With a new president and Congress now seated, a revised federal agenda will soon be taking shape. This includes changing priorities within grant programs for federal grants and state grants funded through federal dollars.
Here are five tips for adjusting your grant writing strategy to weather the uncertainty as newly installed leadership begins announcing changes and issuing direction on how federal dollars are to be allocated.
1. Proceed with Business as Usual
Don’t count on delays. It’s possible that some open opportunities may be rescinded and later reissued but assume current deadlines will remain in place unless announced otherwise.
2. Adjust Your Language
Especially for opportunities that were released under the previous administration but will be reviewed and awarded by the new one, respond to the narrative requirements through the lens of the new administration’s priorities. Although scoring rubrics must still follow the stated evaluation criteria, project elements can be described in language that speaks to known preferences of the new administration. (For example, frequent flooding and severe weather can be described while limiting use of the phrase “climate change.”)
3. Play the Long Game
Some grant programs have been around for years and are simply tweaked by each administration. Their longevity indicates broad support across the political spectrum and it’s a good bet they’re here to stay. For example, the popular USDOT surface transportation grant variously known as TIGER, BUILD, and most recently RAISE, has dispensed $15 billion over the 16 years it has been in existence.
Similarly, water/wastewater funding enjoys broad support and is unlikely to diminish.
4. Look Out for #1
Pursue your own goals, rather than those of whoever’s in charge. Review your capital budget and revisit long-term unmet community goals to determine where grant funding will have the greatest local impact. Pursuing a new grant category that may be short-lived (especially when there is no history of local need or support) is unlikely to achieve memorable change.
5. Buckle Up
In addition to federal uncertainty, multiple states are forecasting staff cuts and shrinking grant funding. All the more reason to hire an experienced, GPC-certified grant professional for your pursuits.
With pandemic funding, the federal infrastructure bill (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act all winding down, state-level general fund spending is expected to decline 6% from last year, according to a Pew Charitable Trust report. Pennoni’s grant funding experts are available to prepare strong, well-documented grant applications for a competitive advantage among stiff competition for federal, state, and local funds.
Reach out to your Pennoni contact or our Grant Writer & Funding Solutions Manager Elaine Finn, GPC, to discuss infrastructure grants, forecasting, or funding opportunities for your project.