Making a Sponsorship Contribution

Individuals who wish to contribute to a third party advertising sponsor for election advertising have legal obligations under the Election Act that they must follow. The rules are outlined below and apply for contributions of money, property or services.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact:

Electoral Finance
Elections BC
1-800-661-8683
electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca

Who can make a third party sponsorship contribution?

You can only make a third party sponsorship contribution if you are:

  • a resident of B.C., and
  • either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and
  • provide contributor confirmation and consent for the third party to use your contribution to sponsor election advertising

Can organizations make sponsorship contributions?

No. Corporations, unions and organizations are prohibited from making sponsorship contributions. They are also prohibited from reimbursing individuals from making sponsorship contributions.

What is a third party sponsorship contribution?

A sponsorship contribution is any money, property or service provided without compensation by way of donation, advance, discount or otherwise and where the contributor has provided confirmation and consent for the third party to use the amount to sponsor election advertising.

Where contributor confirmation and consent has been provided, it also includes:

  • property or services provided at less than market value,
  • property or services purchased above market value, and
  • fundraising function tickets purchased

Can I be reimbursed for my contribution?

No. Third party sponsorship contributions must be made using an individual’s own money or property. Third party sponsorship contributions cannot be made indirectly with the money or property of another person, or be reimbursed by another person.

What is a contributor confirmation and consent?

A contributor confirmation and consent is a written declaration including the contributor’s full name, address, and agreement that the contributor is an eligible individual and their contribution may be used to sponsor election advertising. A sample form is available here.

A contributor may provide confirmation and consent at the time the contribution is made, or up to 24 months after the contributor made the contribution.

If a contributor does not provide confirmation and consent, the contribution is not a sponsorship contribution and cannot be used by the third party to sponsor election advertising.

How much can I contribute?

For 2024, you can give a total of $1,450.82 to each registered third party election advertising sponsor.

If two or more third parties sponsor election advertising in combination, the third party sponsors must not use sponsorship contributions from a single contributor that exceed this limit. This amount is adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

Calendar year Contribution limit
2024 $1,450.82
2023 $1,401.40
2022 $1,309.09
2021 $1,268.07
2020 $1,253.15
2019 $1,225.17
2018 $1,200.00

Will my contribution be reported publicly?

If you give more than $250 in a reporting period, your name and contribution amount will be published in our Financial Reports and Political Contributions (FRPC) system.

Are there any other restrictions I should know about?

  • A third party must not use an anonymous contribution that has a value of more than $25 to sponsor election advertising.
  • Total anonymous contributions used by a third party (or in combination with one or more third parties) to sponsor election advertising must not exceed $250 in relation to a single electoral district, or $5,000 overall.
  • Cash contributions must be $100 or less.
  • Contributions over $100 must be made by cheque, money order, credit card, or electronic transfer.
  • There are serious penalties for breaking the sponsorship contribution rules established by the Election Act, including monetary penalties of up to double the amount of the contribution made in contravention of the rules.