Rural Grants Transparency Act

(a) Requirement. The Secretary shall provide each applicant to a covered program with standardized notifications regarding—

(1) confirmation of receipt of the application;

(2) notice of completeness of, or deficiency in, the application;

(3) notice of advancement of the application to review;

(4) a grant award or a denial of an application; and

(5) if an application is denied, information on whether the applicant may reapply.

(b) Denial explanation. Each denial of an application submitted to a covered program shall include—

(1) a plain-language summary of the evaluation criteria most determinative to the outcome; and

(2) guidance on how to strengthen future submissions.

(c) Use of existing systems. The Secretary shall provide notifications under this section using existing electronic or administrative systems, and this section shall not be interpreted to require the development of new information technology systems.