Please note: Updates to the FY2025 CEAR timeline will be made following direction and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget. Please check back for updates as they become available.

For FY2025, the application rates are as follows: 

• $8,000 for CFO Act agencies.
• $5,500 for agency components, ATDA Act agencies, and congressional or judicial branch agencies.

The filing fee is due when the application and other documents are submitted. AGA Federal Tax ID: 53-0217158

Award Applicant Process

The following steps are to assist the agencies in the preparation and submission of the Fiscal Year 2024 Agency Financial Reports/Performance and Accountability. Please include all required documents to complete your submission. AGA will contact the agency’s point-of-contact should the packet received be incomplete.

• Follow the FY2025 CEAR Program Guidelines (Final) when preparing AFR/PAR reports. Download a helpful AFR/PAR style guide here.
• Completed CEAR application for your agency. 
• An original letter signed by your agency’s chief financial officer or equivalent-level official requesting that your report be reviewed by the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting program.
• Six printed copies of your AFR/PAR (a signed, print-ready copy is acceptable).
• Six printed copies responding to last year’s recommendations — If your agency participated in the program the prior year, we strongly encourage your agency to make six copies of a letter responding to each of last year’s recommendations for strengthening the AFR/PAR. Excellence in AFR/PAR is an evolving process.
• Optional:
  • The CEAR program highly encourages all agency applicants to provide names of experienced individuals representing the CFOs, inspectors general and other officers who participated in performance activities from participating agency who are available to serve as program reviewers.
  • To assist the review team, agencies are requested to submit, with their AFR/PAR, one copy of the guidelines to which you adhered, detailing on which pages of your AFR/PAR the requirements in the guidelines are addressed. Completing and submitting a copy of the guidelines in this manner helps the agency ensure it has included each of the appropriate items of information in the report and helps the reviewers readily locate the required items. 

Packet Delivery Options

We will still accept deliveries of completed packet as usual. Agencies have the following options: 

• Hand deliver the packet to our office located at mailing address below. 
• Mail completed application packet to the address below.

AGA

ATTN: CEAR Program

2208 Mount Vernon Ave.

Alexandria, VA  22301-1314

Questions?

Email cear@agacgfm.org or call 800.242.7211 ext: 322.