GRANT GUIDE · 7 MIN READ
Register to Apply for Grants: SAM.gov, Grants.gov and Agency Systems
The free registrations every grant applicant needs, in order: SAM.gov with 'all awards', Grants.gov and your authorized representative, and the agency systems some programs add.
- SAM.gov
- Free; choose 'all awards'; renew every year
- Grants.gov
- Free; sign in with Login.gov
- Time to allow
- Several weeks the first time
- Who submits
- Your Authorized Organization Representative
- Individuals
- Grants.gov account only
1. SAM.gov, with the 'all awards' choice
Organizations start where contractors do: a free registration in SAM.gov that gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI). When SAM.gov asks what the registration is for, choose the option that covers all awards. The 'financial assistance only' option is for grants alone and will not let you bid on contracts later; 'all awards' covers both and costs nothing more. SAM.gov checks your name and address against the IRS and takes at least ten business days, often more.
The registration names an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC). That person matters for grants: they approve who in your organization is allowed to submit applications. Our Help Center walkthrough covers the registration step by step at uxcontract.com/help/sam-registration.
2. Grants.gov and your authorized representative
Create a Grants.gov account with Login.gov, then add your organization using its UEI. Request the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role; the EBiz POC approves it. Only an AOR can submit an application, so make sure at least two people hold the role in case one is out on deadline day. Applications are built in Grants.gov Workspace, where several people can fill in forms before the AOR submits.
3. The agency's own system, if the notice names one
Some agencies take the application into their own system after Grants.gov: the National Institutes of Health and other HHS research agencies use eRA Commons, the National Science Foundation uses Research.gov, the Department of Justice uses JustGrants, NASA uses NSPIRES, the Department of Energy uses its own portals. Each needs its own accounts and roles, and each takes time. The notice's application section says which system applies.
4. Keep everything active
SAM.gov expires after 365 days, and an expired registration can't receive an award even if your application scored first. Put the renewal date on a calendar. Login.gov accounts need a phone or app for two-factor sign-in; set up more than one method so you are never locked out at a deadline.
Individuals
People applying on their own behalf skip SAM.gov. A Grants.gov account registered as an individual is all that's needed, plus the agency system if the notice requires it.
Sources
Grants.gov, Applicant Registration and Workspace guidance
SAM.gov, entity registration guide
NIH eRA Commons, NSF Research.gov and DOJ JustGrants registration pages
Checked October 2026. Thresholds and rules change; each source above is the official page.
