According to the group MapLight, “corporate trade organizations and nonprofits spent $535 million on lobbying in 2017 and as much as another $675 million on unregulated efforts to influence public policy.” MapLight is a section 501(c)(3) organization “that reveals the influence of money in politics, informs and empowers voters, and advances reforms that promote a more responsive democracy.” The group based its findings on a two-month review of the tax returns from almost 100 trade organizations and nonprofits, finding that dozens of such organizations raise eight or nine-figure amounts each year to support their activities.
Lloyd Mayer
