Top Takeaways and Implementation Actions for Federal Agencies

2024 U.S. Office of Management and Budget Uniform Grants Guidance Resource

On April 4, 2024, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updated Uniform Grants Guidance that sets governmentwide policy for federal grants. These revisions clarify how federal agencies can help improve grantees’ capacity to evaluate programs and build data systems. They also make key policy changes that, once adopted by federal agencies, will simplify the federal grants process, reduce administrative burden, promote equity, and improve the customer experience. If implemented effectively, the new guidance will free up time and money, allowing federal grantees – including state, local, and tribal governments – to better use over $1 trillion in annual federal grants to improve the lives of the people they serve.

For example, OMB´s implementing memo for their 2024 Uniform Grants Guidance, M-24-11 Reducing Burden in the Administration of Federal Financial Assistance, specifically instructs federal agencies to reassess merit review processes as they make changes to notices of funding opportunities and to “consider prioritizing Federal awards to applicants that propose evidence-based practices.” The U.S. Department of Education systematically does this across their competitive grant portfolio and Results for America has identified a total of 98 federal grant programs at 11 federal agencies that invest in what works by defining and prioritizing evidence of effectiveness.

This guide lays out top takeaways from the updated Uniform Grants Guidance and recommends specific steps federal agencies can take to support effective implementation.

THE 2024 REVISED UNIFORM GRANTS GUIDANCE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO:

  • Encourage state, local, and tribal governments to invest federal funds in data infrastructure and evidence building, including in integrated data systems;
  • Make federal grants accessible to more organizations, particularly those representing under-served communities; and
  • Encourage state, local, and tribal governments to get community input, including from affected communities, when designing federally-funded programs.

Top Takeaways ▼

WHAT THE UNIFORM GRANTS GUIDANCE DOES: 
The new guidance clarifies language and reduces red tape. With full and effective implementation, it will allow federal grantees to devote more time to improving lives.

Takeaway 1:
Encourages state, local, and tribal governments to invest federal funds in data infrastructure and evidence-building, including integrated data systems
Takeaway 2:
Makes federal grants more accessible to potential grantees, particularly those representing under-served communities
Takeaway 3:
Encourages state, local, and tribal governments to get community input, including from affected communities, when designing federally-funded programs

Implementation Actions for Federal Agencies

Outlined here are concrete ways federal agencies can support grantees’ investment in data and evaluation, increase access to and simplify the federal grant process, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen community engagement and customer experience through the implementation of the Uniform Grants Guidance.

Data and Evaluation Implementation Actions
Simplification and Burden Reduction Implementation Actions
Community Engagement and Customer Service Implementation Actions