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Grants

This guide provides information on grant opportunities in Pennsylvania.

Tip

To be ready to apply for a  grant, there are steps you must take prior to applying.  Some of these steps may take several months (such as adopting required policies and procedures), and some may take just a day or two.  You should complete these tasks before the Office of Commonwealth Libraries (OCL) announces the grant opportunity.

All grant recipients SHOULD:

Starting the Process

All applicants for LSTA grants must be registered on the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and comply with federal Uniform Administrative Requirements for grants (2 CFR §200.300 - §200.345**).  Federal funding requires following these federal level requirements.

Grant recipients of these funds MUST:

Keystone grantees are the municipal entity submitting the application on behalf of a public library.

Grant recipients of these funds MUST:

  • Bid and administer all project work to the same requirements and standards as a municipal project, regardless of who is supervising the project work.
  • Comply with the following provisions in project work:
    • the Steel Products Procurement Act (73 P.S. § 1881 et seq.),
    • the Trade Practices Act (71 P.S. § 773.101 et seq.),
    • the Public Works Contractor’s Bond Law of 1967 (8 P.S. § 191 et seq.),
    • the Commonwealth Procurement Code (62 Pa. C.S. § 101 et seq.),
    • the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act (43 P.S. § 165-1 et seq.),
    • the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (Executive Order 1996-8), and
    • the Agricultural Land Preservation Policy (Executive Order 2003-2)

  • List all of the above in all contracts and subcontracts for construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of the public library building.  

  • Have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) Number from System for Award Management (SAM).
  • Keep information active in the federal SAM.gov.  Registration with SAM.gov is free. The UEI will remain the same but must be renewed annually.
  • Set the SAM Search Authorization to Yes.
  • Be familiar with the list of State Assurances provided with the application, which subsequently become part of an awarded contract.
  • Read the notice (PDF) and understand Executive Order 2021-06, Worker Protection and Investment.   Required compliance that every worker has a safe and healthy work environment, and the protections afforded them through labor laws.  

Organization information must match, before applying for a grant, ensure the applying organization already has (or registers for) the following numbers. Please note that when applying for a Keystone grant, these numbers must be those of the Municipality submitting the application, not the numbers of the public library where the project will take place. Mismatched information within each record will cause a delay in contract execution and payments.

Administrative Unit Number (AUN)

A nine-digit number assigned by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to identify entities such as libraries, school districts, intermediate units, higher education institutions, professional education associations, etc.

You can verify an already existing AUN at PDE’s Educational Name and Address (EdNA) website.

To register for an AUN, email ra-edna-admin@pa.gov.

Complete the Update Form to update an existing EdNA record.

Pennsylvania Vendor Number

Number required for organizations that receive payments or grants from the Commonwealth. If you are registering for the first time and do not think you’ll ever provide goods or services that the commonwealth would purchase, you should register for a Pennsylvania Vendor Number. A W9 (PDF) form is needed to apply for a vendor number.

You can verify an already existing vendor number on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Supplier Lookup Tool.  A Keystone ID is required.

To update an existing vendor record, fill out and submit the following:
  1. VDMU Master Data Form (used to Unblock SAP Vendor Number, Change to Procurement Vendor Type, Change Business Type, Change Payee Number).  Requires a W9.
  2. Direct Deposit Enrollment Form
It takes approximately 7-14 business days for the Commonwealth to process this type of request.

For questions about Pennsylvania Vendor Numbers, review the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget’s Non-Procurement Vendor Help or contact the Vendor Data Management Unit at ra-psc_supplier_requests@pa.gov or 1-877-435-7363.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) 

A 12-character alphanumeric identifier used in SAM.gov and other federal government systems as a way to identify a unique entity.  Those who are new to SAM.gov can register their entity or just get a Unique Entity ID by signing in to SAM.gov and selecting "Get Started." 

If you are an award recipient who just needs a Unique Entity ID for subaward reporting, choose "Get Unique Entity ID." 

If you want to bid directly on contracts or grants from the federal government, choose "Register Entity."

The next time you need to update your entity information or annually renew your entity registration, go to your SAM.gov workspace to validate your entity information. Learn how here.

Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)

A 9-digit code used by businesses in order to classify and identify them as a taxpayer, for banking services and other official and legal purposes. More information regarding FEINs can be found on the IRS website.

Grants must be applied for in eGrants.

  • Ensure you have a Keystone ID and are able to access MyPDESuite.  eGrants can only be accessed through MyPDESuite with a Keystone ID.
  • Confirm your organization has an appointed eGrants Agency User Administrator who is familiar with AND can access eGrants.   This role is commonly the legal authorized representative of the organization.  If no one in your organization has access, Sign-Up for eGrants. 
  •  Sign up for eSignatures for the best experience.  This step involves passing a resolution at a board meeting. 
  • eSignatures are not required for Keystone grantees. If a grantee does not set up eSignatures, ink signatures may be provided on a printed signature page.