Unfamiliar Words Emerge from This Year's NGMA Annual Grants Training

For more than 20 years, we here at Thompson Grants have been attending and covering sessions at the National Grants Management Association’s Annual Grants Training Conference in Washington, D.C. We have grown accustomed to certain words you often hear at most of these conferences, such as “compliance,” “monitoring,” “reporting,” and the old standby – “Document, document, document!” You know, the typical standard fare in the grants community.

During this year’s conference, however, along with these terms, we’ve heard a whole new batch of words that, in general, had little reason to be uttered in the past. Among these words include “fear,” “urgency,” “survival,” “termination” and “instability”, and in one session Tuesday morning, words that are frankly not safe for family viewing!

Certain federal attempts at halting funding for many programs, along with efforts to limit indirect costs and require new assurances have created angst and a heightened stress level among grantees, if not downright confusion. Executive orders such as EO 14332 and 14395 have also made things more tense. Will funding be available for my program? What changes will I need to make to continue to meet our program mission? It’s gotten to the point where NGMA even featured a session this year that provided grantees with guidance on how to better collaborate with their attorneys.

It's times like these that training really becomes critical, with sessions provided by NGMA and Thompson Grants leading the way. They can help provide information on next steps that grantees can take in this shaky environment.

Along with the dire words mentioned above, another group of words also were mentioned that may provide some assistance. These included "diversify," "planning," "communication" and "performance." Ironically, the word "patience" was also shared, as policy decisions initially deemed a crisis can sometimes be halted (at least temporarily) in the courts.

We support all those in the grants community and wish for the one word every grant program can hope for — "success."

Join us for our following Thompson Grants event:
Federal Grants Forum | April 28-29, 2026 | Washington, D.C.