During the shutdown, previously-awarded ACL grant funds will remain available for draw down. However, due to furlough requirements, grantees' ability to contact federal agencies and departments, and to receive technical assistance, will be compromised. In particular, there are no federal employees available to help with the Payment Management System during the shutdown. Therefore, if you make an error when drawing down funds, you will be locked out of the system until the federal government reopens. In particular, grantees should be extremely careful when entering their EIN #, as repeated attempts will cause the system to lock up. In addition, the Payment Management System is locking grantees out if they attempt to draw down more than their typical amount.

For more information on ACL operations during the shutdown, please see ACL's Notice to Grantees, available here.

As the shutdown continues, we encourage you to document the impact of the funding gap on your state, noting the administrative and programmatic effects. Please send this information to Lindsey Copeland, ADvancing States' Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs.