System for Award Management (SAM) - Organization Registration

Your organization must be registered in SAM and your SAM credentials must be active at time of grant submission and time of grant award. A yearly renewal process is required to keep your credentials active. SAM uses the term "entity" to refer to your organization.

SAM is a system required by the federal government to collect information on organizations applying for grants and contracts.

• Use the SAM Status Tracker on SAM.gov  to check your organization's registration status. You may also contact your grant administrator, financial department, chief financial officer, or authorizing official to identify whether your organization has registered with SAM. If your organization is already registered, take note of who is listed as your E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC).
  
  Your EBiz POC provides a critical role in maintaining your SAM entity information. They are also responsible for key tasks in Grants.gov, such as, authorizing the individuals that are able to submit grant applications on behalf of your organization.

To register with SAM, go to the SAM website  and have the following pieces of information ready:

• U.S. organizations
  • DUNS number
  • Original signed notarized letter  stating the registrant is the authorized Entity Administrator
  • Employment Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
  • CAGE code, if you have one
• Non-U.S. organizations
  • DUNS number
  • Original signed notarized letter  stating the registrant is the authorized Entity Administrator
  • NCAGE code

• The Help tab on the SAM.gov site includes FAQs, user guides, and other resources
  • Quick Start Guide for Grant Registration
  • Quick Start Guide for New Foreign Registrations
  • Quick Start Guide for Updating/Renewing an Entity
• Federal Support Desk

  Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
  Toll Free: 866-606-8220
  International: 334-206-7828
  Web: //www.fsd.gov

Allow at least 12 business days to register with SAM. It can take longer if  EIN (U.S.) or NCAGE (non-U.S.) needs to be obtained.

• U.S. organizations must first have an Employer Identification Number (EIN). If your organization does not have an EIN, you should allow an additional two weeks to request and obtain an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) .
• Non-U.S. organizations must first have an NCAGE code. If your organization does not have a NCAGE code, you should allow an additional 3 business days to obtain one.

NOTE: The EBiz POC must renew your organizations SAM registration annually. It will take 3-5 business days for your renewal to become active and replace your current registration. Updates made in SAM are reflected in Grants.gov the next business day. Additional time may be needed if the structure of your organization has changed since your last renewal.

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN) and is a nine-digit number (e.g., 12-3456789) used to identify a business entity. You may apply for an EIN through the Internal Revenue Service online . Learn more about EINs .

International organizations do not need an EIN to submit grant applications. Instead, they can use 44-4444444 in the EIN field.

CAGE Code

The Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code is a five-character ID number used extensively within the federal government, assigned by the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The CAGE code is used to support a variety of mechanized systems throughout the government and provides a standardized method of identifying a given legal entity at a specific location. 

If your organization is located within the United States, you do not need to have a CAGE code prior to SAM registration. Once your entity registration is submitted for processing, the information will be routed to DLA for CAGE Code assignment. Once the CAGE Code has been approved, it will be sent back to SAM and added to your entity registration.  You will be notified if there are any issues with your CAGE code assignment and provided with corrective instructions.
If your organization is located outside the United States, you will need to obtain an NCAGE code prior to registering with SAM.

NCAGE Code

CAGE codes for entities located outside the United States and its territories are called NCAGE codes.

Assignment of NCAGE codes are governed internationally as part of the NATO Codification System (NCS).  An NCAGE is required for all foreign entities or the registration will be considered incomplete. You can submit your request for an NCAGE Code by going to the NATO Support Activity (NSPA) NCAGE Request Tool at https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx . It can take up to 3 business days to obtain a NCAGE code.

Phone: 269-961-7766