It's federal earmarks season again! For those who aren't familiar, earmarks are the process by which members of the U.S. Congress and Senate can provide one-time, one-year funds directly to local projects and organizations in their states and districts.
The application process for FY23 is now open, so there is again an opportunity for organizations to work with their federal representatives to put in an earmark request.
What to do: if you are considering applying for an earmark for FY23, or if you received an earmark award for FY22, you should immediately reach out to the office of your respective House of Representatives member and/or Senators. Each office has its own application process and staff will be able to tell you the details and provide deadlines and other important specifics. If you already received an award, it's important to thank the office for their support and they can also likely help with getting more details on how FY22 awards will be disbursed, which is still being determined and will be different for each federal agency.
Earmark requests for FY23 are due from members of Congress in late April for the House and in May for the Senate, but each office will have its own individual deadlines for submissions from community groups, so it's critical to reach out as soon as possible to understand the specifics in your own jurisdiction. If you are considering applying, we recommend that you reach out immediately and do not delay.
This year, each member of Congress can make up to 15 requests for earmarks (up from 10 last year), so there's an opportunity for even more projects to be funded than last year, and we'd love to see the field fully leveraging this opportunity. A helpful one-pager from CJAF contains more information and is also attached. If you have questions and/or if you need help connecting with your representatives, please contact Stephen St.Vincent at stephen.stvincent@gmail.com
Click above attachment for links to more information.