GFOA of the US & Canada

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CAFR Program)

The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CAFR Program) in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.
    
Reports submitted to the CAFR program are reviewed by selected members of the GFOA professional staff and the GFOA Special Review Committee (SRC), which comprises individuals with expertise in public-sector financial reporting and includes financial statement preparers, independent auditors, academics, and other finance professionals.

The following links offer access to detailed information on specific aspects of the CAFR Program:
 

• 2008 Program Results | For Fiscal Years Ended in 2007 
• 2007 Program Results (Annual Report for Fiscal Years Ended in 2006) 

•  CAFR Program Brochure
•  Special Review Committee Brochure
  

Information for participants and potential participants:

• Eligibility Requirements

• How to Submit a Report

• Application form
  

• Requests for an extension of the submission deadline

• Judging Process  

• Checklist for general-purpose governments (including special districts that use governmental funds)
  

• Checklist for school districts

• Checklists for stand-alone business-type activities (including individual enterprise funds and special districts that use enterprise funds exclusively)

• Checklist for pension and other postemployment benefit (OPEB) systems

• Checklist for cash and investment pools

• Award-winning governments for the 2007 fiscal year (with hyperlinks to CAFR when available)
  

• Award-winning governments for the 2006 fiscal year (with hyperlinks to CAFR when available)

Information for reviewers and potential reviewers:

• Eligibility requirements

• How to apply to be a reviewer

• Application form to become a reviewer

• SRC review guide for general-purpose governments (including special districts that use governmental funds)

• SRC review guide for school districts

• SRC review guide for stand-alone business-type activities (including individual enterprise funds and special districts that use enterprise funds exclusively)

• SRC review guide for pension and other postemployment benefit (OPEB) systems

• SRC review guide for cash and investment pools
  

• Electronic vote page for general-purpose governments (including special districts that use governmental funds)

• Electronic vote page for school district

• Electronic vote page for stand-alone business-type activities (including individual enterprise funds and special districts that use enterprise funds exclusively)

• Electronic vote page for pension and other postemployment benefit (OPEB) systems

• Electronic vote page for cash and investment pools
  

• Reviewers of 2006 fiscal year reports

• Reviewer Information