Applicant FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions by Applicants
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
What is a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?
A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government. (U.S. General Services Administration). UEI numbers are obtained from www.sam.gov.
Why is the federal government changing from DUNS to UEI (SAM)?
The transition from UEI (DUNS) to UEI (SAM) is a federal, government-wide initiative. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal agencies/systems to complete their transition to the UEI (SAM) no later than April 4, 2022.
Where do I go to learn more about the UEI?
The U.S. General Services Administration Unique Entity Identifier Update page contains the most up-to-date information about the UEI.
Apply using Workspace
Do I need to register with Grants.gov to apply using Workspace?
Yes, you need one Grants.gov account. If you work with multiple organizations on grant applications, you can create and manage multiple profiles within the same Grants.gov account. For more information, read the My Account help article.
How do I register as a consultant so I can support my clients in Workspace?
Register an account on Grants.gov, then the applicant organization(s) can add you as a participant to their workspace.
Who can create a workspace?
Anyone with the Workspace Manager role can create a workspace. For more information, read the Workspace Roles page.
Who can submit a workspace application? Is there a way to limit submission of the application to one user?
Only users with the Standard Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role who are added as a Workspace Participant may submit an application. If your organization uses the Expanded AOR role, then any user with the Expanded AOR role may submit any workspace, even if they are not added as a Workspace Participant.
For more information, read the Workspace Roles page and the Manage Organization Profile help article.
What happens if a form is not locked and two people try to fill out a webform or try to work on the same individual PDF form at the same time?
When a Workspace Participant clicks the Webform link to start working on an online form, Grants.gov Workspace automatically locks the form to that user. A different Workspace Participant cannot fill out a webform at the same time.
When two Workspace Participants work on an unlocked PDF form simultaneously, changes to form data will only be captured within the workspace once the PDF form is uploaded. So the last person to upload the form will overwrite the previous upload—Workspace will prompt you before this happens. However, once a form is locked to a participant, any attempts to upload the form by another user will be blocked by the system.
For more information, read the Fill Out Webforms, Lock Forms, Unlock Forms, Override Locked Forms help articles.
Can I preview my application?
Yes. Go to the View Application tab in Workspace to preview the application forms. Review the View Application Tab help article and Attachments Tab help article for more information.
How long will my submitted application package be retained in the Grants.gov system?
Submitted application packages will be retained for 5 years* after submission and status can be checked using the Track My Application page or the Check Application Status page after logging into Grants.gov. Submitted applications with "Validated", "Received By Agency", or "Agency Tracking Number Assigned" status will be available for download from the Check Application Status page during this time. Workspace submissions can be downloaded from the Details tab of the workspace.
*Note: The application purge period was increased from 180 days to 5 years on October 20, 2015, so all applications submitted on or after April 22, 2015 will be stored for 5 years. All applications submitted before April 22, 2015 have been deleted under the previous 180 day purge period.
How can I verify the contents of my submitted application package?
After submitting the application package through Workspace, applicants should download a copy of the submitted application for offline record-keeping and to verify the contents of the submission zip file. We recommend downloading the submitted application via the Details tab of the workspace and verifying the contents of each file in the zip.
Note: Applicants can download a zip file of applications only when the submitted application is in one of the following statuses: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned.
Attachments
What is the attachment file size limit or maximum?
Read the federal award-making agency's application instructions for the file size limit for each grant application package you submit. Grants.gov suggests limiting the file size of the entire grant application package including all the attachments to 200MB.
Why does the federal agency say there are no attachments in my application when I can see attachments in the form?
When completing a PDF form using Adobe software, it is important to only use the Add Attachments buttons in the form to attach a document.
If you use other attachment functions, such as those built into Adobe Reader or the menu bar, this will cause errors in the submission and the attachments will not actually transmit to the federal agency.
What type of attachments may be added to an application form?
Each agency has their own restrictions on the type of attachments (e.g., .pdf,.xls,.docx) and file sizes allowed for a particular grant opportunity application package.
If you are adding a video (e.g., .mpeg,.mov), image (e.g., tif., jpg., .png), or audio (e.g., .wav, .aif, .au, etc.) be sure to compress these files for web usage. There are different types of applications and compression methods, so please be sure to check the agency instructions for guidance on quality, resolution, and bit rate standards they allow for submission.
