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Lobbying Calculator

What could lobbying actually return for your business?

Built on real lobbying data and peer-reviewed research. Adjust the inputs — see your estimated return in real time.

Grounded in Senate LDA data · 2008–2024 · 50,000+ filings analyzed
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Issue
Objective
Planned Lobbying Budget (annually) $75,000
$10K$250K+
Annual Business Revenue $3.2M
$500K$20M+
Timeline 18 months
6 months4 years
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Estimated Return Breakdown
Your annual budget
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Share of annual revenue
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Issue multiplier
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Conservative estimate
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Optimistic estimate
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Net return (conservative)
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Data sources
Kerr, Lincoln & Mishra (2014) — lobbying linked to 5.4% higher revenue growth (LDA analysis)
Borisov, Goldman & Gupta (2016), Review of Financial Studies 29(4) — firms that abruptly lost lobbying access lost measurable market value
Agca, Igan, Li & Mishra (2019), IMF Working Paper 19/172 — firms most exposed to federal budget cuts increased lobbying to defend their share of government contracts
LDA Bulk Data 2008–2024 — 50,000+ LD-2 filings across issues and jurisdictions
This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only, based on published research and aggregated LDA filing data. Individual results vary. This is not financial or legal advice.
Estimated Returns

What the Data on Lobbying Proves

Median annual spend and estimated return by issue, drawn from Senate LDA filings and published research.

Issue Median Annual Spend (LDA) Est. Return Multiplier Objective ROI Strength
Defense$4.1M8–14×Government Contract, NDAA, Appropriations RequestExceptional
Pharmacy$2.4M8–14×Policy Reform, Research, Market ExpansionExceptional
Health Issues$1.9M8–14×Funding, Policy Reform, Appropriations RequestExceptional
Aerospace$2.7M6–11×Government Contract, NDAA, Product DemonstrationExceptional
Energy/Nuclear$3.2M6–11×Infrastructure, Funding, Policy ReformStrong
Financial Institutions$1.8M6–11×Policy Reform, ReclassificationStrong
Banking$1.6M6–11×Policy Reform, Funding, ReclassificationStrong
Taxation$1.4M6–11×Policy Reform, Appropriations RequestStrong
Budget/Appropriations$1.2M6–11×Appropriations Request, FundingStrong
Homeland Security$980K5–9×Government Contract, Product DemonstrationStrong
Telecommunications$820K5–9×Policy Reform, Market Expansion, ReclassificationModerate
Science/Technology$760K5–9×Research, Government Contract, Market ExpansionModerate