In responding to general requests from the public regarding the availability of DOE financial assistance, a good reference document is the "Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance." The "CFDA" is compiled and published annually by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It is a Governmentwide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities which provide assistance or benefits to a variety of recipients. The CFDA summarizes financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The primary purposes of the catalog are to help users identify programs that meet specific objectives of the potential applicant, to provide general information on Federal assistance programs, and to improve coordination and communication between the Federal Government and State and local governments.

The catalog is divided into three basic sections: the indices, the program descriptions, and the appendices. The indices direct applicants to program descriptions. Program descriptions contain uniform detailed information about the individual financial assistance program. The appendices contain information about financial assistance programs requiring intergovernmental coordination and review, a list of citations for relevant statutory authorities, a listing of commonly used government abbreviations and acronyms, agency regional and local office addresses and other information contacts, and a listing of program application deadlines.

The first edition of the annual catalog reflects currently authorized programs for which Congress has made an appropriation. The catalog also may be updated at intervals throughout the year. Overall responsibility for coordinating CFDA entries for DOE is assigned to the DOE Office of Management Systems and Services (ME-65), Office of Procurement and Assistance Management, Headquarters. This office is the designated single point of DOE contact with OMB on catalog matters.

The CFDA number for a financial assistance award should be selected based on the source of funds. If a CFDA number is unavailable for the activity, the CFDA number, 81.502, Miscellaneous Federal activities, may be used. Prior to using the miscellaneous CFDA number, the contracting office should coordinate with Ellen Colligan, MA-623, at 202-287-1776 or ellen.colligan@hq.doe.gov.