On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule titled “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” outlining significant revisions to federal requirements on governing grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of federal financial assistance. These changes are primarily aimed at direct recipients of federal funding and also have major implications for associations, scientific societies, patient organizations, and other nonprofit research and higher education stakeholders.
Under the proposed rule, no federal funding could be used to pay for costs of publication, unless it is specifically required by statute or the agency, as determined case-by-case. Federal funds would not be allowed for conference attendance unless such attendance is expressly approved but the federal agency and included in the terms and conditions of the federal award. This would require scientists to know, at the time of the award, which conferences they, and anyone supported by the grant, plan to attend for the entire multi-year project period of the award. The proposed rule would also evaluate recipients based on their organizational affiliations and memberships, which expands the list of considerations agencies need to consider when assessing whether a recipient organization poses a risk as a funding recipient. A further analysis on the proposed rule is available online.
OMB is accepting comments on the proposal through July 13, 2026. Given potential impacts of the rule it is highly encouraged to submit comments on the proposal through Regulations.gov.
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