Contributions made to party committees and PACs

In addition to contributing directly to candidate committees, a nonconnected committee may support other committees that contribute to candidates, such as party committees and other PACs. A contribution to another political committee may take any of the forms described in "Types of contributions."

Unlike contributions to candidates, which are subject to per-election limits, contributions to party committees and PACs (except Super PACs and Hybrid PACs’ non-contribution accounts) are subject to calendar-year limits.

Contributions to national party committees

A nonconnected committee that qualifies as a multicandidate committee may contribute up to $15,000 per year to a national party committee.

If a nonconnected committee is not a multicandidate committee, it may contribute up to $41,300 per year to a national party committee during the 2023-2024 election cycle.

The Republican and Democratic parties each have three national party committees subject to these limits. Thus, there is a separate $15,000 or $41,300 limit for each national committee, House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee.

National party accounts for certain expenses

On December 16, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83). Provisions of that law enable national party committees to establish accounts to defray certain expenses incurred with respect to:

• Presidential nominating conventions;
• National party headquarters buildings; and
• Election recounts and contests and other legal proceedings.

Multicandidate committees may contribute up to $45,000 per national party account per year for the 2023-2024 cycle, while non-multicandidate committees may contribute up to $123,900 per national party account per year.

Contributions to state and local party committees

Multicandidate committees may contribute $5,000 combined per year to all affiliated state and local party committees in one state. Non-multicandidate committees may contribute $10,000 combined per year to affiliated state and local party committees.

Contributions to delegates and delegate committees

A nonconnected committee may make unlimited contributions to a delegate (or an individual seeking to become a delegate) attending a national party convention or a state, district or local convention held to select delegates to a national convention, as long as the individual is not a member of a delegate committee. Contributions by the nonconnected committee to a delegate committee are limited to $5,000 per calendar year.

Contributions to other political committees

Any nonconnected committee may make unlimited contributions to Super PACs and Hybrid PACs’ non-contribution accounts

Any nonconnected committee, regardless of whether it has qualified as a multicandidate committee, may make contributions of up to $5,000 per year to any other type of political committee.

Candidate limits may apply

A contribution to a committee that is not a candidate’s authorized committee may nevertheless count against the contributor’s limit with respect to that candidate if:

• The recipient committee is an unauthorized single-candidate committee (that is, a political committee that supports only one candidate);
• The contributor knows that a substantial portion of its contribution will be given to or spent on behalf of a particular candidate; or
• The contributor retains control over the contribution.