Recovery.gov - Track the Money

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Agency

One of 28 federal departments reporting directly to the Executive Branch. Each agency is headed by a Secretary appointed by the President. 

Agency Financial and Activity Reports

Since March 3, 2008, agencies receiving Recovery Act funds have been submitting weekly reports detailing their activities. These reports give regular updates to government officials, Congress, and the public on how much is being spent and on what.

Agency Funding Notification Reports

Details of agencies’ intentions to make funding available.

Agency Program Plans

Summaries of individual plans detailed in the agencies’ overall Recovery Plans.

Agency Recovery Plans

Descriptions of each agency’s broad Recovery Act goals.

Allocated

Funds that have been set aside for a specific purpose.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is a $787 billion economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17, 2009. A percentage of the package targets spending (contracts, grants, and loans) and the rest includes tax cuts and entitlements such as Medicaid and Social Security Administration payments.

App

App is an abbreviation for application, which is computer software designed for specific purposes. Examples include media players, spreadsheets, and graphics software, among many others. Microsoft Office, which includes multiple software programs, is an example of an application suite. A web application is accessed over the Internet.   

 

Applied Geographic Solutions

Crime Rate Index -- The primary source is a compilation and analysis of the FBI Uniform Crime Report databases. On an annual basis, the FBI collects data from approximately 16,000 law enforcement jurisdictions at the city, county, and state levels.

The database is then standardized to correct typographical errors and format discrepancies;  missing data for some jurisdictions; and juridisdiction overlap. Modeling is used to fill in missing values; and historical data is adjusted to reflect current crime rates.

Seven crime types were modeled separately, using an initial range of about 65 socio-economic characteristics taken from the 2000 Census and AGS’ current year estimates. Separate models were constructed for each of the nine Census regions (e.g. New England, East North Central, Pacific) in order to account for regional differences in crime rates and the demographic characteristics. The models constructed typically account for over 85% of the variance in crime rates at this “jurisdiction” level, although it should be noted that the results for property crimes were generally more reliable than for personal crimes.

The results of these models are applied to the block group using the same demographic attributes compiled at the block group level. The resulting estimates are scaled to match the master database of 8,500 jurisdictions. The final crime rate estimates were then weighted by population and aggregated to the national totals.

For the complete methodology, Applied Geographic Solutions.

Appropriation

A legal provision authorizing the spending of funds for a specific purpose.

 

Award

A contract, grant, or loan.

Budget Account

An account created to manage regular, budgeted expenditures.

Budget Function

One of 20 general-subject categories into which budgetary resources are grouped so that all budget authority and outlays can be presented according to the national interests being addressed. There are 17 broad budget functions, including national defense, international affairs, energy, agriculture, health, income security, and general government. Three other functions—net interest, allowances, and undistributed offsetting receipts—are included to complete the budget.

Bureau

The principal subordinate organizational unit of an agency.

Continuous Quality Assurance

The period following a reporting cycle when federal agencies and recipient continue to review reports and recipients make changes to those reports as necessary.

Contract

An agreement between a company and the Federal government for the provision of products or services.

Cost-plus contract

Pays for allowed expenses plus additional payment to allow for profit.

Council of Economic Advisers

An agency within the Executive Office of the President responsible for providing objective economic advice to the President. The CEA is composed of a chair and two members, and is supported by a staff of professional senior economists, staff economists and research assistants, as well as a statistical office.

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Dots on the Map

A dot is placed at the place-of-performance address as reported by a recipient. If a recipient reports only a zip code, the dot is placed in the center of the zip code area. If a recipient reports only a state, the dot is placed at the state capital.

 

In some cases, multiple awards have been geocoded to one address or location. When this occurs, the dots are stacked in the following order: loans at the bottom, grants in the middle, contracts on top. When you click on a green (contract) dot, a grant or loan may also be shown in the black information box.

