This week in Grants
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!" - Wayne Gretzky.
Spring is around the corner, deadlines are approaching, and now is your chance to get your CDS application submitted. Although it is the season of March Madness, your projects don’t have to be. If you’ve been meaning to apply but haven’t yet, consider this your sign!
As a reminder, Congressionally Directed spending allows Members of Congress to request targeted federal funding for specific projects in their districts. Applications to Senator Booker's and Senator Kim's offices are due Friday, March 20.
This is a no-brainer application, with something for every kind of project. Some of the funding agencies and project priorities include:
Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration, which includes projects that build community facilities in communities with under 20,000 residents.
Commerce, Justice, and Science, which includes projects that support law enforcement agencies.
Energy and Water Development, which includes projects for research and technology development in crucial energy sectors.
Financial Services and General Government, which includes projects that preserve historic records and drug-prevention projects.
Homeland Security, which includes pre-disaster mitigation projects and projects that build Emergency Operations Centers.
Interior and Environment, which includes historic preservation projects and research projects on environmental quality.
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, for worker training projects, health-facilities-construction projects, and education-focused projects.
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, for large-scale military construction projects.
Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, for large-scale transportation infrastructure projects and economic development projects.
Every year, great ideas come to blossom through CDS, and we don’t want yours sitting in a draft folder while the opportunity passes by. Whether you’ve been refining your proposal for months or just realized you have a project worth sharing, there’s still time to submit.
What you need to submit a CDS application: Not much! The application is designed to be straightforward and quick to complete. In most cases, you’ll just need:
A short description of your idea or project.
How the CDS funding will help.
A rough timeline of when you expect the project to take place.
Basic contact information.
Two letters of support.
That’s it! No lengthy proposals or complicated forms. If you have a good idea and a general plan, you already have what you need to succeed! If you are interested in applying or have any questions about the process, reach out to your project manager!
MANAGEMENT ENHANCEMENT REVIEW PROGRAM
This program provides grants to local government units to contract with management enhancement review consultants to conduct local government unit efficiency reviews and make recommendations to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Highly ranked applications will include comprehensive descriptions of how the grant funding will be used to conduct an efficiency review, including, but not limited to, plans to identify opportunities for shared services, identify cost savings through operating efficiencies, and/or improve the delivery of services. The more savings that the applicant expects to be identified, the better. A resolution that enables and commits matching funds is also required.
Funding Amount: Up to $150,000 for county governments; Up to $100,000 for a municipal-based local government unit
Match: 1:4
Application Deadline: May 1, 2026. It is strongly encouraged to submit as soon as possible!
You can find more information about this program here.