LEGO

Quick Take

LEGO's own policy bars contributions to candidates, political committees and political parties, and it has no U.S. political action committee (PAC, a fund that gives to candidates) [6][7][8]. People who list it as their employer give very little to federal candidates [9]. Its U.S. arm has lobbied Washington since 2020, and in 2025 it hired Ballard Partners, a firm Bloomberg Government lists among those "with connections to Donald Trump," to work on trade and tariffs [2][3]. In Denmark, LEGO's third-generation owner, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, was named among the largest donors to the Liberal Party (Venstre) in the 2022 election year [10]. LEGO released its first LGBTQIA+ themed set in 2021, and its 2024 sustainability report dropped earlier references to diversity, LGBTQ+ employee groups and people of color [11][12].

Who Owns the Bricks

LEGO is a family company. The Kirk Kristiansen family controls it through KIRKBI, which holds 75 percent, while the LEGO Foundation, a Danish corporate foundation, holds the other 25 percent [4]. LEGO's own site describes Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Thomas Kirk Kristiansen as the third and fourth generation owners [4].

Because LEGO is private, it does not file U.S. securities reports. Its annual results come from the company itself. For 2025, it reported operating profit of DKK 22.0 billion, up 18 percent, and said consumer sales grew 16 percent while the toy market grew 7 percent [5].

Not every LEGO set is sold as a toy. The company makes a LEGO MRI Scanner set to help hospital staff explain scans to children, and says more than one million children have benefited since the program started [6]. In its 2025 annual report, LEGO says 96 percent of healthcare professionals said the set reduced children's anxiety, and 46 percent reported less need for sedation or general anesthesia [6].

A Small Political Money Footprint

LEGO has no federal PAC. A search of Federal Election Commission (FEC) committees for "LEGO" returns no results [8]. Companies cannot give directly to federal candidates, so OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks political money, counts gifts of $200 or more from people who list an employer [9].

LEGO's own rules explain the missing PAC. Its Advocacy, Government Ethics, and Political Activity Policy, published in November 2022, says "The LEGO Group does not make contributions to any candidate for elected office, political committee, or political party" [7]. The policy also says LEGO does not sponsor a corporate PAC and does not make independent expenditures in any election [7]. It leaves one opening: LEGO may spend on ballot initiatives, ballot measures or referenda, but only with prior approval from its Vice President of Government & Public Affairs and a member of its executive leadership, and the policy says any such spending will be disclosed [7]. LEGO's 2025 annual report repeats the ban on contributions to candidates, political committees and parties [6].

For LEGO Systems, the employee totals are small. People listing LEGO Systems gave $12,236 in the 2020 cycle and $1,831 in the 2024 cycle, according to OpenSecrets, and none of it went to Republicans [9]. In the 2024 cycle, $1,806 went to Democrats, and the largest recipient was Kamala Harris, at $1,333 [9][13]. These are personal choices of employees and their families, not company money.

The Lobbying Footprint

LEGO's U.S. arm started lobbying Washington in 2020 and has grown that work since. Federal lobbying reports show it first hired the law firm Thompson Coburn in 2020 [2]. Since 2023 it has also reported lobbying by its own staff [2].

LEGO Systems' own reports list $100,000 in lobbying expenses each quarter of 2024 and 2025 [2]. Outside firms report their fees from LEGO separately. S-3 Group reported $60,000 a quarter in 2024 [2]. Ballard Partners registered for LEGO in June 2025 and has reported $90,000 a quarter since, for $270,000 in 2025 and $270,000 in the first three quarters of 2026 [2]. In 2026 LEGO added Bose Public Affairs Group, which lobbies on federal education funding, science and technology education, and artificial intelligence [2].

OpenSecrets lists LEGO Systems' 2024 lobbying total as $360,000 [13]. The quarterly figures above come from the filings themselves and should not be added together into a single total.

