Politicians supported
40
distinct FEC recipients
pac · DC
NELNET, INC.
Active on two fronts: $114K in campaign contributions and $1.6M in lobbying, no federal contracts on record.
- $1.7M
- Total influence
- $114K
- Contributions
- $1.6M
- Lobbying
The verdict
NELNET, INC. ranks in the top 15% of 21,545 organizations with tracked federal activity, split between campaign contributions and lobbying, with no federal contracts on record.
- Top 15%
- of 21,545 tracked organizations
- $114K
- campaign contributions
- $1.6M
- lobbying expenditures
Lobbying years filed
2
LDA disclosure years
LDA issue areas
3
distinct policy categories
How NELNET, INC.'s federal influence breaks down
The three tracked channels for NELNET, INC., side by side. Its largest channel is lobbying expenditures at $1.6M.
Lobbying share of total influence 93.2%
Higher share = lobbying-heavy strategy vs. contributions or contracts
What NELNET, INC.'s influence footprint shows
NELNET, INC., headquartered in DC, pairs campaign giving with lobbying but holds no federal contracts: $114K in PAC contributions alongside $1.6M in disclosed lobbying expenditures.
On the campaign side, NELNET, INC.'s PAC contributions reached 40 federal politicians, led by Garland Andy Barr at $10K. Its lobbying profile spans 2 reporting years across 3 distinct LDA issue areas, with emphasis on Education, Banking, Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities.
Politicians supported
| Politician | Party | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Garland Andy Barr | R | $10K |
| Donald J Bacon | R | $10K |
| Mike Flood | R | $9K |
| Pete Ricketts | R | $8K |
| Tom Cole | R | $6K |
| Robert C Scott | D | $5K |
| Debra S. Fischer | R | $5K |
| Steven Alexzander Horsford | D | $5K |
| Ann L. Wagner | R | $4K |
| Brittany Louise Pettersen | D | $4K |
| Vicente Gonzalez | D | $3K |
| Virginia Ann Foxx | R | $3K |
| Patrick Timothy Mchenry | R | $3K |
| Burgess Owens | R | $3K |
| Bryan George Steil | R | $3K |
| Warren Davidson | R | $3K |
| Adrian Smith | R | $3K |
| Steve Mr Scalise | R | $3K |
| Susie Lee | D | $3K |
| Dusty Johnson | R | $3K |
| Stephen A The Hon Womack | R | $3K |
| John Curtis | R | $3K |
| Kyrsten Sinema | I | $2K |
| Rosa L Delauro | D | $2K |
| William P Huizenga | R | $2K |
| Josh Gottheimer | D | $1K |
| Sean Casten | D | $1K |
| Scott Fitzgerald | R | $1K |
| Sherrod Brown | D | $1K |
| Celeste Maloy | R | $1K |
| Timothy Michael Kaine | D | $1K |
| Zach Nunn | R | $1K |
| W Blaine Luetkemeyer | R | $1K |
| Brad Wilson | R | $1K |
| Martin Heinrich | D | $1K |
| James French Hill | R | $1K |
| Julia Letlow | R | $1K |
| Joyce Beatty | D | $1K |
| Chuck Edwards | R | $1K |
| Mike Kennedy | R | $1K |
Lobbying by year
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $910K |
| 2023 | $650K |
Lobbying issues
Frequently asked questions
How much political influence does NELNET, INC. have?
NELNET, INC. has a combined political influence footprint of $1.7M, made up of $114K in campaign contributions and $1.6M in lobbying expenditures. This data comes from FEC filings, Senate LDA disclosures, and USAspending.gov records for 2023-2024.
Which politicians does NELNET, INC. support?
NELNET, INC. contributed $114K to political campaigns during the 2024 election cycle through its PAC. NELNET, INC. supported 40 politicians, with the largest contribution going to Garland Andy Barr ($10K). All contribution data is sourced from Federal Election Commission filings.
What issues does NELNET, INC. lobby on?
NELNET, INC. spent $1.6M on federal lobbying. Key issue areas include Education, Banking, Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities. Lobbying disclosures are filed under the Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) and are public record.
Where does the data about NELNET, INC. come from?
PlainInfluence aggregates data from three federal sources: the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for campaign contributions, the Senate Office of Public Records for lobbying disclosures under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, and USAspending.gov for federal contract awards. Data covers the 2023-2024 reporting period.
What is "total influence" and how is it calculated?
Total influence is the sum of an organization's campaign contributions, lobbying spending, and federal contract values. It provides a single metric for comparing the overall political and economic footprint of organizations in the federal arena. Each component is independently sourced from official government filings.
Related guides
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify the underlying filings at fec.gov/data.
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainInfluence Editorial.
Every figure on PlainInfluence is rendered directly from official FEC, Senate LDA and USAspending records, no number is typed in by an editor. Contribution, lobbying, and contract totals are aggregated directly from FEC, Senate LDA, and USAspending bulk data, no figure is hand-entered. Disclosed contributions, lobbying, and contracts are lawful, regulated activities, appearing on this page is not an allegation of wrongdoing. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our disclaimer, or report a data error. Data current as of 2023-2024.