contributions Federal funds for presidential candidates (US) In American politics, the term refers to the money a presidential candidate is given by federal government to match the money they have raised personally. Candidates can expect up to US$250 extra from public funds for each contribution from an individual they receive. That usually applies to the two main parties; as in order for a candidate to gain the benefits of matching funds, they must raise $5,000 from 20 states during the primaries or have received 5% of the popular vote in the general election. Pat Buchanan, running as the Reform Party candidate in 2000, received matching funds despite winning only 0.4% of the vote. The source of the funds comes from a $3 voluntary checkoff on the US Income tax form. The program was established by the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act. The law also "established overall spending limits for eligibility to receive matching funds, and provided for public funding of major party candidates in the general election for president". The effect that these have on the candidates for presidential campaigns is to strengthen the role that the party plays in raising money. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, qualified for federal matching funds in the 2012 US presidential election. State funds for state and local candidates (US) Prior to a 2011 Supreme Court decision, states like Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Wisconsin were using a system that distributed "additional funding to publicly financed candidates when they face big-spending opponents or opposition groups". The combined cases, Arizona Free Enterprise Fund v. Bennett (2011) and McComish v. Bennett (2011), held that "the law impermissibly forces private candidates and independent political organizations to either restrain their spending or risk triggering matching funds to their publicly financed opponents". An alternative is a program like New York City's public financing model: public funds are used to multiply the impact of small donors. The program is administered by the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which has avoided partisan divisions. The programs work by making each contribution worth more than their current value, thereby increasing the proportional impact of the contribution. In New York City, for example, a $6-to-$1 program has resulted in "small dollar donors constitute the vast majority of spending in New York City elections, representing 73% of all contributions in 2013 and 80% specifically to