Federal Grant Financial Reporting Requirements and Databases: Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Congress and federal agencies frequently undertake initiatives to conduct oversight of federal grant programs and expenditures. The ability to oversee is influenced by the existing reporting requirements placed on recipients of federal grant funds. Limitations in accessing information contained in federal databases used to collect grant data also influence the level of transparency into the use of federal grant funds. Congress has also debated the reporting burden placed on federal grant recipients and how to balance grant recipient capacity with the desire for transparency into the use of federal grant funds.

This report provides an introduction to reporting requirements placed on federal grant recipients, including requirements that must be met to seek federal grant funds. It also describes the databases containing information about grant awards, the types of information collected on grant recipients, and the availability of that information to the public. Several grant reporting questions are answered, including the following:

Why are federal agencies and grant recipients required to report grant data?

What information is a federal grant recipient required to report and to whom?

How does a federal agency track federal grant data?

What is the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number?

What is the System for Award Management (SAM)?

What is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)?

What are cash management systems?

What is USAspending.gov?

What is the Federal Assistance Award Data System PLUS (FAADS-PLUS)?

What is the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Subaward Reporting System?

What is the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC)?

What grant data are accessible by the public?

Federal grant reporting requirements fall into two categories: financial reporting and program performance reporting. This report focuses on financial reporting requirements and does not address program performance reporting.

This report will be updated should significant legislative activity regarding federal grant recipient reporting occur.