RL34035 — Grants Work in a Congressional Office

Members of Congress frequently receive requests from grantseekers needing funds for projects in districts and states. In considering a response, a congressional office might first determine its policies and procedures regarding appropriate assistance to give constituents, such as when to provide information on grants programs or active advocacy of projects. Each office handles grants requests in its own way, depending upon the Member’s legislative agenda and overall organization and workload of office staff. As for staffing, there may be a full-time grants specialist or several staff members under the supervision of a grants coordinator working solely in the area of grants and projects. In some offices, all grant requests are handled in the district or state office. In others, they are answered by Capitol Hill staff. Offices may encourage congressional grants staff to learn about the grants process themselves and identify practices, in accordance with office policies, that may assist grantseekers at each step in the process. To learn about grants work, congressional staff can use CRS reports to identify potential sources of information for government and private funding and for details on selected grants programs. In addition to this report, reports on grants work include CRS In Focus IF12906, Constituent Grants Services in a Congressional Member Office: A Brief Guide; CRS Report RL34012, Resources for Grantseekers; and CRS Report RL32159, How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal, among others. CRS also offers reports on block grants and the appropriations process; federal assistance for homeland security and terrorism preparedness; and federal programs on specific subjects and for specific groups, such as state and local governments, police and fire departments, libraries and museums, nonprofit organizations, small business, and other topics. Congressional staff and Members can view selected additional key reports at the CRS.gov page “Grants and Federal Assistance.” To educate constituents, a congressional office may provide grantseekers information on funding programs or may sometimes sponsor workshops on federal or other assistance. Congressional Member web pages can also link to grants sources—such as SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov—so that constituents can search for grants programs and funding opportunities. The CRS web page “Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance” (see sample Member Grants Page), can be added to a Member’s home page. Congressional staff and constituents alike might also benefit from CRS grant and assistance reports on various topics. (Note: The public does not have access to CRS.gov web pages but can access most CRS reports at https://www.congress.gov/crs-products.) A congressional office may consider developing an internal grants memo, guide, or manual to help communicate Member office policies and procedures, to respond to frequent grants questions, and to train new congressional staff. In addition to a single place to locate grants-related office policies and procedures, a grants manual may include templates for letters of support, instructional tools for new staff, and lists of local or state contacts. With reductions in federal programs (and with most government grants requiring a cost share, or “matching” funds), local contacts could include private, community, or corporate foundations that may serve as alternatives or supplements to federal grants. This report will be updated at the beginning of each Congress and as needed.

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