How to Fill Out the SF-424S

The SF-424S is the "Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organizational Form" on Grants.gov.

Items 1-4 are automatically filled in by Grants.gov

Item 5. Applicant Information

a. Legal Name: Enter the legal name of the organization that is making the application as it appears on your D-U-N-S® Number registration. See grant guidelines for eligibility details. If your organization does not have the authority to apply directly for funding but is otherwise eligible, enter the name of the parent organization that is submitting the application on your behalf. In that case, enter the name of the eligible entity in the space provided for "Organizational Unit" on the Program Information Sheet, Question 1d.

b. Address: Use Street1 for your organization’s street address or post office box number, whichever is used for its U.S. Postal Service mailing address. Street2 is not a required field and should be used only when a suite or room number or other similar information is part of the address.

In the ZIP+4/Postal Code box, enter the full nine-digit ZIP code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. Click here to retrieve your full ZIP code.

c. Web Address: Enter the Web address of the legal applicant.

d. Type of Applicant: Select the one code that best characterizes your organization from the menu in the first dropdown box. Leave the other boxes blank.

e. EIN: Enter the nine-digit number assigned to your organization by the IRS; do not use a Social Security number.

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a nine-digit number that the IRS assigns to business entities. The IRS uses this number to identify taxpayers that are required to file various business tax returns.

f. Organizational D-U-N-S® Number: All organizational applicants for federal funds must have a D-U-N-S® Number. Click here for guidance in obtaining a D-U-N-S® Number.

g. Congressional District: Enter the number of the congressional district in which your organization is located. Use the following format: two-letter state abbreviation, followed by a hyphen, followed by a zero, followed by the two-digit district number. For example, if the organization is located in the 5th Congressional District of California, enter "CA-005." For the 12th district of North Carolina, enter "NC-012." For states and territories with "At Large" congressional districts—that is, one representative or delegate represents the entire state or territory—use "001," e.g., "VT-001."

If your organization does not have a congressional district (e.g., it is located in a U.S. territory that does not have districts), enter "00-000." To determine your organization’s district, visit the House of Representatives website by clicking here and using the "Find Your Representative" tool.

Item 6. Project Information

a. Project Title: Provide a brief descriptive title for your project.

b. Project Description: Briefly describe the specific project, not your organization. Use clear language that can be understood readily by readers who might not be familiar with the discipline or subject area.

c. Proposed Project Start Date/End Date: Enter the beginning and ending dates for the requested period of support, that is, the span of time necessary to plan, execute, and close out the proposed project.

Item 7. Project Director

Provide the requested information for the Project Director, who will have primary responsibility for carrying out the project activities. Leave the Social Security number field blank. Select a prefix (even though this field is not required on Grants.gov).

Item 8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator

Provide the requested information for the individual who has primary responsibility for the administration of the grant. For colleges and universities, this person is often a sponsored research, sponsored programs, or contracts and grants officer. Leave the Social Security number field blank. Select a prefix (even though this field is not required on Grants.gov). In some organizations, particularly smaller ones, this individual may be the same as the Project Director. If this is the case, check the "Same as Project Director" box. (If the Primary Contact/Grants Administrator is the same as the Authorized Representative, please complete all items under both 8 and 9 even though there will be some repetition.)

Item 9. Authorized Representative

Enter the name and contact information of the person who has the authority to apply for federal support of your activities and enter into legal agreements in the name of your organization. The Authorized Representative cannot be the same person as the Project Director. By checking the "I Agree" box at the top of Item 9, this individual certifies the applicant’s compliance with relevant federal requirements (the IMLS Assurances and Certifications section). We will address written correspondence to the Authorized Representative.

For Grants.gov applications, the "Signature of Authorized Representative" and "Date Signed" boxes will be populated upon submission of the application. Submission of the application by the Authorized Representative certifies compliance with relevant federal requirements, including but not limited to the IMLS Assurances and Certifications, as the signature does on a paper application.