How much FEC money is tagged Corporation in 2012?

The join records $3,182,801 in itemized individual contributions for Corporation in 2012, from 15 contributions and 4 donors. The grouping’s all-cycle total is $66,264,486.

Did corporations donate $3.2 million?

No. These are individual receipts whose employer field grouped to the word Corporation. They are not corporate treasury contributions. Four donor keys produced 15 lines totaling $3,182,801.

Why is the all-cycle total so much larger?

Because $66,264,486 includes other years. 2012 is 4.8% of that roll. Other cycles can have different donor counts; those amounts are not in this packet.

Is this every corporate employee who donated in 2012?

No. People who listed a company name sit in other industry keys. This cell is only the generic Corporation string in 2012.

← All data ties

Corporation political money in the 2012 election cycle

The FEC employer grouping Corporation records $3,182,801 in itemized individual contributions for 2012. Fifteen contribution lines from four donors make up that presidential-year cell. The grouping’s all-cycle total is $66,264,486, so 2012 is 4.8% of a large, generic-label roll. Corporation is a vague self-report, not a count of C-corps and not corporate treasury giving.

Key figures

$3,182,801 tagged Corporation in the 2012 FEC cycle.
15 contributions from 4 donors; about $212,187 per contribution.
2012 is 4.8% of the grouping’s $66,264,486 all-cycle total.
Generic self-report, not corporate treasury or a sector census.
Source: FEC.gov individual contribution aggregates.

A generic word with a concentrated 2012 shape

Many filers type Corporation when they mean “I work at a company” and skip the legal name. That produces a huge all-cycle total—$66,264,486—built from many years and many people. The 2012 cut of that key, however, is concentrated: 4 donors, 15 lines, $3,182,801. Average line size is about $212,187. Average per donor is about $795,700. The year slice does not look like the occupation-style keys that spread millions across hundreds of donors.

Those two facts can coexist because the all-cycle roll includes other years with different shapes. This page only has 2012’s 15-and-4 pattern. Do not assume every cycle of Corporation looks like 2012, and do not assume 2012 looks like the lifetime $66.3 million spread.

Generic employer words create two statistical illusions. The lifetime total $66,264,486 looks like “corporate America.” The 2012 cut looks like a broad employee program until the donor count appears: 4 people, 15 lines, $3,182,801, 4.8% of the roll. Both illusions vanish if the citation keeps the word Corporation, the year 2012, the four-donor count, and the fact that these are individual receipts, not treasury contributions from a C-corp to a candidate.

4.8% of the Corporation roll

Three million one hundred eighty-two thousand eight hundred one dollars is 4.8% of $66,264,486. The presidential year is a modest share of the generic key, even though the four donors’ average receipts are large. Share and concentration are different measurements. This join reports both.

Named firms (Microsoft, Goldman Sachs) are other keys. Donors who listed those names are not in these 4 keys. The Corporation string is the residue of people who used the generic word.

What “Corporation” does not mean in FEC data

It does not mean the corporation itself donated. Federal law generally bars corporate contributions to candidates from treasury funds; this table is individual receipts. It does not mean Super PAC independent expenditures by corporations. It does not mean a NAICS sector. It is a typed string.

Four donor keys in 2012 may be people associated with one or several unnamed companies. The facts do not identify them. The overlay lists recipient committees. Motive and employer identity remain unknown.

Exclusions

Corporate PACs, trade-association PACs, and independent expenditures are outside $3,182,801. USAspending awards to corporations are a different dataset. Matching the word corporation across those systems is not a money trail.

Unitemized gifts are absent. State contributions are absent. 15 is a federal itemized line count for this string in 2012.

The Corporation 2012 overlay is the data join. The Corporation industry hub holds $66,264,486. The 2012 election-cycle hub holds every employer string that year. The ties index holds other industry–cycle pages. Quote the 4-donor shape with the $3,182,801 so the generic label is not mistaken for a broad employee program.

How to quote Corporation × 2012

Say that FEC individual aggregates grouped $3,182,801 to Corporation in 2012, on 15 contributions from 4 donors, equal to 4.8% of $66,264,486. Then say Corporation is a self-reported generic label, not a sector and not corporate treasury money. Named firms such as Microsoft and Goldman Sachs are other keys; their donors are not in these four. The overlay lists the 15 lines’ committees.

The Corporation industry hub holds the $66,264,486 roll, which other years built with shapes this packet does not list. The 2012 cycle hub places this concentrated cell beside occupation keys with hundreds of donors. The ties index holds other joins. Independent expenditures and PACs are other FEC schedules. USAspending awards to corporations are another government. The word corporation in both places is not a payment chain from these four donors to those awards.

Four donors producing $3,182,801 in a presidential year is a reminder that generic labels can hide concentration. The $66,264,486 lifetime total is a reminder that other years look different. Cite both: Corporation × 2012 = $3,182,801 on 15 lines from 4 donors, 4.8% of the roll, individual receipts only, source FEC.gov.

Questions

How much FEC money is tagged Corporation in 2012?: The join records $3,182,801 in itemized individual contributions for Corporation in 2012, from 15 contributions and 4 donors. The grouping’s all-cycle total is $66,264,486.
Did corporations donate $3.2 million?: No. These are individual receipts whose employer field grouped to the word Corporation. They are not corporate treasury contributions. Four donor keys produced 15 lines totaling $3,182,801.
Why is the all-cycle total so much larger?: Because $66,264,486 includes other years. 2012 is 4.8% of that roll. Other cycles can have different donor counts; those amounts are not in this packet.
Is this every corporate employee who donated in 2012?: No. People who listed a company name sit in other industry keys. This cell is only the generic Corporation string in 2012.

FEC.gov individual contribution aggregates by employer/industry grouping and election cycle.