[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2549-2550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-396]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


HHS Managing Partner Grants.gov E-Government Initiative; 
Governmentwide Notice of Opportunity to Register Early for Electronic 
Submission of Grant Applications for Federal Funding Opportunities; 
Early Registration With Grants.gov

AGENCY: Grants.gov Program Management Office; HHS Managing Agency; 
Office of Assistant Secretary for Budget, Technology and Finance for 
the Grants Executive Board, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Federal grant applicants must complete a three-step 
registration process before applying for a federal grant opportunity 
through Grants.gov. Grants.gov is the federal government's free, 
single, and secure site for finding and submitting applications 
electronically for federal grant funding. It is part of the ongoing 
implementation of Electronic Government (E-Government) and a key 
component of the President's Management Agenda. Expanding electronic 
government makes it simpler for the public to receive high-quality 
services from the federal government in addition to improving the 
federal government's efficiency in the delivery of its services. To 
protect the applicant and the applicant's information, and to assure 
federal agencies that they are interacting with officials authorized to 
submit applications for funding on behalf of applicant entities, an 
applicant must register with Grants.gov.
    In fiscal year 2005, 20 out of 26 federal grant making departments 
and agencies achieved their goals, set through OMB guidance, of making 
25 percent of their discretionary funding opportunities available for 
the electronic submission of applications on Grants.gov and over 15,000 
applications were received. Per OMB milestones, in fiscal year 2006 the 
percentage of discretionary funding opportunities available for 
electronic submission will increase to 75 percent and then to 100 
percent in fiscal year 2007. This planned increase in utilization of 
the Grants.gov system is indicative of a governmentwide transition to 
electronic grant processes.
    The twenty-six federal grant making departments and agencies 
participating in Grants.gov are: The Departments of Health and Human 
Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, 
Agriculture, Justice, Labor, Homeland Security, Defense, Commerce, 
Veterans Affairs, State, Treasury, Interior, and Energy, and the 
National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Endowment of the Arts, 
National Endowment of Humanities, Corporation for National & Community 
Service, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Archives 
and Records Administration, Small Business Administration, Institute of 
Museum and Library Services, and Social Security Administration.
    Each of the federal grant-making departments and agencies listed 
above are posting funding opportunities and grant application materials 
on Grants.gov. To facilitate the federal grant application process, 
this notice encourages prospective applicants to register early. 
Registering in advance of agencies posting their grant opportunities 
will eliminate many of the issues that applicants have faced by not 
meeting registration requirements in time to meet application 
deadlines. Registering early will allow the Federal agencies and 
Grants.gov sufficient time to address questions applicants may have in 
completing the registration process.

I. The Need To Register With Grants.gov

    Before applying for a grant opportunity on Grants.gov, an applicant 
must complete the registration process. Registration protects both the 
applicant and the federal agencies against fraudulent activities. 
Registration confirms that the applicant has designated a certain 
individual or entity to submit an application on behalf of the 
applicant and assures the federal agency that it is interacting with 
the designated representative of the applicant.

II. What Is Involved in Registration?

    Before applying for a grant opportunity on Grants.gov, an applicant 
must complete the registration process. Registration protects both the 
applicant and the federal agencies against fraudulent activities. 
Registration confirms that the applicant has designated a certain 
individual or entity to submit an application on behalf of the 
applicant and assures the federal agency that it is interacting with 
the designated representative of the applicant.
    Registration is a three-step process:
    1. Register your organization.
    2. Register yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative.
    3. Become authorized by your organization to submit applications.
    1. Register Your Organization. Before you can apply for a grant via 
Grants.gov

[[Page 2550]]

your organization must register with the Central Contractor Registry 
(CCR), which requires a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. A 
DUNS number is a unique number that identifies an organization and has 
been adopted by the Federal Government. The CCR is the central 
government repository for organizations working with the Federal 
government. The CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data 
in support of agency acquisitions. For grants, CCR stores an 
applicant's information, allowing Grants.gov to verify an 
organization's identity and identify key business contacts for the 
organization. An organization will be required to provide a DUNS 
number, an E-Business point-of-contact (POC) and a Marketing Partner ID 
Number (MPIN) when registering with CCR. Please note that CCR recently 
began validating the tax identification number with IRS/Department of 
Treasury, which delays the activation of the registration by 
approximately 24-48 hours. Active CCR registrations and changes to 
registration information are passed to Grants.gov on a daily basis. A 
yearly validation of the CCR information is required to maintain an 
active registration.
     CCR Registration Assistance: 1-888-227-2423 (http://www.ccr.gov).
    2. Register as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). An 
AOR is a person named by an organization to submit an application for 
funding consideration on behalf of the organization. In order to 
safeguard the security of your electronic information and to submit a 
Federal grant application via Grants.gov, an AOR must first obtain a 
Username and Password from Grants.gov. The organizational DUNS number 
will be needed to access the registration form, http://grants.gov/Register1. Completion of the registration form will provide a 
Grants.gov Username and Password. The AOR's must then register the 
Username and Password with Grants.gov, http://grants.gov/Register2.
    3. Organization Authorizes Submitter (AOR). Grants.gov will send 
the organization's CCR E-Business point-of-contact (POC) an e-mail 
notifying them that someone from their organization has registered with 
Grants.gov and needs to be authorized as an AOR. The E-Business POC 
must log into Grants.gov, using their organization DUNS  and 
MPIN and authorize the AOR to submit an application via Grants.gov. The 
registration process is complete once the AOR has been authorized.

III. Time Allotted for Registration

    Based on Grants.gov applicant feedback, it usually takes 3-5 days 
to complete registration with Grants.gov. Registrants should be aware 
that portions of the Grants.gov registration process leverage other 
governmentwide databases such as CCR. Some organizations have found it 
can take up to 2 weeks to complete the registration process when 
unexpected delays are encountered during the CCR registration process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Grants.gov Web site provides 
detailed registration checklists that guide users through the 
registration process. The checklists are available through the ``Get 
Started'' link on the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov). 
Questions may also be referred to the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-
800-518-4726 or by e-mail at Grants.gov">support@Grants.gov. A Webcast has been 
scheduled for the end of January 2006 specifically to cover the 
Grants.gov registration process. Interested organizations may sign-up 
for the Webcast at the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov).

    Dated: January 10, 2006.
Charles E. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Budget, Technology and Finance.
[FR Doc. E6-396 Filed 1-13-06; 8:45 am]
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