ESRI Updated Demographics 

The Esri Updated Demographic database is the source for the unemployment data shown on the unemployment comparison map.  The data is modeled to represent a single point in time (July 1, 2010) and to be in alignment with the rest of the labor force data.

Sources of data for estimates of the civilian labor force integrate recent change in the supply and demand for labor from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Employment Projections (EP), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as well as the American Community Survey (ACS) and Current Population Survey (CPS) from the U.S. Census Bureau. Federal statistical surveys are the principal sources for labor force trends. Furthermore, the LAUS program is the premier resource for current and local economic conditions utilized by state and local governments, media outlets, the private sector, and academic researchers.

Methods for employment and unemployment forecasts are developed from the Census 2000 base. Trends are adapted from an LAUS monthly time series, projected to July 2010. LAUS state estimates are based on the concepts and definitions from the program's main input source, the monthly CPS, as well as the CES program from the BLS, and state unemployment insurance systems. Additionally, LAUS substate models incorporate data from the decennial census. Change between Census 2000 and Esri's civilian labor force trends are tied to historical and seasonal patterns in the LAUS state and county monthly time series (not seasonally adjusted).

 

Direct Payments

Financial assistance from the federal government provided directly to individuals, private firms, and other private institutions.

Diversity Index

This is based on ESRI 2009/2014 demographic data that summarizes racial and ethnic diversity in the United States.  The Diversity Index measures the likelihood that two persons chosen at random from the same area belong to different race or ethnic groups. The index ranges from 0 (no diversity) to 100 (complete diversity). For example, the diversity score for the U.S. is 60, which means there is a 60 percent probability that two people randomly chosen from the U.S. population would belong to different race or ethnic groups.

Economic Recovery Payment

Individual benefit payments to recipients of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement Benefits, and Veterans Disability Compensation or Pension Benefits.

Entitlements

An entitlement is a direct payment. Examples include activities such as entitlement payments made directly for individuals, or other large volume transactions, such as food stamps, housing loans and flood insurance.

Federal Agencies

Independent agencies of the federal government are not part of the President's cabinet-level departments but report to Congress. These agencies are not headed by secretaries. Examples of these agencies include Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Trade Commission,  Social Security Administration, and NASA.

Federal executive departments are agencies with cabinet-level secretaries.  Examples of these agencies include the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education and  Department of Treasury.

Federal Procurement Data System (fpds.gov)

Collects and maintains information on federal contracts.

Firm-fixed Price Contract

A fixed amount paid that will not change under any circumstances.

Fiscal Year (FY)

The federal fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 of the following calendar year.

 

Functionally Obsolete Bridge

As defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, a functionally obsolete bridge is not necessarily unsafe for all vehicles.  It is typically an older design that lacks modern safety features, such as adequate shoulder space or an appropriate railing system.

 

Funding Notification Reports

Details of agencies’ funds made available for specific programs.

Funds Announced by an Agency

Funds that have been publicly announced as available to entities outside of the federal government.  Not all available funds are announced publicly. For example,  the funds going to a project started prior to the Recovery Act that are commingled with the project’s Recovery funds will not be announced publicly before being made available to a recipient).  The Funds Announced figure should not be viewed as the total funding that an agency has made available.

 

Funds Awarded (Obligated by the federal agency)  to a Recipient

Funds that have been made available to a recipient.

Funds Paid Out (Gross Outlay) by an Agency

Funds that a federal agency has paid out to a recipient.

Funds Received by an Recipient

Funds received by a recipient in the form of a federal award.

Fraud

The use of intentional deception or false representation for undeserved monetary gains by an individual or organizational entity.

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GHI

Geocoding

The process of assigning a latitude and longitude to a specific location, such as a street address or zip code.

Google Translate

A beta service provided by Google Inc. to translate text and websites into different languages.

Government Accountability Office

An independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.

Grant

An award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public project or service authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants are not federal assistance or loans to individuals.

Gross Outlays

Cash (currency, checks, or electronic fund transfers) or debt instruments (bonds, debentures, notes, or monetary credits) used to pay obligations.

