Using the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in Grants.gov

Applicant users who have registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) are now seeing their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) within Grants.gov.

Deadline Extended for Government Transition to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

The General Services Administration recently extended the deadline for completing the government transition from the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number to the New Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to April 2022.

“By April of 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number to uniquely identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM),” reads the GSA Unique Entity Identifier Update page. “At that point, entities doing business with the federal government will use a unique entity identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov.”

In the meantime, Grants.gov will continue preparing the system to accept the new applicant UEIs when they become available.

To stay up to date on the latest UEI news from GSA and to determine how you can prepare, please visit gsa.gov/entityid.

The Grants.gov Mobile App Is Now Even Better

The latest update to the Grants.gov Mobile App is live on (Google Play | Apple’s App Store) with new enhancements, including the ability to accept UEI numbers.

New to the App?

The official Grants.gov app offers a convenient way for applicants to manage their Grants.gov applications and find new funding opportunities while on the go. Here is an overview of what users can do with the Grants.gov Mobile App:

3 Tips for Registering as an Organization Applicant on Grants.gov

Editor’s Note: This blog post was first published in 2019 and updated on June 9, 2020.

If you need to register an account with Grants.gov for the first time, you will find the process relatively straightforward. All the standard fields you would expect are there, such as Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Username and Password.

That said, there are a few tips you will want to keep in mind when you arrive at the Registration page.

 

1. You’ll need a strong password containing no dictionary words.

The password requirements for creating a Grants.gov user account are as follows (pay special attention to the last requirement, which we have italicized):

“Your password must contain at least eight characters including: at least one uppercase letter (A-Z); at least one lowercase letter (a-z); at least one number (0-9); and at least one special character (e.g. ! @ # $ % ^ & *). Your password must not contain dictionary words, names, or your Username.”

Video: An Introduction to UEI on the Grants.gov System

You may have noticed that the field previously labeled DUNS within Grants.gov is now labeled UEI.

What is this change all about?

Recently, Grants.gov has published several blog posts about this topic.  You can view those by clicking: What is the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)? and How Grants.gov Is Preparing for SAM’s Rollout of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Here’s what’s happening

The General Services Administration (GSA), is in the process of changing the current ID numbers, previously called DUNS Numbers assigned through System for Award Management, to a new Unique Entity Identifier or UEI number.

Online Help: Adding a New Profile to a Grants.gov Applicant Account

Editor’s Note: This blog post was first published in 2019 and updated on April 9, 2020.

If you work for, or consult with, multiple applicant organizations, you can create separate profiles for each organization – all under one account.

Each profile may be assigned different roles, depending on the nature of your work at each organization. And all profiles are accessible under a single Grants.gov account, eliminating the need to maintain separate system accounts.

What is the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?

This post is part of our “What Is…?” explainer series, which also covers topics like block grants and budget narratives.

The Unique Entity Identifier, or the UEI, is the official name of the “new, non-proprietary identifier” that will replace the D-U-N-S® number, according to the General Services Administration (GSA). The UEI will be requested in, and assigned by, the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

How will the UEI be used by Federal Grant applicants?

Release Preview: Unique Entity Identifier, Login.gov Integration & More

This blog post was updated on March 21, 2020, to note that Login.gov integration will be turned on in the coming weeks, following the release.

In mid-March, Grants.gov will roll out its Release 18.1 system enhancements. These enhancements include new integration with Login.gov, the ability to narrow searches via a new category called Opportunity Zone Benefits, and field label changes that will lay the foundation for the planned December rollout of the Unique Entity Identifier by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

 

Login.gov Integration

With Release 18.1, applicants will be able to link a Login.gov account to their Grants.gov account. [Editor’s Note: Login.gov integration will be turned on in the coming weeks, following the release.]

The process for doing this will be simple: A user will click the Login.gov button (pictured here) and enter a Login.gov username and password on the next screen.  The user will then be directed back to Grants.gov to log in with their Grants.gov username and password and complete the account linking process.

After linking the two accounts, users will be able to access Grants.gov using their Login.gov credentials, if they choose.

 

How Grants.gov Is Preparing for SAM’s Rollout of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

May 7, 2020 Update: U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has relaxed the December 2020 deadline to replace the D-U-N-S® number with the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Grants.gov’s planned UEI-related system enhancements are dependent on GSA’s schedule. Please visit our UEI Forms and Maintenance Calendar pages for the latest information on UEI integration with Grants.gov.

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Last July, we wrote about SAM.gov’s planned introduction of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which is currently scheduled to replace the DUNS Number around the end of 2020. You can get the most up-to-date information about the UEI rollout on the GSA’s Unique Entity Identifier Update page.

In this post, we begin preparing Grants.gov applicants for what the UEI rollout will look like within the Grants.gov system – particularly, what users will see when working on an application or taking other actions within Workspace.