure, see:
Open Windows: How Codes of Conduct Regulate Corporate Political Spending & A Model Code to Protect Company Interests and Shareholder Value
Handbook on Corporate Political Activity: Emerging Corporate
Governance Issues