The Three Federal Databases —
What They Are and How They Connect

Plain-language guide to grants.gov, SAM.gov, and USASpending.gov. What each one contains, who should use it, and how they work together.

Jump to: grants.gov SAM.gov USASpending.gov How They Connect Forms Reference
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grants.gov

Official federal grant opportunity listings · grants.gov
81,000+ active & recent listings
Updated daily
Run by HHS

What it is

The official listing of all federal grant opportunities. Run by HHS on behalf of all federal agencies.

Who posts here

Every federal agency that awards discretionary grants — NIH, NSF, USDA, HUD, DOEd, EPA, NEA, and dozens more.

Who should search here

  • Nonprofits and community organizations
  • Faith-based groups
  • Schools and universities
  • Local governments
  • Researchers
  • Small businesses in eligible industries

What you'll find

Active grant opportunities with application deadlines, award amounts (floor and ceiling), eligible applicants, CFDA program codes, and links to the full application package.

What you won't find

Contracts for services, past award winners, or spending data. For those, see SAM.gov and USASpending.gov.

Key forms

SF-424 (application cover), SF-424A (budget), SF-424B (assurances) — all available at grants.gov/forms

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SAM.gov

System for Award Management — vendor registration & contract solicitations · sam.gov
Updated daily
Required for all vendors
Run by GSA

Two functions in one

  • Vendor registration — all businesses must register here to receive federal payments.
  • Contract opportunities — all open solicitations are posted here.

Who posts here

Every federal agency with contracting authority, including DoD, VA, GSA, DHS, and all civilian agencies.

Who should search here

Any business that provides goods or services, including trades, IT, professional services, food service, facilities, and manufacturing.

What you'll find

Open solicitations with deadlines, NAICS codes, set-aside designations, estimated values, and contracting officer contacts.

What you won't find

Grant opportunities (those are on grants.gov), or historical award data (that's on USASpending.gov).

To respond to a solicitation

  • Register in SAM.gov first (free, required)
  • Find the solicitation in govprocure or directly on SAM.gov
  • Follow the instructions in the solicitation document exactly
SAM.gov registration is mandatory before any federal award. Register at sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Allow 7–10 business days. Registration is free.
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USASpending.gov

Official federal award data — every contract, grant, and loan since 2000 · usaspending.gov
328,000+ records in govprocure
Data since 2000
Required by DATA Act

What it is

The official public database of all federal spending — every contract, grant, loan, and financial assistance award since 2000. Required by the DATA Act (2014).

Who posts here

Data is automatically pulled from agency financial systems — no manual posting required. Covers all federal agencies.

Who should search here

  • Businesses doing competitive intelligence
  • Grant writers researching funding history
  • Market researchers and journalists
  • Policy analysts

What you'll find

Award amounts, recipient names, recipient locations, awarding agencies, NAICS codes, program descriptions, and contract modifications.

What you won't find

Open opportunities (those are on SAM.gov), or application materials. USASpending is historical data only.

Primary use case

Before bidding on a contract, search USASpending to find who currently holds that contract, what they were paid, and how long the contract ran. This is your competitive intelligence.

How They Connect

Think of the three databases as a timeline

Step 1
grants.gov

Find opportunities

  • Grant programs
  • Nonprofits & orgs
  • Applications
  • CFDA codes
  • Deadlines
→
Step 2
SAM.gov

Register & bid

  • Contracts & services
  • Any business
  • Solicitations
  • NAICS codes
  • Set-asides
→
Step 3
USASpending.gov

Track what was awarded

  • Historical data
  • Everyone
  • Award records
  • Competitive intel
  • Pricing benchmarks
Research on USASpending before you apply on SAM.gov or grants.gov. Knowing who won similar awards, from which agency, for how much, tells you whether you are competitive and what to price your response at. grants.gov and SAM.gov show you what's open right now. USASpending.gov shows you what happened before.
Reference

Common Federal Forms

Form Name When Used Official Source
SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance Required cover sheet for most federal grant applications grants.gov/forms
SF-424A Budget Information (Non-Construction) Budget detail for grant applications grants.gov/forms
SF-424B Assurances — Non-Construction Certifications required for most grants grants.gov/forms
SF-424C Budget Information (Construction) For construction grants grants.gov/forms
SF-424D Assurances — Construction For construction grant certifications grants.gov/forms
SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Required if lobbying activity is involved grants.gov/forms
SF-1449 Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items Standard commercial contract form used in SAM.gov solicitations acquisition.gov
SF-18 Request for Quotation Used for small purchases (RFQ responses) acquisition.gov
SF-30 Amendment of Solicitation/Contract Used when a solicitation is modified acquisition.gov
DD-254 DoD Contract Security Classification Required for defense contracts with classified work dodforms.dtic.mil
W-9 Request for Taxpayer ID and Certification Required for all vendors receiving federal payments irs.gov
SAM Reg. SAM Entity Registration Required for all businesses before any federal award — online only sam.gov/register
💡 Most forms are submitted electronically through grants.gov or SAM.gov. Paper submissions are rarely accepted. Always follow the instructions in the specific grant or solicitation announcement — some programs use custom forms in addition to the standard ones.