Grants Management: Grants.gov Has Systemic Weaknesses That Require Attention

摘要

In response to the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), among other things, developed Grants.gov as the central grant identification and application portal for federal grant programs. OMB oversees the initiative and named the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) its managing partner. Grants.gov officials have acknowledged noticeably degraded system performance, and grantees have reported difficulties submitting applications that have in some cases led to late or incomplete submissions and lost opportunities for both grantees and populations served. Through analysis of agency documents, a Web-based survey of federal grant-making officials, and interviews with agency officials and grantee associations, this requested report examines (1) the benefits of Grants.gov and applicant experiences with submitting applications, (2) the governance structure of Grants.gov, and (3) the range of agency policies for processing Grants.gov applications. Grants.gov has made it easier for applicants to find grant opportunities and grantors to process applications faster, but applicants continue to describe difficulties registering with and using Grants.gov, which sometimes result in late submissions. Grants.gov customer service staff do not always resolve these issues, especially during off-peak hours and peak submission periods. Clear roles and responsibilities for the Grants.gov oversight entities and coordination among them are critical, yet insufficient, and there are no written policies for how these entities are to work with each other.