The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for disseminating federal domestic assistance program information through the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). GSA maintains the federal assistance information database from which the program information is obtained.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) defines federal assistance and benefits as "Assistance" or "benefits" refering to the transfer of money, property, services, or anything of value, the principal purpose of which is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by federal statute. Assistance includes, but is not limited to grants, loans, loan guarantees, scholarships, mortgage loans, insurance, and other types of financial assistance, including cooperative agreements; property, technical assistance, counseling, statistical, and other expert information; and service activities of regulatory agencies.

Types of Assistance

• Formula Grants

Allocations of money to states or their subdivisions in accordance with a distribution formula prescribed by law or administrative regulation, for activities of a continuing nature not confined to a specific project.

• Project Grants

The funding, for fixed or known periods, of specific projects or the delivery of specific services or products without liability for damages for failure to perform. Project grants include fellowships, scholarships, research grants, training grants, traineeships, experimental and demonstration grants, evaluation grants, planning grants, technical assistance grants, survey grants, construction grants, and unsolicited contractual agreements.

• Training

Programs which provide instructional activities conducted directly by a federal agency for individuals not employed by the federal government.

(excerpt from the Higher Education Procedures for the Federal Funds Application Database)

Federal Funding Possibilities

• In the past, for example, grants have been available from the U.S. government to improve secondary school mathematics and science and to improve and reform schools and teaching.
• Other federal funding possibilities may include Title 1 and Title 2 grants. Under a new law, schools now may use those funds on a schoolwide basis rather than allocate them only for the poorest students; schools also will be allowed to combine monies received from multiple federal programs.
• Federal money under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act may be used to provide "assistive technology" for children with a variety of disabilities. Your administrators should be keeping track of all possible federal monies.

LINK to federal sources

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