RESOURCES
Agency Ecosystem Map
The players in a federal award — from the sponsoring agency down to the entity doing the work — and who watches over them.
TIER 1Federal Sponsors
Core Federal Sponsors
HHS / NIH
Largest biomedical research funder.
NSF
Broad basic-science and STEM education funder.
USDA
Ag, food safety, rural, and land-grant research.
DoD
Defense-related R&D; heavy contracts + FAR use.
DOE
National labs, energy, physical sciences.
ED
Education research, IES, training grants.
NASA
Space, aeronautics, earth science.
SECONDARY / EXAMPLE
DOJ
Criminal justice research and grants.
EPA
Environmental and public-health research.
TIER 2Award Flow Relationships
Follow the money — and the compliance
Click a role to see how it's defined. Function, not the paperwork label, determines the role.
Prime Recipient
The entity that receives a federal award directly from a federal awarding agency. Legally responsible for programmatic performance, financial stewardship, and full compliance with 2 CFR 200 and the terms of the award.
TIER 3Oversight
Who's watching
For exam prep only. Always defer to the current text of 2 CFR 200 and your award terms.