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Navigating the Grant Landscape Under a New Administration: What Recent Executive Orders and the Review of Federal Financial Assistance Means for You

**This is a comprehensive blog that covers the key developments, implications, and strategies for grant seekers navigating the landscape of federal financial assistance under the new Administration. Updates to this blog will continue to be made as the situation develops. Blog last updated 3/19/25 at 2:58 pm ET**

The federal grant landscape was upended early this year by the release of several Executive Orders and Memorandum M-25-13, a sweeping directive that temporarily halted financial assistance programs for a review process aligned with the new Presidential Administration’s policy priorities. While the Administration later rescinded with memorandum M-25-14, grant seekers across all sectors - including public agencies and nonprofits – still face a multitude of questions and uncertainty around the effect of recent Executive Orders on federal funding opportunities.

Congressionally directed spending (also known as community project funding or earmarks) are line items in the United States federal budget specifically requested by individual legislators. There was a 10-year moratorium on these appropriations, but that ran out in 2021. Proponents of congressionally directed spending argue that it creates a more transparent appropriation process and enables local jurisdictions to more directly request and receive funds for their specific needs. Others believe that congressionally directed spending is wasteful or corrupt. Regardless of how you feel about this type of funding, they are a part of the current federal funding landscape and should be considered carefully when looking for support for your project.

In this article, we will explore the fiscal year 2024 congressionally directed spending landscape. We will evaluate where the funds are going and what types of projects they are predominantly funding. We will also reflect on where we are in the fiscal year 2025 funding congressionally directed spending process.

Special education funding in the United States continues to be a complex, evolving landscape shaped by decades of legislation, advocacy, and shifting priorities. Beginning with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with disabilities were guaranteed a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This law prohibited discrimination based on disability and laid the groundwork for future legislation. By ensuring that students with disabilities had access to education and accommodations, the act marked a turning point in the public school system's approach to special education.

Last month marked the start of the U.S. federal Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) new set of rules directing the majority of federal grantmaking to nonprofits; education institutions; state, local, or tribal government agencies; and others. These rules, colloquially known as the Uniform Guidance, were first established in December 2013. Originally a consolidation of several federal rulemaking circulars, the Uniform Guidance’s policies have been periodically adjusted over the last 20 years. The most recent of these updates took effect on October 1, 2024.

For several years, schools and libraries have been the target of cyber threats that compromise their networks and data. The Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) labels these organizations as “target-rich, cyber poor,” and do not always have the necessary resources to implement proper online defenses. Attacks ranging from stealing personal information to causing humiliation and distress online to individuals and organizations have unfortunately become more commonplace and have been on the rise. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine, there was a 72% increase in data breaches in 2023.

When browsing through Grants.gov, you find a grant perfectly aligned with what your organization is trying to accomplish. Say you work in a university's criminal justice program and want to research police practices. You find a seemingly perfect grant, but as you read the eligibility…" Only applicants that received an official invitation letter from NIJ are able and eligible to apply." This "invitation-only" status is a common frustration for grant seekers. So, how do you crack that elusive list and get your foot in the door?

As a result of the rising number of violent incidents at K-12 schools over the last decade, schools have dedicated significant time and resources to developing ways to keep their students, faculty, and staff safe. There are a couple of different approaches education institutions take while creating and implementing an overarching school safety plan. Some institutions have focused on providing staff and students with training on what to do in the event of an incident, while others have begun developing systems for reporting suspicious or threatening behaviors before an incident happens. At the end of the day, the question all institutions must answer is - what components should a school-wide plan include to keep everyone inside (and outside) our schools safe? While there is no one-size-fits-all plan that will work for all, there are many different elements to include in your comprehensive plan, based on the needs of your institution.

As the deadline for the final round of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding approaches, schools nationwide are bracing for a significant financial shift. With over $200 billion in COVID Relief Funding for public and charter school districts and over $5 billion for private schools, these funds have been instrumental in helping educational institutions navigate the pandemic's challenges. The last day to obligate these funds is September 30, 2024, meaning no new contracts can be initiated, and schools can no longer commit their funds to new projects. After this date, schools will have an additional 120 days, OR until January 28, 2025, to spend down or liquidate their allocations. There is also an option for an extension of up to 14 months beyond the120 days, though this extension will only be granted on a case-by-case basis by the Department. While this additional time is not guaranteed, it does offer some relief and flexibility for districts to support their ongoing recovery and operational needs. Any unspent funds will revert to the federal government, leaving schools to rely on their standard annual budgets and seek external funding sources.

Read on to learn: how schools have utilized COVID relief funds, about alternative funding sources, and how to plan for the future and prevent a “financial cliff.”

For institutions of higher education, the National Science Foundation is a large source of federal funding, providing a quarter of the federal government’s budgetary support for colleges and universities. Many colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and other research institutions have not explored the plethora of programs offered by the NSF and may not even know where to begin to search for NSF opportunities.

According to the Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), cyber-attacks on school districts increased by 323% in 2022. When surveyed as to the cause of this drastic increase in cyber threats, 81% of public schools cited a lack of funding for network security solutions, making K-12 one of the most vulnerable sectors to cyber-attacks. While programs like the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) have seen increased funding and allow for investment in cybersecurity technology, grants with this focus are generally few and far between. Luckily, this is where the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding can truly help.

