Appropriations: Making Your Request

1. Appropriations: Making Your Request Prepared for: National Council for the Social Studies

2. Appropriations 101

3. DEADLINES LOOMING • Most Appropriations Subcommittees have member request deadlines in the first week of April • Most Congressional offices have constituent request deadlines Friday, March 21 or Monday, March 24. • Time is getting short!

4. What Are We Asking For? • $30 million in the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) for competitive grants to non-profits to improve the teaching of History • $30 million in the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) for competitive grants to non-profits to improve the teaching of Civics • How would this funding work?

5. What Are We Asking For Cont’d • Why History and Civics? What happened to Geography and Economics? • What about the SEED program?

6. How Do I Make my Request? • Congressional offices are putting together their request letters now • Email or phone your Senators’ and Representatives’ offices • Ask to talk to staff person who handles education appropriations • Do they have a form? Can they send it to you? Is it online?

7. Filling Out the Form • Forms are usually short – one page • May include request for information not relevant to Social Studies request (ie, what budget line?) because form covers all appropriations requests, including Department of Defense • Typically takes less than 10 minutes to fill out the form • Helps if many constituents make the request!

8. Filling Out the Form Cont’d • What will I be asked? • Name, organization, email address, maybe street address (to determine if you are a constituent – but you don’t have to be) • Appropriations subcommittee for request (Labor-HHS) • Department/Agency for the request (Department of Education) • Program or Account for the request (Fund for the Improvement of Education)

9. Filling Out the Form Cont’d • What is the purpose/reason for the funding? Usually limited to 500 words or less. Explain in your own words why this is needed. • Funding level requested ($30 million for history, and $30 million for civics. You can make one combined request, or submit two.) May ask if this is the same as last year, an increase, the level in the President’s budget, or a general request. This is an increase, and specific to history and civics. We are not requesting a general increase for FIE, and history and civics funding is not included in any past budget or budget request. • Bill or report language. You can leave this blank – we want cold, hard cash!

10. Filling Out the Form Cont’d • Not sure how to answer a question? • Email Catriona Macdonald at CMacdonald@LinchpinStrategies.com (I will be out of the office March 22-30) • Email Ana Post at Apost@NCSS.org • Call the Congressional office and ask for advice. It may be something you can leave blank if it doesn’t apply to Social Studies.