Informative status
NOTE: Although Grants.gov does not restrict types of file attachments, if more than one attachment is included in a grant submission and two or more files have the same name, the grant application cannot be processed without manual intervention. To correct this, you should:
Rename attached files with the same name so that no files share the same name.
Reattach the files.
Resubmit the application package.
Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application?
Yes, but it can vary per agency and form in the application package.
Review the application instructions provided by the award-making agency for their attachment restrictions.
Review the form instructions you are completing.
If there are no restrictions for file names identified by the agency or in the form, then the file name restrictions are as follows:
Please limit file names to 50 or fewer characters
Please use only the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Attachments that do not follow this rule may cause the entire application to be rejected or cause issues during processing.
Informative status
NOTE: If these guidelines are not followed, your application may be rejected.
Filling Out Forms
Can I copy and paste information into my Grants.gov application from a Microsoft Word document?
Copying and pasting data into a Grants.gov application form from Word may lead to errors in the Adobe Reader form. If using the copy and paste function, copy the information from a text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit, which does not have proprietary fonts or special characters.
What kind of information can be entered into form fields within my application?
Grants.gov application packages offer fields to enter a set amount of data. When the limit is reached for a certain field, you will no longer be able to enter data into that field. For every form, there are different limitations to the data that you are allowed to enter (this varies between agency and form). Refer to the agency instructions available for download with the application package for more detail.
Grants.gov is now capable of accepting special characters (UTF-8 character set) within form fields; however, please refer to the specific agency instructions for guidance regarding the use of special characters.
Informative status
NOTE: If these guidelines are not followed, your application may be rejected.
How can I find my congressional district code?
To find your congressional district, go to House.gov and search for your Congressional District by entering your zip code + 4. If you do not know your zip code + 4, you may look it up by visiting USPS Look Up Zip Code 
page.
The congressional district code should use the 2 character state abbreviation, a hyphen, and then a 3 character district number. For example, CA-005 for California's 5th district or VA-008 for Virginia's 8th district. Use 00-000 for programs or projects outside the US.
Support Center
What supporting details does the Grants.gov Support Center need to help me with my question or issue?
Along with your contact information, please share the following supporting details, as applicable, to help the Grants.gov Support Center provide more efficient and effective assistance:
Funding Opportunity Number (FON) or Package ID
Browser Type and Version number
Operating System Type and Version number
Form Name and Version number
Adobe Reader/Acrobat version number
Exact Error Message if applicable
Grants.gov Username
UEI (SAM)
Account Registration
What should I do if I receive the message "Email Already Exists in System" and I am unable to register?
If you receive the message "Email Already Exists in System," your email address has already been used to register. You will need to use a new email address or sign into the account using that email address.
What is a profile?
A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant), an individual applicant, or a single federal agency (i.e., for grantors). If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your workspaces. Read the Add Profile to a Grants.gov Account page.
What are the Grants.gov password requirements?
Must contain at least eight (8) characters
Must contain at least one (1) uppercase letter (A-Z)
Must contain at least one (1) lower case letter (a-z)
Must contain at least one (1) number (0-9)
Must contain at least one (1) special character (e.g. ! @ # $ % ^ & *)
Cannot be the same as the previous six (6) passwords
Cannot contain dictionary words, names, or your Username
Login Troubleshooting
Why am I being locked out from logging in?
Please consult Login.gov help center for assistance with logging in.
How do I retrieve a forgotten username?
To retrieve the username associated with your email address:
Log into Grants.gov.
Click the My Account link in the upper-right corner of the Grants.gov banner.
The username will be displayed in Account Details box in the center of the screen.
I forgot my Grants.gov password. How do I reset my password?
If your Grants.gov account is linked to Login.gov, PIV/CAC, or AMS, log into Grants.gov and go to the My Account page in the top right corner of the Grants.gov banner and click the Change Password tab under My Account.
If you have not yet linked your Grants.gov account to Login.gov, you will be given an opportunity to do so during the linking process.
