GRANT RESOURCE CENTER

January 2005 Featured Article

Seven “Get Started” Tips

Pat Bohse, President of Bohse & Associates, Inc.

In 2005 it is believed the trend will be that many of the Federal competitive grant applications will need to be submitted electronically.  Last year many grantees experienced up to two-weeks to complete the following seven "Get Started" steps.

www.grants.gov: Allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant oppurtunities from all Federal grant-making agencies.  Grants.gov is the single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies.

• Obtain a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet

           You must have a DUNS number from DUn & Bradstreet before you register with Central Contractor 

           Registry (CCR).  To investigate if your organization already has a DUNS number or to obtain a

           DUNS number, contact Dun & Bradstreet at 1-866-705-5711.  This takes about 10 minutes and is 

           free.

• Register with Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
  Your organization also will need to be registered with Central Contractor Registry.  You can register with them online.  This will take about 30 minutes.  You should receive your CCR registration within three business days (This may take up to as many as 10 to 14 business days).
  
  Be sure to complete the Marketing Partner ID (MPIN) and Electronice Business Primary Point of Contact fields during the CCR registration process.  These are mandatory fields that are required when submitting grant applications through Grants.gov.
  
  

  IMPORTANT: Your agency will also need an EIN number.  The following link will provide information on how to obtain one: Employer ID Numbers (EIN) - Where to Apply for an EIN

  
  
• Register with the Credential Provider
  You must register with a Credential Provider to receive a username and password. This will be required to securely submit your grant application in grants.gov. (This may take up to as many as three to five business days)

Grants.gov currently supports associating only one DUNS number per credential. A future enhancement is planned to provide the ability to assign multiple DUNS numbers to a credential .

• Register with grants.gov
  The final step in the Get Started process is to register with grants.gov. This will be required to submit grant applications on behalf of your organization. After you have completed the registration process, you will receive email notification confirming that you are able to submit applications through grants.gov.
  
• Log on to grants.gov
  After you have registered with grants.gov, you can log on to grants.gov to verify if you have registered successfully, to check application status, and to update information in your applicant profile, such as your name, telephone number, email address, and title. In the future, you will have the ability to determine if you are authorized to submit applications through grants.gov on behalf of your organization.
  
• Download an Application Package
  Once you have located a grant opportunity for which you wish to apply, check to see if it is available to apply online through grants.gov. You will need to enter the Funding Opportunity and/or CFDA number to access the application package and instructions. Access the grants.gov Programs List to review CFDA numbers for programs with applications currently available on grants.gov. In order to view application packages and instructions, you will also need to download and install a small, free program called Pure Edge Viewer. This program will allow you to access, complete, and submit applications electronically and securely.