Federal grants are now more accessible than ever. Revised guidance reduces burdens on grant seekers and increases transparency with respect to more than $1.2 trillion in federal funding.
Good news for federal grant seekers: The updated Uniform Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, which Grants Plus previewed here, went into effect on October 1.
These changes have been designed to reduce burdens on grant seekers and increase transparency. Highlights include:
- Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) are now required to be simple, as short as possible, and written in plain language to make them accessible, particularly for funding opportunities that are new, targeted to underserved communities, or intended to reach inexperienced applicants.
- NOFOs from all funding agencies will now follow a template that includes an executive summary written in plain language that summarizes the goals and objectives of the program, the target audience, and eligible recipients; a clear program description that provides information on the expected outcomes of the grant; information on submission requirements and deadlines; an explanation of the grant application review process; and details on the grant reporting requirements.
- The guaranteed de minimis rate for indirect costs has increased from 10% to 15%. This means that nonprofits that don’t have a negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement can use 15% as their indirect cost rate in their proposed budget.
- The single audit threshold has increased from $750,000 to $1 million (a “single audit” is an independent compliance audit that must be performed when a nonprofit expends a certain amount of federal award dollars in a fiscal year; this audit is substantially more involved than a regular independent audit).
- Recipients of Federal financial assistance are now allowed to spend a portion of award funding on data gathering and evaluation activities when related to the award. Allowable costs include staff, materials, contractors, subawards, data infrastructure, and other expenses that support the effective use of data and evaluation throughout the full program life cycle from planning to implementation and closeout.
- Recipients of Federal funds are encouraged to conduct public participation and community engagement activities and are allowed to spend funds on these activities when related to the award.
Grants Plus applauds these changes, as they reduce barriers to accessing government funding. More information about the updates can be found at https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/trends-and-policy-issues/omb-uniform-guidance.
Did you know?
Grants Plus brings over 300 years of collective grant seeking expertise across our team, and we have a word-class team of government grant strategists ready to help you win your next grant.
With $1.2 trillion available annually and significantly reduced burdens on applicants, these revisions present an opportune time to pursue government grants.
Are you considering pursuing government grants?
Contact us. Our team of government grant writing experts has successfully guided our nonprofit partners to secure over $150 million in government grant funding, and we comfortably beat the national average on win rates across major government funding agencies. Whether you’re a first-time applicant or an experienced recipient of government grants, let’s discuss how we can help you navigate this journey and exceed your government grant funding goals, together.
