An increasing number of federal agencies require grant seekers to submit grant applications electronically. Mecklenburg County Government is now registered with the U.S. Central Contractor Registry (CCR), which enables County departments to submit federal grant applications electronically through the federal website portal, http://www.grants.gov/.

1. Request pre-application approval from the Board of County Commissioners in accordance with the Request for Board Action (RFBA) process.
2. Once BOCC approval is received, have department head or designee (with signature authority) register in the federal grants.gov on-line registry as the Authorized Organization Representative. Only the AOR can submit on-line grant applications on behalf of County departments.
3. The AOR will need the County’s DUNS (Dun & Bradstreet number) and “M-PIN” (federal Marketing Partner Identification Number) password to register and must register for each grant application separately before submission.
4. The DUNS and M-PIN may be obtained from Brian Cox, Mecklenburg County Enterprise Manager (Brian.Cox@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov) or Sharon Kugelmass, Mecklenburg County Grants Coordinator (Sharon.Kugelmass@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov).
5. Sharon or Brian will authorize your registration only after the BOCC has approved your grant request.  This step cannot be bypassed, because the CCR emails them whenever a department applies for AOR status. They will authorize AOR registration within one day of CCR notice, provided prior BOCC approval has been obtained.
6. You will be able to download the grant application package from grants.gov once you enter the Funding Opportunity and/or CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number you are seeking. Then, complete and submit the application package through the grants.gov registration and submission process.
7. An AOR may assign an Application Author (grant-writer), who may prepare the grant application package, but does not have signature authority. The AA may download the grant application package and then send it to the AOR for submission. The AA does not need to register with the CCR.
8. You will be able to change your application up until you submit it electronically, but not after the due date.
9. Allow 3-5 days prior to the due date to attempt the on-line submission, since there may be technical submission errors or delays. 
10. If you have any questions, pls contact Sharon or Brian. They are Mecklenburg County's E-Biz Point of Contact (POC) representatives. They are responsible for managing grants.gov access and privileges for County departments.
     

1. Application Author (AA) – individual who prepares the grant application package, but does not have signature authority to submit the grant application.
2. Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) – department head or designee who has signature authority for submitting grant applications on behalf of a County department; must register with grants.gov and receive County authorization based on BOCC approval before submitting grant application. 
3. Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) – County governing body that must approve all grant applications before they are submitted to the funding source.
4. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) – federal directory that maintains a record and tracking system of all available federal grants.
5. U.S. Central Contractor Registry (CCR) – web-based system that manages all business transactions between the federal government and its trading partners.
6. Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS) – unique number required by federal government and other standards-setting organizations to identify and track financial transactions of all businesses, including Mecklenburg County.
7. E-Biz Point of Contact (POC) – designated Mecklenburg County representatives who serve as gatekeepers for submission of federal electronic grant applications; they prevent submission of federal grant applications without prior BOCC approval.   
8. Request for Board Action (RFBA) – format for requesting BOCC consideration of a request that could impact the County’s assets or budget.
9. M-PIN -- Mecklenburg County’s federal Marketing Partner Identification Number required to submit grant applications and conduct other business transactions with the federal government.  This number is a self-defined access code that will be shared with AORs (See above).