The U.S. Supreme Court held unconstitutional laws prohibiting corporate contributions for independent expenditures, including contributions to groups known as “Super -PACs”. Super- PACs, which are political committees registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) solely for the purpose of funding independent expenditures, are required to be transparent and disclose all contributions and expenditures on regular reports filed with the FEC. To the extent the Company determines to contribute to Super PACs or the Company makes any Independent Expenditures, information regarding such contributions will be made available here.
In connection with its business initiatives, Mastercard joins various trade associations and pays regular dues for such membership in order to communicate with other companies on issues of mutual interest and to be part of an important public education effort regarding our industry’s goals and challenges. Trade associations provide specialized services to their members, including monitoring legislative and regulatory agendas, providing data and analysis, and advancing public policy through a collective voice. Participation in a trade association does not mean that we agree with every position or policy the association takes; however, we actively work within our trade associations to try to shape their policies to align with Mastercard’s objectives. All trade association memberships are reviewed and approved initially and annually thereafter by the Executive Vice President, Public Policy to determine whether membership is warranted based on the Company’s evolving business goals and strategies.
The Company does not normally make additional, non-dues payments to support a trade association’s political contributions or independent expenditures. A list of the U.S.-based trade associations that received $25,000 or more from the Company during the calendar year can be found here. For each of those associations, Mastercard discloses the percentage of the payment that the trade association reported was used for lobbying. Mastercard does not direct how the dues paid to trade associations are spent. However, Mastercard will request from any trade association that receives $25,000 or more from the Company during a calendar year, information regarding that portion of the Company’s dues and any other payments, if any, used for political contributions or independent expenditures. For all payments to 501(c)(4) organizations, Mastercard restricts its funds from being used for election-related activities. Notice of use of payments for the purposes described above from any trade association can be found here.