Grant Applicant Resources

Grants.gov

Grants.gov is your place to FIND and APPLY for federal grants. Using the Grants.gov system makes it faster, easier and more cost effective for grant applicants to electronically interact with federal grant-making agencies. It also provides the following key benefits, among many others, to the grant community:

• Helping the grant community learn more about available opportunities.
• Facilitating interaction with the federal government.
• Simplifying the grant application process to save applicants costs, time and hassle.
• Making it easier to research and find federal grant opportunities.
• Making electronic grant application processing easier.
• Providing a secure and reliable source to apply for federal grants.

The office was chartered to deliver a system that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities.

Employee Identification Number (EIN)

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a nine-digit number that the IRS uses to identify taxpayers that are required to file various business tax returns. An EIN is also required to operate tax-exempt organizations such as charitable organizations or nonprofits. U.S.-based organizations can apply for an EIN for free on the IRS website, and international entities can do so by phone, fax, or mail.

System for Award Management (SAM)

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(a) or (b)) is required to have an active SAM.gov registration and a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) before submitting their application. NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

Grants.gov

In order to submit an application through Grants.gov, an applicant must register for a Grants.gov user ID and password. Note that this process can take between three to five business days or as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed correctly. To avoid delays, applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not wait until the approaching application deadline before registering, logging in, reviewing the application instructions, and applying. Information about the Grants.gov registration process for organizations can be found at http://grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp.

Please note that organizations already registered with Grants.gov do not need to re-register; however, all registered organizations must keep their Grants.gov password and SAM database (which now incorporates CCR) registration up-to-date or their applications will not be accepted by Grants.gov. Note that your CCR username will not work in SAM. You must create a new SAM user account to renew or update your registration. Registration on SAM is a requirement. To obtain additional information and to verify that all required registrations are current, please visit the SAM website.

eRA Commons

Prior to submitting in Grants.gov, applicant organizations must first register in eRA Commons. The eRA registration can start while an organization is waiting for their final SAM.gov approval of their UEI. Organizations registering in the eRA Commons for the first time should allow 2-4 weeks to complete the registration process. Instructions on how to register can be found here: https://www.era.nih.gov/register-accounts/register-in-era-commons.htm.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Guidance

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 is the foundation of modern American environmental protection in the United States and its commonwealths, territories, and possessions. NEPA provides a mandate and a framework for Federal agencies to consider all reasonably foreseeable environmental effects of their proposed actions and to involve and inform the public in the decision-making process.

Applicants must complete proposals according to environmental requirements noted in grant announcements or in requests for applications. Applicants must provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). After applications are submitted, NOAA may require additional information to fulfill NEPA requirements. If NOAA determines that an environmental assessment is required, applicants may be requested to assist in drafting the assessment. Applicants may also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year. The following section has a bearing on NOAA grants: Title 2 – Grants and Agreements.

Department of Commerce, Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual

This grants manual is intended to provide a common understanding of the framework for the administration of grants and cooperative agreements within which Department of Commerce staff members and responsible recipient officials must operate.

Department of Commerce, Grants Management Division

This site includes information on grant policy, training, forms, and on-line resources related to award administration.