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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

General Info

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Frequently Asked Questions

General Public Questions

Where can I get help about CFDA?
Do I need to register for an Agency User account to use the system?
Why was my account request rejected?
Is there a User Manual?
Is there a way to electronically download program data?
How can I tell if a CFDA program contains Recovery Act funding?

Agency User Questions

I forgot my Password, what should I do?
I registered for an account, and followed the steps to verify my email address, why am I still unable to log-in?
Why am I unable to edit programs?
Why am I unable to create new programs?
How do I change a program title?
How can I delete a program?
How do I transfer my program to another agency?
Why does my draft program not have a program number assigned to it?
Why am I not able to choose my program’s number?
Why am I unable to submit programs for review?

FederalReporting.gov Recipient Questions

What is a CFDA number?
Why do I need a CFDA number to report on FederalReporting.gov?
Why does FederalReporting.gov say I have entered an invalid CFDA number?

Answers to General Public Questions:

Where can I get help about CFDA?

For questions about CFDA, you can contact the Federal Service Desk by clicking on the For Help: Federal Service Desk link on the bottom left of every page or by visiting the Federal Service Desk at (https://www.fsd.gov). Users may call the Federal Service Desk by dialing 1-866-606-8220 (national) or 1-334-206-7828 (international) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Do I need to register for an Agency User account to use the system?

No. CFDA Agency User accounts are only for Federal government staff managing the CFDA program data. You do not need an account to search the CFDA catalog or to view Federal assistance programs. This information is freely available to any interested party. You can search by keyword, by agency, by program number as well as fine tune your search requests using the advanced search feature.

Why was my account request rejected?

CFDA system accounts are only for Federal government staff managing the CFDA program data. If your account request was rejected, that means that the Agency Coordinator was unable to confirm your status as a government staff member. If you feel this decision is in error, let us know via the help@cfda.gov e-mail address.

Is there a User Manual?

The public user manual is available on the homepage (www.cfda.gov) in PDF format. There is also a link to it at the bottom of every page.

Is there a way to electronically download program data?

The CFDA established a public FTP site in order to promote sharing of program data, as well as to provide a means for related government systems to download data reliably and efficiently. The FTP site URL is ftp://ftp.cfda.gov and provides users with the ability to anonymously download program data in csv format. There are two available file options:

Daily File: This file is updated nightly and will contain the following limited program data fields: Program Number, Program Title, and Agency. The file name will adhere to the following naming convention: "programsYYDDD" with the 2-digit year and 3-digit Julian day, e.g., programs09159.csv
Weekly File: This file is updated weekly (Sunday night) and will contain ALL program data fields publicly available. The file name will adhere to the following naming convention: "programs-fullYYDDD" with the 2-digit year and 3-digit Julian day, e.g., programs-full09164.csv

How can I tell if a CFDA program contains Recovery Act funding?

All CFDA programs that are funded in whole or in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) have a "RECOVERY" icon embedded in their header information. This icon is visible in the [Search Recovery Programs] results and when you view the program description for a Recovery Act-funded program.

Answers to Agency User Questions:

I forgot my Password, what should I do?

If you know your username, go to www.cfda.gov and click on the “Password Reminder” link located in the Agency Log-In section. Enter your username and select "go." You will then receive an email with instructions for resetting your password on your account. If you do not know your username, send an email to help@cfda.gov and they can process the password reminder for you.

I registered for an account, and followed the steps to verify my email address, why am I still unable to log-in?

All government agency user account requests must be activated by the designated Agency Coordinator to be able to log-in to the system. Once approved, you will receive email confirmation from the system. Please contact your Agency Coordinator for a status update on your account request. If you do not know who your Agency Coordinator is, or you would like to be approved as an Agency Coordinator, please send an email to help@cfda.gov.

Why am I unable to edit programs?

Agency User accounts must be assigned the right to edit existing programs. If you believe you should have this right in the system, please contact your Agency Coordinator and request that they modify your profile to include the right to edit existing programs.

Why am I unable to create new programs?

Agency User accounts must be assigned the right to create new programs. If you believe you should have this right in the system, please contact your Agency Coordinator and request that they modify your profile to include the right to create new programs.

How do I change a program title?

Locate the desired program and click on the “View” icon. Click on the drop-down box under the heading “Program Actions” and select “Request Title Change.” Enter a note which will be tracked with the change request, and click submit. The request will then be submitted to the CFDA Analyst for review.

How can I delete a program?

Locate the desired program and click on the “View” icon. Click on the drop-down box under the heading “Program Actions” and select “Request Deletion.” Enter a note which will be tracked with the change request, and click submit. The request will then be submitted to the CFDA Analyst for review.

How do I transfer my program to another agency?

Locate the desired program and click on the “View” icon. Click on the drop-down box under the heading “Program Actions” and select “Request Agency Change.” Enter a note which will be tracked with the change request, and click submit. The request will then be submitted to the CFDA Analyst for review.

Why does my draft program not have a program number assigned to it?

The system will automatically assign a Program Number when you submit the program to the Analyst for review.

Why am I not able to choose my program’s number?

The system is designed to automatically assign a Program Number upon submission. Contact your Agency Coordinator if you think you should be able to manually assign numbers. They will need to contact the GSA Program Management Office to process the request.

Why am I unable to submit programs for review?

Agency User accounts must be assigned the right to submit new or revised programs to GSA for review. If you believe you should have this right in the system, please contact your Agency Coordinator and request that they modify your profile to include the right to submit programs.

Answers to FederalReporting.gov Recipient Questions:

What is a CFDA number?

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 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 non-financial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government. Each program is assigned a unique number by agency and program that follows the program throughout the assistance lifecycle enabling data and funding transparency. The complete CFDA number is a five digit number, XX.XXX, where the first two digits represent the Funding Agency and the second three digits represent the program. CFDA serves as the authoritative source for all CFDA numbers, including those assigned to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, or the Recovery Act) programs.

Why do I need a CFDA number to report on FederalReporting.gov?

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum M-09-10 "Initial Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," issued February 18, 2009 requires federal agencies have a CFDA number for all Recovery Act-funded programs. OMB memorandum M-09-21 "Implementing Guidance for the Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," issued June 22, 2009 established the CFDA number as a required data element in the FederalReporting.gov Recipient Reporting Data Model to fulfill the requirements of Section 1512 of the Recovery Act.

Why does FederalReporting.gov say I have entered an invalid CFDA number?

FederalReporting.gov validates CFDA numbers reported by recipients against those published on the CFDA website (www.cfda.gov). Federal agencies must ensure all Recovery Act-funded programs for federal financial assistance have valid CFDA numbers, including all relevant CFDA information and all required reviews of that information by the Funding Agencies and the Office of Management and Budget. If a Recovery Act-funded program does not have a valid CFDA number, FederalReporting.gov will reject the entry. If you receive a notification stating you have entered an invalid CFDA number, please contact the Funding/Awarding Agency for status on their Recovery Act-funded CFDA program.