Introduction
USAspending.gov, http://www.usaspending.gov, is the official database collecting data on federal contracts, grants, loans, insurance, and other financial assistance. The website enables searching of federal funding awards and sub-awards from FY2008 to the present (with data downloads of prime awards back to FY2000). Grants and other financial outlays include money the federal government awards or lends for projects in states, local jurisdictions, regions, territories, and tribal reservations, as well as payments for eligible needs to help individuals and families. The President's FY2016 budget provides $651.7 billion in outlays for aid to state and local governments, an increase of 3.8% from FY2015.1 Contracts refer to bids and agreements the federal government makes for specific goods and services. Federal government prime contract spending totaled $444.9 billion in FY2014 (latest complete year for which data are available).2
For Congress, being able to track these federal outlays and expenditures is necessary to accurately inform oversight of federal spending. In recent years, Congress has passed laws to create and improve systems for government departments and agencies to report and input data on federal awards for contracts, grants, and other financial assistance.
- P.L. 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA), called for the creation of a database that became USAspending.gov. The publicly available database replaced data collection and annual reports issued for more than 30 years in the Census Bureau's Federal Aid to States (FAS) report and Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR).3
- P.L. 111-5, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), required federal agencies awarding stimulus funding and state and local recipients of such funding to report spending back to the ARRA Recovery Board; this reporting also became a part of USAspending.gov.
- P.L. 113-101, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act), transferred responsibility for USAspending.gov from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the Treasury Department and required that expenditures data be included in the USAspending.gov database, in addition to federal agency obligations.
However, finding accurate and complete data on federal funds received by states and congressional districts continues to present challenges. Because of ongoing data quality problems identified by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as recently as June 2014,4 researchers should be aware that search results may be incomplete or have inaccuracies. According to the GAO report, data on contracts spending appear to be more accurate than data on grants and other awards. The DATA Act requires the Treasury Department and OMB to develop government-wide data standardization to consolidate, automate, and simplify reports on grant awards and contracts to improve USAspending.gov underreporting and inconsistencies.
Key Source: USAspending.gov
FFATA required OMB to create a public database of all federal funds awarded to the final recipient level. The current USAspending.gov database, redesigned by the Treasury Department, was launched on March 31, 2015. The website enables searching of federal funding awards and sub-awards from FY2008 to the present (with data downloads of prime awards back to FY2000). Current records are added as soon as they become available from federal agencies.
The website enables policy staff and the public to view funding summary data by state, congressional district, and other geographic entities and allows them to search by the name of a contractor or grant recipient. When searching data in USAspending.gov, the following might be taken into consideration:
- Under the tab "Where is the Money Going," choose "Spending Map"—researchers may select criteria to display summary data of various geographic jurisdictions, including state and congressional districts (CDs). Lists of recipients are displayed with funding amount and Award ID. More information about each transaction may be viewed by clicking the Award ID. Data may not be downloaded.
- The "Advanced Data Search" enables filtering by various criteria, including fiscal year (back to FY2008), recipient of award, state or CD place of performance (where project is located or money is spent), and department or agency. Data may be exported to spreadsheets.
- State-level data include formula and block grant funds (80%-90% of federal grant funding) that State Administering Agencies (SAAs) may pass through to local jurisdictions or sub-award through sub-grants, contracts, or subcontracts. Sub-awards of grants made by states or subcontracts awarded under prime contractors may be incomplete (back to December 2010 and will not be retrospective).
- Congressional district data searching at the "Spending Map" or "Advanced Data Search" does not take into account past redistricting. For example, CDs reconfigured in January 2013 based on the 2010 decennial census can have different borders from earlier districts or be renumbered. To compare 113th or 114th CD data with data from prior Congresses, researchers might need to export state-level data and review for zip code, county, or recipient address.
- CDs that include state capitals may appear to receive more federal funds because states are initial recipients of block and formula grants for projects throughout the state.
- The "Download Center" enables researchers to export detailed bulk data (from FY2000 to present) to spreadsheets, with full data elements for each recipient. Filtering must be done separately for Prime Award and Sub-Award; for Contracts or Grants or Loans or Other Financial Assistance; by single agency or All; and by state. Searching by CD is not an option, although downloaded spreadsheets include columns giving CD: for Contracts, see column "BJ," for Grants and other funding categories, see column "AH."