Click the Login.gov button on the Grants.gov login screen
Create your Login.gov account and you will be redirected to the "Link to Grants.gov Account" page.
Click the Forgot My Password/Unlock My Account link that is located beneath the Username and Password fields.
Enter your username in the Username field.
Enter the email address associated with your username in the Email Address field.
Select how you want to receive the temporary code (via email or mobile phone) to reset your password. Users who have not added mobile number to their account profile will not see this option and will automatically receive the temporary code via their account email address.
Click the Continue button.
Enter the Temporary Code that was sent to the email address or mobile phone number associated with your account, then click Continue. (Note: If you do not receive the code, click the Resend Temporary Code button.)
Enter your new password and confirm it was entered correctly by re-typing it into the New Password Confirm field.
Click the Submit button to complete the password reset process.
If you do not receive an email with a temporary code from Grants.gov, please call Grants.gov Support at 1-800-518-4726, or send an email to support@grants.gov.
Password Expiration
How long are Grants.gov passwords valid?
Passwords are valid for 60 days and will not be valid on the 61st day onward. If your account is already linked to Login.gov or any other 2 factor provider, you will not need this password to log in.
How do I log in after my Grants.gov password expires?
Users will log in with Login.gov even if the Grants.gov password has expired.
Account Deactivation
Why has my Grants.gov account been deactivated?
Your Grants.gov account is automatically deactivated after 365 days of inactivity (i.e., not logging in for a year). Grants.gov automatically sends you four separate warning emails, one per week for the four weeks immediately preceding your deactivation.
If your account is deactivated, you will lose all roles in Grants.gov. Roles are not applicable to EBiz POCs and individual applicant profiles, but their account will also be deactivated after inactivity for 365 days.
What do I do after my Grants.gov account is deactivated for inactivity?
Log in to your account using the Login.gov button.
The next steps depends on your account type:
EBiz POC – No additional steps after logging in and resetting password.
Individual Profiles – No additional steps after logging in.
Organization Profiles – By re-activating your account, Grants.gov automatically emails your organization's EBiz POC to assign roles in Grants.gov. You may also want to communicate with your organization's EBiz POC outside of Grants.gov to ensure your roles are reassigned.
Grantor – After re-activating your account, you need to communicate with someone within your grant-making agency with the Manage Agencies role, requesting that they reassign roles to your profile Grants.gov.
Web Browsers
Which web browsers are supported by Grants.gov?
The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. However, these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, so we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues.
Grants.gov no longer provides support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or below.
Which security protocols does my web browser need to support to access Grants.gov?
Your web browser must support at least one of the following: Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2. Note: TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are disabled in the Training environment and will be disabled in the Production environment in the future. Read the Grants.gov Notices page for more information.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version 2 and 3 are not supported.
When using the Workspace online webforms in Safari, when I click on the View Attachments button nothing happens?
The Safari browser blocks pop-up windows by default. You will need to allow pop-up windows in order to view attachments in Workspace online webforms.
How to Disable a Pop-Up Blocker: Safari for Mac
Open Safari.
In the top left of the window, click Safari.
Click Preferences in the drop-down menu.
Click the Security tab found on the top row.
Under Web content, uncheck Block pop-up windows.
How do I clear my browser cache?
The cache refers to the Temporary Internet Files folder which contains a record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the web, including images, sounds and web pages.
Below are links to instructions on how to clear your browser cache:
Antivirus Best Practices for Grants.gov
How can I prevent a virus from infecting my computer or system?
Grants.gov checks for viruses when a file is uploaded, but it is the users' responsibility to make sure they do a virus check on their end when downloading to help protect against zero-day attacks. A zero-day attack is an attack on a computer system that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability that the vendor has not had time to address and patch.
Users are encouraged to do the following when downloading and uploading files with Grants.gov:
Ensure virus protection software (with the latest signature updates) is installed and running on the system/network being used to perform actions within Grants.gov Workspace
Perform a scan for viruses locally prior to uploading files or data packages to Grants.gov Workspace
Download Grants.gov Workspace data to a temporary folder and perform a scan for viruses prior to opening files or data packages
Report suspicious files or activity immediately to the Grants.gov Support Center at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov