Government Finance Officers Association

What Government Finance Officers Association does

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), legally the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, is a 120-year-old nonprofit professional association headquartered at 203 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2700, Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1906 and governed by an 18-member Executive Board, GFOA serves 35,000+ public finance professionals across municipal, county, school district, special district, state, and provincial agencies in the U.S. and Canada. Its technology backbone consists of a Learning Management System delivering CPE-accredited training and credit tracking, a Member Communities online platform for peer networking and discussion, and a Jobs Board that attracts 2,000+ weekly page views.

GFOA's product portfolio spans certification, education, publications, and recognition. The Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) program requires passage of seven examinations within five years. The week-long Leadership Academy runs at $2,500 per participant and awards 30 CPE credits. The 120th Annual Conference offers 80+ peer-led CPE-accredited sessions. Publication revenue is anchored by the GAAFR Blue Book, GAAFR Plus subscription, and the bimonthly Government Finance Review magazine. Other offerings include On-Demand Learning, a Best Practices and Advisories library, the Fiscal First Aid 12-step recovery program, the Financial Foundations Framework, four "Rethinking" initiatives (Budgeting, Financial Reporting, Revenue, Materiality), and nine affinity groups ranging from the Black Caucus (1991) and Women's Public Finance Network (1990) to the LGBTQIA+ Caucus (2023). Awards programs include the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, which New York City has received for 45 consecutive years.

Revenue is generated from organization-based membership dues (with unlimited individual memberships for government staff at one annual price), Annual Conference registration, professional education and training (in-person, eLearning, webinars, on-demand), tuition for the Leadership Academy, publication and subscription sales, job posting fees ($200-$500 depending on member status), and government advocacy and consulting through a Research and Consulting Center. GFOA additionally operates an academic scholarship program awarding $130,000 across 11 scholarships and a Student Chapter initiative launched in 2018, signaling deliberate investment in the next-generation public-finance workforce.

Name

Government Finance Officers Association

Legal name

Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada

Website

https://gfoa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GFOA is a 120-year-old nonprofit professional association serving 35,000+ government finance officials across the U.S. and Canada. It offers the CPFO certification, CPE-accredited training, the GAAFR publications, awards programs, and the annual conference for cities, counties, school districts, and special districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services — Public Financial Management

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

Keywords

• Public financial management
• Government accounting standards
• Public sector budgeting
• Government finance certification
• Municipal fiscal policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees based on organization size with unlimited individual memberships for government staff
2. Annual Conference: Registration fees for the annual conference with thousands of public finance professionals attending
3. Professional Education and Training: Revenue from in-person courses, eLearning, webinars, on-demand courses, and training programs including Accounting Academy, Budget Academy, and Leadership Academy
4. Job Board: Job posting fees: $200 for active GFOA members, $300 for associate members, $500 for non-members. Ads run for four consecutive weeks.
5. Publications and Subscriptions: GAAFR publication sales, GAAFR Plus subscription, Government Finance Review magazine
6. Leadership Academy Tuition: $2,500 tuition per participant includes sessions, lunches, dinners, and receptions
7. Academic Scholarships: In 2025, awarded $130,000 in scholarships to students pursuing careers in government finance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

GFOA is a nonprofit professional association that serves state, provincial, and local government finance officers by delivering training, certification (CPFO), publications, an annual conference, best-practice advisories, awards recognition, and federal advocacy. It monetizes these primarily through organizational and individual memberships, conference registration, training tuition, and publication subscriptions.

Product overview

GFOA is a professional association offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for public finance professionals across the U.S. and Canada. The core offerings include the Annual Conference (the premier annual gathering with 80+ CPE-accredited sessions), the Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) certification program requiring passage of seven examinations, and the Leadership Academy week-long intensive training. The Learning Pathways platform provides personalized career development with pathways in Accounting, Budgeting, and Debt Management. GFOA publishes the bimonthly Government Finance Review magazine and the annual GAAFR Blue Book, with GAAFR Plus providing subscription-based in-depth guidance. The association operates Grants Management Resources and the Fiscal First Aid 12-step financial recovery program. The Financial Foundations Framework provides a five-pillar approach to financial sustainability, while the Rethinking Initiatives examine fundamental approaches to budgeting, revenue, and financial reporting. Additional offerings include On-Demand Learning for self-paced CPE credits, a Jobs Board platform, nine Affinity Groups for networking, Awards Programs recognizing excellence, and scholarship programs totaling $130,000 annually. GFOA's Best Practices library covers accounting, budgeting, debt management, procurement, risk assessment, and treasury management. The Smarter School Spending framework serves K-12 education finance professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Conference A multi-day in-person national conference for governmental finance officers featuring keynote sessions, CPE-eligible workshops, networking, and an exposition of public-finance products and services. Open to members and non-members with differential pricing; targeted at state and local government finance professionals.
• Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) Program A multi-year professional certification program that recognizes governmental finance officers who demonstrate mastery of the field across five functional areas. Targeted at current and aspiring senior public-finance leaders; pricing is structured per program enrollment.
• Leadership Academy A leadership development program (referenced tuition of approximately $2,500) for governmental finance professionals pursuing senior leadership roles. Delivered through structured cohorts with CPE credit.
• Government Finance Review (GFR) A subscription-based, peer-reviewed magazine/journal covering current practice, research, and policy developments in governmental finance. Distributed to subscribers and members on a recurring basis.
• GAAFR Plus A subscription-based service that delivers comprehensive, regularly updated governmental accounting, auditing, and financial reporting (GAAFR) guidance to subscribers, building on the foundational GAAFR Blue Book reference content.
• GAAFR Blue Book The foundational reference publication covering governmental accounting, auditing, and financial reporting. Available for purchase to members and non-members; widely cited as the authoritative reference in the field.
• On-Demand Learning A catalog of on-demand, CPE-eligible courses covering technical and leadership topics in governmental finance. Sold à la carte or via training subscriptions to public-finance professionals seeking flexible continuing education.
• Learning Pathways A self-paced online platform that organizes training into structured learning pathways for governmental finance professionals targeting specific competencies or career stages.
• GFOA Jobs Board An online job posting board where government employers and recruiters pay per-listing fees to advertise open finance positions (Director of Finance, CFO, Treasurer, Controller, Budget Officer) to GFOA's qualified member audience.
• Individual and Organizational Memberships Tiered individual and organizational membership products that grant access to GFOA resources, training discounts, member communities, publications, advocacy representation, and network benefits. Sold on an annual dues basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 finance professionals trained annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• APA (American Planning Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the Rethinking Revenue initiative, contributing expertise on planning and economic development aspects of revenue modernization for local governments
• ICMA (International City/County Management Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the Rethinking Revenue initiative, providing insights on local government management and administration practices
• NAPA (National Academy of Public Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing expertise on public administration theory and practice for revenue modernization efforts
• NLC (National League of Cities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner representing cities' interests in the Rethinking Revenue initiative, focusing on municipal revenue challenges and solutions
• Harris School of Public Policy at University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner providing policy analysis and data-driven insights for the Rethinking Revenue initiative
• UIC Government Finance Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner contributing municipal finance expertise and research capabilities to the Rethinking Revenue initiative

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GFOA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9WdpnRDXE6nzxzRbkkMFOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/GFOAofUSandCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gfoa
• Instagraminstagram.com/gfoa_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Government Finance Officers Association