Which fundraising term describes money directed to political parties rather than directly to individual candidates?

• A. Soft money
• B. Dark money
• C. Hard money
• D. Bribery

Answer: (A)

Soft money refers to funds given to a political party for broad, non-candidate-specific purposes—like party-building, voter outreach, or generic issue advocacy—rather than money directed to a particular candidate. This contrasts with hard money, which is contributions given directly to candidates and tightly regulated in amount and disclosure. Dark money involves donor anonymity through nonprofit groups and isn’t tied to a specific party’s official fundraising in the same way, while bribery is an illegal act and not a legitimate fundraising term.