Table of Contents
Minimum Fundraising Threshold
To be certified as eligible to receive public financing, candidates must submit a Qualifying Request that demonstrates they have raised the minimum number and amount of qualifying contributions from San Francisco residents.
Requirements for Candidates for Board of Supervisors
Non-incumbent candidates must raise $10,000 from at least 100 individuals and incumbent candidates must raise $15,000 from at least 150 individuals. Qualifying contributions must be received between May 5, 2023 and August 27, 2024.
Requirements for Candidates for Mayor
Non-incumbent candidates must raise $50,000 from at least 500 individuals and incumbent candidates must raise $75,000 from at least 750 individuals. Qualifying contributions must be received between May 5, 2023 and August 27, 2024.
What is a qualifying contribution?
A qualifying contribution is:
- made by an individual who is a San Francisco resident;
- $10 – $100 per contributor (cumulatively);
- made within 18 months prior to the election (May 5, 2023)
and no later than the 70th day before the election (August 27, 2024); and - supported by appropriate documentation.
For contributions greater than $100, candidates can still submit the contribution in a Qualifying Request, but only the first $100 will count as a qualifying contribution. The remaining balance may be used as a matching contribution in future submissions once certified as eligible.
What if a contributor donates less than $10?
If a contributor has donated less than $10 (cumulatively), their contribution is not a qualifying contribution and cannot be used in the Qualifying Request. However, cumulative contributions under $10 may be used in the Matching Request.
Qualifying contributions do not include contributions that are:
- made by an individual who is not a San Francisco resident;
- made after the 70th day before the election or earlier than 18 months prior to the date of the election;
- loans or nonmonetary contributions;
- from the candidate or their immediate family;
- less than $10 (cumulatively) from a single contributor;
- made in violation of local or state law;
- drawn on a business account, including “sole proprietorships”; or
- not deposited into the candidate’s account, returned to the contributor, or not posted to the candidate’s trust account (e.g., “bounced checks”).
Contributions received to support a candidate’s election to a different office or for a prior election year that were later transferred to their current committee cannot be used as Qualifying Contributions. However, if the contributions were received for a future election, and the candidate redesignates the committee for the current election cycle, contributions that fall within the designated time period may be used as Qualifying Contributions.
See S.F. C&GC Code § 1.104 and SFEC Regulations § 1.104-2.
Prepare qualifying contributions for submission
Ensure there is sufficient supporting documentation for each qualifying contribution included in the application. All supporting documents must be submitted electronically with the Qualifying Request. Specific requirements for documentation to be included with each public financing submission can be found under Submitting a Qualifying Request.
Important Note: All forms and documents required under the public financing program must be filed electronically either through the Ethics Commission’s free public filing system, provided by the Commission’s electronic filing service provider NetFile, or another compatible third-party system. Candidates using the NetFile public filing system should read Netfile’s “Filer Guide,” which provides step-by-step instructions for filing documents not included in this Supplemental Guide. The Filer Guide can be accessed by creating a NetFile account and, after logging in, clicking “Help & Support” and then “Public Financing.”