The DATA Act requires the Treasury Department and OMB to develop government-wide data standardization to consolidate, automate, and simplify reports on grant awards and contracts to improve underreporting and inconsistencies as identified by GAO.5 The law amends FFATA in a number of ways, to be implemented over several years, including by stipulating the following:
- Treasury will ensure the availability of required data through USASpending.gov within three years;
- OMB will establish a two-year pilot program to develop recommendations to improved financial reporting of sub-grant recipients;
- Treasury and OMB will establish government-wide financial data standards, including common data elements, to improve reporting to USASpending.gov;
- Agency submissions will be strengthened to ensure accurate and complete data are provided to USASpending.gov; and
- Agency inspectors general and GAO will periodically review agency spending data submitted under the act starting in November 2016.
In addition, no later than four years after enactment (by spring 2018), Treasury and OMB must ensure that all information published on USASpending.gov conforms to government-wide data standards. OMB is also to issue guidance so that all agencies can follow government-wide data standards when reporting on grantee and contractor awards.
State Data: Where Awarded and Where Spent
Recipient Location Versus Place of Performance
As recipients of federal grant funding, state and local governments may provide services directly to beneficiaries. Alternatively, a state may act as a pass through, re-disbursing federal grant funding to localities using a formula or a competitive process6 through sub-grants or subcontracts. Both federal grant and procurement awards thus may have a where awarded versus where spent component that is not always fully identified in grant or procurement records. Most federal funding is awarded to states (see Figure 1), which then sub-award or subcontract to eligible recipients elsewhere in the state (see Figure 2). A project's place of performance may therefore differ from the initial recipient location.
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Figure 2. State Administering Agencies (SAAs) Sub-award Federal Funds |
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Source: Jerry Brito, George Washington University, 2009; and CRS, 2014. |
A funding award may pass through different jurisdictions (in different congressional districts) before reaching the final place of performance. For example,
- Federal grants may go first to the state (the state capital, in one CD), then be distributed to a city or county government (in one or more additional CDs), which then may pass the funds to an organization that spends the money in other CDs. A CD in which a state capital is located may appear to receive more federal funds than other CDs in the state, but searching USAspending.gov data by place of performance rather than recipient location would identify data by the project location.
- Procurement awards may be given to a corporation headquartered in one state (and one CD), but the company may spend the money manufacturing the purchased product at one or more of its manufacturing facilities in one or more additional states (and CDs).
Congressional District Data
As mentioned earlier, because of continued data quality problems in USAspending.gov, information for some CDs may be incomplete or inaccurate.7 In addition, for data prior to FY2007, CDs were not always identified for recipients of grant or procurement awards. P.L. 109-282 (FFATA), however, required departments and agencies to identify recipients' CDs when they awarded grants or contracts.
The USAspending.gov "Advanced Data Search" and "Spending Map" enable filtering by state and congressional district.
- For CD data, search USAspending.gov by place of performance rather than recipient location to identify awards by project location (see "State Data: Where Awarded and Where Spent," above).
- Use caution when comparing CD data over time. During decennial redistricting, CD borders and numbers may change but past data are not revised to account for redistricting. For example, comparing data from the 113th or 114th Congress with earlier data must take into account new district borders created by the 2010 decennial redistricting. Other geographic search options, such as by zip code or county, could be used to track funds within a CD, although borders may not exactly align.
- CDs that include state capitals will appear to receive more federal funds because states are prime recipients of federal block and formula grants. State Administering Agencies (SSAs) then pass through or sub-award federal funding for projects throughout the state.
Federal Procurement Data System
The General Services Administration (GSA) maintains the Federal Procurement Data System–Next Generation (FPDS–NG), which contains statistical information on federal contracts. The FPDS–NG
- serves as the source of USAspending.gov contracts data;
- makes available Federal Procurement Reports from FY2000 forward on its website;
- includes data on contracts of more than $25,000 and summary data of procurements less than $25,000; and
- provides selected search capabilities by state (including aggregate county statistics), contractor name, and product or service category.
