Sneak Preview: Simpler.Grants.gov To Allow Proposal Prep Prior to SAM.gov Verification
(The following was excerpted from a recent Thompson Grants Compliance Expert article.) An official heading the development team establishing Simpler.Grants.gov recently stated that the site, once fully implemented, will enable an entity to initiate a grant application online while waiting to obtain a unique entity identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov.
After implementing Simpler.Grants.gov as the default search functionality for federal funding in late 2025, the site’s development team said it is continuing progress to make Simpler.Grants.gov the “default Grants.gov experience” in 2027 (see “Work on Simpler.Grants.gov Continues for 2027 Completion”).
Currently, entities seeking federal funding need to be registered in SAM.gov and receive a UEI before completing the Grants.gov registration process. SAM.gov houses entity information to verify an applicant’s identity (see ¶260 in the Federal Grants Development Module). Once applicants receive their UEI and include it within an application, federal agencies will populate the recipient’s UEI on a notice of award. However, the process for applying for a UEI and receiving SAM.gov verification can take several days to complete, which can reduce the time an entity has available to apply for an award.
“As part of our research with co-designers and the public, we learned that applicants who were new to the process often express fear about the delay between starting their SAM.gov registration and being able to begin their grant applications on Grants.gov,” said Chris Weekley, product lead for Nava PBC, which is heading the development of Simpler.Grants.gov.
During a webinar sponsored by the Council on Federal Financial Assistance, Weekley said that Simpler.Grants.gov, when it becomes the default application mode, will enable an individual within an entity awaiting a UEI verification from SAM.gov to begin an application and transfer ownership of the application to the entity once it receives its UEI. “This specifically addresses a clear burden that applicants face in the classic Grants.gov experience,” he added. “This enables you to begin the application while awaiting registration processing.”
(The full version of this story has now been made available to all for a limited time here.)
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