Federal grants are an important source of funding that cities, towns and villages use to serve residents, strengthen local infrastructure and respond to community needs. But today, many communities — especially small, rural and less-resourced municipalities — are shut out of federal funding opportunities because of technical and confusing grant application requirements, as well as overly burdensome and complicated grant reporting requirements.
It often feels like a Ph.D. in grant writing is required to understand the acronyms and instructions listed in Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO.) Further, too much effort is frequently spent deducing whether a grant is a good fit for a given community. If a community wins a federal grant, a team then has to set up new duplicative grants systems to connect the grant application, management, reporting, closeout processes and award drawdowns.
The Streamlining Federal Grants Act, reintroduced in the 119th Congress, takes real steps to improve the grants system for communities. The bill would break down barriers to access, simplify guidance, improve coordination across federal agencies and help communities better navigate the federal grant system from application to closeout. These improvements are essential for local governments facing staffing shortages, capacity challenges and rising administrative costs. Streamlining the grant process means more time applying for opportunities and providing services to residents, and less time navigating confusing and outdated requirements and technical terms.
Specifically, this legislation aims to simplify how federal grants are administered by:
- Reducing Complexity and Expanding Access: One of the biggest challenges cities, towns and villages face when applying for federal grants is the overwhelming complexity of applications. Agencies often require applicants to sift through dozens of pages of technical language just to determine their eligibility. For smaller cities or those with limited staff, this creates significant barriers. The Streamlining Federal Grants Act addresses this issue by requiring grant notices to be clear, concise and accessible. The legislation also focuses on post-award reporting requirements and systems, which can feel overwhelming to communities, by creating more cohesive, standardized and simplified administrative and reporting procedures for grant programs. This will help ensure that cities — regardless of size — are no longer left behind at any stage in the grant process.
- Improving Training and Assistance for Applicants: Federal grant programs offer significant opportunities for communities, but many miss out because they lack the experience or knowledge to navigate the system. This legislation will ensure that grant instructions clearly identify the availability of, and contact information for, training and technical assistance from application through administration and reporting. By doing so, it ensures that all communities have the information and tools they need to successfully compete for, secure, and manage federal funding.
- Identifying Barriers to Participation: A key component of the Streamlining Federal Grants Act is identifying the challenges communities face applying for and managing federal grants. Understanding these barriers will help federal agencies develop solutions that will make the grant process more accessible to all communities, regardless of their population size, geography or annual budget. This will ensure the legislation will not only aim to simplify paperwork, but will focus on fixing the core barriers in the federal grants system.
- Facilitating Greater Federal Coordination: The legislation also works to facilitate greater coordination among federal grant-making agencies with the goal of creating a more cohesive and simpler grants process for both communities and the federal government. The legislation specifically will work to design and implement common data standards across all federal grants and create guidelines for simplified Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) that improve the experience for the communities applying for them.
Make Your Voice Heard
The Streamlining Federal Grants Act has bipartisan support, but your voice is needed to help push it forward. Congress needs to hear from local leaders who are on the front lines of applying for and managing federal grants. Join the National League of Cities in calling on Congress to pass the Streamlining Federal Grants Act using our template letter.
About the Author
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