Honorable

Used as a title of respect for certain senior government officials including secretaries of agencies, the comptroller general, and inspectors general.

Inspector General (IG)

An independent official in a federal agency responsible for oversight of federal funds and how the agency can minimize fraud, waste, and abuse.

Inspector General Report

A review by an IG of Recovery-related projects and programs to ensure that they meet legal and administrative requirements.

Inspector General Recovery Plan

An outline of an Inspector General’s strategies for evaluating the practicality and comprehensiveness of the agency’s spending plan; for ensuring that the agency's Recovery programs comply with established program plans; and for determining if goals for individual initiatives were achieved.

Inspector General Status Report

Periodic status report of the IG's oversight costs, major Recovery-related actions to date, and actiosns planned.

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Loan

The temporary provision of funds from a federal agency to a recipient.

Local Amount

Represents the total funds awarded to prime recipients in a location, less the amounts awarded to sub-recipients outside their prime recipient’s location.  This amount also includes awards to sub-recipients in a location with outside-the-location prime recipients. For example, a prime recipient in Missouri awards a contract to a sub-recipient in Arkansas. The Local Amount in Missouri will not include the award that went to Arkansas (it is included in the Arkansas Local Amount). If a prime recipient in Arkansas awards a contract to a sub-recipient in Missouri, the local amount in Missouri will include that sub-recipient’s award.

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Obligation

A binding agreement that requires the government to make payments immediately or in the future.

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Place of Performance

The location of a project. In most cases the company and the project are in the same state, but they may not be in the same city. There are instances when a company based in one state has a project in another state. For example, a company with headquarters in the South may have a project in the Midwest or Northeast.

Prime recipient

A non-federal entity that receives Recovery Act funding in the form of a contract, grant, or loan, directly from the federal government.

Project

A specific activity of an award. (Awards are composed of contracts, grants, and loans.)

Quarter

Recipients report four times a year on Recovery Awards. 

January, April, July, and October

Reporting Cycle

Days 1 – 30 after the close of a quarter when recipients report on Recovery awards.

Reporting Period

The three month quarter that recipients report on during a reporting cycle. For example, during the April 2010 reporting cycle (April 1 – 30), recipients reported on the activity of awards for the period of Jan. 1 – Mar. 30. 

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Structurally Deficient Bridge

As defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, a structurally deficient bridge is not necessarily unsafe for all vehicles.  It is typically an older design that lacks modern safety features, such as adequate shoulder space or an appropriate railing system.

Sub-recipient

A non-federal entity awarded Recovery funding from a prime recipient to support a project or program for which the prime recipient received Recovery funding.

Time and materials contract

Pays for labor hours at specified rates and materials at cost.

Total Compensation

The cash and noncash dollar value earned by an executive during the recipient’s past fiscal year. An entity receiving Recovery Act funds is required to report the names and total compensation of the five most highly compensated officers of the entity if: (1) the recipient in its preceding fiscal year received (a) 80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues in federal awards, and (b) $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from federal awards and (2) the public does not have access to information about the compensation of the senior executives of the entity through periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

USAspending.gov

Collects information on federal contracts, grants, loans, and spending across agencies.

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Vendor

A dealer, distributor, merchant, or other seller providing goods or services for a federal program. Prime-recipients and sub-recipients may purchase goods or services needed to carry out the project or program from vendors.

Waste

The spending of funds in an inefficient, excessive, or inappropriate manner.

Whistleblower

A person who has been unlawfully reprised against.

Widget

A widget is a tool that you can use to pull data or information from one or more sources and have it appear on a page on your personal or business website.  When the source data is updated, the information your widget displays will be updated as well.  Widgets work like a GPS unit – it’s in your car but pulls mapping and route information from a satellite—or a cellphone which you carry with you but its features and functionalities are powered from a network.  

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Synonyms

• Obligation / Made Available
• Paid Out / Gross Outlay