The Biden-Harris administration is proposing an update to the Uniform Grants Guidance, the guidelines issued by the Office of Management and Budget that govern various kinds of financial assistance from the federal government.
The draft version of the new guidance has been made available for public comment. The proposed revision aims to improve access to federal financial support by removing obstacles, lessening unnecessary compliance requirements and reducing complexity, the White House said Friday.
The suggested changes include requiring the use of plain and clear language in notices of funding opportunity to make such documents accessible to non-experts; ensuring the accessibility of such announcements to potential applicants, including underserved communities; and the provision of technical assistance prior to any award.
The revisions also call for the clarification of ambiguous terms to ensure uniformity in compliance; the reduction of prior approvals that need to be secured by awardees from federal agencies before they can spend their money; and the non-mandatory use of English in notices to increase access equitability.