Earmarks: Funding Opportunities from the Federal Government

Date postedApril 5, 2024
Posted By: Mary Alice Scott Advocacy + Government, Financial Management,
April 25th update: The House has released the rules for Community Project Funding. The turnaround time for applications is short and nonprofits have been excluded from some key appropriations opportunities. See Congresswoman Pingree and Congressman Golden's websites for more information. (See below)

Returning once again: earmarks! These are unique opportunities for funding for nonprofits via the federal government. Congress' new budget cycle means charitable nonprofits have the opportunity to ask their Representatives and Senators to include funding requests in appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for specific projects in their states and districts. Formerly known as “earmarks,” the requests are now called “Community Project Funding” in the House and “Congressionally Directed Spending” in the Senate.

Maine’s congressional delegation are starting to open their applications, and the application timelines are likely to be short--perhaps less than two weeks!

It’s a good time to start thinking about your potential projects, and even collecting letters of support from community partners.

We will update below as we find out information from Maine's Congressional delegation.

Helpful Hints

  • This is NOT quick money! There are many steps involved, from having a member of Maine's delegation select your project, to championing it through the Appropriations process, to navigating the many steps required for any government dollars.
  • It can be helpful to review previous projects that have been funded in order to get a sense of what may be successful. Each legislator has previously funded projects listed on their websites.
  • In order to be eligible, your project must fit into certain "accounts" that Congress has designated. This year's accounts have not been finalized (as of April 5), but you can view previous accounts here. Confirm with Congressional staff about updated account information for this year.
  • If your organization is based in Congressional District 1, you should connect with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, as well as both Senators. If your organization is based in Congressional District 2, you should connect with Congressman Jared Golden, as well as both Senators. If your organization or project operates statewide and / or the proposed project could have multiple locations, check in with each Congressperson to see what they recommend.
  • House members (Congressman Golden and Congresswoman Pingree) are limited to only 15 projects that they can pick to submit, but Senators do not have that limitation. For that reason, the House members may be more interested in projects that can be combined with other, similar projects and that have a bigger impact. Try to coordinate with other organizations and local government to create a stronger application.

Deadlines + More Info

Senator Susan Collins
Senator Angus King
Congresswoman Pingree:
Congressman Golden

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