More than 110 community colleges across the country would receive thousands of dollars for special projects through the fiscal year 2026 appropriations package passed by the House last week.
Lawmakers would send more than $170 million back home to the community colleges in their districts via “Congressionally Directed Spending” (formerly known as earmarks). The funds are included in an appropriations packet for programs covered in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) bill and another bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (Transportation-HUD) programs.
Historically, special projects funding for community colleges comes through the Labor-HHS-ED bill. This fiscal year (FY26), about 65 community colleges would receive about $95 million through that bill, according to an analysis by the American Association of Community Colleges. In the three-bill appropriations package that the Senate plans to vote on this week, the Transportation-HUD bill also includes substantial Congressionally Directed Spending funds for community colleges: nearly $78 million for 50 community colleges.
The funding in both bills would largely go toward workforce development programs, equipment purchases and new facilities or facility upgrades in areas such as nursing, manufacturing, the trades, aviation training and aircraft maintenance, culinary arts, CDL training, EMS/fire training and more. The grants range from $105,000 to Linn-Benton Community College Foundation (Oregon) for the college’s child development center, to $9.5 million to Columbus State Community College for the Ohio Center for Advanced Technology.
Among projects receiving the highest funding are:
- Eastern Maine Community College: $6.5 million for constructing/renovating its nursing and allied health facility and equipment
- York County Community College (Maine): $6.5 million for workforce and student housing
- State Fair Community College (Missouri): $6 million for its Workforce Training Center for Agriculture Advancement
- Central Carolina Community College (North Carolina): $5.8 million for an EMS/fire training facility
- Mississippi Community College Board: $5 million to expand nursing degree programs
- Northcentral Technical College (Wisconsin): $3.2 million for education and workforce development, including providing financial aid, purchasing equipment and supplies, and apprenticeship wages
Among some of the more unique projects:
- Aims Community College (Colorado): $1.2 million for an oil and gas demonstration wellhead project
- Camden County College (New Jersey): $850,000 for an electric vehicle education network
- College of Southern Maryland: $732,000 for education and training in water and wastewater treatment programs, including supplies. (The college also would receive $997,000 for aviation education and training, including equipment.)
- Hostos Community College (New York): $700,000 for library renovations
- Palm Beach State College (Florida): $2 million for the development and construction of a quantum-computing center facility
- Prince George’s Community College (Maryland): $1.8 million for expanding quantum-based education and training, including purchasing equipment and providing stipends
- San Jacinto College (Texas): $3 million for a biomanufacturing workforce and industry growth initiative
