what was the catalog of federal domestic assistance cfda 
the catalog of federal domestic assistance cfda was a database of various federal assistance programs in the u s it provided a full listing of programs available to corporations government agencies u s territories and individual citizens however the cfda has since changed its information now accessible through the sam gov website sam gov continues to provide information on government assistance and can make it easier for users to find and apply for federal programs understanding the catalog of federal domestic assistance cfda the u s federal government through various agencies and departments offers a range of assistance such as grants loans scholarships property and counseling beginning in 1984 information about these domestic assistance programs was compiled by the general services administration which published it in the cfda many but not all programs provided financial assistance foreign aid was not included in 2018 the cfda s website was retired after it was consolidated with other government systems programs to streamline the awards process 1 a listing of federal assistance programs can now be found on sam gov entities that used the cfda included listings were available through the cfda s official website cfda gov 2 individuals or organizations seeking to access programs through the cfda needed authorization to conduct business with the federal government each program listed online was assigned a unique number by agency and program enabling data and funding transparency each cfda number contained five digits and appeared as the first two digits indicated the agency responsible while the last three digits indicated the program itself 3transition to the sam gov websitethe catalog was consolidated with nine other federal government systems in may 2018 this consolidation led to the retirement of the cfda website with its functions being transferred to the sam gov website the primary goal of this change was to make it easier for authorized entities to do business with the government 2 now the cfda and the other integrated systems can be accessed through the assistance listings section of sam gov the new system still provides information on a variety of assistance programs including loans grants insurance and scholarships 4as of the transition the federal government offered 2 293 domestic assistance programs the department of health and human services led the way with 521 programs accounting for 22 7 of the total offerings other departments with a high volume of assistance programs included the department of the interior the department of agriculture the department of justice and the u s department of housing and urban development hud once you identify a federal assistance listing that you re interested in you can link directly to grant opportunities on grants gov or follow up with that specific agency using the contact information provided on sam gov 