--- title: "Grant recipient address and place of performance" description: "Read USAspending recipient and performance locations separately. Use a nonprofit worksheet that preserves broad geography and unknown service reach." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/usaspending-grant-recipient-place-performance-geography" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # USAspending grant geography: separate recipient address from place of performance A nonprofit director researching program partners needs to distinguish an organization's legal address from the location reported for award work. Start by naming the geographic question. Headquarters research and program-location research need different evidence. Your first deliverable should be a candidate worksheet with explained locations and open questions. A map pin beside an organization name cannot establish where it serves people. It also cannot establish staffing, partnership interest, or whether your program belongs in the same territory. The [churches and nonprofits overview](/for/churches-and-nonprofits) describes office work based on approved information. This guide addresses historical federal award research. It uses fictional organization records without collecting participant addresses or information about anyone's religion. ## Define the two published location types USAspending distinguishes recipient location from primary place of performance. Recipient location means the award recipient's legal business address. Primary place of performance identifies the principal location where most award work occurs. The official [Federal Spending Guide, page 18](https://www.usaspending.gov/data/Federal-Spending-Guide.pdf#page=18), defines these fields. The April 26, 2023 edition was reopened October 28, 2026. The same section lists several possible geographic levels, including country, state, county, city, congressional district, and ZIP code. It warns that every geographic level is not available for every award. Preserve the precision the source provides. Neither definition turns the reported location into a list of all program sites. Treat it as a defined award field. If the research question concerns particular service locations, create a separate evidence task for those locations. Use three columns from the start: recipient legal location, reported primary place of performance, and independently checked program location. The first two describe source fields. The third records a different question your reviewer must answer. Do not rename all three columns local presence. That label removes the distinction the research depends on. A later reader should know which statement comes from the award record and which requires separate program evidence. ## Confirm which field controls the search Before selecting a county, write the question in a full sentence. Examples include organizations legally located in the county or awards reporting performance there. Choose the field that matches that sentence. USAspending's official [search-filter documentation](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fedspendingtransparency/usaspending-api/master/usaspending_api/api_contracts/search_filters.md) documents `recipient_locations` and `place_of_performance_locations` separately. It also describes country, state, and county components in its standard location object. Reopened October 28, 2026. For an API-based worksheet, preserve the exact filter name with its supplied values. For a website search, retain the visible filter label and selected geography. If the interface does not expose enough evidence, mark the selection rule unresolved. Inspect the download's column names before using its results. The guide identifies recipient fields such as `recipient_city_name`, `recipient_county_name`, and `recipient_state_name`. It lists separate `primary_place_of_performance_` fields. [Federal Spending Guide, pages 18 and 19](https://www.usaspending.gov/data/Federal-Spending-Guide.pdf#page=18). Read the controlling dictionary for the selected export before interpreting an unfamiliar field. Do not assume an unlabeled city column describes performance because the original search concerned program delivery. Keep the source header beside your readable worksheet label. Changing from recipient county to performance county changes the research selection. Save it as a new search version. A difference in results between those versions does not establish that organizations moved or programs opened. ## Keep recipient and parent identities separate Location research also needs an identity check. The guide lists recipient name, recipient Unique Entity Identifier, parent name, and parent identifier fields. Parent data can group related recipients. [Federal Spending Guide, page 17](https://www.usaspending.gov/data/Federal-Spending-Guide.pdf#page=17). Retain the named award recipient as its own record. Give any reported parent a separate field with its source reference. Do not replace a subsidiary's recipient identifier with a parent's identifier to make a regional map look simpler. Likewise, do not transfer a parent organization's address into the award recipient's location column. If a parent operates in many places, that information still needs its own source and relevance check. A corporate relationship does not settle this award's reported geography. When two names look similar, hold the match until identifiers and source context support it. A familiar abbreviation is insufficient. Write identity unresolved rather than assigning an award to the better-known organization. For shared research, keep only the organization-level fields needed for the decision. This worksheet does not need street-level personal information. An organizational identifier, geographic level, and checked document reference can preserve the evidence without building a contact list. ## Work through a fictional statewide award The following example is invented. Example Community Network B, Example State, Capital County, and Valley County describe no actual organization or territory. The simplified entries are teaching material, not a reproduced USAspending record. Assume the exercise supplies one grant award with a legal recipient in Capital County. Its performance field identifies Example State without a checked county. A separately supplied fictional program description says the project has statewide scope. | Research field | Fictional observation | Supported worksheet entry | | --- | --- | --- | | Legal recipient | Example Community Network B, identifier TRAINING-B | Identity retained for this exercise | | Recipient county | Capital County | Legal recipient location only | | Parent organization | Example Network Parent, identifier TRAINING-P | Separate reported relationship | | Primary performance geography | Example State; county unresolved | State-level award geography | | Program description | Statewide project scope in the exercise document | Stated scope, separate from site evidence | | Valley County service location | No supporting document supplied | Unverified | The organization can appear in a worksheet about recipients legally located in Capital County. It can also appear in state-level performance research. Neither selection establishes a program site in Valley County. The statewide description adds a program-scope observation. It does not identify every delivery location, service schedule, or participating institution. Keep those questions open even when the research territory falls inside Example State. Suppose your director wants to understand possible program overlap in Valley County. Retain this candidate under state-level research pending local evidence. Do not place a pin at the county center and describe it as an operating location. A useful finding reads: recipient legal location is Capital County; reported performance geography is state-level; Valley County delivery remains unchecked. That finding gives the next reviewer a clear document task without asserting local service reach. ## Preserve broad and missing geography Use the source's