FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2026
Jalelah Sofia Ahmed
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the administration of grant programs across the federal government. Governments, organizations, and businesses that are smaller, more rural, or have more limited resources often face difficulties when applying for federal grants because they lack the resources to navigate the complicated application processes. The Streamlining Federal Grants Act would simplify the application process to improve access to federal grants for communities across the country.
“Complicated application processes cause smaller, more rural, and under-resourced communities to miss out on critical opportunities to receive federal grant funding,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan legislation will streamline the grant application process and give communities in Michigan and across the country an equal opportunity to benefit from federal funding.”
The Streamlining Federal Grants Act requires that each federal agency, in coordination with each other and the Office of Management and Budget, take steps to simplify their grant application process. This includes making funding opportunities easier to understand, updating software systems to manage federal grants, and implementing common data standards for grant reporting. Further, this legislation would require agencies to appoint senior officials to develop and oversee these initiatives to improve the transparency and efficiency of the grant application and reporting processes. By improving this process, less burden will be placed on grant applicants, ensuring the fair and efficient distribution of funding to communities that need assistance most.
Below are statements in support of the bipartisan legislation:
“Michigan Nonprofit Association applauds Senator Gary Peters for championing this bipartisan effort to modernize and simplify the federal grants process,” said Kelley Kuhn, President & CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association. “Nonprofits too often face barriers that prevent them from accessing critical federal dollars that could strengthen local services and drive community solutions. Streamlining grant applications and reporting will reduce administrative burdens and help ensure that every community, regardless of size or capacity, has a fair opportunity to secure the resources they need. We are grateful for his leadership and strongly support this legislation.”
“The Michigan Municipal League strongly supports the Streamlining Federal Grants Act which will make federal grants more accessible to our over 500 cities, villages and townships,” said Michigan Municipal League Executive Director and CEO Dan Gilmartin. “Thank you, Senator Peters, for working to cut the red tape and make federal grants more efficient.
“Local residents and community groups will be the real beneficiaries because the Grants Act would bring much needed streamlining and simplification of the federal grants process for the local governments, non-profits and other organizations seeking funding for vital operations and important projects and programs,” said Candice S. Miller, the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan, and former member of Congress. “I strongly support this common sense, bipartisan legislation.”
“Cities like Lansing rely on grants from the federal government to fund important and necessary programs and needs and have a direct positive impact on our residents. Having a streamlined process to access these grants would save time and resources and allow us to use our time helping our residents and constituents across the country through these federal grant opportunities. I thank U.S. Senator Gary Peters and the bipartisan coalition pushing this for all citizens regardless of whether they live in blue, red, or purple communities,” said Andy Schor, Mayor of Lansing, Michigan, and Member of the US Conference of Mayors Advisory Board.
“Federal grants improve the quality of life for millions of Americans, but they can often be inaccessible for those who need them most,” said James Perry, Executive Director of the Downriver Community Conference. “The bipartisan Streamlining Federal Grants Act is a critical piece of legislation to address these disparities, ultimately allowing for more support from the federal government to flow to residents, workers, and businesses in communities throughout the nation. I am thankful for the work of Senators Peters and Lankford, and I look forward to our continued partnership in making the federal grants application process more accessible for all Americans.”
“I support the Streamlining Federal Grants Act because small departments like ours with limited resources need a fair, simple and modern grant process,” said Austin Conway, Fire Chief for Dafter Township. “Cutting red tape and updating outdated systems will help ensure critical federal resources we count on will reach the communities that need them the most.”
“Lacking the budgetary means to have a grant writer, our federal grants are written by the firefighters themselves,” said Brandon Hausbeck, Fire Chief of the Saginaw Fire Department. “The current process is nuanced and can be difficult to navigate for firefighters with no formal grant management training. We are hopeful the Streamlining Federal Grants Act will improve accessibility for communities seeking federal funding.”
“As a fire chief, I see firsthand how federal grants can make a real difference in protecting our communities—but the complexity of the process often puts smaller, resource-limited departments at a disadvantage,” said Kurt Corradi, Fire Chief for the Bay City Fire Department. “The Streamlining Federal Grants Act cuts through unnecessary red tape by simplifying reporting requirements, improving agency coordination, and modernizing the Grants.gov system. These commonsense improvements will allow fire departments, local governments, and nonprofits to focus less on paperwork and more on delivering critical services, while ensuring federal resources reach the communities that need them most.”
