California Foundations Call on OMB to Withdraw Proposed Federal Grantmaking Rule

A proposed federal rule would replace evidence-based decision-making with political priorities in federal grantmaking, putting at risk the public funding that supports hospitals, clinics, schools, housing, research and community organizations.

The California Endowment has organized California foundations and philanthropic organizations in urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to withdraw its proposed changes to the federal Uniform Guidance.

While the proposal is framed as an update to federal grant rules, the coalition of signatories believes it would give politicians in Washington broad new authority over who receives federal funding and when that funding can be taken away. Communities across California rely on these investments every day. Hospitals, community clinics, schools, food programs, housing assistance, research institutions and local governments all depend on stable, predictable funding to serve the people who count on them.

Why we’re speaking out

We believe this proposal should be withdrawn because it would:

• Replace decades of evidence-based grantmaking with political decision-making.
• Put at risk essential services that Californians rely on every day.
• Create uncertainty for hospitals, clinics, researchers, local governments and community organizations.
• Make it harder for programs serving Black, Latino, immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities to access federal support and provide information in the languages people speak at home.

Resources

• Read the proposed OMB rule
• Social Media Toolkit