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Grants.gov - Guidelines

Grants.gov is THE single access point for over 1000 grant programs offered by all Federal grant-making agencies.

OSPA's Role in the grants.gov submission process

The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA):

  • has requested and obtained a Duns Number through grants.gov.
  • has registered with the Credential Provider for Grants.gov (Operational Research Consultants - ORC)
  • has received authorization to submit grant applications through Grants.gov on behalf of James Madison University.
  • is registered at grants.gov as the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) & EBiz Point of Contact(POC)
  • is authorized to sign grant applications and the required certification and/or assurances that are necessary to fulfill the requirement of the application process

    No further registration is required.

OSPA will:

  • assist the PI with the grant.gov submission process
  • finalize the internal grant application package and electronically submit the package to grants.gov, once the PI has completed the application package and uploaded it to the OSP office through the web portal
  • track the status of all grant application submissions, and manage the applicant profiles

The OSP is the only agent authorized to electronically submit the application package to grants.gov on behalf of James Madison University! Please review the following section "PI's Role in the grant.s gov submission process" for detailed information on the grants.gov submission process.

Reminder: As with paper submissions, please plan for five (5) full working days to prepare your proposal for electronic submission, to avoid the risk of missing submission deadlines.

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PI's Role in the grants.gov submission process

The Principal Investigator (identified as the "Grant Researcher" on grants.gov) writes, prepares and/or searches for grant applications on behalf of JMU. The Grant Researcher does not sign the grant application nor its associated certifications and assurances.

Get Started with Grants.gov today! Grants.gov provides the ability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. Begin your search for Federal grant opportunities and download application packages available on Grants.gov.

Note: Grant Researchers are not required to register or login to Grants.gov.

Find Grant.gov Opportunities

Search for Grant Opportunities: Grants.gov provides organizations with the ability to search for grant opportunities, register for email notification of grant opportunities, and find resources for grants.

Perform a Basic Search, Browse by Category, Browse by Agency & perform Advanced Searches.

Once you find an opportunity for which you wish to apply, you will need to record the Funding Opportunity number or CFDA number and enter it manually on the Download Application Packages screen in the Apply for Grants section of this site.

Links :
Tips for Searching on Grants.gov
Receive Email Notifications

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Apply For Grants at Grants.gov

Grants.gov provides a single, secure and reliable source for applying for Federal grants online, simplifying the grant application process and reducing paperwork. Do you have the Funding Opportunity and/or CFDA number of the grant for which you want to apply? You need it to download a grant application and apply for a grant. Once you have located a grant opportunity for which you wish to apply, check to see if it is available to apply online through Grants.gov. (Apply for grants)

If you have the Funding opportunity and/or CFDA number, you are ready to download the application package and begin the process to apply for grants through Grants.gov. It is a 4-step process:

Apply Step 1 (PI's role): Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions
You will need to enter the Funding Opportunity and/or CFDA number to access the application package and instructions. Access Grants.gov Programs List to review CFDA numbers for programs with applications currently available on Grants.gov. In order to view application packages and instructions, you will also need to download and install the PureEdge Viewer . This small, free program will allow you to access, complete, and submit applications electronically and securely. More on Downloading Application Packages

Note: In order to view application packages and instructions, you will also need to download and install the PureEdge Viewer (PC users).

Apply Step 2 (PI's role): Complete the Selected Grant Application Package
You can complete the application offline — giving you the flexibility to complete grant applications when and where you want. It also enables you to easily route it through your organization for review, or completion of various components, just like any other email attachment. Everything you need to know is included in the application package and instructions. Complete an Application Package

Apply Step 3 (OSP's role): Submit a Completed Grant Application Package
NOTE: To submit electronic grant applications, you must be fully authorized by your organization, i.e., been given status as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only the OSP has been given this authorization.
Upload an Application Package to OSP

Apply Step 4 (OSP's role): Track the Status of a Completed Grant Application Package
Once an application has been submitted, we can check the status of the application submission. The application is identified by the CFDA Number, Funding Opportunity Number, Competition ID, and/or Grants.gov Tracking Number.

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(PC users only) Download the Pure Edge viewer at Grants.gov

The PureEdge Viewer is a small, free program which will allow you to access, complete and submit applications electronically and securely on Grants.gov. Grants.gov is currently working with PureEdge to develop a unified download solution. However, temporarily: All users MUST download and install the PureEdge Viewer.

NOTE: This system is compatible with PCs only.
Open Grants.gov:
http://www.grants.gov/ and click the Get Started tab at the top. Download/install the PureEdge Viewer. The software will allow you to view and assemble the electronic research application.

