Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is a national nonprofit supported by 125,000 legal advocates, working to ensure that communities can access and implement federal funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). To date, we have provided direct legal guidance to over 700 state and local governments, school districts, nonprofit organizations, Tribal entities, and community groups navigating these critical programs.
Over the past two years, we have worked with grantees to ensure they remain in compliance with federal, state, and local funding regulations. Now, we are witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of ongoing federal funding freezes on nonprofits, Tribal organizations, and under-resourced communities. Despite clear legal obligations—and in some cases, direct court orders—federal agencies continue to delay payments, block access to grant portals, and ignore grantees’ urgent requests for information. These funding disruptions are causing real, irreparable harm: organizations are shutting down programs, laying off workers, and struggling to continue essential services.
In just the past two weeks, L4GG has received over 200 requests for legal assistance from nonprofits that are unable to access the federal funding they were awarded. Many have had their Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) accounts locked without explanation, leaving millions of dollars in legally obligated funds inaccessible. Others have been met with silence from federal agencies—phone calls go unanswered, emails are ignored, and program officers are suddenly unreachable.
“These delays are not just bureaucratic red tape; they are actively harming communities,” said Jillian Blanchard, Vice President for Climate Change and Environmental Justice. “Frontline organizations providing food assistance, clean energy, environmental protection, disaster relief, and public health programs are being forced to shut down services midstream. Workers are losing their jobs, and critical projects meant to serve vulnerable populations are being abandoned. In one case, an organization working to improve air quality in an underserved urban community was abruptly cut off from funding, putting children with asthma at even greater risk. In another, a rural nonprofit supporting Tribal farmers found itself unable to pay staff or complete essential grant-funded work.”
Despite a court order requiring the release of these funds, federal agencies have continued to create new barriers and delay payments. This is not just a legal violation—it is a direct attack on the organizations and communities that rely on this funding to survive.
The solution is clear: the administration must immediately lift all freezes on legally obligated federal funds and comply fully with court orders. Anything less will continue to cause irreparable harm to nonprofits, Tribal entities, and the communities they serve. The American people should not have to bear the cost of politically motivated delays that defy both the law and common decency.