SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grant Transparency 
Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. NOTICES OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TRANS-
PARENCY. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’— 
(A) has the meaning given the term ‘‘Exec-
utive agency’’ in section 105 of title 5, United 
States Code; and 
(B) does not include the Government Ac-
countability Office. 
(2) COMPETITIVE GRANT.—The term ‘‘competi-
tive grant’’ means a discretionary award (as defined 
in section 200.1 of title 2, Code of Federal Regula-
tions) awarded by an agency— 
(A) through a grant agreement or coopera-
tive agreement under which the agency makes 
payment in cash or in kind to a recipient to 
carry out a public purpose authorized by law; 
and 
(B) the recipient of which is selected from 
a pool of applicants through the use of merit- 
based selection procedures for the purpose of al-
locating funds authorized under a grant pro-
gram of the agency.
(3) EVALUATION
OR
SELECTION
CRITERIA.— 
The term ‘‘evaluation or selection criteria’’ means 
standards or principles for judging, evaluating, or 
selecting an application for a competitive grant. 
(4) NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY.—The 
term ‘‘notice of funding opportunity’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 200.1 of title 2, Code 
of Federal Regulations. 
(5) RATING SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘rating sys-
tem’’— 
(A) means a system of evaluation of com-
petitive grant applications to determine how 
such applications advance through the selection 
process; and 
(B) includes— 
(i) a merit criteria rating rubric; 
(ii) an evaluation of merit criteria; 
(iii) a methodology to evaluate and 
rate based on a point scale; and 
(iv) an evaluation to determine wheth-
er a competitive grant application meets 
evaluation or selection criteria. 
(b) TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS.—Each notice 
of funding opportunity issued by an agency for a competi-
tive grant shall include—
(1) a description of any rating system and eval-
uation and selection criteria the agency uses to as-
sess applications for the competitive grant; 
(2) a statement of whether the agency uses a 
weighted scoring method and a description of any 
weighted scoring method the agency uses for the 
competitive grant, including the amount by which 
the agency weights each criterion; and 
(3) any other qualitative or quantitative merit- 
based approach the agency uses to evaluate an appli-
cation for the competitive grant. 
(c) APPLICATIONS; DATA ELEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget, in coordination with the 
Executive department designated under section 
6402(a)(1) of title 31, United States Code, shall de-
velop data elements relating to grant applications to 
ensure common reporting by each agency with re-
spect to applications received in response to each no-
tice of funding opportunity of the agency. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The data elements developed 
under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) the number of applications received; 
and
(B) the city and State of each organization 
that submitted an application. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—With respect to a 
particular competitive grant, nothing in this Act shall be 
construed to supersede any requirement with respect to 
a notice of funding opportunity for the competitive grant 
in a law that authorizes the competitive grant. 
(e) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—No additional funds 
are authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of car-
rying out this Act. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date that is 120 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
(2) NO RETROACTIVE EFFECT.—This Act shall 
not apply to a notice of funding opportunity issued 
before the date of enactment of this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 
2024. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5536 
AN ACT 
To require transparency in notices of funding 
opportunity, and for other purposes.