For more refined searching, such as by CD, the FPDS Help Desk can guide congressional staff and the public through filtering for data needed (called ad hoc reports).
Federal Audit Clearinghouse
States, local governments, and nonprofits (including universities) spending $750,000 or more in federal grants during a fiscal year are required to submit an audit detailing expenditures. Data from the audits are posted on the Census Bureau's Federal Audit Clearinghouse, at https://harvester.census.gov/facweb/Default.aspx. No printed documents are produced.
- Because the audit data are for the fiscal year of the filing agency or organization (which may differ from the federal fiscal year), they are not comparable with data from any other federal source.
- Searches may be conducted by organization or institution, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) program number, geographic location (by city or state but not by congressional district).8 See search options at https://harvester.census.gov/fac/dissem/accessoptions.html.
Federal Aid to States and the Consolidated Federal Funds Report
Census Bureau reports published from FY1983 to FY2010, available at https://www.census.gov/govs/pubs/topic.html#federal_programs, were the federal government's primary documents summarizing the geographic distribution of federal monies to states and counties, whether grants, contracts, or appropriations. The FY2010 Federal Aid to states (FAS) and Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) were the last reports issued due to the termination of the Census Bureau's Federal Financial Statistics program. Federal obligations data continue to be posted on USAspending.gov, now the official source collecting federal awards data.
- FAS covered federal government expenditures to state and local governments and presented figures to the state level by program area and agency.
- CFFR included payments to state and local governments as well as to nongovernmental recipients. Dollar amounts reported represented either actual expenditures or obligations (see CFFR introduction and source notes for each table or graph).
- CFFR provided data to the state and county level for grants, salaries and wages, procurement contracts, direct payments for individuals, other direct payments, direct loans, guaranteed or insured loans, and insurance.
- Although CFFR indicated congressional districts (one or more) for each county, it did not give separate data by CD.
U.S. Budget: Aid to State and Local Governments
The President's budget in the annual Analytical Perspectives of the U.S. Government volume covers various topics, including "Aid to State and Local Governments" (Title 15 in the FY2016 report).9 Federal grants-in-aid to state and local governments, U.S. territories, and American Indian tribal governments are intended to support government operations or the provision of services to the public. Federal grants help state and local governments finance programs covering most areas of domestic public spending, including infrastructure, education, social services, and public safety. Grants are most often awarded as direct cash assistance, but federal grants-in-aid also can include payments for grants-in-kind—nonmonetary aid such as commodities purchased for the National School Lunch Program. Federal revenues shared with state and local governments also are considered grants-in-aid.10
The FY2016 budget provides $651.7 billion in outlays for aid to state and local governments, an increase of 3.8% from FY2015.11 Of total proposed grant spending in FY2016, 57.4% is for health programs, with most of the funding going to Medicaid, a program that makes health insurance accessible for low-income Americans. Beyond health programs, 17.2% of federal aid is estimated to go to income-security programs; 10.5% to transportation; 9.5% to education, training, and social services; 2.1% to community and regional development; and 3.4% to all other functions.
Appendix tables in FY2016 Title 15 display state-by-state spending for grants-in-aid programs to state and local governments. The first two tables give summary figures:12
- Table 15-3, Summary of Programs by Agency, Bureau, and Program, shows obligations for each program by agency and bureau.
- Table 15-4, Summary of Grant Programs by State, shows total obligations for each state across programs included.
Individual program tables with state-by-state obligation data may be found on the OMB website. Appendix tables 15-5 through 15-41 give state-by-state obligations for the 37 largest federal grants-in-aid programs, which comprise more than 90% of total federal grant spending.13
Federal grants generally fall into one of two broad categories—categorical grants or block grants—depending on the requirements of the grant program. In addition, grants may be characterized by how the funding is awarded, such as by formula, by project, or by matching state and local funds. As recipients of federal grant funding, state and local governments may provide services directly to beneficiaries or states may act as a pass through, disbursing grant funding to localities using a formula or a competitive process.14 As discussed above, this pass through, or sub-awarding, at the state level makes tracking federally originated funds to the final recipient a challenge.
