Big Changes to Federal Grants Management on Horizon

Governing (Jed Herrmann)

The federal Uniform Grants Guidance is the bible that every state and local government grants manager lives by when managing federal funds. While the proposed new rules contain dozens of individual changes, three themes stand out, including a stronger emphasis on accountability and oversight.

An Evaluation Blind Spot

Government Executive (Nick Hart)

Decades of design flaws have left agencies struggling to measure the impact of their major initiatives. It is time to move beyond compliance and build real, durable capacity.

Measuring Government

Substack (Rainer Kattel/UK)

When we measure government, we mostly don’t measure government as an organisation at all. We measure something almost entirely mediated and indirect: the impact of government, several steps removed from the organisations themselves. And this measurement gap is a huge problem — because it means we don’t actually know what makes a government effective.

Benchmarking the World

Barrett & Greene (Guest Column)
Benchmarking within peer groups can certainly produce incremental improvement. But for the big breakthroughs, global exploration can be key. The Baldrige Performance Excellence framework has long emphasized this practice. 

WEBINAR: Meeting the Challenge of Measurement (Tues., June 30, 2 p.m. Eastern)

NAPA, CODE, and Bridge Alliance

To restore public trust, we need to address the challenges facing government data – including low survey response, privacy concerns, and flawed statistical methods – and consider alternatives. Panelists on this webinar will discuss these issues in federal data and possible government solutions.

Building an On-Ramp for Evidence

Standford Social Innovation Review

Scaling effective solutions often stalls in state government because funding systems are not designed to reward proof of impact. A new partnership model shows how states and funders can unlock smarter public spending together.

Resource of the Week:  Fiscal Survey of the States, Spring 2026 Edition

Barrett & Greene

The National Association of State Budget Officers release a survey of state budget conditions twice a year. The Spring Edition is now out and details governors’ proposed budgets. (The Fall Edition details enacted budgets). B&G highlight eight key findings.