Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn, Maggie Hassan, John Thune, Gary Peters, John Kennedy, and Raphael Warnock announced the passage of their Grant Transparency Act in the House. The bill aims to enhance transparency in the federal grant application process by requiring government agencies to disclose more information about selection criteria and evaluation processes.

Senator Cornyn emphasized the lack of information available to grant applicants: “Grant applicants often don’t have enough information to know why they are not awarded a competitive grant despite meeting all of the criteria.” He called for Senate support for the bill.

Senator Hassan noted that "all grant applicants should have a level playing field when applying for federal funding," highlighting that this legislation will assist small towns and organizations in accessing federal assistance.

Senator Thune stressed that the legislation would ensure funding decisions are merit-based rather than politically influenced: “This legislation would require agencies to increase transparency of the grant application process.”

Senator Peters remarked on the significance of grant dollars: “This bipartisan legislation will help applicants across Michigan and the country better understand how their projects will be evaluated.”

Senator Kennedy urged his Senate colleagues to pass the bill following its approval by the House, stating it would bring clarity to how grants are awarded in Louisiana.

Senator Warnock underscored the importance of federal grants for Georgia communities, saying that current barriers make accessing these funds challenging. He stated, “That is why our bipartisan Grant Transparency Act is so important.”

The Grant Transparency Act mandates that Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) include descriptions of rating systems, evaluation criteria, weighted scoring methods if used, and any other merit-based approaches employed by agencies. Senator Kyrsten Sinema is also a cosponsor of this legislation.