The Philadelphia Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention spent 67 percent of its multi-million-dollar budget with diverse businesses, nearly doubling its 35-percent goal. It’s the highest proportion of spending on diverse businesses in convention history, according to the host committee.
The committee released its financial information Sept. 26. The full report, on file with the Federal Election Commission, is available here.
Out of $43.2 million that the host committee had control over spending, $29.1 million went to diverse businesses, meaning companies owned by people of color, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBT people and others.
Nearly $138,900 went to businesses with LGBT owners. That number constitutes less than half of 1 percent of the budget but only includes those who self-identified as LGBT. The host committee simply required businesses to designate themselves as minority-owned. They could decide whether to further specify their identity.
Overall, $4.4 million in diverse spending went to Philadelphia companies and $6.3 million went to those in the region, including the city.