7 Actions for Planners Facing Insecure Federal Funding

A variety of federal grant programs are at risk of losing funding due to recent actions by the Trump administration, including discretionary programs such as Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants, and Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN).

In moments of uncertainty, planners are professionals at helping their communities navigate change, take advantage of opportunities, and minimize negative impacts.

Federal Grants Threatened, Planners Act

Here are 7 actions for planners to take when federal grant funds in their communities are in jeopardy:

1. Work with local leaders to obligate current grants as quickly as possible

Fully contracted grants are unlikely to be subject to review and rescissions. Moving funding agreements forward may be the best way to ensure you keep the funding.

2. Engage with your Congressional delegation

Members of Congress play an important role in communicating local needs, impacts, and perspectives to agency leaders. Make sure your delegation knows the importance and impact of your grants.

3. Reevaluate grant outcomes and reframe benefits for different perspectives

Often, when grant applications were originally made, project benefits were framed around the values and criteria established by the Biden administration. However, the same projects likely have other benefits that can be highlighted and used to justify the grant.

4. Re-evaluate your metrics and justification

Take a fresh look at the data and performance measures used in your grant proposal. Prioritization that might have previously relied on demographics or data and neighborhood targeting used by the Biden administration may need to be rethought with a fresh rationale and new analytics.

5. Find the stories and the storytellers

Plans are ultimately about the outcomes they create. It can be very valuable to find new ways to tell the story of the human dimension of those outcomes and authentic messengers who can frame grant-funded projects and initiatives in ways that resonate and reflect those local and personal impacts.

6. Prepare with patience

A little strategic patience can go a long way. Sometimes, orders and agency actions take time to settle and for the practical implications to come into focus. Watch what happens, not just what might be said in a press release. Responding to every rumor can divert your focus.

7. Evaluate other options

Federal support can be incredibly valuable, but it can also be fickle. Begin assessing various scenarios of fiscal or programmatic support and identifying non-federal sources, such as state funding, which might help cover potential gaps. Planners are experts at this sort of long-term thinking, analysis, and leading through change.