FY 2026 Community Project Funding Submissions
Every year, the United States Congress writes and passes 12 appropriations bills, which provide the federal government with the funding it needs to operate. These bills fund a wide range of activities and programs, including government operations, education, medical research, national defense, foreign assistance, infrastructure, and more.
For the past five years, as a part of the annual process, local governments and 501c3 non-profit organizations have also been invited to submit Community Project Funding (CPF) requests to their Members of Congress for consideration. CPFs – sometimes referred to as “earmarks” – are the rare opportunity for Members of Congress to request and designate funding for projects that specifically benefit their own communities and districts (as long as the projects adhere to federal regulations and House and Committee eligibility requirements).
Each Member of Congress can submit up to 15 total CPF requests for FY 2026. As it has been each year since FY 2022, there is no guarantee that any requested projects will be funded. The FY 2026 CPF process has a limited scope with combined Community Projects capped at 0.5% of all discretionary spending.
Below are the 15 projects Congresswoman Jacobs submitted on behalf of California’s 51st District. The requests are listed by the subcommittee to which they were submitted and are otherwise listed in alphabetical order.
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
AI-Enabled Robotics Training Center
Recipient: San Diego State University Research Foundation
Address: 5250 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to create an artificial intelligence (AI) programming training center to democratize the use of AI models. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will transform the approach to developing trustworthy AI and integrate fundamental societal values in AI-enabled robotics. This application of AI technology is an ambitious innovation that could result in companion and collaborative robots that help us be more productive in any task requiring social intelligence.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
JusticeForward: Safer Students Workforce Initiative
Recipient: University of San Diego
Address: 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110
Amount Requested: $927,490
Project Description: The funding would be used to prepare students impacted by the criminal justice system to move into careers within the criminal justice system itself, allowing their first-hand experiences to contribute to safer communities and lower rates of recidivism. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will provide pathways for these impacted students to successfully reintegrate into their communities and create a criminal justice system that is more effective at increasing public safety.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Afterschool Program
Recipient: Youth Empowerment’s Finest
Address: 4660 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 205, San Diego, CA 92115
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to serve local youth in grades 6-12 through daily group mentoring and weekly individual sessions, with a focus on steering them away from potential gang activity, which is prevalent in the region where Youth Empowerment operates. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it strengthens community ties and supports the broader goal of creating a safer, more supportive environment for local youth, ensuring a more promising future for participants and their families, reducing the likelihood of gang involvement, and supporting public safety.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Training Students for Emerging Tech Careers
Recipient: Greater Than Tech
Address: 6608 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92115
Amount Requested: $825,889
Project Description: The funding would be used to expand programs that offer hands-on training and workforce development for students to enter the STEM industry. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it directly addresses the nationwide shortage of skilled STEM workers by providing students entering the workforce with the necessary experience and education.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Reconfigurable Cyber Laboratory, Naval Base Point Loma
Recipient: Naval Base Point Loma
Address: 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA 92106
Amount Requested: $61,650,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct a reconfigurable computational and analysis cyber laboratory to enable offensive and defensive cyber teams to jointly test Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence Surveillance (C4I) systems in one location to support fleet missions, shore sites, and expeditionary forces. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the lab supports national defense readiness and consolidates capabilities to one site, which enhances efficiency for fleet missions and expeditions.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Child Care for Children with Disabilities
Recipient: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church
Address: 4761 Cass Street, San Diego, CA 92109
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for expansion of a child care facility inside the church that will help more families, especially those with children with disabilities, access safe and reliable care. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it tackles three urgent local needs: access to child care in San Diego, increasing capacity for children with disabilities, and helping parents return to work.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Child Care for Former Foster Youth
Recipient: San Diego State University
Address: 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to acquire and make improvements to a facility that will be used to provide child care services for parents who are former foster youth. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because San Diego is experiencing a major regional child care shortage – San Diego only has 52% of the child care slots necessary to meet the needs of working parents. This new facility will help address that shortage, train post-secondary students in early childhood development, and provide reliable, affordable services for former foster youth.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
El Cajon Public Works Administration Building
Recipient: City of El Cajon
Address: 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, CA 92020
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to construct a modern, adequate public emergency operations center. Because of the deterioration of the current emergency center, the City was forced to designate a secondary center to adequately respond to emergencies. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it eliminates the City’s current need to operate two separate operations centers, saving taxpayer funds, creating government efficiency, and improving public safety.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Expanding Affordable Child Care Facilities
Recipient: City of San Diego
Address: 202 C Street, Floor 11, San Diego, CA 92101
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for facility improvements and procurement of prefabricated modular structures to house licensed child care on City of San Diego Parks and Recreation space at up to three locations for up to 150 child care spots. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it advances the implementation of Measure H, approved by City of San Diego voters in 2022, to allow child care on City park and recreational space and address the overall child care scarcity throughout the City.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Linda Vista Affordable Housing - Via Las Cumbres Redevelopment Project
Recipient: San Diego Housing Commission
Address: 1122 Broadway, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to reconstruct and redevelop an existing public agency-owned housing property to provide additional affordable housing units. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it creates affordable housing options in San Diego, one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Linda Vista Innovation Center Support
Recipient: San Diego County Office of Education
Address: 6401 Linda Vista Road, San Diego, CA 92111
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to replace windows on the building and redesign classrooms to include interactive components preparing students for San Diego’s priority sector jobs. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it provides a space for young San Diegans to prepare for high-paying and high-demand careers, creating a stronger, more well trained workforce and promoting economic development in the region.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Mobile Washer and Dryer Units for Homeless San Diegans
Recipient: San Diego Unified School District
Address: 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
Amount Requested: $1,215,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to transform decommissioned school buses into mobile washer and dryer units to address the hygiene needs of San Diego’s unhoused population. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it adds to San Diego’s whole-of-government approach to addressing homelessness and creates opportunities for greater economic mobility. In 2025, the federally mandated Point in Time Count found 9,905 people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County, an increase of 30% since 2020.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
Safe Sleeping Pilot Program Site Expansion
Recipient: City of San Diego
Address: 202 C Street, Floor 11, San Diego, CA 92020
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for the purchase of facility infrastructure needed to operate these safe sleeping sites as the program expands to additional locations throughout the City of San Diego. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it adds much-needed shelter options to the City’s growing shelter system, and provides access to restrooms, showers, laundry services, meals, and other housing resources.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
San Miguel Aerial Apparatus
Recipient: San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District
Address: 2850 Via Orange Way, Spring Valley, CA 91978
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for one aerial apparatus – a specialized fire service vehicle equipped with a hydraulically operated, extendable boom or ladder designed to provide elevated access, water stream delivery, and rescue capabilities at height. Aerial apparatuses are essential in urban, commercial, and multi-story structure responses. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because fires have grown more frequent and more deadly, and advanced life support equipment and personnel that respond on an aerial apparatus are the frontline for medical care and fire protection. In 2025, according to the Office of the California State Fire Marshal, San Diego County experienced a 26% increase in “very high” fire hazard severity zones, with more urban areas designated as “very high” for the first time.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter
San Miguel Elementary Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Improvements
Recipient: City of Lemon Grove
Address: 3232 Main Street, Lemon Grove, CA 91941
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for infrastructure improvements to support the safety and convenience of students walking and biking to school and to local institutions in the area. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it improves public safety in the Lemon Grove community and establishes healthy habits for local youth.
Signed financial disclosure and federal nexus letter