From 793031357db153a5c1e52972438c431388e4d811 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: medusa Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:35:47 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Update smma/grant_starting.md --- smma/grant_starting.md | 63 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+) diff --git a/smma/grant_starting.md b/smma/grant_starting.md index 0252ba0..a1e5315 100644 --- a/smma/grant_starting.md +++ b/smma/grant_starting.md @@ -1,3 +1,66 @@ +Yes, absolutely! The information you just provided from USAspending.gov is **extremely valuable and directly relevant** to what you're trying to achieve, especially if your long-term goal is to provide comprehensive government funding intelligence (grants AND contracts). + +Here's why this is worthwhile and how it fits into your plan: + +### Why USAspending.gov Data is Worthwhile: + +1. **Authoritative Source for ALL Federal Spending:** + * Unlike Grants.gov (just grants) and SAM.gov (just opportunities), USAspending.gov is designed to be the central, comprehensive source for **all federal spending**, including both **contracts** and **financial assistance (grants, loans, etc.)** that have *already been awarded*. + * This is the "spot patterns" data you need for historical analysis, market sizing, competitive intelligence, and identifying trends. + +2. **Historical Award Data (Post-Award):** + * While Grants.gov shows *opportunities*, USAspending.gov shows *actual awards*. This is critical for understanding who won, how much, for what, and where. This allows you to: + * Identify active agencies in a specific area. + * See which companies/organizations are winning what type of awards. + * Analyze pricing trends. + * Spot geographic concentrations of spending. + * Track the lifecycle of funding from opportunity to award. + +3. **Different Data Access Methods:** + * The document outlines multiple ways to get data: + * **Custom Award Data / Advanced Search:** Good for smaller, targeted queries. + * **Award Data Archive (Full/Delta files):** **This is gold.** These are pre-prepared, bulk downloads of historical data, including full fiscal years and monthly "delta" (changes only) files. This is exactly what you need for automated, large-scale data ingestion. + * **API:** The API is mentioned as powering the website and offering programmatic access. This is your preferred method for automation, allowing for more dynamic querying and integration. + * **Full Database Download (PostgreSQL archive):** "Over 1.5 terabytes" and for "advanced users." This indicates the massive scale of data available if you ever needed to go fully local, but it's likely overkill for now. It also confirms the data is structured. + +4. **Integration with Your DuckDB/SQLite3 Plan:** + * USAspending.gov provides data in CSV format. This is perfect for direct ingestion into DuckDB or SQLite3. You can set up a similar `CREATE TABLE` schema as you did for Grants.gov, but tailored to the USAspending.gov award data fields. + * The "Account Breakdown by Award" files are particularly interesting as they link account-level spending to specific awards (contracts or financial assistance), offering a deeper financial perspective. + +### How it Fits into Your Starting Phase: + +While you're building out the Grants.gov solution, you can concurrently explore USAspending.gov. Here's a phased approach: + +**Phase 1: Master Grants.gov (Your Current Focus - On Track!)** +* This is still the right first step. Get the automated download, parsing, and DuckDB schema solid for Grants.gov XML. This builds confidence and a foundational skillset. + +**Phase 2: Explore USAspending.gov (Immediate Next Step for Complementary Data)** + +1. **Review the Data Dictionary:** Before doing anything, dig into the USAspending.gov Data Dictionary for the "Prime Award Transaction Data" (specifically `Assistance_PrimeTransactions` and `Contracts_PrimeTransactions` or their `_Full` and `_Delta` counterparts from the Award Data Archive). Understand the fields available. +2. **Start with Award Data Archive:** + * The `Assistance_Full`, `Contracts_Full`, `Assistance_Delta`, and `Contracts_Delta` files from the **Award Data Archive** are the most practical starting point for bulk, historical data. They are "pre-prepared and can be accessed instantaneously." + * You can start by manually downloading a few of these files (e.g., a recent "Full" file for Contracts, and a "Delta" for Grants) to get a feel for their structure and size. + * Then, you can begin to write Python scripts to: + * **Automate the download** of the latest Full and Delta files (likely involving simple `requests` to the provided URLs for the archive). + * **Ingest these CSVs into DuckDB/SQLite3.** + * **Define a schema** for `usaspending_contracts` and `usaspending_grants` (or combined `usaspending_awards`) based on the data dictionary. + * **Handle updates:** The "delta" files are key for keeping your database current without re-downloading massive "full" files every month. You'll need logic to apply these changes (updates, deletions, new records). + +3. **Explore the API:** + * Once you're comfortable with the bulk file downloads, investigate the USAspending API. It offers more granular control and real-time (or near real-time) access, but might have rate limits or require more complex pagination. + * The `/api/v2/bulk_download/awards/` endpoint and `/api/v2/bulk_download/list_monthly_files/` endpoints look very promising for automating the archive downloads. + +### Why this is a powerful combination for your "trainer" market: + +* **Grants.gov (Opportunities):** "What's out there right now for grants?" (Your current focus) +* **USAspending.gov (Awarded Grants & Contracts):** "Who won what, how much, when, and where? What are the trends? Who are the key players in my niche?" + +By combining these, you move from just "finding opportunities" to providing **comprehensive market intelligence**. You can tell a client: "Here are the *new* grants available today, and here's historical data showing which organizations typically win similar grants, what the average award size is, and which agencies fund them most." + +This is the "spotting patterns" capability that makes your service immensely valuable. So, yes, the USAspending.gov data is definitely worthwhile, and incorporating it early on in your exploration will position you for a much stronger offering. + +--- + You've hit on a crucial distinction, and it's a very common point of confusion for people entering the federal funding landscape! You are absolutely right that **government contracting work and grant work are different**. Let's clarify why this distinction matters, and how your current focus on Grants.gov is a strategic entry point, even if the "trainer" in the transcript primarily discusses contracts.