What Is Federal Funding History?
ThinkKits combines data from two federal sources to provide a comprehensive picture of education funding at the district level:
- USASpending.gov: Federal awards and grants to education entities, updated monthly. Covers Title I, IDEA Part B, Title III, Title IV-A, ESSER, and other programs.
- NCES F-33 School Finance Survey: Annual district-level revenue and expenditure data from the Census Bureau, including federal/state/local breakdowns and per-pupil spending.
Together, these create a 5+ year longitudinal view of how federal dollars flow to every district in America.
Programs Tracked
| Program | Source | Coverage | Update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title I, Part A | USASpending + ED | All districts | Annual |
| IDEA Part B | USASpending + OSEP | All districts | Annual |
| Title II-A | USASpending + ED | All districts | Annual |
| Title III (EL) | USASpending + ED | Eligible districts | Annual |
| Title IV-A (SSAE) | USASpending + ED | All districts >$10K | Annual |
| ESSER I/II/III | USASpending | All districts (pandemic) | Historical |
| F-33 Revenue | NCES/Census | Most districts | Annual |
| F-33 Expenditure | NCES/Census | Most districts | Annual |
Data Points
For each district:
- Total federal funding by program (5-year history)
- Federal / State / Local revenue split
- Per-pupil expenditure (total + by category)
- Instructional spending vs. administrative
- Year-over-year funding changes
- Peer district comparisons
How to Use It
- Search for a district
- Click "Funding History" tab on the district profile
- View multi-year funding by program (bar chart)
- Compare per-pupil spending against peer districts
- Identify underfunded programs or declining trends
- Export data for grant applications or sales presentations
Use Cases
Find Underfunded Districts
Compare Title I allocations against poverty rates — districts receiving less per FRL student than peers are prime targets.
Justify Pricing
Show districts their per-pupil instructional spending and how ThinkKits fits within existing budget lines.
Benchmark Spending
Compare any district's spending profile against similar-sized districts nationwide.
Track ESSER Wind-Down
Identify districts whose ESSER funding is expiring and need alternative funding sources.
Grant Writing
Pull exact dollar figures for funding history sections of grant narratives.
Sales Prioritization
Sort districts by total federal funding to find the largest budgets.
Data Freshness
- USASpending: Updated monthly by Treasury/OMB
- F-33 Finance Survey: Annual, typically 18-month lag (e.g., 2023-24 data available mid-2025)
- ThinkKits: Ingests within 48 hours of new releases