The Renew America’s School Program represents an investment in clean energy. This program is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL was designed to modernize and upgrade American infrastructure, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure stronger access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. Through this BIL, $500 million was allocated to the Renew America’s Schools Program to promote clean energy improvements at K-12 public schools. According to the DOE, each year, public schools alone spend more than $8 billion on energy costs, exceeding their combined annual budget for computers and textbooks. By prioritizing energy improvements in schools, LEAs have the opportunity to reduce their second highest operational cost, enabling them to leverage the resulting savings towards future facility upkeep and educational initiatives.  

Now is the time of year for education entities to evaluate their goals and plans for the upcoming year. Think about your plans to support your students, researchers, and the broader community, and look for alignment with any of the priorities described above. Although this is by no means an exhaustive list of the kinds of grant funding that will be available in the coming months, these trends will give you a sense of the types of programs that are likely to be most popular and where you may see absolute or competitive preference priorities for existing annual programs. Start to strategize for where you would like to focus your efforts in 2024 and get started!

School safety has been a primary concern for school districts over the past several years. In the wake of tragic events such as the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, K-12 school districts have made it a priority to improve the physical security of their school buildings. However, funding was not always readily available until the Stop School Violence Act of 2018. An important result of this act was the STOP School Violence Prevention Program, or SVPP, a federal grant program that provides K-12 school districts, state and local governments, and Tribes the financial means to improve the physical security of their schools through evidence-based school safety programs and technology. In fiscal year 2023, up to $73 million was available for potential applicants, with future funding available through 2028.

Computer Science for All is a bold initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy. A key goal of this program is to provide all U.S. students the opportunity to participate in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education in their schools at the preK-12 levels. CT refers to the thought processes involved in formulating problems and their solutions in such a way that the solutions can be effectively carried out by an information-processing agent (usually a computer).

Grant-seeking can be an extremely competitive process for K-12 schools, especially if they limit themselves to grants available from their State’s Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Education. To increase the possibilities of success, now is the perfect time to explore various federal grant opportunities outside the Department of Education that could supplement their funding. In this article, I will highlight some federal agencies and grant programs schools can take advantage of from other departments and agencies according to the type of project schools are hoping to fund.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made a $500 million investment to improve Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities. DOE aims to facilitate substantial additional investment, prioritize schools with high needs, minimize administrative burden, and build enduring capacity in local educational agencies (LEAs) and the states to maximize impact equitably and efficiently.
Through this Renew America’s Schools Program, eligible entities are encouraged to consider projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts, create innovative, sustaining partnerships, leverage funding and economies of scale, target disadvantaged communities, improve student, teacher, and occupant health, enrich learning and growth, target schools that serve as community assets (e.g., neighborhood cooling centers or disaster recovery shelters), can be completed quickly, and are crafted thoughtfully within the context of public-school facilities (e.g., procurement restraints, construction windows, etc.).

The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office authority to provide awards to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs.
Anticipated outcomes of SVPP awards include improved information sharing with local law enforcement; increased interaction and improved communications between law enforcement and school officials; reduced notification times to law enforcement; improved response time to threats and events; accurate identification of danger and follow-up; increased knowledge of and use of community policing principles; and increased school safety and sustainability planning efforts. In FY2023, funding will be available for the following school safety measures:

•     Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification to law enforcement during an emergency.
•     Coordination with local law enforcement.
•     Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures.
•     Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent school violence.
•     Any other measure that the COPS Office Director determines may provide a significant security improvement.

Esports are hugely popular; current projections show that there will soon be 30 million monthly esports viewers. The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) currently lists nearly 200 colleges and universities with varsity esports programs, and many more schools have club teams or curricular esports programs. K-12 organizations are increasingly getting involved with esports as well. 

The past few years have presented several challenges for K-12 school districts across the country. Many districts reported lower test scores, mental health challenges, attendance issues, and technological shortcomings because of the disruption to learning caused by COVID-19. These challenges present complex issues that demand careful attention, but many teachers appropriately feel the school day is just too short, and school leaders find it difficult to parse out one issue from another and address them accordingly.

With the passing of the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, the US Department of Education was allocated approximately 83.5 billion: an increase of $3.4 billion from FY22. Similarly, to FY22, Congress opted to allocate additional monies to many well-known programs housed under the Department of Education, instead of creating new funding programs.

School-aged children and gaming have become ubiquitous; casual and competitive gaming is a part of nearly every school-aged child’s daily activity. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 99% of boys and 94% of girls play digital games about 7-10 hours per week.[1] These figures are not a surprise for anyone that regularly interacts with children and educators have long-ago incorporated games within their classrooms. Many schools across the country have set up after-school gaming clubs, integrated games like Minecraft or Roblox into their STEM coursework, or have developed Esports teams that compete in interscholastic leagues. At a time when student engagement and enrollment are down, many educational institutions are turning to game-based learning (GBL) to re-connect with students and equip them with the skills needed to tackle 21^st century challenges.

[1] Homer, Kinzer, and Plass, “Foundations of Game Based Learning,” 258.