What Is an ALN Number? The Assistance Listing Explained
What Is the ALN / Assistance Listing?
The Assistance Listing Number (ALN) - formerly called the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number - is a unique identifier assigned to every federal grant program in the United States. Think of it as a grant program's Social Security number: a permanent, consistent identifier you can use to track a program across agencies, across years, and across databases.
The format is two digits, a period, and three digits: XX.XXX. The first two digits identify the federal agency. For example:
- 10.XXX - USDA programs (agency code 10)
- 14.XXX - HUD programs (agency code 14)
- 20.XXX - DOT programs (agency code 20)
- 66.XXX - EPA programs (agency code 66)
- 93.XXX - HHS programs (agency code 93)
Why the ALN Number Matters
The ALN is your shortcut to everything you need to know about a grant program. Once you have it, you can:
Look Up the Full Program Listing
Go to sam.gov/content/assistance-listings and search for any ALN. The Assistance Listing entry contains:
- The program's official purpose and legislative authority
- Who is eligible to apply
- How applications are evaluated
- Typical award amounts and ranges
- Application and deadline information
- Compliance requirements and regulations
- Contact information for the program office
Find All Historical Awards
Go to USASpending.gov and search by ALN number. You'll see every organization that received awards under this program, how much they received, and in which years. This is invaluable for:
- Understanding the typical award size (even if the announcement gives a range)
- Identifying what types of organizations actually receive funding
- Finding peer organizations you might contact for application advice
- Confirming whether your geographic area has historically received awards
Find Related Programs
Programs under the same agency code often share eligibility criteria, review processes, and program officers. If you're eligible for one HHS program (93.XXX), exploring related 93.XXX programs is efficient - your organizational qualifications likely transfer.
Track Program History
Programs can be renamed, reorganized, or have their funding levels changed by Congress. The ALN stays constant even when a program's name changes. Searching by ALN gives you a continuous historical record regardless of what the program was called in a given year.
Where to Find the ALN in a Grant Announcement
Every Grants.gov announcement displays the ALN (labeled as "CFDA Number" in older announcements or "Assistance Listing Number" in newer ones) prominently - usually in the synopsis header alongside the agency name, opportunity number, and close date. GrantMine displays ALN numbers on every grant detail page.
The ALN and Your Audit Requirements
If your organization expends $750,000 or more in federal awards in a single fiscal year, you are subject to a Single Audit. In your audit's Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), every federal grant is listed by its ALN number. Knowing the ALN for each grant you receive is essential for compliance purposes.
ALN vs. Opportunity Number
Don't confuse the ALN with the Opportunity Number (sometimes called the FOA number). The opportunity number identifies a specific funding competition in a specific year - it changes with every new announcement. The ALN identifies the underlying program, which may run for decades. One ALN can have dozens of different opportunity numbers over the years.