Finding Federal Government Grants – Using the CFDA

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.

In 1984 the Office of Management and Budget transferred responsibility for Federal domestic assistance program information to the General Services Administration. This transfer was mandated by the Federal Program Information Act and included requirements for distribution of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

The GSA now maintains the Federal assistance information database from which program information is obtained. The Office of Management and Budget serves as an intermediary agent between the Federal agencies and GSA, thus providing oversight to the necessary collection of Federal domestic assistance program data.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the basic reference manual providing information on all Federal domestic activities. Its most critical function is allowing users to identify programs of particular interest. The CFDA also is a tremendous resource for basic information on Federal assistance programs. Additionally, the Catalog endeavors to improve communications and enhance coordination between State and Local entities and the Federal government.

The Catalog provides the user with access to programs administered by Federal departments and agencies in a single publication. Program information is cross referenced by functional classification (Functional Index), subject (Subject Index), applicant (Applicant Index), deadline(s) for program application submission (Deadlines Index), and authorizing legislation (Authorization Index). These are valuable resource tools that, if used carefully, can make it easier to identify specific areas of program interest more efficiently.

Since 1977 the GSA has published printed editions of the CFDA. Legislation required free dissemination of the Catalog to specific recipients. In 2003 the General Services Administration distributed close to 10,000 copies of the CFDA.

New rulings now gives the General Services Administration discretion in what form to produce and disseminate the CFDA. The General Services Administration is endeavoring to move to a more paper free environment and toward that end now maintains and distributes the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance through the CFDA Website. The General Services Administration no longer prints and distributes free copies of the Catalog.

Michael has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He maintains a site on federal grant money and is president of Information Organizers, LLC.

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