Dear Friend,

I am reaching out to let you know that my office is now accepting submissions for Community Funded Projects to be included in the FY2024 Budget! I hope you will consider submitting your project for consideration by Tuesday, March 14th.

Next week, on March 7th at 1:00 p.m. Mountain Time, my office will be hosting a Community Project Funding Webinar via Zoom. Please RSVP here to register.

Last year, my team and I secured over $28 million for projects throughout our district that invest in public safety, critical infrastructure, and youth development. This year, we are hoping to bring more funding back to New Mexico, and we need you to submit your projects as we navigate the appropriations process. We are able to submit up to 15 projects for federal funding requests. This funding will continue our work to bring federal investments directly to our community to help address public safety, crime, and break cycles of violence, invest in our rural communities, economic development, health care, education, and programs and services for our young people.

What follows will give you an overview of the process—one that requires significantly more information due to new guidance from the House Republican majority. My team and I will need to know specific budget breakdowns, the purpose of the funding you are requesting, and any supplemental funding you are requesting from state or local governments. We will also need at least three letters of support from public officials, nonprofit partners, or community leaders.

To submit a project to my office for review, you can head to our website by clicking here. To receive funding, you must qualify as an eligible sponsor—and those eligibility requirements have changed due to the House Republican majority’s new FY24 guidance. To determine if you are an eligible sponsor, please visit this link and click on the appropriate subcommittee that determines your project funding category (e.g. if you are seeking funding for a transit project, click on the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies guidance for transit infrastructure projects). Most state, local, and Tribal governments and 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations are eligible for this funding.

I also want to make sure that you are aware that, if my office moves forward with selecting your project, you must be able to receive this funding by participating in the federal grant application process. This includes any environmental and/or related reviews. Therefore, the House Appropriations Committee highly encourages only entities with “shovel-ready” projects to apply.

Due to rules changes instituted by House Republicans, the following entities are no longer eligible for spending:

• Museums
• Memorials
• Commemoratives (i.e., projects named for an individual or entity)

In addition, the following Subcommittees will not be accepting applications:

• Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS)
• Subcommittee on Defense
• Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government

If you believe that you may not be eligible for funding under the House rules, please contact my team at [email protected] and also visit the websites of New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján to determine if you can request Senate Congressionally Directed Spending.

Due to House Appropriations deadlines, any submissions after Tuesday, March 14 will not be considered. Please plan to provide the following information in the forms here:

• Entity Requesting Funds.
• Primary Point of Contact (name, email, phone number, organization address).
• Affirmation that the funding application is for a single year, as no multi-year projects are allowed.
• Project Description (what you would accomplish and how, no more than 1000 characters).
• Include an explanation of why the project is a good use of taxpayer funds.
• Include an explanation of how the project will benefit communities in New Mexico’s First Congressional District.
• Include a budget which describes in detail how the requested federal funding will be used.
• Attach at least one letter of support and certify that the entity requesting funds can provide three letters of support for the project by March 24th (e.g. letters from local, state, regional, or Tribal government officials, nonprofit partners, etc.).

I look forward to reading through the projects you submit! Together, by working hard and dedicating ourselves to our communities, we can forge a better future for New Mexico. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out by calling my District Office at (505) 346-6781.

Again, if you would like to participate in my staff’s Community Project Funding webinar on March 7, please click here. To proceed to my office’s application portal, please click here.

Thank you so much for all that you do to support our communities here in New Mexico.

Sincerely,



Melanie A. Stansbury
Member of Congress