Methodology & Data Sources

Data Source

All program data comes directly from SAM.gov Assistance Listings (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, or CFDA), the official U.S. government database of all federal financial assistance programs. The Assistance Listings catalog is maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is the authoritative registry that Congress, federal agencies, and the public use to identify and understand all federal grant, loan, cooperative agreement, and direct payment programs. Award-level disbursement and obligation data is cross-referenced against USAspending.gov, the official federal spending transparency portal mandated by the DATA Act of 2014. Each listing is created and maintained by the administering federal agency, with updates published continuously as programs are created, modified, funded, or discontinued.

Coverage

PlainGrants covers federal grant and assistance programs across all major funding agencies — from USDA, HHS, and the Department of Education to DOE, DOJ, NSF, EPA, and dozens of smaller agencies. Programs are organized by eligibility type (who can apply), program category (what the funding supports), assistance type (grants, cooperative agreements, direct payments, loans), and administering agency. The database spans the full range of federal financial assistance: research grants, formula grants to state and local governments, project grants to nonprofits, direct payments to individuals, and loan guarantee programs.

Processing Pipeline

1. Assistance Listings catalog data is downloaded from SAM.gov via the public bulk data download, which includes the complete set of active and recently closed program records.
2. Program records are parsed to extract the CFDA number (XX.XXX format), program title, description, funding type, stated objectives, and authorization citations.
3. Eligibility categories are normalized using SAM.gov's standard applicant type codes: nonprofits (501(c)(3) and other tax-exempt organizations), for-profit small businesses, individuals, state governments, county and municipal governments, tribal governments, educational institutions, and special district governments.
4. Funding range data is extracted where reported by the agency, including minimum and maximum award amounts and total program appropriation.
5. Each program is associated with its administering federal agency and any parent department, enabling browsing by agency hierarchy.
6. Assistance type classification is preserved: project grants, formula grants, cooperative agreements, direct payments, guaranteed or insured loans, and direct loans.
7. All data is loaded into a structured SQLite database with indexes on eligibility type, agency, category, and assistance type for fast filtering and search.

Data Currency and Update Frequency

SAM.gov Assistance Listings is updated continuously by federal agencies as programs are created, modified, or closed. New programs may be added when Congress passes appropriations bills or authorizing legislation, and existing programs are updated when agencies change eligibility criteria or funding levels. PlainGrants refreshes its database periodically to incorporate these changes. Because program details can change at any time, users should always verify current program information on the official SAM.gov listing page before investing time in an application.

Accuracy Commitment

PlainGrants reproduces SAM.gov Assistance Listings data exactly as published by the administering federal agencies. Program titles, descriptions, eligibility criteria, and funding information are presented without editorial modification. When a program listing is incomplete or lacks funding data, this is displayed transparently rather than estimated.

Editorial Workflow

Content on PlainGrants is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from Grants.gov, USAspending.gov, SAM.gov Assistance Listings, and federal agency award announcements is ingested programmatically by our ETL pipeline; narrative framing, guide text, category commentary, and methodology writeups are drafted by our editorial team and then reviewed line-by-line by the PlainGrants Editorial team at Kiznis Studio before publication. We follow rigorous editorial standards: source data is loaded directly from official agencies, never invented or interpolated. No page on PlainGrants is published without human review. We do not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings — program listings are compiled directly from the official federal catalogs.

Limitations

• Program availability, eligibility requirements, and funding levels change frequently as Congress appropriates funds and agencies revise program rules — always verify current details with the administering agency.
• Funding range data is self-reported by agencies and may be incomplete, outdated, or reflect historical award amounts rather than current funding availability.
• PlainGrants is a discovery and research tool only — we do not provide application assistance, submit applications, or guarantee eligibility for any program.
• Some programs require pre-registration in SAM.gov (including obtaining a Unique Entity ID) before an application can be submitted. Always verify registration requirements.
• PlainGrants is not affiliated with GSA, SAM.gov, or any federal agency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact

Questions about our methodology? Contact us.