Order Code RS20514
Updated September 22, 2003
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Grants Information for Constituents
Merete F. Gerli
Information Management Specialist
Information Research Division
Summary
This report describes key sources of information on government and private grants
for state and community projects. Constituents, who know their projects best, may
search for grants information on the Internet and in printed reference sources. For
federal grants, loans, or nonfinancial help, all programs in the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance can be searched by keyword and a number of browsable indexes
such as subject, department or agency, program title, beneficiary, and applicant
eligibility. Federal Web sites provide information and guidance, and give rules,
regulations, and updates. Web sites of organizations such as the Foundation Center
describe sources on private, corporate, and community foundations. They also offer
guides to writing grants proposals. This report will be updated yearly.
Introduction
Constituents seeking funding for projects need first to gather information about what
grants assistance is available. Many state and local governments, nonprofit social service
groups and community action organizations, small businesses, and individuals approach
congressional offices for help in identifying grants. Though many hope for federal
funding, such assistance is limited. Gathering federal program information and contacting
federal agencies early in the process, before submitting formal applications, is
recommended. Grant seekers should also investigate private or corporate foundation
funding: community foundations, for example, are often especially interested in providing
money for local projects.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, searchable full-text on the Web at
[http://www.cfda.gov], is the primary source of information on federal grants and
nonfinancial assistance programs, although actual funding depends upon annual budget
appropriations. For example, some programs may exist in the Catalog, but receive no
funding in a certain budget year. The Catalog in print and on the Web can be searched
using various indexes, including keyword searching, and browsable listings by subject,
department, agency, program title, beneficiary, and applicant eligibility. The Web version
also links to department and agency Web sites and to Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) circulars affecting program management.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

---

CRS-2
The printed Catalog is widely available in libraries in all states. Both the printed
and Web versions of the Catalog include “Appendix IV: Agency Regional and Local
Offices” [http://www.cfda.gov/public/cat-app4-index.htm], which often handle federal
grant applications and disbursement of funds. Since legislation in every Congress may
significantly change programs and their annual budgets, constituents should contact these
offices early in the process before applying for federal funds.
State government departments and agencies also fund projects and administer federal
block grants, but information on state programs is not as easily accessible as federal
resources on the Web. The printed and Web Catalogs include a “State Single Points of
Contact” [http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html] (not available for all states)
for grant seekers wanting general guidance on government grants activity in a particular
state. Also, various Internet sites access state government Web pages, and constituents
may wish to search agency by agency to contact appropriate offices for information.
Three examples are as follows:
National Association of State Information (NASCIO)
[https://www.nascio.org/aboutNascio/profiles/]
Library of Congress, State and Local Governments resource page
[http://www.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html]
State and Local Government on the Net
[http://www.statelocalgov.net/]
Other sites may be found via search engines under keywords or phrases such as state
governments AND grants.
Because federal funding is very limited, sources of private funding should also be
considered.
For example, the Foundation Center publications and its Web site
[http://www.fdncenter.org] can help grant seekers identify state and community
foundations that may be particularly interested in funding local projects.
For those seeking printed sources, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance,
Foundation Center directories, and other grants publications are available in local
libraries. Terms to identify relevant books include grants, grants-in-aid, foundation
grants, research grants, block grants, and proposal writing for grants.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Washington, Government Printing Office.
Annual, updated regularly on the Internet [http://www.cfda.gov/] by the General Services
Administration.
The Catalog (CFDA) describes some 1,500 federal domestic assistance programs,
financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by the departments and
agencies of the federal government. It is the primary source of information about federal
grants programs, although actual funding depends upon annual budget appropriations.
For each program, the Catalog defines objectives of the program, eligibility requirements,

