in-kind contribution

An in-kind contribution is a campaign donation made in the form of goods or services rather than money, such as free advertising, staff time, or the use of corporate resources, valued at fair market value and subject to the same legal limits and disclosure rules as cash contributions under federal campaign finance law. Corporations are barred from making contributions, in cash or in kind, directly to federal candidates, and foreign nationals are barred from contributing at all. Elon Musk’s purchase and use of the X platform to support Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign sparked allegations of an in-kind contribution, which the Federal Election Commission dismissed in 2025 following Trump’s inauguration.