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About FirstGov.gov

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Whatever you want or need from the U.S. government, it's here on FirstGov.gov. You'll find a rich treasure of online information, services and resources.

Welcome from President Bush

Our Vision

FirstGov.gov, the official U.S. gateway to all government information, is the catalyst for a growing electronic government. Our work transcends the traditional boundaries of government and our vision is global–connecting the world to all U.S. government information and services.

Government at Your Fingertips

Our powerful search engine and ever-growing collection of topical and customer-focused links connects you to millions of web pages–from the federal government, local and tribal governments and to foreign nations around the world.

On FirstGov.gov, you can search millions of web pages from federal and state governments, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Most of these pages are not available on commercial websites. FirstGov has the most comprehensive search of government anywhere on the Internet.

We are working with agencies to encourage portals organized around customer groups and topics, instead of agency names. Examples of cross-agency portals include: students, people with disabilities and exporters.

FirstGov.gov is also pleased to announce its new Spanish-language web portal, FirstGov en Español. It's the U.S. government's new gateway to thousands of government resources–all in Spanish and developed by, and for, Spanish speakers.

Do Business Online

FirstGov.gov will help you find and do business with government online, on the phone, by mail or in person. You may select customer gateways– citizens, businesses and nonprofits, federal employees and government-to-government –to find exactly what you need. For example, from your computer, you can apply for student financial assistance, buy government publications, apply for social security and other benefits, get a passport application, and so much more.

Customer Satisfaction

FirstGov is an internet portal designed for you. We want to make your experience at our website productive, informative and satisfying. Customer feedback is the driving force for how we organize and present government information, services and transactions. We participate in an online customer satisfaction survey using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This is a survey tool used in the private sector by some of the most successful American businesses. The survey randomly selects visitors to our site and asks them a series of questions about their online experience. The survey results provide us with information about how we measure up against some of the best commercial and government websites and help us improve the website for you. We thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey when it appears on your screen during your visit. If you would like to provide us with more specific comments, suggestions and personal experiences while visiting FirstGov, please Contact Us.

FirstGov Linking Policy

FirstGov.gov links to websites like those above that provide useful, timely, citizen-centered government information and services consistent with our linking policy.

Photo Credits

Check out our Photo Credits page to see the government agencies and departments that have provided public domain images on our website.

Other Important Notices

FirstGov.gov provides more details on its policies and guidelines with regard to disclaimers of endorsements; web accessibility; our linking policy; commercial downloads; portable document format (PDF) files, and privacy and security matters on Important Notices.

Who "Owns" FirstGov.gov?

Many people and organizations have had a hand in creating our comprehensive, award-winning portal to government. And the government worked fast–Internet time–to launch it and to keep it responsive to the American people and the world. This includes America Responds to Terrorism after the events of September 11, 2001.

FirstGov.gov is an interagency initiative administered by the U.S. General Services Administration. It got its start when Internet entrepreneur Eric Brewer, whose early research was funded by the Department of Defense, offered to donate a powerful search engine to government. That gift helped accelerate the government's earlier work to create a government-wide portal.

In June 2000, the President announced the gift from the Federal Search Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Brewer, and instructed that FirstGov.gov be launched in 90 days. FirstGov.gov went online on September 22, 2000. GSA and 22 federal agencies funded the initiative in 2001 and 2002. Since 2002, FirstGov.gov has received an annual appropriation in President Bush's fiscal year budget.

So, who "owns" FirstGov.gov? The American people.

Frequently Asked Questions About FirstGov.gov

FirstGov provides answers to other frequently asked questions about FirstGov.gov.

Your Comments

We invite your feedback and suggestions about FirstGov.gov to help us serve you better.


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