UEI Information

A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a number issued by the U.S. Federal Government System for Award Management (SAM) to identify businesses and other entities that do business with the federal government.

Unique Entity Identifiers (UEIs) are for organizations only. Individuals do not need to have a UEI in order to apply for or receive grants supported by federal funding. 

The federal government has transitioned from use of the Data Universal Numbering System (“DUNS”) to a new Unique Entity Identifier (also referred to as “SAM UEI”, or just “UEI”) through SAM.gov. The UEI is the primary identifier for tracking where federal grant dollars flow, and it is required of all state, regional, and local agencies, along with nonprofit organizations who receive federal funding; a UEI is also required of organizations who are subgrantees of state, regional, and local agencies. 

Because Mid Atlantic Arts operates several programs that are supported by federal funding, all organizations that apply for grants from Mid Atlantic Arts are required to have a UEI. This requirement was enacted as of April 22, 2022. (Individual applicants are not required to have a UEI.)

Acquiring a UEI is a free and easy process.  Be wary of scams that may try to impersonate SAM.gov or may try to scam your organization into paying for a UEI. 

Not yet registered in SAM.gov?

In order to get your organization’s UEI, you will need to request one through SAM.gov – you can do so by visiting this page and following the instructions. Please note that acquiring a SAM UEI is a free and easy process.  Be wary of scams that may try to impersonate SAM.gov or may try to scam your organization into paying for a UEI.  

For a guided tutorial of acquiring a UEI, you can watch this short video. Or navigate to the Federal Service Desk at FSD.gov if you need assistance with your SAM.gov account or have other technical issues.  

Already registered in SAM.gov? 

Great – You’re good to go! When you apply for one of our federally funded grant programs, you’ll be prompted to enter the twelve-character alphanumeric UEI in your Organization Profile on Mid Atlantic Arts’ SmartSimple platform.  

For questions about including your UEI in your SmartSimple profile, please contact Sarah Theune, Program Specialist, at sarah@midatlanticarts.org.

Thanks to our partners at Arts Midwest, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the General Services Administration for compiling these instructions and reference materials.