Frequently Asked Questions by Applicants

Applications and Attachments

What is the attachment file size limit or maximum?
Read the federal award-making agency's application instructions for the file size limit for each grant application package you submit. Grants.gov suggests limiting the file size of the entire grant application package including all the attachments to 200MB.

Why was my application package rejected by the Grants.gov system?
Here are five common reasons an application may be rejected:

  • The DUNS number of the submitter does not match the DUNS number on the application.
  • A virus was detected in a file attachment.
  • Attachments do not follow the proper naming convention. Review the application instructions provided by the award-making agency for their attachment restrictions. You should also review the instructions on the form you are completing. If there are no restrictions for file names identified by the agency or in the form, then please use only the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, equal sign, and limit the file name to 50 or fewer characters.
  • The application was submitted after the deadline for receiving applications.
  • The submitter does not have an authorized Grants.gov applicant registration.

If your application is rejected you will need to address the errors and resubmit the application if the opportunity is still open for submission.

NOTE: Your application will not be received by the agency of which you are applying for until the application is approved within the Grants.gov system.

What type of attachments may be added to an application package?
Each agency has their own restrictions on the type of attachments (e.g., .pdf,.xls,.docx) and file sizes allowed for a particular grant opportunity application package.

If you are adding a video (e.g., .mpeg,.mov), image (e.g., tif,. jpg.,.png), or audio (e.g., .wav,.aif,.au, etc.) be sure to compress these files for web usage. There are different types of applications and compression methods, so please be sure to check the agency instructions for guidance on quality, resolution, and bit rate standards they allow for submission.

NOTE: Although Grants.gov does not restrict types of file attachments, if more than one attachment is included in a grant submission and two or more files have the same name, the grant application cannot be processed without manual intervention. To correct this, you should:

  • Rename attached files with the same name so that no files share the same name.
  • Reattach the files.
  • Resubmit the application package.
Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

Yes, but it can vary per agency and form in the application package.

  1. Review the application instructions provided by the award-making agency for their attachment restrictions.
  2. Review the form instructions you are completing.
  3. If there are no restrictions for file names identified by the agency or in the form, then the file name restrictions are as follows:
  • Please limit file names to 50 or fewer characters
  • Do not attach any documents with the same name. All attachments should have a unique name.
  • Please use only the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Attachments that do not follow this rule may cause the entire application to be rejected or cause issues during processing.

NOTE: If these guidelines are not followed, your application may be rejected.

Can I copy and paste information into my Grants.gov application from a Microsoft Word document?
Copying and pasting data into a Grants.gov application form from Word may lead to errors in the Adobe Reader form. If using the copy and paste function, copy the information from a text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit, which does not have proprietary fonts or special characters.

What kind of information can be entered into form fields within my application?

Grants.gov application packages offer fields to enter a set amount of data. When the limit is reached for a certain field, you will no longer be able to enter data into that field. For every form, there are different limitations to the data that you are allowed to enter (this varies between agency and form). Refer to the agency instructions available for download with the application package for more detail.

Grant.gov is now capable of accepting special characters (UTF-8 character set) within form fields; however, please refer to the specific agency instructions for guidance regarding the use of special characters. Please note that if these guidelines are not followed, your application may be rejected.

How can I find my congressional district code?
To find your congressional district, go to House.gov and search for your Congressional District by entering your zip code + 4. If you do not know your zip code + 4, you may look it up by visiting USPS Look Up Zip Code page.

The congressional district code should be formatted as a 5-digit number, using the 2 character state abbreviation, a hyphen, and then a 3 character district number. For example, CA-005 for California's 5th district or VA-008 for Virginia's 8th district. Use 00-000 for programs or projects outside the US.

How long will my submitted application package be retained in the Grants.gov system?
Submitted application packages will be retained for 3 years* after submission and status can be checked using "Track My Application" or "Check My Application Status" pages. Submitted applications with "Validated", "Received By Agency", or "Agency Tracking Number Assigned" status will be available for download from the "Check My Application Status" page during this time.

