Senator Casey’s FY25 Appropriations Request Portal is Now Live

Appropriations request forms for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 are now live. Links to the programmatic and community projects application forms are now posted on the Senator’s website under the “Appropriations” tab, https://www.casey.senate.gov/services/funding. Preliminary guidance for FY25 programmatic and congressionally directed spending applications is attached to this email and is available on the Senator’s website. 

The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 29, at 11:59pm. Please note, 15-minute technical assistance calls are recommended, and staff may not be able to provide technical assistance or answer questions after 5pm on March 29th.  

The request forms allow constituents to state their requests for federal discretionary funding. Filling out these forms is the principal method for constituents to request the Senator’s support for funding federal discretionary programs and associated Senate Appropriations Committee report language. The information that comes through the appropriations request portal informs Senator Casey’s appropriations work and his corresponding requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

The two forms cover two distinct types of requests:  

  1. Community project requests, sometimes called earmarks or congressionally directed spending, are for funding requested for a specific project in a specific location. These projects must fit within Appropriation Committee guidance and are subject to rigorous review. 
  2. Programmatic requests are general funding requests for national and regional programs, and/or bill and report language requests that direct, encourage, or urge an Agency or Department to carry out an action. The information that comes through these requests informs Senator Casey’s appropriations work and requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Each request requires a separate submission. Do not include multiple requests in the same submission. If the same applicant makes multiple requests, the requests will have to be prioritized. Applicants will have to create an account to access the system but may return to the form before submission. Applicants are encouraged to answer the questions as thoroughly and accurately as possible and include additional supporting documentation, including media articles, letters of support, evidence of effectiveness and other information as attachments. Some questions use if-then logic, meaning that the answer may yield more questions, or not. Please take time to familiarize yourself with the forms. No emailed or physically sent materials, including requests emailed to any Senator Casey staff, or emailed attachments, will be accepted. 

Community Projects Overview 

In 2021, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced that it would, once again, accept requests from Senators for funds for community projects, discrete projects in specific places. The committee’s announcement also contained rules around the types of projects and sponsoring organizations that would be accepted. Preliminary eligibility guidance for this year’s process is attached as a PDF to this email.  

Applicants for community projects should note— 

  • All requests will be made public if moved forward to the Appropriations Committee. 
  • No for-profit organizations may request a community project. There are no exceptions. 
  • The Government Accountability Office may audit any project, at any time, for any reason, and the results of that audit will be public. 
  • Congressionally directed spending is not a continuous funding source—one-time awards are the norm. 
  • This process will be highly competitive at every stage of the process. Making a request does not mean that Senator Casey will be able to move your request to the Appropriations Committee, nor does it mean that the Appropriations Committee, or the full Senate, will vote to fund the request. 

15-Minute Community Project Technical Assistance Meetings:  

If you are considering requesting community project funding, please reach out to appropriations@casey.senate.gov to schedule a 15-minute technical assistance meeting to discuss your project and whether it is eligible for funding. In your request for a meeting, please provide: 

  • Name of Requesting Organization 
  • Location of the project 
  • Brief (1-2 sentence) description of the project and funding need 

Prior to that meeting, all potential applicants are strongly encouraged to review the first nine pages of the guidance document attached to this email and begin compiling application information as they are able. Meetings are first-come, first-serve, and staff may not be able to accommodate meeting requests if the volume of requests exceeds capacity. However, staff can also help email questions that are sent to Appropriations@casey.senate.gov. 

Letters of Support Submission: Letters of support for community project requests must be submitted through the application portal. Senator Casey’s office cannot guarantee that letters of support submitted late or outside of the portal will be included with the application. Please avoid sending physical letters of support to Senator Casey’s office.   

Save the Date: FY25 Community Projects Webinars 

Senator Casey’s office will hold two webinars during which staff will provide an overview of the community project funding process and share best practices for submitting an application. These webinars will be identical in form so there is no need to attend both. They are intended to provide assistance for anyone applying for community project funding but particularly for applicants who are unable to schedule 15-minute technical assistance calls.  

The two webinars will be: 

  • Friday, March 15th from 11:30-12:30 (RSVP here for this session) 
  • Friday, March 22nd from 11:30-12:30 (RSVP here for this session) 

Please email Appropriations@casey.senate.gov with questions. However, because of the number of potential requests and the limited time, Senator Casey’s staff requests that applicants leverage the available information and not wait for responses before beginning work on their application once the portal opens.