DUNS Transition: New Requirements for Federal Funding

New Documentation Necessary for Organizational Grant Fulfillment

Updated 4/11/2022: As you may know, Mid-America Arts Alliance receives federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) each year to provide grants to artists and arts and culture organizations. As a result, the grants we make are reported to the NEA and require specific documentation.

One aspect of the federal grant system is the use of a unique identification number for organizational grantees. For many years, the federal system used the third-party DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) to identify applicants. This year, they have transitioned from the use of DUNS to the Unique Entity Identifier in the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov). This transition took place on April 4, 2022.

Walk through what YOU need to do to prepare, using these helpful steps from our friends at SAM and ArtsMidwest. Find your scenario in the list below.

1. My organization is already registered in SAM.gov.

If your organization is registered in SAM.gov, then your organization has bid on or applied for federal agency grants or projects. If your organization is registered in SAM.gov, then it’s already been assigned a Unique Entity ID! It can be found in your entity registration record in SAM.gov. For more information click here.

If you need assistance with your SAM.gov account or have other technical issues, please visit the Federal Service Desk at FSD.gov to search for frequently asked questions.

2. My organization is NOT registered in SAM.gov.

No problem. You do not need to complete a full registration in SAM.gov in order to get a Unique Entity ID (UEI).

Your organization can get a Unique Entity ID by visiting this page and clicking the option that says “Get Unique Entity ID Only.” Then click “Next” at the bottom of the page. To continue, you will need the Legal Business Name, its physical address, and the date of and state in which the entity was incorporated.

An email confirming your organization’s Unique Entity ID will be sent to you for your records. The UEI does not expire. However, registrations must be updated and renewed each year to maintain an “active registration” status in order for an organization to be considered for a grant from M-AAA.

Here is a seven-minute video walkthrough here that shows you how to get your Unique Entity ID without needing to complete an entity registration on SAM.gov.

3. When should I start using my Unique Entity ID (UEI)?

The National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and state arts agencies started using UEI on April 4, 2022. We suggest you take care of getting your UEI sooner rather than later. It is free to complete an entity registration.

4. I have another question.

Check out this FAQ Page from the Federal Service Desk.