Want Federal Funds? You’ll Need to Switch Unique Identifying Numbers
Here’s the good news: The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council received $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to redistribute to artists and organizations in our community this summer.
Here’s the not-too-bad news: Before you can apply for this grant, you’ll need to create a specific ID number through the federal government. The federal government is replacing the current method (DUNS Number) with the Unique Entity ID (SAM) as of April 14th. This might take some time, so we recommend you apply for a Unique Entity ID (UEI) now.
What Do I Do?
Get ready to apply by locating your UEI. You are considered an entity interacting with the federal government when you apply for these funds, so you will be asked to provide your UEI in your application.
If your entity was already registered with SAM.gov, your Unique Entity ID is viewable on the website beneath your DUNS Number on your entity registration record. You can log in to your SAM.gov account to view this number. Click here for a simple guide to find your UEI.
If you do not have an existing DUNS Number or Unique Entity ID, you must simply register your entity on Sam.gov to receive a Unique Entity ID. Please note, this process is completely free. You will not be asked to pay for a UEI number.
I Have Questions
Why was this change made? The U.S. General Services Administration cites a desire to move away from third-party verification and make the entity registration process easier for its users. You can read about how this change may affect you on the federal schedules website.
Still confused? Read these instructions directly from the federal government or send us your questions at grants@pittsburghartscouncil.org.