WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced the opening of his Fiscal Year 2024 Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) online portal that will allow Maine governments and nonprofits to apply for consideration to receive direct federal funding for eligible projects that will have significant and measurable benefits across the state.

Authorized in 2021 on a bipartisan basis, CDS funding is included in annual federal appropriations legislation at the request of one or more Members of Congress and provides a specific amount of discretionary funding to a state, locality, or nonprofit organization for projects with demonstrated civic and community value. Senator King’s FY2024 CDS portal can be found at king.senate.gov/CDS – the current deadline for CDS submissions is 5:00pm, Friday, March 17, 2023.

“The Congressionally-Directed Spending process provides an important opportunity for Maine governments and nonprofit organizations to receive the funding they need to support vital projects that will improve life in communities across our state,” said Senator King. “I’m excited to open up this portal for the 2024 Fiscal Year, and look forward to reviewing a wide range of worthy submissions. I encourage any interested local government or nonprofit to explore the available CDS opportunities.”

The Fiscal Year 2024 federal appropriations process will permit Congress to directly fund Maine projects in the form of Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS). A map of CDS project funding Senator King secured in FY22 and FY23 can be found HERE.

Staff will be hosting virtual informational sessions to answer questions about the FY24 CDS process online at 10AM on February 28th, March 7th, and March 14th. You can register for any of these sessions by emailing CDSRequests@king.senate.gov (please put ‘Senator King FY24 CDS Informational Session’ in the subject line of the email).

Requests for CDS must be submitted via electronic application by 5:00pm, Friday, March 17, 2023. Full information on the CDS application process, eligibility, and FAQs can be found at king.senate.gov/CDS. Interested organizations can submit optional letters of intent for CDS projects and submit any questions via email at CDSrequests@king.senate.gov.

Under current rules, the entity submitting a CDS request must be a state or local unit of government, or a nonprofit organization. Each project request must meet statutory requirements for the federal program through which it is funded, along with additional Senate Appropriations Committee requirements that can be found on the portal. For-profit entities are not eligible to receive Congressionally Directed Spending.