Sponsors (2)
Introduced January 28, 2026 by Gary C. Peters · Last progress January 28, 2026
The bill aims to make federal grant programs easier to find, apply for, and oversee—benefiting applicants (especially underserved communities) and increasing accountability—but it centralizes standards and requires upfront spending and ongoing reporting that could strain agencies, increase short‑term costs, and reduce flexibility for local or specialized programs.
State, local, tribal governments, nonprofits, and small businesses will face simpler, clearer grant application and reporting processes (including clearer NOFO summaries and improved Grants.gov usability), reducing time and administrative costs for applicants.
Low-income, rural, and historically underserved communities and organizations (including faith‑based groups and public housing agencies) will have improved access and outreach to federal grant opportunities, increasing the chance that funding flows to underserved areas.
Federal grant programs will gain stronger transparency and accountability—agencies must designate senior grant officials, set measurable goals and simplification plans, and GAO/Congress will receive independent implementation and evaluation reports—making it easier to identify performance gaps and fix problems.
Taxpayers and agencies will incur up‑front and ongoing costs to implement reforms (IT upgrades, staff time, training, and report preparation), increasing near‑term federal spending or diverting resources from other priorities.
Centralizing policy, standards, and oversight at OMB or via uniform processes risks a one‑size‑fits‑all approach that could reduce agency flexibility and fail to accommodate specialized or local program needs.
Increased reporting, recurring congressional briefings, and compliance requirements will consume agency and recipient staff time, potentially diverting effort from direct program delivery.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Requires OMB to form a Grants Council and directs agencies to adopt common data standards and streamlined application, NOFO, and reporting practices to improve access and reduce burden.
Creates an Office of Management and Budget–led Grants Council and requires agencies to name senior grants officials, adopt common data and application standards, and produce plans to simplify grant and cooperative agreement application, administration, and reporting. It directs OMB to issue guidance, study and improve Grants.gov accessibility, and requires GAO evaluations of grant access and the Act’s implementation over multi-year timelines.