geographic level as a field in its own right. State-level evidence should remain state-level in every exported table. A missing county should stay explicitly unresolved rather than inheriting the recipient's county. Separate absent, not checked, and unsupported by the retained source. These are useful editorial statuses for your worksheet. They are not official USAspending categories. Define them in the worksheet instructions so another staff member can apply them consistently. For example, absent means the selected field contains no usable value in your retained record. Not checked means no reviewer has inspected the relevant evidence. Unsupported means a reviewer inspected the evidence and could not establish the proposed location. Keep the original value beside any readable explanation. If a later source adds detail, record that as a new observation with a date. Preserve the earlier precision instead of rewriting the old worksheet as though you always knew more. When presenting counts, show how many retained awards have usable geography for the specific field. A count of records with checked performance counties needs a separate unresolved count. Missing geography is not proof that no work occurred in the territory. Avoid converting a broad award location into a household or participant map. This research concerns organizations and public program evidence. It supplies no basis for identifying beneficiaries, inferring religion, or describing individual needs. ## Reject the headquarters-to-service-area shortcut Consider a second fictional record, Example Program Organization C. Its recipient address is in Valley County, but the retained performance record names another state. No independent program-location document is available. Reject the proposed summary: locally funded program serving Valley County. The evidence establishes a recipient address there, with different reported performance geography. Keep both observations and explain the unresolved service-area question. Also reject the opposite conclusion that the organization serves nobody locally. The award record does not provide a complete account of the organization's work. The missing program evidence prevents either conclusion. If a reviewer finds a current program page later, identify the program and its stated location. Check whether the page addresses the same award or a separate activity. A local program at one organization should not silently become evidence for every award it holds. Keep financial interpretation in the companion [obligations and outlays guide](/articles/usaspending-grant-obligations-outlays-nonprofit-research). An award amount cannot fix an unresolved location. Conversely, an address match cannot establish available funding or a partnership opportunity. ## Build a candidate worksheet with independent questions The following worksheet is an editorial recommendation for internal research. It is not an official reporting form or a qualification score. Complete one candidate before deciding whether a wider map would answer the director's question. | Worksheet field | What the reviewer records | | --- | --- | | Research purpose | Headquarters comparison, performance research, or a specific program-location question | | Source record | Official URL, award identifier, selected file, and access date | | Selection rule | Exact recipient or performance filter and geographic values | | Legal recipient | Reported organization name, identifier, and match status | | Parent | Separately reported name and identifier, or unresolved | | Recipient location | Original fields, values, and usable geographic precision | | Performance location | Original fields, values, and usable geographic precision | | Program evidence | Checked organization or agency document, program name, and date | | Unresolved geography | Missing detail and the source needed to resolve it | | Research disposition | Read further, hold, outside the defined question, or stop | | Responsibility | Reviewer role, review date, and next document question | Write the independent questions beneath the row. Which current document identifies the program's operating locations? Does it discuss this award or another activity? What period does its statement cover? Add a final question about the decision itself. Would verified local delivery change whether this candidate deserves further reading? If the answer is no, defer that extra research. The worksheet should serve a defined program question rather than accumulate unrelated organization details. Use the [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) to preserve evidence and accepted corrections. Keep public source findings separate from private relationship history. A later reviewer should see why a location changed without mistaking a new observation for an organizational move. ## Scope the research before drawing the map The [nonprofit public-signals overview](/intelligence/churches-and-nonprofits) describes a historical award partner map as a research starting point. A finished map still needs explained selection rules, precision labels, and an unresolved list. It should not declare a partner relationship. For a proposed research function, bring Scale With Search a synthetic candidate worksheet and a defined territory question. Include a state-level record, a missing county, conflicting locations, and an unresolved parent match among the acceptance checks. The program director decides what further evidence matters. The research function should preserve the distinction between legal recipient location, reported award geography, and independently checked program locations. [Discuss the research scope](/work) Continue the website review: [AI-native churches and nonprofits: first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-church-nonprofit-first-functions); [Church and nonprofit AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/church-nonprofit-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [Add readable sermon transcripts to your church website](/articles/church-sermon-transcripts-website); [Church website new visitor page checklist](/articles/church-website-new-visitor-page-checklist); [Grant cost-sharing flags: prepare the budget questions before pursuing a notice](/articles/grant-cost-sharing-flag-budget-review-questions); [Grants.gov forecasts and posted notices: decide when to prepare an application](/articles/grants-gov-forecast-posted-application-preparation); [Check a nonprofit donation form for accessibility](/articles/nonprofit-donation-form-accessibility-check); [Build a donation receipt help page for your nonprofit](/articles/nonprofit-donation-receipt-help-page); [Build nonprofit event pages Google can evaluate](/articles/nonprofit-event-page-google-structured-data); [Food pantry website pages: hours, access, and next steps](/articles/nonprofit-food-pantry-website-page); [Check donor privacy before adding a public donor wall](/articles/nonprofit-public-donor-wall-privacy); [Help donors change or cancel recurring gifts](/articles/nonprofit-recurring-donation-cancellation-page); [Volunteer role pages and Google JobPosting markup](/articles/nonprofit-volunteer-role-jobposting-markup); [Build a volunteer signup page with a clear next step](/articles/nonprofit-volunteer-signup-page); [Help donors verify your nonprofit's tax status](/articles/nonprofit-website-tax-status-verification-page); [USAspending grant obligations and outlays: prepare a nonprofit partner research note](/articles/usaspending-grant-obligations-outlays-nonprofit-research). [churches and nonprofits](/for/churches-and-nonprofits): website and search resources. ## Related: churches and nonprofits - [AI-native churches and nonprofits: first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-church-nonprofit-first-functions) - [Church and nonprofit AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/church-nonprofit-ai-data-approval-spend-rules) - [Add readable sermon transcripts to your church website](/articles/church-sermon-transcripts-website) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```