Major technology companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as telecoms giants like Comcast and Verizon, are among the nearly 1,000 people and groups who donated at least $ 200 to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s organizing commemoration inauguration this month.
The donor list, released on Saturday night by the committee, was filled mainly with individual donors, including major donors to Democrats, like Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons; Richard C. Blum, husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein, of California; and Donald Sussman, hedge fund tycoon.
The inaugural committee did not list any of the amounts that these 959 donors had given by December 31, the end of the period covered by voluntary disclosure.
Actual donor values may not be known until 90 days after the inauguration, when the committee will be required by law to disclose the names and values of all donations over $ 200. There are no legal limitations on how much a donor can give to a donor. inaugural committee, but the Biden committee voluntarily limited contributions from individuals to $ 500,000 and corporations to $ 1 million.
Many of the large corporations that traditionally make major contributions to inaugural events are missing. Some explained that they will not donate, since the event will be largely virtual because of the pandemic. Others said they were focusing their donations on helping people affected by the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus.
But the technology and telecommunications sectors, a major source of money for Biden’s campaign and the groups that support it, are well represented on the list, with donations also from Qualcomm, a California-based semiconductor and software company, and from Charter Communications, a cable company.
Google was added to the list because it provided free online security protection to the inaugural committee, said José Castañeda, a spokesman for Google.
Other corporate donations came from the political action committee of Enterprise Holdings, which is associated with the company that has the brands Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car.
Healthcare companies also feature on the list, including Anthem Inc., health insurance giant MedPoint Management, which provides management services for groups of doctors, and Masimo Corporation, a maker of electronic patient monitoring devices.
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The Boeing Company, an aerospace and military giant, is also listed as a donor.
Biden’s team banned donations from the oil, gas and coal industries and registered lobbyists.
Labor unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and United Food and Commercial Workers, have made contributions.
There were also a handful of celebrities on the list – as was the case with Biden’s presidential campaign – including Barbra Streisand.
An inauguration spokesman declined to comment when asked on Saturday about the total raised by the Biden committee.
The fundraising effort is likely to slow down compared to the $ 107 million record set four years ago by Trump for his inauguration, with donations of up to $ 5 million from major supporters like Sheldon G. Adelson, executive and major Donor casino game.
Biden asked his supporters not to travel to Washington for inauguration on January 20, because outside the inauguration ceremony, there will be few large-scale face-to-face events.
Details about the grand opening schedule have not yet been released, and planning for the event was also affected by the invasion of the Capitol on Wednesday by Trump supporters in an outbreak of violence that raised security concerns surrounding the inauguration ceremony.
Organizers said the inaugural festivities will include a “virtual concert” with some famous artists, a ceremony to remember people killed by the coronavirus and a virtual event similar to the elaborate call list held at the Democratic National Committee last year, which included short videos from all 57 states and territories.
But the inauguration committee still tried to attract large donations, offering a number of unusual advantages. Corporations contributing $ 1 million and individuals contributing $ 500,000 will receive an invitation to a virtual event with Mr. Biden and Jill Biden, the future first lady, along with a photo, as well as a similar event with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff.
The fundraising effort continues, with the committee sending a request to donors on Saturday night, shortly after the preliminary donor list was released.
“Our team is creating a new style of inauguration that integrates traditional elements with creative programming and local events across the country – that’s why we’re getting in touch today,” says the fundraising email, which was directed to recipients in different parts of the country.
The committee, according to the e-mail, wants to “ensure that we have strong representation across the country as part of our foundation-based donor program.”