WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has passed the Grant Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), which aims to bring greater clarity to the federal grant process. The legislation now awaits the president’s signature to become law.
The Grant Transparency Act seeks to address concerns about the opaque nature of how competitive federal grants are awarded. The bill mandates government agencies to provide detailed information about the selection criteria and evaluation methods used during the grant application process.
“Louisianians deserve to know how the government chooses competitive grant recipients,” said Sen. Kennedy. “The president should move quickly to sign the Grant Transparency Act into law so that applicants can better understand how organizations can access this crucial funding.”
Key Provisions of the Grant Transparency Act
The legislation requires federal agencies to include the following in their Notices of Funding Opportunities:
- A description of the criteria used to evaluate applications.
- A statement indicating whether a weighted scoring method was applied.
- Any additional methods or processes utilized to assess applicants.
The changes are designed to make the competitive grant process more transparent, ensuring that applicants have a clear understanding of how decisions are made.
“Grant applicants often don’t have enough information to know why they are not awarded a competitive grant despite meeting all of the criteria,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who introduced the bill. “The Grant Transparency Act would require government agencies to shine a light on how they decide between applicants behind closed doors.”
Bipartisan Support
The bill has garnered strong bipartisan support, with co-sponsors including Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
Next Steps
With the Senate’s approval, the bill now moves to the president’s desk for final consideration. If signed into law, it will be a significant step toward ensuring accountability and fairness in the federal grant process, providing applicants with essential insights into how funding decisions are made.
“This legislation is about rebuilding trust in government processes,” said Kennedy. “By providing transparency, we’re empowering organizations and individuals to better navigate the grant system and compete on a level playing field.”