The System for Award Management (SAM) is the official government-wide database to register with to apply for and receive government grant funding. The website can be accessed at SAM.gov.
New registrations typically take 7 – 10 business days to process. The following are needed to register your city:
- Federal Tax Identification Number
- Legal Name of Your City
- Physical Address (PO Boxes are not accepted for an entity’s physical address)
- Other information may be requested from the city during the registration process
Once your city is registered, it must be validated. This step is to confirm the correct legal business name and physical address of the city; additional documentation may be required.
Cities must renew its registration every year to remain active. Unlike the initial registration process, it typically takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Updates to your registration can be completed anytime or during the renewal process.
SAM registration and renewal of registration is free. There are many entities and websites that offer to process registration and renewal for a steep fee, and many of these offers have been discovered to be scams. Proceed with caution should you use an outside source to assist with SAM registration and renewal.
Each city must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, a unique 12-digit number that is how your city identifies itself to the federal government. All federal grant seekers and grant recipients must acquire a UEI number through SAM.gov. Registration and validation are required to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.
For technical assistance with SAM, visit https://sam.gov/content/help, or call the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220.
