Grant News

What Recent Executive Orders and the Review of Federal Financial Assistance Mean 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 on September 10, 2025, at 4:36 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 While the Administration later rescinded some of these efforts with memorandum M-25-14, grant seekers across all sectors - including public agencies and nonprofits – still face a multitude of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 the President’s 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.

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.

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?

Generally speaking, clean energy is regarded as more environmentally friendly when compared to traditional fossil fuel resources as it typically leads to lower levels of air and water pollution than combustible fuels like coal, natural gas, and petroleum oil. Renewable sources like wind, water, and sunlight generate power without emitting harmful carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change. This, in turn, mitigates various environmental and social issues such as droughts, wildfires, flooding, poverty, health risks, and species loss. And while renewable and nonrenewable energy sources require land for infrastructure, renewable energy systems often have a smaller footprint than traditional fossil fuels. For example, solar panels can be built on existing structures, and wind turbines are suitable for agricultural land without affecting crop placement.

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.  

At a time when environmental awareness and sustainable practices are at the forefront, and as Canada strives to meet its greenhouse gas reduction target outlined in the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan[1], the Government of Canada has embarked on a revolutionary journey towards a greener, more sustainable maritime future. The Green Shipping Corridor Program[2], from Transport Canada, aims to revolutionize the country's marine industry. The Fund reflects a commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of marine transportation while promoting economic growth.

When the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law went into effect, the administration placed an emphasis on energy. Since then, various funding has been introduced to help utility companies and organizations in the pursuit of the net-zero carbon economy by 2050 goal. One specific program, the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program, otherwise known as RMUC, received $250 million to disperse to various entities.

The Department of Energy will establish the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program to provide grants and technical assistance to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats. The objectives of the program are:

• to deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies for electric utility systems
• to increase the participation of eligible entities in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs

This three-phase competition will challenge eligible utilities to identify risks and implement solutions to harden their systems against threats and improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

Canada has long been committed to environmental sustainability and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In line with these goals, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) launched the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) in 2000 to help municipalities in the development of thriving communities that benefit people and the environment. Over the past two decades, the GMF has provided funding and support to municipalities across the country, driving innovative projects that address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act include many opportunities for energy-related grant initiatives. In fact, it is overwhelming to consider the sheer volume of programs made available over the past couple of years and will continue to be created as more information is known. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the federal grantmaker tasked with administering a number of these research and development, demonstration, and deployment programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is another popular grantmaker for energy-specific programs. These funds are available to nonprofits, all forms of government agencies, private businesses, and even individuals.

As for the near future, there are three specific programs worth diving a little deeper into, as they either have firm deadlines or are expected to open in the coming weeks. The first comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and more specifically through the USDA.

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.).