Documents/M-13-17/3: Grants/3.4: Competitive Grants

3.4: Competitive Grants

Use competitive grants to promote use of evidence in formula grants.

Other Information:

Formula grant programs are often the largest grant programs in government, so they are a critical area for advancing more results-focused government. Agencies can improve the effectiveness of formula grant programs by using competitive grants to encourage adoption of evidence-based approaches within formula grants. For instance, agency competitions can give preference points to State and local applicants implementing evidence-based practices with their formula funds. And formula grants to States can include set-asides for States to award competitively to promote use of evidence.

Stakeholder(s):

  • Formula Grant Programs

  • States

  • HHSExample: For HHS, the 2014 Budget proposes to require that States use five percent of their mental health block grant allocation for grants that use the most effective evidence -based prevention and treatment approaches. The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted this policy in its recent bill.

  • Senate Appropriations Committee

Indicator(s):