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Platform Comparison
FFID vs USASpending.gov
USASpending shows awards after obligation. FFID shows funding before the award.
Search Pre-Award Earmark IntelligenceOverview
USASpending.gov tracks all federal financial assistance and contracts after award. It's the authoritative record of what was spent — but it comes after the fact. FFID tracks the congressional funding intent that precedes those awards.
When to use each
Use USASpending to research historical awards, match earmarks to obligations, or analyze agency spending patterns. Use FFID to identify funded projects before awards are made.
Key differences
| Dimension | USASpending.gov | FFID |
|---|---|---|
| Stage in the funding lifecycle | Post-award — shows obligations after the money has moved | Pre-award — shows congressional direction before agency administration |
| Earmark-specific data | Federal spending is broad — earmarks are scattered, not normalized for project-level lookup | Built specifically for CPF/CDS earmarks — every project normalized by member, recipient, agency, and status |
| Member sponsorship | Not tracked — no member-level earmark attribution | Every project links to the sponsoring representative or senator |
| Update frequency | Monthly batch updates | Weekly — reflects congressional source documents as they change |
Who FFID is for in this comparison
BD teams and grant consultants who want upstream intelligence before awards are obligated.
See FFID in action
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