Technical Assistance Question of the Week

Q: Are 501(c)(4) organizations allowed to have candidate pledges?

A: 501(c)(4) organizations may have candidate pledges as part of their activity as long as the candidate pledges are not the (c)(4)'s primary activity but rather a secondary part of the organization's activity. That is, the (c)(4) organization's activity in support of or opposition to candidates running for public office should be less than 49% of the organization's overall activities. Also, if the (c)(4) organization is working with a 501(c)(3) organization, the 501(c)(3) cannot use the (c)(4) candidate pledges. This is because (c)(3) organizations cannot engage in any partisan electoral activity and candidate pledges would be considered partisan electoral activity. More specifically, (c)(3) organizations cannot support or oppose candidates for public office or appear to be doing so.