*Note: The application purge period was increased from 180 days to 3 years on October 20, 2015, so all applications submitted on or after April 22, 2015 will be stored for 3 years. All applications submitted before April 22, 2015 have been deleted under the previous 180 day purge period.

What supporting details does the Grants.gov Contact Center need to help me with my question or issue?

Along with your contact information, please share the following supporting details to help the Grants.gov Contact Center provide more efficient and effective assistance:

Registration Issues

  • DUNs number
  • AOR username if applicable
  • SAM.gov activation date
  • Exact Error Message if applicable

Issues With Application Packages

  • FON or CFDA number
  • Adobe Reader version number
  • Browser Type and Version number
  • Operating System Type and Version number

Technical Issues with the Grants.gov Website

  • Exact error message if applicable
  • Adobe Reader version number
  • Browser Type and Version number
  • Operating System Type and Version number

Rejected Submissions

  • Grants.gov Tracking number
  • Adobe Reader version number
  • Browser Type and Version number
  • Operating System Type and Version number

S2S Issues

  • The exact wording of the error message
  • Environment:  Production or Training
  • Expiration date of the S2S certificate
  • S2S vendor
  • Endpoint uniform resource locator (URL)
  • Port number:  443 or 446
  • Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) certificate type:  SHA-1 or SHA-2
  • Grants.gov Tracking number

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Grants.gov Online User Guide

Find registration, login, and search instructions for all users in the Grants.gov Online User Guide.

 

For detailed applicant information, review the Applicants section of the online user guide.

 

Reach Out and Get Help

Contact the Grants.gov Support Center to get help from a Contact Center Representative.

 

Email us at support@grants.gov or visit our Support page.

 

Account Registration

What should I do if I receive the message "Email Already Exists in System" and I am unable to register?
If you receive the message "Email Already Exists in System," your email address has already been used to register. Go to the Applicant Login page to retrieve the account information associated with the email address registered in the Grants.gov system. Once you retrieve the username and password associated with your email address you will be able to login to Grants.gov.

What are the Grants.gov password requirements?

  • Cannot be the same as the previous six (6) passwords
  • Must contain at least eight (8) characters
  • Must contain at least one (1) number
  • Must contain at least one (1) uppercase letter
  • Must contain one (1) lower case letter.
  • Must contain one (1) special character.

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Login Troubleshooting

Why am I being locked out from logging in?
For your security, Grants.gov sets a system lockout on your account if it recognizes actions that appear to be a remote attempt to hack into your account. After three (3) consecutive failed attempts at login or submission over a period of 5 minutes, accounts are locked for 15 minutes.

How do I log in after being locked out?
If you have a username and password, wait 15 minutes before taking any action on the login page. After 15 minutes, your correct username and password will allow you to log in.

If you do not want to wait 15 minutes to unlock your account, you can either click "I Forgot My Password/Unlock My Account" or request a system-generated password.

How do I retrieve a forgotten password or username?

To retrieve the username associated with your email address:

  1. Go to the Applicant Login page.
  2. Click on "I Forgot My Username."
  3. Select the radio button for either "I am registered as an Organization AOR" or "I am registered as an Individual."
  4. If you are registered as an Organization AOR, enter your email address and DUNS and click the "Submit" button.
  5. If you are registered as an Individual, enter just your email address and click the "Submit" button.
  6. After clicking the "Submit" button, you will see a message stating, "An email has been sent with your username."
  7. Check the email account used for registration.

To retrieve the password associated with your email address:

  1. Go to the Applicant Login page.
  2. Click on "I Forgot My Password/Unlock My Account."
  3. Enter your username and click the "Submit" button to see your secret question.
  4. Once your secret question displays, enter the secret answer and click the "Submit" button.
  5. You will now be prompted to enter a new password.
  6. Once you enter and confirm a new password, click the "Submit" button. A message stating, "Your password has been changed" will appear.

