ICYMI: One Month Left to Submit FY26 Appropriations Requests
Washington, DC – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is accepting appropriations requests from Alaskans for programmatic and Congressionally Direct Spending in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) for approximately one more month. The appropriations request portal on her website opened on January 3, 2025, and will remain open until Friday, February 14, 2025, at 11:59 PM AKST.
“Every year, I’m proud to partner with Alaskans to request funding for projects that help address our communities’ needs and priorities,” said Senator Murkowski. “We’ve had significant success and these targeted investments make a genuine difference in people’s lives. I encourage all Alaskans to reach out to my office and let us know about potential projects in your community so we can help determine whether Congressionally Directed Spending is the best path forward.”
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON SENATOR MURKOWSKI’S FY26 APPROPRIATIONS REQUEST PROCESS
Murkowski is making the Appropriations Request Form for FY26 available on her website for interested Alaskans. The FY26 appropriations process includes opportunities to request both programmatic funding and Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), which allows Alaskans to identify and receive federal assistance for their local and state-specific needs.
The CDS process accounts for no more than one percent of federal discretionary spending and does not increase overall spending levels. Without this process, many of the federal funds now headed for Alaska would go to other states based on decisions made by unelected bureaucrats in federal departments and agencies, rather than being negotiated and determined by publicly-elected representatives.
The annual appropriations process is lengthy, with uncertain timing, and there is no guarantee that CDS requests will be included in federal spending bills. Due to nuanced eligibility criteria and limited available funds, many requests will not move forward, and not all projects chosen to advance will ultimately receive funding.
The federal budget is currently funded through March 14, 2025, creating uncertainty for FY25 requests that have been included in the Senate’s FY25 appropriations bills. If you submitted a project for FY25 that has been included in one of the Senate’s FY25 Appropriations bills, we recommend you reapply for FY26. Prior submissions do not automatically carry over and must be resubmitted for consideration. This will ensure that your project will remain on our lists as Congress finalizes its FY25 appropriations bills and turns to the FY26 process.
Submitted proposals will be considered by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on a bipartisan basis through established criteria. To apply, you must be Alaskan and your project must be in Alaska. The deadline for requests is Friday, February 14, 2025, at 11:59 PM AKST.
