Electronic Records of Federal Domestic Contracts, Grants, and Awards

Introduction

This reference report provides an overview of the electronic data records in the custody of the National Archives that contain data on specific Federal expenditures, domestic contracts, grants, and awards or contain compilations of derived data based on awards by geographic areas. Full descriptions of the series and data files listed in this report are in the National Archives Catalog. The National Archives Catalog can be searched by title, National Archives Identifier, type of archival material, or keyword.

Some of the series and files listed in this report are accessible online:

• Download - This is a link for downloading the files and documentation from the Catalog. For more details on downloading files, please review the frequently asked questions (FAQs).
• Search - This is a link for searching the records via the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource.

All of the unrestricted files are also available for reproduction for a cost-recovery fee. For more information see: Ordering Information for Electronic Records.

In general, textual (paper) records documenting procurement contracts and grant administrative files are disposable. For more details, see NARA's General Records Schedule 1.1 Financial Management and Reporting Records and NARA's General Records Schedule 1.2 Grant and Cooperative Agreement Records. However, because of the compact nature of electronic records, the value of the information in these collections of contract records, and the ability to efficiently search, retrieve, and analyze the records, NARA has appraised electronic records about procurement contracts as permanent.

Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census

• Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) Files, FY1982-FY2007
  National Archives Identifier: 626196
  Online Access: Download
  This series contains data on Federal direct expenditures, obligations, and other Federal assistance in state, county, and subcounty areas in the United States for the following categories: grants-in-aid, salaries and wages, government purchasing, direct payments for individuals, other direct payments, direct loans, guaranteed or insured loans, and insurance. The CFFR is the successor to the series Federal Outlays System Files (see Record Group 381 below).

• Records About Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1982-2010
  National Archives Identifier: 604955
  Online Access: Download     Search

  Also known as Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS), this series contains selected, standardized data on grants, insurance, loans, subsidies and other economic assistance awarded by Federal agencies, beginning with fiscal year 1982 through the current transfer of data. The Community Services Administration (CSA) collected the data for fiscal year 1981 (see Record Group 381 below). Federal financial assistance award data from fiscal year 2011 forward is available on http://www.usaspending.gov.

Record Group 164: Records of the Cooperative State Research Service

• Current Research Information System (CRIS), FY1988-FY1994
  National Archives Identifier: 6207709
  Online Access: Download

  This series contains information on publicly-supported agricultural, food and nutrition, and forestry research projects. The projects describe the work of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies, the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the state land-grant colleges and universities, state schools of forestry, cooperating schools of veterinary medicine, and USDA grant recipients. This series is the predecessor to a series with the same title in Record Group 540 (see below).

Record Group 207: General Records of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

• Records Relating to Projects to Assist the Homeless, 1987-1994
  National Archives Identifier: 583826
  Online Access: Download       Search

  This series contains information on projects from organizations that applied for Federal financial assistance to provide shelter to homeless persons

• Index to Housing and Urban Development Grant Reports, ca. 1954-1981 
  National Archives Identifier: 620283
  Online Access: Download

  The database indexes final reports dating ca. 1954-1981 that are about agency grants-in-aid for community planning and development. The data elements include the state, date of report, geographic place name and title of report.

• Rehabilitation Loans and Grants Master File, 1968-1979
  National Archives Identifier: 643992
  Online Access: Download
  This series contains information on loans and grants made to owners and tenants in urban rehabilitation projects such as Community Development Block Grants, Urban Homesteading, Urban Renewal Projects, Code Enforcement, Neighborhood Development, and Certified Areas.

Record Group 269: Records of the General Services Administration

• Records of Contracts Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1978-FY1997
  National Archives Identifier: 573450
  Online Access: Download     Search

  This series contains records from the Federal Procurement Data System identifying individual Federal Government contracts valued at $25,000 or more for all civilian agencies and may also include contracts valued below $25,000. Additional information about the Federal Procurement Data System is also available on the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation website at https://www.fpds.gov.

