# Search Federal Grant Opportunities

`Search_Federal_Grant_Opportunities` is the GovTribe MCP search tool for pre-award federal grant opportunity records, including eligibility framing, submission deadlines, issuing agencies, funding programs, and attached government files.

## When To Use

* Which federal grant opportunities are open now or due within a specific time window?
* Which opportunities match a mission topic, funding instrument, agency, or federal grant program?
* Which opportunities are `Posted` versus `Forecasted`?
* Which points of contact and government files are attached to matching opportunities?
* Which agencies or grant programs appear most often in a filtered grant-opportunity market slice?

## Required Reading

1. [Search\_Mode\_And\_Query\_Guide](/user-guide/mcp/guides/search_mode_and_query_guide.md): Required before setting free-text query strings and choosing keyword vs semantic retrieval.
2. [Date\_Filtering\_Guide](/user-guide/mcp/guides/date_filtering_guide.md): Required before setting date window filters.

## Output Contract

* Top-level keys:
  * `data`: Array of result rows when `per_page > 0`.
  * `current_page`, `from`, `to`, `last_page`, `per_page`: pagination metadata when rows are requested.
  * `path`: GovTribe search URL for this result set.
  * `total`: Total matched row count for current query filters.
  * `contains`: Dataset label for the returned result set.
  * `search_results_id`, `search_results_id_can_generate_saved_search`, `view_search_results_url`: search-session metadata for saved-search and UI flows.
  * `aggregations`: Aggregation payload keyed by requested aggregation names when requested.
* Row keys:
  * `govtribe_id`
  * `govtribe_ai_summary`
  * `govtribe_type`
  * `govtribe_url`
  * `solicitation_number`
  * `name`
  * `assistance_type`
  * `award_ceiling`
  * `award_floor`
  * `funding_instruments`
  * `applicant_types`
  * `funding_activity_categories`
  * `posted_date`
  * `due_date`
  * `forecast_posting_date`
  * `forecast_due_date`
  * `description`
  * `updated_at`
  * `federal_agency`
  * `place_of_performance`
  * `government_files`
  * `federal_grant_programs`
  * `points_of_contact`
* `place_of_performance` returns a nested location object with `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `name`, `lat`, and `lng` when the place-of-performance relation is loaded.
* Relationship retrieval map:
  * `federal_agency`
    * `resource_type`: `federal_agency`
    * `tool`: `Search_Federal_Agencies`
    * `filter`: `federal_agency_ids`
    * `nested_keys`: `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `govtribe_url`, `name`
  * `federal_grant_programs`
    * `resource_type`: `federal_grant_program`
    * `tool`: `Search_Federal_Grant_Programs`
    * `filter`: `federal_grant_program_ids`
    * `nested_keys`: `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `govtribe_url`, `name`
  * `government_files`
    * `resource_type`: `government_file`
    * `tool`: `Search_Government_Files`
    * `filter`: `government_file_ids`
    * `nested_keys`: `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `govtribe_url`, `name`
  * `place_of_performance`
    * `resource_type`: `location`
    * `tool`: `n/a`
    * `filter`: `n/a`
    * `fallback`: No direct Search\_\* tool returns this resource class; use parent dataset filters and parent IDs.
    * `nested_keys`: `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `name`, `lat`, `lng`
  * `points_of_contact`
    * `resource_type`: `contact`
    * `tool`: `Search_Contacts`
    * `filter`: `contact_ids`
    * `nested_keys`: `govtribe_id`, `govtribe_type`, `name`, `email`, `govtribe_url`

## Usage Patterns

Pattern A: Open posted opportunities due in the next 30 days for a topic. Tool: `Search_Federal_Grant_Opportunities`

```json
{
  "query": "community mental health",
  "search_mode": "semantic",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "due_date_range": {
    "from": "now/d",
    "to": "now+30d/d"
  },
  "opportunity_types": [
    "Posted"
  ],
  "sort": {
    "key": "dueDate",
    "direction": "asc"
  },
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 20
}
```

Pattern B: Aggregation-only view of top agencies, contacts, and grant programs for current opportunities. Tool: `Search_Federal_Grant_Opportunities`

```json
{
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "aggregations": [
    "top_federal_agencies_by_doc_count",
    "top_points_of_contact_by_doc_count"
  ],
  "due_date_range": {
    "from": "now-180d/d",
    "to": "now/d"
  },
  "sort": {
    "key": "_score",
    "direction": "desc"
  },
  "per_page": 0
}
```

Pattern C: Program-targeted opportunity retrieval after resolving program IDs. Tool: `Search_Federal_Grant_Opportunities`

```json
{
  "search_mode": "keyword",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "federal_grant_program_ids": [
    "<FEDERAL_GRANT_PROGRAM_ID>"
  ],
  "federal_grant_program_ids_operator": "in",
  "opportunity_types": [
    "Posted"
  ],
  "posted_date": {
    "from": "2025-01-01",
    "to": null
  },
  "sort": {
    "key": "postedDate",
    "direction": "desc"
  },
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 25
}
```

Pattern D: Forecasted opportunities for pipeline planning. Tool: `Search_Federal_Grant_Opportunities`

```json
{
  "query": "water infrastructure resilience",
  "search_mode": "semantic",
  "fields_to_return": [
    "govtribe_id"
  ],
  "opportunity_types": [
    "Forecasted"
  ],
  "sort": {
    "key": "postedDate",
    "direction": "desc"
  },
  "page": 1,
  "per_page": 20
}
```


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