What are Revolving Funds?

• A. No-year funds that finance a cycle of operations; the fund is credited with collections from the public and other government agencies, and these collections are then available for use without further appropriation.
• B. Funds from other government agencies to replenish appropriation.
• C. Trust Funds for Social Security.
• D. Special Funds designated by law.

Answer: (A)

Revolving funds are self-sustaining no-year funds that finance an ongoing cycle of operations entirely through the money they collect. After the fund is established, collections from the public or from other government agencies are deposited into the fund and become immediately available for use to support the activities covered by that fund, without needing a new appropriation each year. This creates a self-contained financing loop: provide a service, collect fees or charges, and reuse those receipts to keep the program running.

This setup differs from simply receiving money from other agencies to replenish a general appropriation, which isn’t self-financed through the fund’s own receipts. It also isn’t the earmarked structure of a Trust Fund such as Social Security, nor is it merely a broad “special fund” designated by law whose purpose isn’t defined by a revolving process of receipts and reinvestment into the program. The defining idea is that the fund’s own collections sustain its operations without separate yearly approvals for every expenditure.