Welcome to Day 2 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!
Nothing is more frustrating than spending weeks creating a perfect narrative, only to have your submission rejected because of an expired registration. In the world of federal and state grant seeking, technical preparation and eligibility are just as important as your program’s impact.
Today, we help you focus on centralizing and updating your government grant registrations.
Your Day 2 Checklist: 5 Essential Registrations
Use this checklist to ensure that your organization is compliant and ready to click “submit.”
1. IRS Determination Letter
The vast majority of grantmakers require you to attach a copy of your IRS exemption letter with your application. Does your letter reflect your current legal name and address? If you have moved or rebranded recently, this discrepancy is a common red flag for federal reviewers. Make sure that multiple people know and can independently access the location of this digital and physical document.
2. SAM.gov and Your Unique Entity ID (UEI)
Note: The UEI has officially replaced the DUNS number. You need a UEI and a SAM.gov registration to apply for federal grants. To obtain a UEI, ______________. If your organization is already registered in SAM.gov, verify that the registration is active. Your UEI and your SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually. In the SAM.gov system, also verify that the people listed as your Points of Contact (POCs) are still with your organization; update them as needed. Be sure to list multiple POCs and ensure that they can log in to the system independently.
3. Grants.gov Workspace
In addition, you need to be registered with Grants.gov to apply for federal grants. In that system, check that your account for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) is up to date. Also, if your Executive Director has changed, update these credentials in the Grants.gov system to ensure you have the authority to sign and submit applications. Ensure that your Executive Director and AOR can log in independently.
4. State Charitable Registrations
Beyond the federal level, is your organization registered in your state grants system currently? For example, if you are in New York, ensure that you are registered in the Statewide Financial System (SFS, the current state portal) and your prequalification is active. Ensure that multiple people in your organization can independently log into your state’s system. Check whether it requires regular registration renewals.
5. Password Centralization
These portals often require password changes every 60 to 90 days, and people in your organization sometimes come and go. Establish a secure, centralized way for everyone on your grant team and in your organization’s leadership to store and access these codes independently with just a couple clicks.
Take advantage of our grant readiness resources, including PDFs, webinars, and videos.
When you checked, how many of your registrations were up to date? Have you overcome challenges with registering and other centralizing that could help others? Let us know—comment below!
Did you miss the launch of the 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge? It isn’t too late for you to start! You can sign up at any point and it will start you back on Day 1!
Updated May 14, 2026