New Matching Funds Claim Requirements

On January 28, 2019, amendments to the matching funds program became effective. These changes increased the rate of match, increased the amount of funding available to qualified candidates, updated the qualification criteria, and mandated a contributor certification.  As we have mentioned in candidate trainings and previous bulletins, the new laws have resulted in some important things to note for all matching funds claims:

Contributor Certification

A contributor certification must be provided for every contribution identified on a Form 22. It must be clear in your supporting documentation that every contributor has certified every statement that is required by Los Angeles Municipal Code § 49.7.16(B). One printed set of statements cannot be applied to all contributors in an entire claim—even if your website is set up so that a contributor must agree to the statements in order to make a contribution. A sample contributor certification form is available online, and an example of an acceptable electronic certification can be viewed here .

Debate or Town Hall Meeting

To qualify to receive matching funds, you must meet several criteria, including participating in a debate or conducting a town hall meeting. You must identify the date of the debate or town hall meeting on Form 22 and submit a copy of the invitation or announcement for the event with the form.

Contributions Spreadsheet

Contributions supporting a Form 22 must be provided electronically in a spreadsheet that has the fields and columns identified on the back of the form. A spreadsheet template is available online.

Please feel free to contact us with questions about the contributor certification or matching funds claims. We are happy to help you ensure that your formatting and website fully address the requirements. You may send samples to [email protected] and ask for input regarding their compliance. We want to help make your qualification and claim processes as efficient as possible! * * * * *