Grants and charities
Government grant databases explained
Short answer
- EU budget under shared management
- Up to 75% of spending 3
- EU FTS contract floor
- No data for procurement contracts below EUR 15,000 4
- EU FTS annual files
- 2007 to 2025 4
- Canada grants records
- 1,245,275 when read 5
- Canada reporting guidelines in effect
- 1 April 2018 5
- US procurement obligations, FY2024
- About $755 billion reported to FPDS 2
What a grant database records
A grant database lists awards made by public bodies. A typical entry names the funder, the recipient, the amount, the date and the purpose. Most databases are fed by the funding bodies, so the quality of the data depends on what each body submits 1,2.
A grant database shows money paid out, not who controls the recipient. To see who owns or directs a recipient, readers turn to company, charity or lobbying registers.
United States: USAspending
The US Treasury's Data Transparency Team says it works to increase access to and use of federal financial data 1. Agencies load, validate, publish and certify financial data through the Data Broker. Financial assistance such as grants goes through the Financial Assistance Broker Submission 1. The Governmentwide Spending Data Model sets the data elements agencies report 1. The Treasury says USAspending.gov lets users follow the money from Congress to agencies and on to local communities and businesses 1.
The Government Accountability Office calls USAspending.gov the official source of federal spending data 2. In a report of 25 September 2025, GAO said agencies reported about $755 billion in FY2024 procurement obligations to FPDS. Of 70 agencies reporting for FY2023, 36 confirmed completing procurement data quality reports 2. GAO made 12 recommendations to OMB, GSA and four departments 2.
European Union: Financial Transparency System
The Financial Transparency System lists beneficiaries of EU budget funds implemented directly by the Commission and other EU bodies, and of the European Development Fund 3. The Commission says up to 75% of EU budget spending is managed by the Commission and member states together, in areas such as agriculture and cohesion policy 3. Those funds are not covered by the system 3.
The help page says no data should be published for procurement contracts below EUR 15,000. Annual downloads run from 2007 to 2025 4.
Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom
Canada publishes federal grants and contributions on its open government search. The guidelines on reporting these awards took effect on 1 April 2018. Transfers to other levels of government and amounts withheld under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act are left out 5.
Australia's GrantConnect publishes forecast and current grant opportunities and grants that have been awarded 6.
In the UK, 360Giving runs GrantNav, a search engine for UK grants data published in the 360Giving Data Standard 7. 360Giving is a trading name of Funders Together, a charitable company 7.
Coverage at a glance
| Database | Operator | Main gap |
|---|---|---|
| USAspending.gov | US Treasury 1 | Depends on agency submissions, per GAO findings 2 |
| Financial Transparency System | European Commission 3 | Shared management funds not covered 3 |
| Grants and Contributions search | Government of Canada 5 | Transfers to other governments excluded 5 |
| GrantConnect | Australian Government 6 | Federal grants only 6 |
| GrantNav | 360Giving 7 | Only funders that publish to the standard 7 |
Common questions
Does the EU FTS show farm subsidies?
No. The FTS covers funds the Commission manages directly. Agriculture is named among shared management areas that make up to 75% of EU budget spending 3.
Who runs USAspending.gov?
The US Treasury. Its Data Transparency Team runs the Data Broker that agencies use to submit spending data 1.
How many grant records does Canada publish?
The open government search showed 1,245,275 records when read for this page 5.
Is there a UK grants search?
Yes. 360Giving's GrantNav searches UK grants data published in the 360Giving Data Standard 7.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@whofundswhat.com.
Sources
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, TFX: Data Transparency (modified 15 April 2025)
- U.S. Government Accountability Office: Federal Spending Transparency, Actions Needed to Help Procurement Data Quality, GAO-25-107469 (25 September 2025)
- European Commission: Financial Transparency System
- European Commission: Financial Transparency System, Help
- Open Government, Government of Canada: Grants and Contributions
- GrantConnect: Welcome to the Australian Government's grants information system
- 360Giving: Explore grants data (modified 22 October 2026)
Related
- Charity and nonprofit filings compared
What US Form 990 returns, UK Charity Commission annual returns and Canada's T3010 require, when they are due, and what they show about funding.
- Research funding disclosure rules
How researchers and institutions disclose funding and financial interests: ICMJE journal rules, NIH conflict of interest rules, Open Payments and FITS.
- How to read a funding disclosure
A step-by-step guide to reading donation, lobbying, charity and ownership disclosures: thresholds, reporting periods, bands and what is not published.
- Ownership, funding and control: three different questions
How ownership, funding and control differ in official records, from UK PSC rules and US BOI reporting to lobby and charity registers.