The topics are mostly about toys and kids. LEGO's own reports list safety and compliance, education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), children's online safety and privacy, trade, and "sustainability and climate change" [2]. Ballard Partners' reports describe its work as "Advocacy related to trade and tariffs" [2]. Brian Ballard is named as one of the lobbyists on the account [2]. Ballard's report for the third quarter of 2026 lists consumer product issues and a House bill, H.R. 9653, instead, and says trade and tariffs no longer pertain [2]. That report also names lobbyist Hunter Morgen and lists his past posts, including deputy director of the White House Office of Trade & Manufacturing Policy from 2017 to 2018 and Special Assistant to the President from 2018 to 2020 [2]. Bloomberg Government reported in April 2025 that Ballard Partners was among firms "with connections to Donald Trump" that were signing up new clients [3].

LEGO publishes its own policy agenda and its memberships. Its public policy page names five areas: intellectual property rights, environmental sustainability, responsible digital engagement, learning through play, and governance [14]. The company pays membership fees to trade associations and coalitions, and its 2025 annual report says it "does not knowingly contribute to funds used by third parties to make political contributions" [6]. Its 2025 membership list includes, in the United States, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation, the Toy Association, the STEM Education Coalition and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and globally the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty [15]. Its China entries include the Shanghai Xuhui District Committee of Political Consultative Conference [15].

Tariffs, Mexico and a Virginia Factory

LEGO's public line on tariffs has been calm. In March 2025, CEO Niels B. Christiansen said tariffs were "not what keeps me awake at night," and that if they became permanent, LEGO would "find ways to deal with that" [16]. LEGO supplies the U.S. market from a factory in Mexico [16].

LEGO is also building in the United States. In June 2022, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that LEGO would invest more than $1 billion in a factory in Chesterfield County, creating more than 1,760 jobs [17]. LEGO became eligible for a $56 million state performance grant and up to $19 million in site improvements, subject to approval by the Virginia General Assembly [17]. LEGO reported progress on the Virginia factory in its 2025 results, and the factory is due to begin operating in 2027 [5][16].

Politics Outside the United States

LEGO's owners are Danish, so the Danish record matters too. Danish parties had to name donors who gave more than DKK 22,200, and none of the parties said how much each donor gave [10]. In February 2024, the Danish outlet Altinget listed Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen among the largest donors to Venstre, the Liberal Party, in the 2022 election year [10]. That was a personal donation. Altinget did not list LEGO or KIRKBI as donors [10].

LEGO has also made decisions tied to world events. In March 2022, weeks after Russian troops entered Ukraine, LEGO paused shipments to Russia [18]. In July 2022, it said it would "indefinitely cease commercial operations in Russia," ended its deal with the franchisee that ran 81 LEGO stores there, and laid off 90 employees in Moscow [18].

Pride, Gender and Other Values Signals

LEGO has taken visible positions on social questions. In May 2021, it announced "Everyone is Awesome," a set inspired by the rainbow flag that LEGO called a symbol of love and acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community, released for the start of Pride Month [11]. Its designer, Matthew Ashton, said he "wanted to create a model that symbolises inclusivity and celebrates everyone" [11].

In October 2021, LEGO pledged to remove gender stereotypes from its toys and marketing, including ending the practice of labeling toys "for girls" and "for boys" [19]. The pledge followed a survey LEGO commissioned from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media [19].

In June 2020, during the protests after George Floyd's death, LEGO asked some online sellers to stop promoting more than 30 products, including police station and White House sets, though it did not remove any sets from sale [20]. It also pledged $4 million to groups supporting Black children and teaching children about racial equality [20].

LEGO's diversity reporting has since changed. HR Dive reported in April 2025 that LEGO's 2024 sustainability report no longer mentions diversity, LGBTQ+ or people of color, outside the word "biodiversity" [12]. The 2023 report had listed employee groups for women, Asian colleagues, LGBTQIA+ colleagues and people of color [12]. A LEGO spokesperson told HR Dive, "We are fully committed to our workplace diversity and inclusion initiatives" [12]. LEGO's 2025 annual report still describes "ongoing efforts by our Inclusion Networks" and celebrations "such as Black History Month, International Women's and Men's Day, and Pride" [6].

Climate pressure has shaped LEGO's partnerships too. In October 2014, after a Greenpeace campaign against Shell's Arctic drilling, LEGO said its marketing deal with Shell would end when the current contract expired [21]. Its CEO at the time said, "We do not want to be part of Greenpeace's campaign" [21].

Where to Find Them

LEGO sells through its own website, LEGO.com, and LEGO-branded stores [11].