The federal budget also classifies grant spending by Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) categories mandatory and discretionary. Table 15-1, section B, in the FY2016 budget shows the distribution of grants spending between mandatory and discretionary.15
- Mandatory: Programs whose funding is provided directly in authorizing legislation are categorized as mandatory. Funding levels for most mandatory programs can be changed only by revising eligibility criteria or benefit formulas established in law and usually are not limited by the annual appropriations process. In FY2016, outlays for mandatory grant programs are estimated to be $512.2 billion, a 6.1% increase over 2015.16 The three largest mandatory grant programs in FY2016 are estimated to be Medicaid, with outlays of $351.0 billion; federal-aid highways, with outlays of $44.6 billion; and Child Nutrition programs, which include the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, and others, with outlays of $21.5 billion.
- Discretionary: Funding levels for discretionary grant programs are determined annually through appropriations acts. In FY2016, grants-in-aid with discretionary funding are estimated to have outlays of $139.6 billion, a decrease of 4.0% from FY2015. The three largest discretionary programs in 2016 are estimated to be Tenant Based Rental Assistance, with outlays of $20.9 billion; Education for the Disadvantaged, with outlays of $15.6 billion; and Special Education, with outlays of $12.3 billion.17
States: Federal Funds Received and Taxes Paid
The following projects, by three organizations, analyze government-issued data, comparing federal funds received by states and federal taxes paid. Although the organizations publish their methodologies and sources, CRS cannot validate their conclusions, but includes these projects as sources frequently cited in policy papers and the media.
- National Priorities Project, State Smart: Federal Funds in 50 States
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/smart/.
Sources of data include USAspending.gov, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For notes on methodology, see https://www.nationalpriorities.org/smart/resources/notes-and-sources/.
Through this project's interactive website, users can follow the flow of federal dollars to each state and the District of Columbia through spending on government personnel, contracts, aid to individuals (such as food stamps and Medicare), and public assistance programs. It also provides information on how much individuals and businesses in each state pay in federal taxes. Available data can be used to answer questions such as
- What percentage of a state's budget comes from the federal government?
- How much, on average, do residents in a state receive in federal benefits, and how does that compare with other states?
- How much do individuals and businesses in a state pay in federal taxes?
- Pew Charitable Trust Fiscal Federalism Initiative, Federal Spending in the States: 2004 to 2013, December 2, 2014
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2014/12/federal-spending-in-the-states.
Sources of data include USAspending.gov, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, OPM, and the Department of Defense; see Appendix Methodology at http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/Assets/2014/12/Federal_Spending_in_the_States_methodology_web_final.pdf.
For nearly three decades, through FY2010, the Census Bureau produced the CFFR, an annual look at the geographic distribution of federal spending. When the CFFR was discontinued, the Pew Charitable Trust Fiscal Federalism Initiative prepared analysis and companion methodology to fill the gap. Data are divided into the five major categories used by the CFFR: (1) retirement benefits, (2) nonretirement benefits, (3) grants, (4) contracts, and (5) salaries and wages for federal employees.
- Tax Foundation, Federal Taxes Paid vs. Spending Received by State, last published in 2007.
http://taxfoundation.org/tax-topics/federal-taxes-paid-vs-spending-received-state
Sources of data are the 2005 CFFR and Tax Foundation data. The report is still often cited.
