OMB has called on all grant-making agencies to chip in to fund improvements to Grants.gov as funding application deadlines under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act approach.
It said last year Grants.gov received 3,900 applications a week, but that number rose to 11,000 per week in March and is expected to increase.
HHS, which operates and maintains Grants.gov, and GSA are working together to initiate urgent improvements to the system, according to M-09-17.
It said HHS has developed a solution to meet the immediate needs and GSA will assist with alternatives for select agencies while also identifying longer-term approaches to improve Grants.gov service delivery.
"To facilitate the short-term and long-term improvements, each grant-making agency is being asked to cover a proportionate share of the improvement costs for Grants.gov," the memo said in referring to a chart of shared costs broken out by agency.
"Cross-agency collaboration has been a vital part of moving the Recovery Act from an idea, to legislation, to law … That same cooperative spirit will help us to strengthen Grants.gov and ensure that the public’s ability to access grant information and make application is unimpeded," OMB said.