Appropriations Request

Community Project Funding

This year the House Appropriations Committee announced a new Community Project Funding initiative to allow Members of Congress to target federal funds towards projects and programs that will address the most significant needs facing the communities they represent. Only state, local, and tribal governments; publicly owned entities (e.g. ports, universities, PUDs, etc.); and certain non-profit entities with a quasi-government purpose (e.g. Special Districts) are eligible to request Community Project Funding.

Congresswoman Pressley made available a Community Project Funding Resource Guide to explain details on eligibility and support district partners in preparing requests. The deadline to submit requests was March 31, 2021.

Community Projects Requested (in alphabetical order)

Members are required to publicly list any projects submitted to the Appropriations Committee and to certify that neither they nor any immediate family member have a financial interest in the submitted projects. Projects that Congresswoman Pressley submitted are listed in alphabetical order according to project name below. Congresswoman Pressley has certified that neither she nor any immediate family member has a financial interest in the submitted projects. Project requests submitted by Congresswoman Pressley to the Appropriations Committee do not guarantee funding. The Appropriations Committee will make final decisions about which member designated projects are funded.

Project Name: Boston Tuition Free Community College Program Expansion
Requested Amount: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Boston, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02201
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): The funding would be used for covering tuition and related expenses for low and moderate-income students to complete certain certificate programs at one of six partner community and technical colleges in Greater Boston. This will result in students accessing new career paths with increased wages and opportunities for advancement as well as addressing some of the aftershocks of the COVID-19 recession on communities of color in the region.

Project Name: Clean Energy Building Automation Systems Program at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
Requested Amount: $291,400
Intended Recipient: Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 41 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to create a new Building Automation System (BAS) certificate and associate degree program, allowing students to receive the training needed to pursue good-paying jobs in the clean energy sector. Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology is a Minority Serving Institution that serves a student body with 74% students of color, 57% first generation college students, and students have an average household income of $23,800 upon entry. This project improves access to postsecondary education in the clean energy sector for these students, resulting in good paying jobs in a growing industry.

Project Name: COVID Employment Recovery Program (CERP)
Requested Amount: $300,000
Intended Recipient: La Colaborativa
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 318 Broadway, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used for a rapid (re) employment initiative that would help the Chelsea community create pathways to jobs, pay rent, and qualify for existing lifesaving assistance that requires them to be employed. These funds would help the Chelsea community, which has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, rebuild from, heal from, and survive the effects of the pandemic.

Project Name: The Dimock Center – Project Access – Providing Men with Access to CSS
Requested Amount: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: The Dimock Center
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: Dimmock Community Health Center, 55 Dimock Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would provide Massachusetts residents in Roxbury and neighboring areas with increased availability of critically needed substance use disorder treatment and programming. It would provide approximately 300 people annually with vital step-down services after detoxification and assist patients in sustaining wellness, obtaining jobs, reuniting with loved ones, and leading healthy lives.

Project Name: Island End River Regional Coastal Flood Resiliency Project – City of Everett, City of Chelsea
Requested Amount: $750,000
Intended Recipient: City of Chelsea
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 500 Broadway, Chelsea, Massachusetts 02150
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to advance a regional flood resilience plan to protect the cities of Everett and Chelsea. This project would provide critical flood and sea level rise protection for highly populated regions that not only host life-critical food security and energy essential infrastructure but are also prone to coastal flooding and record coastal storms.

Project Name: Milton Public Schools – Math and Reading Learning Assessment and Instruction Tools
Requested Amount: $111,529
Intended Recipient: Town of Milton – Milton Public Schools
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 525 Canton Avenue, Milton, Massachusetts 02186
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to address unfinished teaching and learning by purchasing new, personalized, and data-driven curriculum and professional development for teachers to utilize this curriculum. These funds would help educators identify specific gaps in learning and address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of children of color, children from lower socio-economic families, English language learners, and children with special needs.

Project Name: Poplar Street Pump Station & ArtFarm
Requested Amount: $2,500,000
Intended Recipient: City of Somerville
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 1 Franey Road, Somerville, MA 02145
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to provide critical stormwater climate change management infrastructure below ground as well as an open community space and arts facilities designed to foster community engagement, learning, and creativity above ground. These funds would relieve flooding in the city, prepare for climate change, reduce Combined Sewer Overflows in the region, and alleviate capacity constraints in the regional combined sewer system.

Project Name: Randolph School District – Culturally Relevant and Digital Literacy for Equity
Requested Amount: $286,000
Intended Recipient: Randolph Public Schools
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 40 Highland Avenue, Randolph, Massachusetts 02368
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to purchase technology (laptops) and culturally relevant read aloud books that support the goal of offering a more equitable and relevant literacy curriculum to students in Randolph public schools. These funds would help ensure that all students feel their backgrounds reflected in the curriculum, build basic digital literacy, and connect to a global society that provides opportunities that prepare them for colleges and careers of their choice. 

Project Name: Separated Bicycle Lane Network Build Out
Requested Amount: $958,218
Intended Recipient: City of Cambridge
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to expand the network of separated bicycle facilities across Cambridge and connect them with existing and planned facilities on other corridors, which would link key employment and residential zones in the city. These funds would provide increased connectivity with safe bicycle facilities designed for users of all ages and abilities.

Project Name: School Based Community Health Center at Randolph High School
Requested Amount: $988,000
Intended Recipient: Town of Randolph
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 41 South Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368
Signed Financial Disclosure Letter (PDF)
Explanation of Request (must include purpose and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds): This funding would be used to cover costs associated with construction at Randolph High School that are an essential first step in creating the Randolph School Based Community Health Center. This project would mitigate healthcare costs by redesigning primary care to improve access, provide accessible alternative sites for non-urgent primary care, and ensure successful patient outcomes through continuity of care.