Following The Money

Stimulus Bill money is making its way to the street a little more slowly than the President and Congress would like. On behalf of clients, I follow the progress of certain pots of Stimulus Bill funding. I use the Federal Register (You are officially a policy wonk, a policy advocate, or a government affairs contractor if the Federal Register is bookmarked on your web browser.)

The Federal Register is the official daily publication for federal rules (proposed and final), federal notices (decisions made or decisions under consideration) and other completely random things. In one issue of the Federal Register, you'll find announcements from every federal agency - known and unknown. If the federal government is a hive of activity, the Federal Register tells you what all the bees have been up to.

Whenever any federal agency makes funding available, they must publish information (How much money is available? When is the deadline? Who is eligible to apply? I have questions, who should I call?) in the Federal Register. Unfortunately for you, the Federal Register uses a very dated listserve database program, which can take some time to understand. My clients pay me to know when funding is available, and the federal register is one of the tools I use.