To download the application viewer:

  1. Verify that you computer meets the system requirements
  2. Download PureEdge Viewer
  3. Install PureEdge Viewer
  4. NOTE: Macintosh users please review instructions for Citrix Server. If you do not have a Windows operating system, you will need to use a Windows Emulation program.

Download and Installation Tips:
You will be prompted to save a file to your computer. Save it. It will download to your computer. Then locate the saved file and open it to install the program by following the directions on the installation screens. After completing the installation screens, you may be asked to restart your computer to complete the installation. When you restart your computer, you will be ready to proceed to the next "Get Started" step. If you have a problem installing PureEdge Viewer, it may be because you do not have security permissions to install a new program on your computer. Many organizations have rules about installing new programs. If you have a problem contact your system administrator.

For PureEdge Viewer to function properly, your computer must meet the following system requirements:

Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP
500 Mhz processor
128 MB of RAM
40 MB disk space
Web browser: Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher, Netscape Communicator 4.5 - 4.8, Netscape 6.1, 6.2, or 7

Note: *Grants.gov recognizes that support to users of Non-Windows operating systems and the PureEdge Viewer is often required across a distinct segment of the grant applicant community. Although at this time, the PureEdge Viewer is only available for Windows based installs, Grants.gov offers support for Non-Windows platforms.

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(MAC users only) Instructions for Citrix Server*

Please read all instructions carefully, the process for MAC users tends to be a little more complicated.

The PureEdge Application Package that you downloaded from Grants.gov will not run on a Macintosh computer. You are going to use a server located somewhere across the country to open the Application Package and edit it. Your Macintosh computer will be functioning as a terminal, the processing will take place somewhere else.

This technology is only supported on Macs running OS X or PowerPC

Potential problems include the lose of your connection to the internet and the host server being overloaded close to a submission deadline.

  1. Download the Citrix Client from the Citrix Corporation.

  2. Download Citrix connection file for Grants.gov from OSP's Web Site.

  3. Open, read and save the UO Macintosh Guide to Grants.gov from OSPA's Web Site. (PDF)
    This Guide provides instructions on the installation and use of the Citrix Client and Connection Files,
    Do not attempt to install and use the Citrix client without reading the Guide

  4. Check for last minute updates on Grants.gov Mac Support Page.
    Do not download the Citrix Connection file from the Grants.gov website


Additional Mac Support: http://www.grants.gov/MacSupport

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Download an application at Grants.gov

When you find the opportunity of interest, note the CFDA or opportunity number. Go back to the Get Started Page and download the application" and instructions. Download an Application Package

Note: In order to download an application package, you must enter the CFDA number or the Funding Opportunity Number for the grant opportunity. You can also refer to the Available Grant Application Packages list, which provides information on CFDA Numbers and/or Funding Opportunity Numbers or go to Find Grant Opportunities.

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Upload an Application Package to OSP

The secure web portal is provided to authorized faculty for the purpose of uploading secure grant.gov application packages only to our office. Non-related documents will be discarded.

  1. Open the application package, confirm it is the one you wanted, and complete the proposal, forms, etc. The application can be completed offline.

  2. Before uploading, please rename the file as follows: smith-1-5-06
    (ie. lastName-month-day-year)

  3. Once completed, the application package can be securely uploaded to OSPA here *Your Webmail username and password are required

  4. Critical Note: OSPA must receive the hard copy of the proposal 5 days prior to the submission deadline.

Contact OSPA for additional support at Ext 8-6872.

The OSP is the only authorized office to electronically submit the application package to grants.gov on behalf of James Madison University! Please refer to the OSPA and PI's roles for further information.

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Register at Grants.gov

To create an account at Grants.gov, registration is required by the organizatin and the AOR/POC.

James Madison University and Sponsored Programs Administration have previously registered at Grants.gov to establish an account. The OSPA is authorized to sign grant applications and the required certification and/or assurances that are necessary to fulfill the requirement of the application process. A Duns # has been requested and obtained by OSPA. OSPA has also registered with the Credential Provider for Grants.gov (Operational Research Consultants - ORC) and has received authorization to submit grant applications through Grants.gov on behalf of James Madison University. No further registration is required.

  • Organization: JMU is registered as an Organization at grants.gov
  • AOR/POC: The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration is registered at grants.gov as the Authorized Organization Representative & EBiz Point of Contact (POC).
  • Grant Researcher: (Principal Investigators): Grant Researchers are not required to register or login to Grants.

*NIH specific: Principal Investigators do NOT need to register in Grants.gov but MUST be registered in the NIH eRA Commons prior to electronic submission of an application.


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Resources for Grants.gov

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  Last Revised: December, 2007    
Publisher: Sponsored Programs Administration    
For Information Contact: jmu_grants@jmu.edu

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