How to File for a Government Grant
The federal government announces millions of dollars in grant funding daily. The majority of the grants are only for nonprofit organizations, universities, tribal, state and local governments. The U.S. government recently made the process of finding and filing for government grants completely electronic. This saves your organization time and money. You must complete all applicant registration requirements and finish every step in the grant application package to file an application successfully.
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Instructions
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Visit Grants.gov (the federal government's grant announcement and application portal) to download the Organization Registration Guide.
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Review the registration process for all applicants who intend to apply on behalf of nonprofit organizations and other entities eligible for federal grants.
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Get a DUNS number for your organization. The Grants.gov "Organization Registration Checklist" has a link to Dun and Bradstreet to simplify this step. Once you supply some basic information about the organization's business structure, employees, officers and history, Dun and Bradstreet usually assigns your organization a DUNS number within a day.
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Complete the "Central Contractor Registry" registration for your organization. You will find the link to this government website in the "Organization Registration Checklist." Your organization must have an IRS employer identification number (EIN) or a taxpayer information number to finish the CCR registration. The CCR registration requires that you identify one person in the organization as your "E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC)." You will select a password and PIN for that person during the registration process.
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Assign at least one person from your organization as the authorized organization representative. Upon completion of the AOR profile, she will be able to select a username and password. You can have more than one AOR; however, Grants.gov requires your organization's E-Biz POC login and must approve any AOR registration before it becomes active.
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Install Adobe Reader, if necessary. You must use this software to open the applications forms and read the submission directions. Grant packages have forms with fields that respondents can type responses into and file with the grant application.
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Search the website by agency, deadline or keyword to find funding opportunities. Download the grant application package for those that interest you. Make certain that your organization meets the eligibility criteria before you start working on a proposal. Almost all notices list the eligible applicants in the initial "Request For Proposals."
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Give the completed grant application forms and supporting documents to your AOR. He must log in, using the correct username and password, then upload your saved files to submit your grant proposal electronically at the Grants.gov website.
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Tips & Warnings
You can choose alerts for the grant notices type and categories you want to receive, so that you do not have to visit the site repeatedly.
Review the online tips and tutorials on the "Applicant Resources" page for help with preparing your grant application files for electronic for submission.
Your organization must finish all registration steps before you can apply for any grants.
Take note of grant filing deadlines and the supporting documents that your organization must attach and upload with your application. Allow sufficient advance time for technical issues that could make you miss deadlines.