---

CRS-3
the application and award process, post assistance requirements, past fiscal year
obligations and future estimates, program accomplishments and examples of funded
projects, related programs, and information contacts, including regional or local offices
of federal agencies if applicable.
All of the program descriptions, indexes, and
appendixes of the printed Catalog are searchable for free on the Web.
Catalog Indexes
! Keyword
[http://www.cfda.gov/query/query.htm]
! Functional (subject)
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/browse_by_fa.asp]
! Beneficiary group
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/browse_by_beneficiary.asp]
! Eligible applicants
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/browse_by_applicant.asp]
! Program title
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/browse_by_alpha.asp]
! Department or agency
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/browse_by_agy.asp]
Developing and Writing Grant Proposals
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/cat-writing.htm]
This site (Catalog Appendix VI) provides guidance in formulating federal grant
applications, including initial proposal development, basic components of a proposal,
review recommendations, and referral to federal guidelines and literature.
State Single Points of Contact
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html]
Some states require that federal grant applicants submit a copy of their application
for state government level review and comment. The offices in this Catalog Appendix
I coordinate government (both federal and state) grants development and provide
guidance to grant seekers.
Federal Agency Regional and Local Offices (Catalog Appendix IV)
[http://www.cfda.gov/public/cat-app4-index.htm]
Much of the federal grant budget moves to the states through formula and block
grants — state, regional, and local federal offices often handle grants applications and
funds disbursement. Each federal agency has its own procedures — applicants should call
the department or agency in question before applying for funding to obtain the most
up-to-date information.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance in Print
Although more easily searchable for free on the Internet [http://www.cfda.gov], the
printed Catalog is available to the public in local depository libraries in every state, which
may be identified at [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries.html]. The Catalog is also for
sale from the Government Printing Office at [http://bookstore.gpo.gov/].
Related Federal Sources
Federal Government Web Sites
[http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html]
To better develop a grant proposal, search a department or agency’s Web site to learn
more about its programs and objectives. Some government departments or agencies have
Web pages specifically designed for nonprofit organizations or for seekers of state and
local government grants (see below).

---

CRS-4
Los Sitios Web Federales en Español
[http://www.odl.state.ok.us/usinfo/topiclists/us-spanish.htm]
Federal Web sites in Spanish describing programs of key U.S. government
departments and agencies, including Commerce, Small Business Administration,
Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior,
Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications
Commission, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (now part of the Department
of Homeland Security).
Grants.gov
[http://grants.gov/]
Part of a federal Web site with one-stop access to all online U.S. government
resources. This section groups grants programs by broad subject categories.
Government to Government: Grants and Financial Management
[http://www.firstgov.gov/Government/State_Local/Grants.shtml]
A Web site developed to give state and local governments easy access to federal
government information.
FirstGov for Nonprofits
[http://www.firstgov.gov/Business/Nonprofit.shtml]
A network of links to federal government information and services devised to assist
nonprofit organizations.
Federal Register
[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html]
Search for updates and notices affecting federal assistance programs. Scroll down
to check current year; scroll down farther to enter Catalog program number, or
subject/keyword AND CFDA in Search Terms box.
Federal Funding Report
[http://www.house.gov/ffr]
Weekly compilation of items published in the Federal Register which affect federal
domestic assistance programs. The summary consists of three parts: (1) Federal Register
Summary, (2) Early Warning Grants Report, and (3) Disaster Loan Applications.
Notices of Funding Availability
[http://ocd1.usda.gov/nofa.htm]
Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) are announcements that appear in the
Federal Register inviting applications for federal grant programs. This page allows one
to generate a customized listing of NOFAs by date, by broad subject terms, or by
department or agency.
Grants Management Web Site
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/index.html]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establishes government-wide grants
management policies and guidelines through circulars and common rules. OMB Circulars
are cited in Catalog program descriptions. On the Internet version of the Catalog,
sections sometimes hotlink directly to OMB Circulars, others just give OMB Circular
numbers, which may then be printed from this Web site.

---

CRS-5
Private and Corporate Funding Sources
Foundation Center
[http://www.foundationcenter.org/]
This gateway presents information about the grant seeking process, private funding
sources (including national, state, community, and corporate foundations), guidelines on
writing a grants proposal, addresses of state libraries with grants reference collections, and
links to other useful Internet Web sites. The Center maintains a comprehensive database
on foundation grantsmanship, publishes print and CD-ROM directories and guides,
conducts research and publishes studies in the field, and offers a variety of training and
educational seminars. The database includes the following:
! Online Orientation: the Grantseeking Process
[http://fdncenter.org/learn/orient/intro1.html]
! User-friendly Guide to Funding Research and Resources
[http://fdncenter.org/learn/ufg/index.html]
! Proposal Writing (“Short Course” on developing a good grant proposal)
[http://fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html]
! Web sites of community foundations (bystate)
[http://fdncenter.org/funders/grantmaker/gws_comm/comm.html]
! Foundation
books
collections
[http://www.foundationcenter.org/
index.html]Foundation Center Cooperating Collections in every state
provide free funding information for grant seekers in libraries,
community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers.
Grantsmanship Center (TGCI)
[http://www.tgci.com/]
In addition to useful links to government resources, this site includes information on
community foundations and international funding. Community foundations (by state)
[http://www.tgci.com/funding/community.asp] are often particularly interested in local
projects and maintain diverse grants programs. They may also serve as a resource for
grant information and may provide training and technical assistance for local nonprofit
organizations. TGCI also offers publications, training and workshops in proposal writing,
grantsmanship, and fundraising to nonprofit organizations and government.

---