Earmarks for FY2026: Funding Opportunities from the Federal Government

Returning once again: earmarks! These are unique opportunities for funding for nonprofits via the federal government. While earmarked spending was eliminated for more than a decade, it returned in Fiscal Year 2022, with new limits and transparency requirements.

While these projects are informally called “earmarks,” the requests are actually called “Community Project Funding” (CPF) in the House and “Congressionally Directed Spending” (CDS) in the Senate.

CDS / CPF is "generally defined as a spending provision in federal appropriations legislation included at the request of a Member of Congress, which designates a specific amount of discretionary funding to a state or local government entity, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to be used for a specific purpose in a specific location." (from Sen. King's guidance)

The start of 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 2026 for specific projects in their states and districts. 

In recent years, Maine has seen one of the highest numbers of earmark dollars per capita, giving support for nonprofits and state / local governments across the state. These projects range from constructing new fire stations and child care facilities to research toward innovations in affordable housing and support for homeless youth in Aroostook County.

As of March 31, Senator Collins and Senator King have both opened their applications, and the application timelines are short--about two weeks! We are awaiting guidance from the House of Representatives, and as such, Rep. Golden and Rep. Pingree have not yet announced their plans for applications.

Helpful Hints

• This is NOT quick or easy 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 getting the funding bill passed through Congress, to navigating the many steps required for any government dollars. In fact, in FY2025, many nonprofits were selected by our Congressional Delegation, but Congress ended up passing a continuing resolution budget which did not allocate funding for the selected projects.
• 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 previous years, in order to be eligible, your project had to fit into certain "accounts" that Congress has designated. 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.
• In previous years, House members (Congressman Golden and Congresswoman Pingree) were limited to only 15 projects that they can pick to submit, but Senators have 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. Coordinating with other organizations and local government can create a stronger application.

Deadlines + More Info

If you were a FY25 applicant and you want to have your project reconsidered, you will need to submit a new application, complete with relevant updates (including revised budget information).

Senator Susan Collins

• Deadline: midnight on Monday, April 14, 2025.
• Visit Senator Collins' application website.
• You are encouraged to review the funding for projects that Senator Collins has secured for Maine in prior fiscal years as a guide when completing your application (available here). Additional information about FY26 eligibility will be available soon. Please check her website for updates.  
• Contact appropriations@collins.senate.gov with questions.

Senator Angus King

• Deadline: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
• Visit Senator King's application website.
• To solicit preliminary feedback on your request, including project eligibility, you may choose to submit a one-page summary of your project along with basic budget information to Senator King's team for review. The summary may be sent to CDSRequests@king.senate.gov 
• Senator King’s staff will be holding two information sessions – on April 8, and April 11, at 10:00 am. These sessions will provide an opportunity to learn about the CDS funding opportunity, and to ask questions about potential CDS projects. To RSVP, please email CDSRequests@king.senate.gov with the subject line “RSVP – CDS Info Session (1/2)"
• Please email CDSRequests@king.senate.gov with any questions

Congresswoman Pingree:

• Deadline: TBA. We will post as we have additional information. The House of Representatives has not yet issued guidance for FY2026.
• Visit Congresswoman Pingree's application website.

Congressman Golden

• Deadline: TBA. We will post as we have additional information. The House of Representatives has not yet issued guidance for FY2026.
• Visit Congressman Golden's application website.