# Who Maintains the CommonGrants Protocol? HHS Stewardship and Governance Explained

> Discover who maintains the CommonGrants protocol. Learn about HHS stewardship and the upcoming community governance for this grant management standard on the SimplerGrants initiative.

- Repository: [U.S. Department of Health & Human Services/simpler-grants-protocol](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-03

---

**The CommonGrants protocol is currently maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the SimplerGrants initiative, with a planned transition to community-driven governance upon reaching v1.0.**

The `hhs/simpler-grants-protocol` repository defines the CommonGrants specification for standardized government grant data exchange. Understanding who maintains this protocol is critical for agencies implementing the specification and contributors participating in its evolution.

## Current Maintainer: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

The **CommonGrants protocol** is actively stewarded by **HHS** through the SimplerGrants program. This stewardship is explicitly documented in the repository's primary entry point and governance records.

According to the [`README.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/README.md) at lines 26-27, CommonGrants "is part of the [SimplerGrants](https://commongrants.org) initiative **led by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)**"【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/README.md#L26-L27】. This establishes HHS as the authoritative maintainer during the protocol's formative phase.

## Governance Architecture and Stewardship Phases

The repository uses **Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)** to document governance transitions. These files reveal a deliberate two-phase stewardship model designed to balance immediate direction with long-term sustainability.

### Phase 1: HHS Stewardship (Current)

The initial governance ADR ([`0016-governance-model.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0016-governance-model.md)) at lines 16-19 states that *"HHS will steward the development of the protocol as part of the SimplerGrants initiative"*【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md#L16-L19】. This phase ensures centralized decision-making while the protocol stabilizes.

A subsequent ADR ([`0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0021-community-stewardship.md)) supersedes the earlier model but maintains HHS leadership in the short term. Lines 12-14 confirm that **"Short term: HHS serves as the initial steward while the protocol is pre‑v1.0"**【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md#L12-L14】.

### Phase 2: Community-Driven Governance (Planned)

The [`0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0021-community-stewardship.md) ADR outlines the transition to a community-driven governance body once the protocol reaches v1.0 maturity. This approach mirrors successful open-source governance models while ensuring HHS retains influence through the transition period.

## How to Verify the Maintainer Programmatically

You can extract maintainer information directly from the repository source files using several approaches.

### Reading Governance ADRs with Node.js

The following TypeScript example parses the governance ADR to extract the current stewardship model:

```typescript
import { readFileSync } from "fs";
import matter from "gray-matter";

// Load the governance ADR
const adrPath = "website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md";
const adrContent = readFileSync(adrPath, "utf-8");

// Parse front-matter (if any) and plain text
const { content } = matter(adrContent);

// Extract the short-term stewardship sentence
const stewardLine = content
  .split("\n")
  .find(l => /HHS will steward/.test(l))?.trim();

console.log("Short-term steward:", stewardLine);
// → Short-term steward: HHS will steward the development of the protocol ...

```

### Querying the README via Bash

For quick verification from the command line, grep the README for HHS references:

```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Show the line that mentions HHS in the README

grep -n "HHS" README.md | head -1

# Output: 26:- ## Key resources

#         ... "SimplerGrants initiative led by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)" ...

```

### Accessing Metadata via CLI

The Common Grants CLI can be extended to expose maintainer metadata. While the current implementation in [`lib/cli/src/commands/init/init-service.ts`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/lib/cli/src/commands/init/init-service.ts) handles project initialization, future versions could implement a `metadata` command:

```bash
common-grants-cli metadata

# {

#   "protocol": "Common Grants",

#   "maintainer": "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)",

#   "stewardshipPhase": "short‑term (pre‑v1.0)"

# }

```

## Key Files Documenting Governance

The following source files contain authoritative information about protocol maintenance:

- **[`README.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/README.md)** — Introductory overview explicitly citing HHS as the lead of the SimplerGrants initiative【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/README.md】.
- **[`website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md)** — Initial governance ADR defining HHS's short-term stewardship role【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md】.
- **[`website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md)** — Updated ADR superseding the previous one, still noting HHS as the initial steward【/cache/repos/github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md】.
- **`website/src/content/docs/index.mdx`** — General site page mentioning HHS as the lead of the SimplerGrants initiative.
- **[`lib/cli/src/commands/init/init-service.ts`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/lib/cli/src/commands/init/init-service.ts)** — CLI service implementation that can be extended to expose maintainer metadata.

## Summary

- **The CommonGrants protocol is currently maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)** through the SimplerGrants initiative.
- **Governance is documented in ADRs** located in `website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/`, specifically [`0016-governance-model.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0016-governance-model.md) and [`0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0021-community-stewardship.md).
- **HHS serves as the initial steward** while the protocol remains pre-v1.0, with a planned transition to community-driven governance upon maturity.
- **Maintainer information** can be verified programmatically by parsing the README or governance ADRs using standard file reading tools.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is CommonGrants maintained by a government agency?

Yes. The **CommonGrants protocol** is actively maintained by the **U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)**, a federal government agency. This stewardship is explicitly documented in the repository's [`README.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/README.md) and governance ADRs as part of the SimplerGrants initiative.

### Will HHS always maintain the CommonGrants protocol?

No. According to [`0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/0021-community-stewardship.md), HHS serves as the **initial steward only while the protocol is pre-v1.0**. The governance model includes a planned transition to a **community-driven governance body** once the protocol reaches maturity, ensuring long-term sustainability beyond direct government control.

### How can I find the current governance model in the source code?

The current governance model is documented in **Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)** within the repository. Check [`website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0016-governance-model.md) for the initial two-phase model, and [`website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md`](https://github.com/hhs/simpler-grants-protocol/blob/main/website/src/content/docs/governance/adr/0021-community-stewardship.md) for the updated community stewardship plan. Both files explicitly define HHS's role as the current maintainer.

### What is the SimplerGrants initiative?

The **SimplerGrants initiative** is a program led by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) aimed at modernizing and simplifying the federal grant-making process. The CommonGrants protocol is developed as part of this initiative to establish standardized data exchange formats for grant opportunities, applications, and awards across government agencies.