INSTITUTE INDEX: How special-interest money took over the party conventions

Year in which Congress passed a law prohibiting private funding of political parties' presidential nominating conventions: 1947

Year in which Congress passed a law to provide public financing for conventions through the national party committees as long as those committees didn't accept private funds for the events: 1974

Between 1976 and 2012, percent of Democratic and Republican presidential nominating conventions that took advantage of public financing: 100

Year in which the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) created a legal loophole allowing conventions' local host committees to raise unlimited private funds, including corporate contributions: 1977

By 2004, percent of money related to the Republican and Democratic conventions that was coming from corporations and other private sources: 75

In 2008, with the financial crisis unfolding, rank of banks among the top contributors to the Republican and Democratic conventions, showing how convention funders often have pressing issues before the government: 1

Month in which President Obama signed a law sponsored by U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Mississippi) that eliminated public financing of presidential nominating conventions and allowed parties to create special accounts for convention fundraising: 4/2014

Amount a political action committee can contribute to a party's special convention account: $45,000

Amount an individual donor can contribute: $100,200

Projected cost of the Republican National Convention held earlier this month in Cleveland: $71 million

Of that total, amount expected to come from private sources outside the party committee, including corporations: $64 million

Estimated cost of this week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia: nearly $65 million

Of that total, amount expected to come from private sources outside the party committee: $60 million

Under FEC rules, days after the conventions the local host committees have to release their donor lists, meaning the public lacks details while the events are underway: 60

Rank of Duke Energy among the top contributors to the 2012 Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina: 1

Amount the company contributed: over $5.6 million

Rank of AT&T among the top contributors to the 2012 Republican National Convention held in Tampa, Florida: 1

Amount the company contributed: over $3 million

Percent by which private funding from outside the party committee is expected to increase over 2012 for this year's Democratic convention: 12

For this year's Republican convention: 40

(Click on figure to go to source.)