Blanket Appropriation

No, not related to “cultural appropriation.”

First: appropriation. In the world of political economics, it just refers to money that is set aside for something.

When Timmy saved money to buy himself a Furby (which he later deeply regretted), you could say he appropriated those funds for a Furby (why, Timmy, why?).

Blanket appropriation is when money is set aside for something, but without an itemized list of specifics. For instance, if Timmy had appropriated his funds for general birthday presents for himself, you could say it was a blanket appropriation of funds.

In gov-speak, there might be a blanket appropriation of funds that allows the fund-users to spend the money without having to say exactly what projects they’re spending their money on. By giving the money without asking for super-specific deets, it helps the government save some time.