What's the difference between an earmark, Community Project Funding, and Congressionally Directed Spending?

They're the same idea under different names — direct federal funding a member of Congress secures for a specific project. Earmark is the historical term; the House now calls it Community Project Funding (CPF) and the Senate calls it Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS).

Can a nonprofit get a congressional earmark?

Yes. Eligible nonprofits, along with state, local, and tribal governments, can receive Community Project Funding for projects that fit the eligible accounts the Appropriations Committees define each year and that have a clear federal purpose.

Can I hire a lobbyist to get an earmark for me?

A lobbyist can't submit your House CPF request or lobby the office for it directly — that has to come from your organization. But a lobbyist can prepare the request, build the justification and community-support case, identify the right member and account, and run the surrounding appropriations strategy so your request is as strong as possible.

How much does earmark or appropriations help cost?

It varies by firm. Many DC firms charge $10,000–$50,000+ per month. Lobbyit works on affordable, transparent, month-to-month tiers built for mid-market organizations — see our pricing page for current numbers.

How to Get a Congressional Earmark (Community Project Funding)

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How to Get a Congressional Earmark (Community Project Funding)

Short answer: A congressional earmark, now called Community Project Funding (CPF) in the House and Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) in the Senate, is direct federal money a member of Congress secures for a specific local project. To get one, your organization submits a detailed funding request to your representative or senators during their annual spring submission window, proves a clear federal purpose and community support, and then helps your congressional champion carry it through the appropriations process. Eligible nonprofits and state, local, and tribal governments can apply. The hard part isn’t the form, it’s building a request strong enough to survive a committee that funds only a fraction of what’s submitted.

Who This Is For

If you’re a nonprofit, university, association, municipality, or mission-driven organization with a fundable project, a facility, equipment, a program, infrastructure, and you’ve heard that “earmarks are back,” this is the path. You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company. You need a real project, a federal nexus, and a credible, well-documented request in front of the right office before the deadline.

How the Process Actually Works

Find your member’s window. Each House and Senate office sets its own CPF/CDS application process and opens a submission window for a few weeks, usually in the spring. There is no single national form, every office is different.
Confirm eligibility and the federal nexus. Your project has to fit an eligible account the Appropriations Committees publish each year, and it must have a clear connection to a federal purpose.
Build the request. This is where requests are won or lost: a tight justification, budget, evidence of community support, and a clear answer to “why is this a responsible use of taxpayer money?”
Secure a champion. A member has to choose to submit your project, they can only request a limited number, so your project has to stand out against everything else in the district.
Carry it through appropriations. Even an approved request still has to survive the Appropriations Committee and the full annual process. Momentum, follow-up, and timing matter all the way to the finish.

What a Lobbyist Can, and Can’t, Do

Here’s something most pages won’t tell you. For House Community Project Funding, all direct communication with the office about the request must come from the entity that would receive the funds: an outside consultant or lobbyist cannot submit the request or lobby the office for it directly. So what’s the value of a firm like Lobbyit? Everything around the request: identifying the right account and the right member, preparing the justification and supporting materials, building the community-support case, sharpening your project so it competes, and running the broader appropriations strategy across the cycle. We make your request the strongest one on the member’s desk, then you submit it, as the rules require.

Why Lobbyit

We built Lobbyit for exactly the organizations earmarks are meant for: mid-market nonprofits, associations, and local entities that can’t absorb a $15,000-a-month retainer. Our model is affordable, transparent, and month-to-month: you see what we’re doing every month, and you’re never locked in. We turn a murky, intimidating process into a clear, documented plan, and we tell you honestly whether your project is a realistic earmark candidate before you spend a cycle on it. Appropriations and earmark strategy is part of our Sell & Advocate work, and it pairs naturally with our federal grant and government funding support, see our pricing page for current tiers.

Take the Next Step

If you have a project that might qualify for Community Project Funding, the worst thing you can do is miss the window. Let’s talk through whether it’s a fit. Do you have a quick window this week or next?

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How to Get a Congressional Earmark (Community Project Funding)

Services

How to Get a Congressional Earmark (Community Project Funding)

Who This Is For

How the Process Actually Works

What a Lobbyist Can, and Can’t, Do

Why Lobbyit

Take the Next Step

Client Feedback

What Our Satisfied Clients Are Saying About Us

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