Status Codes
Grants.gov uses conventional HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of an API request.
In general:
Codes in the 2xx range indicate success.
Codes in the 4xx range indicate an error that failed given the information provided (e.g., a required parameter was omitted).
Codes in the 5xx range indicate an error with Grants.gov's servers.
Find the error descriptions below.
HTTP STATUS CODE SUMMARY
| Code | Message | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | Everything worked as expected |
| 400 | Bad Request | The request was unacceptable. This is often due to missing a required parameter. |
| 401 | Unauthorized | No valid API key was provided. |
| 402 | Request Failed | The parameters were valid, but the request failed. |
| 403 | Forbidden | The API key doesn’t have permissions to perform the request. |
| 404 | Not Found | The requested resource doesn’t exist. |
| 429 | Too Many Requests | Too many of the user’s requests hit the API too quickly. We recommend an exponential backoff of your requests. |
| 500, 502, 503, 504 | Server Errors | Something went wrong on Grants.gov's end. |
Eligibility Codes ("eligibilities"):
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 00 | State governments |
| 01 | County governments |
| 02 | City or township governments |
| 04 | Special district governments |
| 05 | Independent school districts |
| 06 | Public and State controlled institutions of higher education |
| 07 | Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) |
| 08 | Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities |
| 11 | Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) |
| 12 | Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
| 13 | Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
| 20 | Private institutions of higher education |
| 21 | Individuals |
| 22 | For profit organizations other than small businesses |
| 23 | Small businesses |
| 25 | Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification) |
| 99 | Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" |
Category Codes ("fundingCategories"):
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| RA | Recovery Act |
| AG | Agriculture |
| AR | Arts |
| BC | Business and Commerce |
| CD | Community Development |
| CP | Consumer Protection |
| DPR | Disaster Prevention and Relief |
| ED | Education |
| ELT | Employment, Labor and Training |
| EN | Energy |
| ENV | Environment |
| FN | Food and Nutrition |
| HL | Health |
| HO | Housing |
| HU | Humanities |
| IS | Information and Statistics |
| ISS | Income Security and Social Services |
| LJL | Law, Justice and Legal Services |
| NR | Natural Resources |
| O | Other |
| RD | Regional Development |
| ST | Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| T | Transportation |
| OZ | Opportunity Zone Benefits |
| IIJ | Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) |
| ACA | Affordable Care Act |