I am trying to reset my password, but I did not receive an email with the temporary password, what should I do?
If you are attempting to reset your password and do not receive a password reset email with a temporary password, you may have entered an incorrect email address for your request. Make sure that the email address you use to request a password reset is the same email address you used when registering. If you are sure that you have entered the proper email address for your password reset request, wait a few moments and check your email again. Some systems take longer to return the password reset email, please be patient while your request is handled. Also be sure to check your spam and junk email folders.

Your E-Business Point of Contact will be able to confirm the email address you used during registration or you may contact Grants.gov Support for this information.

I am trying to reset my password, but I am receiving multiple emails with a different password in each, what should I do?
If you are trying to reset your password, be sure to only press the submit button ONCE when submitting your password reset request. If you have pressed the submit button more than once and have received multiple emails, use the temporary password in the last email you receive to reset your password. Please be patient while your request is being handled.

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Password Expiration

How long are passwords valid?
Passwords are valid for 60 days and will not be valid on the 61st day onward.

How do I log in after my password expires?
You can change your password by using the "Change My Password" link on the login page. Once your password is successfully changed, you can log in.

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Account Deactivation

Why has my Grants.gov account been deactivated?
Your Grants.gov account is automatically deactivated after 365 days of inactivity (i.e., not logging in for a year). This deactivation protection applies to organization applicants, individual applicants, and grantors. Grants.gov automatically sends you four separate warning emails, one per week for the four weeks immediately preceding your deactivation.

If your account is deactivated, applicants and grantors will lose their respective roles in Grants.gov. The EBiz POCs and individual applicants will not lose their roles, but their account will also be deactivated after inactivity for 365 days.

What do I do after my Grants.gov account is deactivated for inactivity?
If your account is deactivated, you must log in and change your password to re-activate your account. If you do not remember your password, then click the I Forgot My Password/Unlock My Account link in the appropriate Login tab (i.e., Applicant, Grantor, or EBiz POC) and follow the on-screen instructions. This applies to all applicant types and grantors.

The next steps depend on your account type:

  • EBiz POC Applicant – No additional steps after logging in and resetting password.
  • Individual Applicant – No additional steps after logging in and resetting password.
  • Organization Applicants – By re-activating your account, Grants.gov automatically emails your organization's EBiz POC to approve or reject your roles in Grants.gov. You may also want to communicate with your organization's EBiz POC, or AOR with the MPIN, outside of Grants.gov to ensure your roles are reassigned.
  • Grantor – After re-activating your account, you need to communicate with someone within your grant-making agency with the Manage Agencies role, requesting that they reassign your roles in Grants.gov.

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Web Browsers

Which web browsers are supported by Grants.gov?
The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. However, these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, so we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues.

Grants.gov no longer provides support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or below.

Which security protocols does my web browser need to support to access Grants.gov?
Your web browser must support at least one of the following: Transport Security Layer (TSL) version 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version 2 and 3 are not supported.

How do I clear my browser cache?
The cache refers to the Temporary Internet Files folder which contains a record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the web, including images, sounds and web pages.

Below are links to instructions on how to clear your browser cache:

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Antivirus Best Practices for Grants.gov

How can I prevent a virus from infecting my computer or system?
Grants.gov checks for viruses when a file is uploaded, but it is the users' responsibility to make sure they do a virus check on their end when downloading to help protect against zero-day attacks. A zero-day attack is an attack on a computer system that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability that the vendor has not had time to address and patch.

Users are encouraged to do the following when downloading and uploading files with Grants.gov:

  • Ensure virus protection software (with the latest signature updates) is installed and running on the system/network being used to perform actions within Grants.gov Workspace
  • Perform a scan for viruses locally prior to uploading files or data packages to Grants.gov Workspace
  • Download Grants.gov Workspace data to a temporary folder and perform a scan for viruses prior to opening files or data packages
  • Report suspicious files or activity immediately to the Grants.gov Support Center at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov

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Get More FAQs

For additional information, check out the Support Center's frequently asked questions knowledge base and ticket status system—Grants.gov Support Center iPortal.