Accountability and Collaboration for Intergovernmental Performance Management: Communicating Goals through the HUD Grantmaking Process

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory case study of a performance-based intergovernmental grant program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) homeless assistance grants to local Continuums of Care (CoC). The goal is to illuminate the mechanisms by which a federal agency may communicate its priority goals to local grant recipients and seek to promote local actions that further those goals. The mixed-methods case study finds that meeting HUD performance targets does not lead to larger awards in the competitive grant process, casting doubt on the strength of incentives provided by the competitive grants. Nevertheless, the grant making process plays an important role in communicating federal priorities. The system performance metrics emphasized in the grant process coupled with targeted technical assistance appear to promote a focus on performance at the local level and play a role in system reform and capacity building.