WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Grant Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), which aims to provide greater transparency in the federal grant application process. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.
The Grant Transparency Act is designed to improve the competitive grant process by requiring federal agencies to disclose more information about how grant recipients are selected. The bill mandates that agencies include detailed criteria in their Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) and explain the methods used to evaluate applicants.
“The Grant Transparency Act would shed light on how the government chooses which Louisianians receive or don’t receive competitive grants,” said Kennedy. “Now that the House has passed this critically important bill, I urge my Senate colleagues to do the same to bring clarity to the process.”
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), emphasized the need for transparency. “Grant applicants often don’t have enough information to know why they are not awarded a competitive grant despite meeting all of the criteria. The Grant Transparency Act would require government agencies to shine a light on how they decide between applicants behind closed doors,” Cornyn said.
Key Provisions of the Grant Transparency Act:
- Selection Criteria Disclosure: NOFOs for competitive grants must include a detailed description of the selection criteria.
- Weighted Scoring Explanation: Agencies must state whether a weighted scoring method was used.
- Evaluation Methodology: Agencies must outline other methods used to assess grant applications.
The bill has garnered bipartisan support, with Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) joining as co-sponsors.
If passed by the Senate, the Grant Transparency Act could provide critical insights for grant applicants, ensuring a more equitable and transparent distribution of federal funds. This would empower individuals and organizations, including those in Louisiana, to better understand and navigate the competitive grant process.
For now, all eyes are on the Senate to take the next step toward making this bill law.