Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
DOJ trainers outline two-step grants process and key JustGrants roles
Loading...
Summary
Department of Justice trainers Alicia and Steven walked applicants through the two-step application process (grants.gov then JustGrants), explained role assignments (entity administrator, authorized representative, application submitter), submission checks, budget and file requirements, and support contacts.
Alicia, a presenter for the Department of Justice JustGrants training, opened the session and introduced partner Steven before outlining the department's two-step application process: submit the SF-424 in grants.gov, then complete and submit the remainder of the application in JustGrants. "Application submission is a 2 step process starting in grants.gov and ending with submission of the application in JustGrants," Alicia said, emphasizing that each system has its own deadline.
The trainers said sam.gov is the federal source for organizational entity identifiers and that organizations must obtain and maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) there before submitting in grants.gov. Steven noted that an expired or incomplete sam.gov registration will prevent grants.gov submission. The session reiterated that NOFOs (Notices of Funding Opportunity) set two separate deadlines—one for grants.gov and one for JustGrants—and applicants must meet both.
The presenters explained key roles that govern who can act on an application. Steven described the entity administrator as the user who manages entity profiles and assigns the authorized representative and application submitter. Alicia explained that the authorized representative must have legal authority to accept awards for the entity and, in COPS Office awards, two authorized representatives (one civilian and one law enforcement) may be required. The application submitter performs all data entry, certifies the application, and can be one of up to three assigned submitters, though only one person may edit an application at a time.
On practical steps, attendees were instructed to complete the SF-424 in grants.gov (noting that the person listed in section 8(f) becomes the application submitter in JustGrants), to verify the entity's legal name and address as populated from sam.gov, and to use the JustGrants interface to edit prepopulated fields. "If your proposal abstract has already been written in another document, but when I pasted it into JustGrants, it's a mess," Steven warned, recommending applicants type directly into JustGrants or paste via a plain-text editor to remove formatting.
The trainers reviewed document and file rules: the proposal abstract should be a web-based field up to about 2,000 characters and is made public on OJP and USASpending.gov if awarded; file names are limited to 59 characters; file sizes are limited to 30 megabytes; and file categories are fixed by the system and must match the intended upload section. Alicia also described budget-entry options—web-based entry, attachment upload, or none depending on the NOFO—and the need to reconcile budget totals with the standard applicant information screen.
Before final submission, application submitters should use the "check for errors" function in the certify-and-submit screen; the system will block submission while required errors remain. Steven said assigned users can recall a submitted application and resubmit it before the JustGrants deadline if changes are necessary. After deadlines pass, DOJ reviews applications; award notices are generally made by the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30). Steven noted that, if selected, email notices go to the application submitter, authorized representative, and entity administrator.
The training closed with links to the Justice Grants training and resources, offices' guidance pages (COPS, OJP, OVW), and technical support instructions. For JustGrants technical issues the trainers provided a support email (JustGrants support at SupportUSDOJ dot gov) and a phone number ((833) 872-5175) with posted hours; OVW applicants were given the OVW Support Desk contact for OVW-specific assistance.
The session focused on practical steps and system behaviors applicants must follow; it did not include policy decisions or award determinations.
