March 22, 2022 | Cole Karr

Earmarks are officially back for the federal Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process, and details are beginning to trickle in from top appropriators.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., announced in a “Dear Colleague” letter the FY23 Community Project Funding process, which is similar to the FY22 program. The Committee and its subcommittees will be reviewing congressional requests through the end of April. Each subcommittee will release details on which federal funding accounts will be open for earmarks in the coming days.

Some members of Congress have begun announcing their own application deadlines to ensure adequate time for review prior to submission to the Committee. NSDC is tracking deadlines for each congressional office and is providing links to each application on an online spreadsheet. 

The Coalition released Tuesday a full briefing outlining federal program accounts opened for FY22 earmarks and includes examples from each. The report also includes listings of all successful earmarks included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2022. Special districts may access these resources through their NSDC-member association or by completing this request form. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet announced details of the FY23 Congressionally Directed Funding program, but details are expected soon.

Special districts weighing whether to request project funding for eligible projects should have the following details ready for each submitted project: 

• All project details including title and purpose
• Total amount of funding requested
  • Districts should consider match dollars as a potential requirement depending on the nature of the project and what federal account the earmark may fall under. Match funds may not be required immediately, but rather a plan in place to acquire matching funds. Congressional offices will discuss this issue on a case-by-case basis with applicants.
• Written justification of how/why the project is an appropriate use the project’s use of taxpayer funds.
• Demonstration that funding can be utilized during the federal Fiscal Year 2023 (October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023).
• Proof of local support for the project. Examples of these include, but are not limited to:
  • Letters of support from elected community leaders (e.g. mayors or other officials)
  • Press articles highlighting the need for the requested Community Project Funding
  • Support from newspaper editorial boards
  • Projects listed on State intended use plans, community development plans, or other publicly available planning documents
  • Resolutions passed by city councils or boards.

Members of U.S. House of Representatives will be allowed to submit up to 15 Community Project funding requests to Appropriations committee, which is increased from 10 last year.

Special districts with eligible projects are encouraged to contact their member of Congress and senators for office-specific information on applications and deadlines. Click here to look up your member of the U.S. House. A list of U.S. Senators is located at this link.

NSDC will continue to follow the development and organization of the FY 2023 congressionally directed spending process and will update members as additional information is released.

Contact Cole Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Coordinator, for questions.