Application Process
Application Review
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Applicant Type
Decision and Designation Regarding Risk Status of Applicant
Audit Issues
Verification of Taxpayer Identification Number
Review of Applicant Federal Debt
Assessment of Applicant’s Financial Capability
Confirmation of Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System Number
Confirmation of Listing in Central Contractor Registration
OJP or the awarding agency is required to ensure that awards meet certain legislative, regulatory, and administrative requirements. This policy requires that OJP or other awarding agency makes sure of the following:
- The applicant is eligible for the specified program.
- The costs and activities in the application are for allowable, allocable, necessary, and reasonable costs.
- The applicant possesses the responsibility, financial management, fiscal integrity, and financial capability to administer Federal funds adequately and appropriately.
Applicant Type
Examples of types of applicants include, but are not limited to:
- An individual
- Not-for-profit organization
- For-profit organization
- State
- Local unit of government
- Tribe
- Educational institution
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Decision and Designation Regarding Risk Status of Applicant
When an applicant is designated as high risk by the Office of Audit, Assessment and Management, (OAAM), all DOJ components must consider the applicant high risk.
- Under the DOJ High Risk Grantee Designation Program, OAAM may designate a grantee as high risk if the grantee:
- Has a history of unsatisfactory performance;
- Is not financially stable;
- Has an accounting system that does not meet the standards set forth in Title 28 CFR §66.20 [PDF - 144 Kb] (which details standards for financial management systems);
- Has not conformed to the terms and conditions of previous awards;
- Is otherwise not responsible;
- Has open a single audit report or Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit report recommendations that have been open for more than a year, whereby an adequate corrective action plan has not been submitted by the grantee to OJP;
- Does not respond to requests from OJP to address open single audit or OIG audit report recommendations;
- Has significant noncompliance issues that were identified through the normal award administration process (i.e., financial or programmatic monitoring);
- Is subject to an OIG investigation where award noncompliance issues were noted that require corrective action;
- Is included on the list of grantees currently prohibited from receiving funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; and/or
- Was referred to the U.S. Department of Treasury (the Treasury) under the Treasury Offset Program for collection of award funds owed to OJP.
- The DOJ may also impose additional restrictions on awards to grant recipients designated as high risk in accordance with Title 28 CFR §66.12 [PDF - 142 Kb] and Title 28 CFR §70.14 [PDF - 127 Kb].
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Audit Issues
- OJP may not approve you for an award if you have an overdue audit report or an open audit report that you have not responded to or tried to resolve.
- If you are not in compliance with audit requirements, your application for an award may be rejected, or your funds may be withheld until audit compliance is achieved.
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Verification of Taxpayer Identification Number
- OJP or other awarding agency will verify the employer identification number (EIN) provided on the application.
- OJP may assign a vendor number very similar to your EIN. This is done so that when a sub-agency within your government receives awards directly, they will have a separate identifier from that of the parent agency.
- For example, you are a State government and your EIN is 123456777. A police department within your government applies for and receives an award from OJP, but since the EIN is the same, we assign them an OJP vendor number of 123456778 so that we can identify them as a sub-agency within your government.
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Review of Applicant Federal Debt
The SF-424 asks if the applicant is delinquent on any Federal debt.
- The applicant is the organization that is requesting Federal assistance, not the person who signs the application as the authorized representative of the organization.
- Federal debt includes delinquent audit disallowances, loans, taxes, and any outstanding debts with the Treasury.
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Assessment of Applicant’s Financial Capability
If you are a nongovernmental organization and you do not have any history with OJP within 3 years, then you are required to complete a Financial Capability Questionnaire [PDF - 541 Kb] and submit it to OJP before you can be approved for an award.
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Confirmation of Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System Number
All organizational grant applicants must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal awards and cooperative agreements (initial or supplemental awards). For more information, see the White House memo [PDF - 67.3 Kb] regarding the authority to collect a DUNS number.
- As an organization, you can obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711.
- Individuals who apply for grant awards or cooperative agreements from the Federal Government are exempt from this requirement.
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Confirmation of Listing in Central Contractor Registration
Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. It is where organizations register if they want to do business with the Federal Government.
- Effective since 2009, all current and potential award recipients that apply for assistance from the Federal Government through Grants.gov must register with CCR as well.
- The initial registration with CCR takes up to 3 days to become active. Registration with CCR requires a DUNS number.
- Once you have registered with CCR, you must update or renew your registration at least once per year to maintain an active status.
- CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data on organizations to help agencies in their acquisition missions, including Federal agency contract and assistance awards.
- The term “assistance awards” includes grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of Federal assistance.
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