February 23, 2023
Time to Submit Senate Earmark Requests
The Senate Committee on Appropriations announced early spring deadlines for members wishing to submit FY 2024 programmatic funding levels, report language, and congressionally directed spending (aka “earmark”) requests. The committee guidance notes that all funding subcommittees except Defense, Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations accept requests for earmarks.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which funds higher education projects through the Fund for Improvement in Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), has set a request deadline of April 13.
The House Committee on Appropriations has not yet announced a process for funding requests for FY2024. Conversations continue behind the scenes with the House leadership on how to move forward.
Congressionally directed spending resumed in 2021 (FY2022), after a decade of being banned. The new earmarks process provides greater transparency and targeted eligibility for which projects will be funded. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees set a limit on how many requests a member can submit, set an overall funding limit, and make public each member’s requests. However, not all members participate in the process. Both chambers also target eligibility for projects to nonprofit entities with community supported proposals.
In general, institutions seeking congressionally directed spending are encouraged to work directly with their Senators’ and Representative’s offices to determine the best-fit interests of the members for sponsorship, and the best community connections to garner local support for the project.
Securing an earmark, like applying for grants, takes time and preparation, but that leg work can pay off. In the FY 2023 funding bill, which was signed into law in December 2022, more than $1.7 billion was provided for 800 projects related to higher education at 550 institutions. The Senate list of last year’s projects is available on a public website. Inside Higher Ed crafted a searchable database for a user-friendly listing of projects related to higher education.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which funds higher education projects through the Fund for Improvement in Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), has set a request deadline of April 13.
The House Committee on Appropriations has not yet announced a process for funding requests for FY2024. Conversations continue behind the scenes with the House leadership on how to move forward.
Congressionally directed spending resumed in 2021 (FY2022), after a decade of being banned. The new earmarks process provides greater transparency and targeted eligibility for which projects will be funded. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees set a limit on how many requests a member can submit, set an overall funding limit, and make public each member’s requests. However, not all members participate in the process. Both chambers also target eligibility for projects to nonprofit entities with community supported proposals.
In general, institutions seeking congressionally directed spending are encouraged to work directly with their Senators’ and Representative’s offices to determine the best-fit interests of the members for sponsorship, and the best community connections to garner local support for the project.
Securing an earmark, like applying for grants, takes time and preparation, but that leg work can pay off. In the FY 2023 funding bill, which was signed into law in December 2022, more than $1.7 billion was provided for 800 projects related to higher education at 550 institutions. The Senate list of last year’s projects is available on a public website. Inside Higher Ed crafted a searchable database for a user-friendly listing of projects related to higher education.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie T. Giesecke