“Accessing federal grants is critically important for rural counties like Shiawassee County but can also be challenging due to the lack of capacity in researching, writing and administering them,” said Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership President/CEO Justin Horvath. “Thank you to Senator Peters for putting forward this important legislation, which would be significantly beneficial in streamlining the process and improving our opportunities to secure much needed resources.”
“SVSU is fully committed to serving students and communities as part of our public mission,” said Dr. Marcia Ditmyer, Dean of the College of Health, and Human Services at Saginaw Valley State University. “The reinstatement of our SBIRT grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reinforces just how critical it is for institutions like ours to have an efficient and transparent federal grants process. We believe Senator Gary Peters’ Streamlining Federal Grants Act would reduce administrative burden, improve coordination across agencies, and allow universities to focus more fully on what matters most – helping people – through evidence-based prevention and early intervention efforts.”
“Our nation is built on the principle that opportunity should be available to everyone,” said Mayor Sheldon Neeley for the City of Flint. “Federal grant funding plays a critical role in helping communities like Flint close gaps and improve quality of life. When those dollars are postponed or denied, it slows our progress—but when they are accessible, they give us a real chance to lift up residents young and old, across every background. I stand with the ending of our Pledge of Allegiance: One Nation, Under God, with Liberty and Justice for All. Amen.”
"We strongly support the reintroduction of the Streamlining Federal Grants Act,” said Mott Community College President Shaunda Richardson-Snell. “Reducing administrative hurdles is essential for maximizing the impact of federal dollars. This legislation will allow MCC to deploy grant funding more efficiently, ensuring that resources get to the programs and students that need them most, faster and with greater effectiveness.”
“For cities like Bay City, accessing federal funding often requires significant staff time and resources,” said Dana Muscott, City Manager, City of Bay City. “Streamlining the federal grants process would help level the playing field for communities that don’t have large grant teams, allowing us to focus on implementing projects that directly benefit our residents. We thank Senator Peters for reintroducing legislation that recognizes these challenges and works to make federal programs more user-friendly.”
“Central Michigan University strongly supports the efforts of Senator Peters to streamline the grant process across federal agencies,” said Dr. Bradley Swanson, Interim Vice President for Research & Innovation at Central Michigan University. “The number of individuals currently involved in the processing of each application limits the ability of organizations to apply for and be awarded federal grant funding. Standardizing requirements through interagency coordination, reducing reporting requirements, and modernizing Grants.gov will increase the number of applications being submitted, ensuring that the most valuable and innovative projects are funded and providing the greatest return on the investment for the American taxpayer.”
“Federal grants play a vital role in helping us deliver timely, effective programs and services for residents,” said Dana Lasenby, Oakland Community Health Network CEO. “Senator Peters’ leadership on the Streamlining Federal Grants Act reflects a deep understanding of local challenges with a complex application process and offers a thoughtful, bipartisan solution. By simplifying the process and reducing administrative burden, this legislation will help ensure resources reach the people and communities who need them most. We strongly support this important effort.”
“For organizations like STARS, streamlined federal grant processes mean less time navigating paperwork and more time delivering services that directly impact our community,” said Amy Bidwell, Executive Director of STARS. “The Streamlining Federal Grants Act would reduce unnecessary barriers and help ensure vital resources reach the people and places that need them most.”
“We’re excited to see steps toward more streamlined and consistent processes around federal funding,” said Payton Hines, President of the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance. “The Streamlining Federal Grants Act will increase efficiencies and direct more time toward delivering greater impact in our communities.”
"As an active applicant for federal grants across many agencies for many years, we support the Streamlining Federal Grants Act sponsored by Senator Peters," said Alpena Community College President Dr. Don MacMaster. "The premise behind making the application and reporting process more straightforward and streamlined makes sense. When limited institutional capacity must be deployed to parsing grant boilerplate requirements, everyone loses—including the federal government and the taxpayers they represent. Complexity does not equal accountability. Senator Peters, as he's often done, is taking a commonsense path to good governance. We have been fortunate to work with him during his time in the Senate. He's done much influential work there for Michigan community colleges, including Alpena Community College."
“For state and local organizations, the federal grants process is often more complex than it needs to be,” saidMatt Rybar, President & Founder of Michigan Drone Association. “Streamlining reporting, improving interagency coordination, and modernizing Grants.gov would remove real barriers for smaller and resource limited agencies, allowing them to focus less on paperwork and more on delivering results for their communities.”
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