Lawrence heritage group warns federal grant rule could threaten funding

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area is warning that a proposed federal grant rule could put Lawrence-based nonprofit funding in jeopardy, with fallout for local staff, preservation work and historic sites across Kansas and Missouri. The group is urging the public to oppose the Office of Management and Budget proposal. The proposal could let executive-branch appointees change or cancel grants if they decide a project does not serve the national interest.

The rule, titled Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, was published in the Federal Register on May 29 and would revise the government-wide Uniform Guidance for grants, cooperative agreements and other forms of federal financial assistance. The public comment deadline is July 13. OMB and more than 40 federal agencies are included in the rewrite, which would affect a range of federal awards that local governments and nonprofits depend on.

Freedom’s Frontier is based in Lawrence and supports more than 200 historically significant sites across Kansas and Missouri, including 27 sites in Johnson County.

In 2025, Freedom’s Frontier went six months without federal money before it received $500,000. The National Heritage Area Act of 2022 authorized all 62 national heritage areas to receive federal funds through 2037, but annual appropriations still have to be released during the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

The National Council of Nonprofits warned the changes could create financial instability for nonprofits, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals signed onto an opposition letter. The National Association of Counties said the rule would apply to every federal grant, cooperative agreement and pass-through award counties receive. By July 7, OMB had already received 90,000 public comments.