In 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ordered each federal agency to assign a unique number, or FAIN, to all financial assistance awards. This post will explain what FAIN is, how it increases transparency, and how to find a FAIN.
What’s FAIN?
It’s an acronym that stands for Federal Award Identification Number. Each federal agency must assign a unique FAIN to every financial assistance award. A FAIN is comprised of numbers and letters, like P375A081922.
What does FAIN do?
FAIN allows recipients to create credible reporting for awards and subawards. The public can utilize the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and a FAIN to locate one accurate result when searching online.
FAIN requirements
Once the number is reported, the federal agency can’t change the number during the life of the award. Other requirements for each federal agency include:
- Ensure the number is labeled on all federal award documents
- Document the number on each subaward under the federal award
How does FAIN improve data quality?
It helps increase accuracy. The FAIN is the first step towards a future of reliable and open federal spending information. The use of a distinct number for all actions associated with any given federal assistance award makes it easier to identify and differentiate awards. Agencies also had to establish procedures to validate complete and accurate data starting in 2014.
How do I find FAIN on USAspending.gov?
From the usaspending.gov homepage, select Award Search and then Advanced Search:
Choose your filters, such as keyword, fiscal year, award type, agency, location, recipient, type of recipient (nonprofit, higher education, etc.), and so forth:
Click Submit Search to see the matching results:
The Award ID column on the left side lists all the FAINs.
Click an award ID to see more detail. Click Download in the top right to save the data.
To learn more about FAIN and how it will improve data, contact us today.
