Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume 2: Appendices
APPENDIX D: IMPACT DETERMINATION FOR MISSION-BASED > D.23 Federal Financial Assistance > D.23.1

D.23.1 Federal Grants (Non-State) Information Type Federal Grants involve the disbursement of funds by the Federal Government to a non-Federal entity to help fund projects or activities. This includes the processes associated with grant administration, including the publication of funds availability notices, development of the grant application guidance, determination of grantee eligibility, coordination of the peer review/evaluation process for competitive grants, the transfer of funds, and the monitoring/oversight as appropriate. The recommended provisional security categorization for the federal grants information type is as follows: Security Category = {(confidentiality, Low), (integrity, Low), (availability, Low)} The confidentiality impact level is the effect of unauthorized disclosure of federal grants information on the ability of responsible agencies to disburse funds to non-Federal entities to fund projects or activities. Typically, unauthorized disclosure of federal grants information will have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, assets, or individuals. Special Factors Affecting Confidentiality Impact Determination: In a few cases, records associated with grants may include information subject to privacy restrictions (e.g., the Privacy Act of 1974). The Privacy Act Information provisional impact levels are documented in the Personal Identity and Authentication information type. In many cases, premature and unauthorized disclosure can affect the integrity of the grants process, giving an unfair competitive advantage to one or more applicants. In such cases, punitive consequences and/or loss of public confidence can have a seriously disruptive effect on an agency's operations and mission. In such cases, the confidentiality impact level would be moderate. In some cases, federal grants information might be moderate to high impact. Also, details of programs for which grants are awarded may be sensitive (e.g., research grants for weapons systems project activities). Some federal grants information and some grant program details may be classified and outside the scope of this guideline. Recommended Confidentiality Impact Level: The provisional confidentiality impact level recommended for federal grants information is low. not on the time required to detect the modification or destruction of information. Federal grants activities are not generally time-critical and multiple individuals in multiple organizations are usually involved in the grants process. Therefore, the information maintained by all the individuals/agencies may be necessary to alter a grants decision. In most cases, the adverse effects of unauthorized modification or destruction of federal grants information on agency mission functions or public confidence in the agency is limited. Special Factors Affecting Integrity Impact Determination: There are significant differences between the ability to modify a document authorizing a payment and the modification of the payment itself. The unauthorized modification of a document authorizing a payment is less time critical than the modification of the payment itself while the payment is in transit. Modifications to payments in transit will result in immediate inaccurate payments. This can result in assignment of a moderate impact level to such information. Recommended Integrity Impact Level: The provisional integrity impact level recommended for federal grants information is low. mission, not on the time required to re-establish access to federal grants information. Federal grants processes are generally tolerant of delay. In most cases, disruption of access to federal grants information can be expected to have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, agency assets, or individuals. Recommended Availability Impact Level: The provisional availability impact level recommended for federal grants information is low.