How to Get Your Priorities Funded by Congress
With earmarks newly reinstated, members of Congress can now direct small pockets of federal spending to projects and priorities in their home state.
So how do you increase your project’s chances of getting funded?
Well, it’s a bit more complicated than it was a decade ago. Congressional leaders have added guardrails to increase transparency and decrease the chances of waste, fraud, and abuse, which doomed the process in the past.
One new requirement is demonstrating community need for those who would benefit from the earmark. Constituents or community groups need to provide written, on-the-record support for the project directly to their member of Congress. That means entities receiving funds must identify the intended beneficiaries and involve them in making the case for funding.
Bringing stakeholders to the table takes effort and strategy. So does working together to navigate the request. Does your organization have the relationships and experience to master stakeholder engagement? Can it manage the new funding process from start to finish?
Successful earmark requests require more than good timing, familiarity with congressional appropriations and luck. And at Woodberry Associates, we don’t leave your funding needs to chance. Our professionals have worked for appropriators on Capitol Hill and learned from appropriations experts. We hone your submission, strategically engage with members’ offices, begin stakeholder engagement early, and build an ironclad case to demonstrate the need for your funding request.
Appropriations requests are considered only once a year. Let Woodberry Associates help you prepare for the opportunity.