Department of the Interior
Departmental Manual
Effective Date: 8/7/96
Series: Federal Assistance Programs
Part 507: Program Information and Data
Chapter 1: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Originating Office: Office of Acquisition and Property Management
507 DM 1
1.1 Purpose. This chapter establishes policies and procedures to implement Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-89 (revised) which prescribes the manner in which the General Services Administration (GSA), OMB, and executive agencies that administer domestic assistance programs are to carry out their statutory responsibilities under the Federal Program Information Act, Public Law 95-220. These responsibilities include the submission of information to OMB on all domestic assistance programs and activities that are Federally funded and administered by the Department for the preparation of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
1.2 General Policies. It is the policy of the Department to ensure that information on domestic assistance programs and activities that are Federally funded and administered by the Department is provided to OMB for the preparation of the Catalog.
A. The Department uses the Catalog as the single, authoritative, Governmentwide comprehensive source document of Federal domestic assistance program information produced by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. The Catalog is a guide to all domestic assistance programs and activities regardless of dollar size or duration. Any other Executive Branch publication that describes a group of Federal domestic assistance programs is considered a specialized catalog.
B. The proposed development and publication of any specialized catalog of Federal domestic assistance programs must be submitted to GSA for approval in the conceptual planning stage.
1.3 Description. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a comprehensive listing and description of Federal programs and activities which provide assistance or benefits to the American public.
A. The primary purpose of the Catalog is to help users to identify programs which meet specific objectives of the potential applicant and to obtain general information on Federal assistance programs.
B. Each program is described in terms of the specific type of assistance provided, authorizing legislation, objectives and goals of the program, applicant eligibility requirements, and application and award processing. The names of persons to be contacted (or telephone numbers) for detailed program information at the headquarters, regional, and local levels are also provided.
C. The Catalog includes "Federal domestic assistance
programs" which provide assistance or benefits for a State or
States, territorial possession, county, city, other political subdivision, grouping, or instrumentality thereof, any domestic profit or nonprofit corporation, institution, or individual other than an agency of the Federal Government.
"Assistance" or "benefits" refers to the transfer of money, property, services, or anything of value, the principal purpose of which is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute. Assistance includes, but is not limited to grants, loans, loan guarantees, scholarships, mortgage loans, insurance, and other types of financial assistance; providing or donating Federal facilities, goods, services, property, technical assistance, counseling, statistical, and other expert information, and service activities of regulatory agencies. It does not include providing conventional public information services.
1.4 Responsibilities.
A. The Office of Acquisition and Property Management (PAM). PAM is responsible for the Department's coordination with OMB in all matters relating to the Catalog and assists bureaus and offices in maintaining Interior-related information published
in the Catalog. A member of PAM shall be designated responsible for coordinating the necessary dissemination to the Bureau/Office Catalog Representatives of the reporting instructions relating to program submissions for the Catalog following transmittal from GSA. Upon receipt of the material from the Bureau/Office Catalog Representative, this person shall review the material for accuracy and completeness prior to submission to OMB.
B. Bureaus and Offices. Heads of bureaus and offices are responsible for carrying out the policies, procedures, and guidelines established in this directive. Each bureau/office head shall designate an individual to serve as a catalog representative and act as a liaison with PAM. That representative will be responsible for distributing materials for preparing new program descriptions for the Catalog and subsequent updates of the descriptions to appropriate offices within the bureau/office, and for reviewing the material for completeness and accuracy before transmitting to PAM. Submissions must be on time to meet the deadlines set by OMB.
Bureau/Office Federal Register liaison officers will be responsible for assuring that all new and amended program information contains the official GSA program number and title when published in the Federal Register as any type of Federal assistance program announcement. This includes but is not limited to entries published as final regulations and amendments under the Rules and Regulations Section, and notices of any kind
pertaining to ongoing programs. (See 318 DM 1.4B.)
1.5 Publication Procedures. The Catalog is issued as a complete looseleaf document in the spring of each year and updated periodically to accommodate subsequent changes in specifically selected information. Changes to existing program descriptions and other materials are transmitted to OMB through PAM following the submission from the Bureau/Office Catalog Representative. Program descriptions for new programs currently not included in the Catalog will be prepared in accordance with the OMB instructions. Whenever a new program is created, even if it is between Catalog production periods, the Bureau/Office Catalog Representative shall submit the program description to PAM for transmittal to OMB.
1.6 Distribution. The Catalog is printed and distributed by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. A limited number of copies will be distributed free of charge within the Department. In addition, the Department will have the option of riding the GSA printing requisition for additional copies of the Catalog at cost. PAM will provide the distribution list of free copies and the most recent list of additional copies which were ordered, to the Bureau/Office Catalog Representative for updating.
1.7 Suggested Information Requirements for Federal Assistance Program Announcements in the Federal Register.
A. Suggested information on new programs to be published in the Federal Register includes the following items:
(1) Program title;
(2) Purpose of the program;
(3) Specific area(s) of interest and emphasis;
(4) Citation of legislative authority and promulgating regulations;
(5) Any unique features of the program, such as maximum amounts of percentages of bureau/office support, maximum length of support, etc.
(6) Eligibility requirements of applicants;
(7) Anticipated number of awards to be made and estimated level of funding;
(8) Application procedure;
(9) Name of bureau/office contact for further information; and
(10) The official GSA program number and title.
B. The Bureau/Office Catalog Representative must coordinate the required program number and title with PAM.
8/7/96 #3083
Replaces 5/30/86 #2680