Additional Federal Grant Awards Databases
USAspending.gov collects brief data on all federal grants and contracts awarded. However, some agencies, in particular those awarding research grants, also continue to post information on their own websites.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Current Research Information System
http://cris.csrees.usda.gov/
Ongoing agricultural, food science, human nutrition, and forestry research, education and extension activities, with a focus on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant programs. Projects are conducted or sponsored by USDA research agencies, state agricultural experiment stations, land-grant universities, other cooperating state institutions, and participants in NIFA-administered grant programs, including Small Business Innovation Research and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Department of Defense (DOD)
- Awards made databases for the DOD's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
http://cdmrp.army.mil/search.aspx - DOD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs
http://www.dodsbir.net/awards/Default.asp
Department of Education (ED)
- Institute of Education Sciences, Funded Research Grants and Contracts
http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/index.asp
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS)
http://taggs.hhs.gov/AdvancedSearch.cfm
Database of awards from DHHS and its subsidiaries. - National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools RePORTER
http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
Includes projects funded by the NIH, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, Office of Assistant Secretary of Health, and Veterans Administration.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Office of Justice Programs (OJP), OJP Grant Awards and OJP Award Data by Location
http://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov:85/selector/main
http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/OJPAwardData.htm
Department of Labor (DOL)
- Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Grants Awarded
http://www.doleta.gov/grants/grants_awarded.cfm
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Integrated Grants Management System (IGMS)
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/facts/igms/index.html
IGMS awards, administers, and monitors EPA grants regularly awarded to federal, state, or local government agencies, universities, and other institutions that support EPA's environmental programs.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
- IMLS Awarded Grants
http://www.imls.gov/recipients/grantsearch.aspx
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- Grant Search
https://apps.nea.gov/grantsearch/
NEA grants awarded since 1998.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
- Funded Projects
https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
- Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj)
http://wwwcf.nlm.nih.gov/hsr_project/home_proj.cfm
Database of ongoing health services research and public health projects, whether government, corporate, or private.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
- NSF Awards
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/
Includes data from 1989 to the present. - Research.gov is a partnership of federal research-oriented grant-making agencies led by the NSF
http://www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_eventName=viewQuickSearchFormEvent_so_rsr&wtlink=RSR_Search_homepage.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)
- SBIR and STTR Awards
https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/award/all
The mission of the SBIR/STTR program is to stimulate technology innovation by strengthening the role of innovative small business in federal research and development. Currently, 11 federal agencies participate in the program: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce (National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Science Foundation.
Transportation Research Board (TRB)
- Research in Progress
http://rip.trb.org/
View projects by subject, individuals, or organizations.
Related Federal Programs and Funding Sources
Grants, loans, insurance, and other assistance awards in USAspending.gov include references to Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) program names and numbers, which may be used to look up full program descriptions on CFDA.gov. In addition, grants and contracts applications may have been submitted originally to the Grants.gov or FedBizOps.gov systems, where additional information about the funding opportunities may be found.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
CFDA, available to the public at http://www.cfda.gov, provides official, continuously updated descriptions of all grants and other federal financial and nonfinancial assistance programs available to state and local governments, including the District of Columbia; tribal governments; territories of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions.
- These are federally authorized programs; funding levels depend upon congressional appropriations.
- Each CFDA program description includes eligibility criteria, objectives of the program, uses and restrictions, application procedures, estimated fiscal year budget obligations, agency contacts and websites, and other related information.
- Programs may be browsed by department, agency, and sub-agency.
- Keyword and advanced search options are available, and the PDF print version on the website contains additional indexes and tables, such as applicant eligibility and subject.
- Agency regional, state, and local office addresses are given, if applicable.
- Includes guidance on developing and writing federal grant proposals.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov, at http://www.grants.gov, is an e-government initiative operating under the governance of OMB. The website provides information and a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply directly to the federal government for grants and other domestic assistance that is not administered by the states.
- The website hosts all open notices of grant opportunities on more than 1,000 federal grant programs and vets grant applications for 26 federal grant-making agencies.
- It provides guidance to grant seekers looking for government grants at all levels (federal, state, or local), including how to obtain a Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number and how to register with the System for Award Management (SAM). In addition, the site posts federal regulations on grants, loans, and other financial assistance and links to relevant federal forms. Grants.gov also offers training videos and presentations.
- However, more than 80% of federal grant funds are allocated to states under large formula and block grants, funds administered by each state. A state may pass through funds to local jurisdictions for projects and may post funding opportunities on state websites.
- Note that state-administered federal funding opportunity notices (such as under formula or block grant programs) are not posted on Grants.gov—there is no centralized website posting all state-administered federal grant opportunities; each state makes such opportunities available through its own state government agencies and websites.
FedBizOpps.gov
FedBizOpps (FBO), at https://www.fbo.gov, is the single government point of entry for federal government contracts and procurement opportunities of more than $25,000.
- Government buyers are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps via the Internet.
- Businesses and commercial vendors seeking federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor, and retrieve opportunities solicited by all federal departments and agencies.
- The website has demonstration and small business training videos, user guides, and a detailed FAQ webpage for agencies and vendors.