![](media/image1.png){width="0.9173611111111111in"
height="0.8993055555555556in"}UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

# MAR 10 2006

## MEMORANDUM

To: ED Grantees and Applicants

From: William M. McCabe

Acting Chief Financial Officer

Subject: Transitioning to Grants.gov to Submit Electronic Applications

As you may know, Grants.gov is the Government-wide system that provides
a single mechanism to "Find" and "Apply" for Federal grant opportunities
via the Internet. I am taking this opportunity to outline for you the
U.S. Department of Education's involvement in Grants.gov and steps that
you must take to ensure you and/or your organization are ready to apply
for grants electronically using Grants.gov.

The Department currently posts all grant competitions on Grants.gov Find
and began using Grants.gov Apply to receive electronic grant
applications for select programs during fiscal years 2004 and 2005. The
Department plans to further increase the grant competitions that will
use Grants.gov Apply this year and next. There are several steps you and
your organization must take to ensure your application submission via
Grants.gov is successful:

-   [Review Notices and Instructions Carefully]{.underline}. First, it
    is important that you read the Federal Register notice for each
    grant competition closely to determine if electronic applications
    will be accepted via Grants.gov and whether electronic submission is
    optional or required. In addition, each notice contains instructions
    that must be followed to ensure your application can be submitted
    successfully by the deadline date and reviewed by the Department.

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-   [Register with Grants.gov]{.underline}. Second, you should become
    familiar with the Grants.gov site and complete the registration
    process early. You do not need to wait for a competition to be
    announced to complete the Grants.gov registration process. Please be
    aware that Grants.gov registration involves several steps and
    possibly several different people and/or offices, such as the
    business office, within your organization. This one-time
    registration process can take five or more days to complete, and it
    must be completed before you can submit an application via
    Grants.gov.

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-   [Submit Applications Early]{.underline}. Third, to manage any
    unanticipated problems and/or delays as the deadline date
    approaches, I encourage you to submit your application before the
    deadline date.

On February 10, 2005, the Department published in the Federal Register a
notice announcing new policies and procedures for the electronic
submission of grant applications. I encourage you to read the notice and
be aware of the changes that have occurred to the Department's
electronic application process. A summary of the notice can be found at
the following link:

[**http://www.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/gposbul/esubmitpolicysummary.html**](http://www.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/gposbul/esubmitpolicysummary.html)

The Department continues to make it a priority to improve access to
information and services via the Internet, and we expect to continue to
provide the capability to carry out much of our grant management
business with customers online. The Department has developed additional
materials that will help you get started on the Grants.gov site,
including a web cast that explains the process of registering and
applying for a grant. The web cast can be viewed from the Department's
Web site at www.ed.gov. Click on the "Grants and Contracts" link and
then the "Submitting An Application?" link. If you have any questions or
need assistance with Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support
Desk at 1-800-518-4726.