The information I’m going to share with you today only pertains to companies, state or local governments, academia or research institutions, not-for-profit or any other institution that plans to apply for federal grants. In order to actually apply with the federal government you will need to get registered and obtain some identification numbers before you submit that first application. Several times I have seen people find their grant and are ready to apply, yet didn’t realize they need these registrations until it is too late. These registrations do take some time to process, so it is best to at least start the process in obtaining them now and, once you do find a grant you will be ready to apply and can submit your federal grant application without having to backpedal to get registered.

The first step in the process of getting registered is to apply for a Data Universal Number (DUNS). This is a one time process you will go through but again, it is required for all federal grant applications. Obtaining this number could take up to two weeks depending on the complexity of your organization. The form can be filled out and applied for directly on line at: http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/

Information required for a DUNS consist of: Organization name, address, phone, CEO/Owner, Legal structure of the organization (corporation, partnership, proprietorship), year organization founded, Primary line of business, total number of employees.

After you receive your DUNS you will next need to register for a Central Contractor Registration (CCR) which basically sets you up to do business with the federal government. This form will ask for contact information on people who perform certain roles within your organization, such as Accountant/Treasurer or Directors/Presidents, but will also ask more detailed information about what all your organization does. The online site to register for this is http://www.ccr.gov/ and can take a couple of days to process.

Lastly, once both the DUNS and CCR are complete you will need to register as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) with grants.gov This is the easiest step in the process but requires both your DUNS and CCR in order to obtain. Once both of these numbers are entered you will be given a username and password for grants.gov and then you can officially apply for federal grants!!

I know it takes time to obtain these registrations but like I said if you get started now you will be all ready to go once that perfect grant opportunity comes along.