Record Group 288: Records of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities

• Records of Grants Management System (GMS) Files, ca. 1984 - 2010
  National Archives Identifier: 635989
  Data Files: 48 (some files are partly restricted)
  Technical Documentation: Varies per year
  This series consists of information on those who successfully and unsuccessfully applied for financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the amount and distribution of those funds, and the people and organizations that benefited through the arts program that the funding supported.

Record Group 307: Records of the National Science Foundation

• Proposal and Award System Files, 1967-9/30/2014
  National Archives Identifier: 631184
  Data Files: 87 (files are partly restricted)
  Technical Documentation: Varies per year and supplemental documentation

  This series contains data documenting individual grant proposals and the awarding of funded grants through the National Science Foundation. These are both comprehensive proposal and award data files as well as award only data files for some years.

Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense

• Records of Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, FY1965-FY1975
  National Archives Identifier: 606901
  Online Access: Download      Search

  This series contains information from the Military Prime Contract Files (MCPF) about contracts for goods and services with a value of $10,000 or more between the private sector and the military services and agencies of the Department of Defense, from fiscal year 1965 through fiscal year 1975. The MPCF is the predecessor to the Defense Contract Action Data System.

• Records of Prime Contracts Awarded by the Military Services and Agencies, FY1975-2006
  National Archives Identifier: 578589
  Online Access: Download      Search

  This series contains information from the Defense Contract Action Data System (DCADS) about contracts for goods and services between the private sector and the military services agencies of the Department of Defense, beginning with fiscal year 1976 through the current transfer of data. Up to fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts with a value of $10,000 or more. Beginning in fiscal year 1983, the records include contracts of $25,000 or larger. The DCADS is the successor to the Military Prime Contract Files. More recent Department of Defense procurement data and reports is available through the Federal Procurement Data System Next Generation website at https://www.fpds.gov and through http://www.usaspending.gov.

Record Group 381: Records of the Community Services Administration

• Records About Community Action Program Grants and Grantees, FY1965-FY1981
  National Archives Identifier: 604417
  Online Access: Download      Search

  This series contains two types of files. The Grantee Organization Master Files provide the names, addresses, and target areas of organizations that received grants-in-aid through the Community Action Program (CAP). The Funded Program Account Master Files document the history of federal aid to community development through approved CAP grants and fundings.

• Records About Grants, Insurance, Loans, Subsidies and Other Economic Assistance Awarded by Federal Agencies, FY1981
  National Archives Identifier: 604982
  Online Access: Download      Search

  Also known as Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS), this series contains selected, standardized data on grants, insurance, loans, subsidies and other economic assistance awarded by Federal agencies during fiscal year 1981 (files are partly restricted, but public use versions are available). The Bureau of the Census collected the data beginning in fiscal year 1982 (see Record Group 29 above).

• Federal Outlays System Files, FY1968-FY1980
  National Archives Identifier: 599052
  Online Access: Download

  This series contains data on the distribution of Federal Executive Branch dollar outlays by appropriation program. The Federal Outlays System Files is the predecessor to the series Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) (see Record Group 29 above).

Record Group 408: Records of the Federal Transit Administration

• Grants Management Information System (GMIS) Files, compiled 1986 - 1996
  National Archives Identifier: 633605
  Data Files: 3
  Technical Documentation: 61 pages

  This series contains records of fiscal budgets, grant awards (grants-in-aid), and post grant management activities for local transit agencies who are beneficiaries of agency grants.

Record Group 414: Records of the Appalachian Regional Commission

• Records About Funded Projects in Appalachia, 1965-2001
  National Archives Identifier: 604225
  Online Access: Download     Search

  This series consists of records of all projects funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission with grants to state, county and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the Appalachian region.

Record Group 540: Records of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

• Current Research Information System (CRIS), FY1995-2011
  National Archives Identifier: 837092
  Data Files: 13
  Technical Documentation: varies per fiscal year
  This series contains information on publicly-supported agricultural, food and nutrition, and forestry research projects. The projects describe the work of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies, the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the state land-grant colleges and universities, state schools of forestry, cooperating schools of veterinary medicine, and USDA grant recipients. This series is the successor to the series with the same title in Record Group 164. Additional information about the Current Research Information System is available on the USDA website at: http://cris.nifa.usda.gov.

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January 2023

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