Footnotes

[1] CNBC, "Lego alters bulk buy rule after Ai Weiwei backlash," January 13, 2016. https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/13/lego-changes-bulk-buy-rule-after-ai-weiwei-backlash.html

[2] U.S. Senate Office of Public Records, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings listing LEGO Systems, Inc. as client, 2020 to 2026, accessed November 1, 2026. https://lda.gov/api/v1/filings/?client_name=lego

[3] Kate Ackley, Bloomberg Government, "Trump-Linked Lobby Shops Post Revenue Rise as Clients Sign Up," April 21, 2025. https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/trump-linked-lobby-shops-post-revenue-rise-as-clients-sign-up

[4] The LEGO Group, "Ownership," accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/ownership

[5] The LEGO Group, "The LEGO Group delivers record results in 2025 driven by strong brand and innovative portfolio," March 10, 2026. https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2026/march/the-lego-group-delivers-record-results-in-2025-driven-by-strong-brand-and-innovative-portfolio

[6] The LEGO Group, "The LEGO Group 2025 Annual Report," accessed November 6, 2026. https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/blte543dd46714c9226/The_LEGO_Group_2025_Annual_Report.pdf

[7] The LEGO Group, "Advocacy, Government Ethics, and Political Activity Policy," November 2022. https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/blt17488beb6e9bc1bc/LEGO_Group_Policy_on_Advocacy_Govt_Ethics_and_Political_ActivitiesFor_November_2022_publication.pdf

[8] Federal Election Commission, committee search for "lego," accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committees/?q=lego

[9] OpenSecrets, "LEGO Systems Profile: Totals," all cycles, accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/lego-systems/totals?cycle=A&id=D000091606

[10] Christoffer Lund-Hansen, Altinget, "Se listen over de fonde og virksomheder, som er største bidragydere til politiske partier," February 26, 2024. https://www.altinget.dk/fonde/artikel/se-listen-over-de-fonde-og-virksomheder-som-er-stoerste-bidragydere-til-venstre-og-konservative

[11] The LEGO Group, "Everyone is Awesome LEGO set celebrates fans' diversity," May 20, 2021. https://www.lego.com/en-id/aboutus/news/2021/may/everyone-is-awesome

[12] Caroline Colvin, HR Dive, "Lego removes DEI mentions from latest ESG report," April 16, 2025. https://www.hrdive.com/news/lego-removes-dei-2024-sustainability-report/745474/

[13] OpenSecrets, "LEGO Systems Profile: Summary," 2024 cycle, accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/lego-systems/summary?id=D000091606&cycle=2024

[14] The LEGO Group, "Public Policy," accessed November 6, 2026. https://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/public-policy

[15] The LEGO Group, "The LEGO Group Engagement in Associations / Groups - 2025 Update," accessed November 6, 2026. https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/bltfe0cdf24a90c71af/The_LEGO_Group_Engagement_in_Associations_Groups_2025.pdf

[16] AFP, Fortune, "Record earnings at Lego as CEO says Trump's tariffs are 'not what keeps me awake at night'," March 11, 2025. https://fortune.com/europe/2025/03/11/lego-worlds-largest-toymaker-record-earnings-niels-christiansen

[17] Virginia Economic Development Partnership, "The LEGO Group to Establish U.S. Manufacturing Plant in Virginia, Creating Over 1,760 New Jobs," June 15, 2022. https://www.vedp.org/press-release/2022-06/lego-group-chesterfield-county

[18] Reuters, CNN Business, "Lego closes Russia business and lays off 90 staff in Moscow," July 13, 2022. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/13/business/lego-russia

[19] Snopes, "Lego Pledges To Remove Gender Bias from Toys," October 13, 2021. https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/10/13/lego-remove-gender-bias-from-toys/

[20] Lucy Handley, CNBC, "Lego pulls some advertising for White House and police building sets in wake of George Floyd protests," June 4, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/04/george-floyd-protests-lego-pulls-some-ads-for-police-and-white-house-sets.html

[21] Tom Sullivan, IndustryWeek (AFP), "Lego to Drop Shell Partnership, Bowing to Greenpeace Pressure," October 9, 2014. https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/companies-executives/article/21963825/lego-to-drop-shell-partnership-bowing-to-greenpeace-pressure