Philanthropy’s dollars matter, but they can’t match the scale of federal grants. That’s why public dollars are integral to our work.
Whether you’re helping communities across the Midwest prepare for emergencies, supporting clean water access in Arizona’s rural and Tribal communities, investing in climate resilience in New Orleans, or backing efforts in Detroit to remove polluting trucks from neighborhood streets, chances are, your grantees rely on federal funding.
The Office of Management and Budget is proposing a new rule that would give senior federal appointees oversight of discretionary grants for research, infrastructure, health, climate resilience, place-based work and more, allowing broad concepts such as the “national interest” to shape whether funding moves forward. The proposed rule’s politically charged language on DEI-related policies raises serious questions about whether funding that addresses disparities or reaches underserved communities could be singled out for greater scrutiny.
ACT NOW: How Funders Can Weigh In Before July 13
Submitting a public comment is within a foundation’s advocacy rights and is not considered lobbying. With comments due July 13, funders have only a short window to sign on to a comment letter, or comment directly. We urge our members, partners and broader network to add their voices, because this rule reaches far beyond any one issue area.
Funders can find comment letters to sign onto from United Philanthropy Forum, Grantmakers In Health, the National Council of Nonprofits, Independent Sector, Philanthropy California, and The California Endowment. For more background, this New York Times story provides helpful context on the proposed rule and the concerns it is raising.
This may be a technical rule, but its consequences will be felt by communities. Funders should use this comment period to speak up for the organizations and communities that depend on federal funding to do their work.