Local Government Grants guides
Federal grants for city, county and tribal grant writers and finance staff: SAM.gov registration and the UEI, Grants.gov Workspace, reading a NOFO, allowable costs, match, the de minimis indirect rate, Single Audit, SF-425 reports and closeout, record retention, and program basics for CDBG, FEMA mitigation and EPA water revolving funds. Each guide cites the exact section of 2 CFR 200 or the agency page it relies on; general information, not legal or audit advice.
Free weekly local-government grant list: if you work with or for a city, county or tribal government, Grant Radar, also from Web Asset House, is a free Monday email of up to ten Grants.gov opportunities open to local governments, each linked to the official listing. You confirm by email first, and every issue has a one-click unsubscribe. See federal grants closing in the next 45 days.
- SAM.gov Registration and the Unique Entity ID (UEI) for Local Governments
How a city, county or tribe registers in SAM.gov to apply for federal grants: registration vs. a UEI only, Login.gov, the EBiz POC, timing, and yearly renewal.
- Grants.gov Workspace Basics: Accounts, Roles, the AOR and Team Workflows
How Grants.gov Workspace works for local governments: linking the account to your SAM.gov UEI, the EBiz POC and AOR roles, three team workflows, and alerts.
- How to Read a Federal NOFO: What 2 CFR 200.204 Says Must Be in It
A checklist for reading a federal notice of funding opportunity, built on 2 CFR 200.204: the summary block, eligibility, cost share, deadlines, review criteria.
- Allowable Costs Under the Uniform Guidance: Necessary, Reasonable and Allocable
The 2 CFR 200.403 tests every grant cost must pass, what 200.404 says makes a cost reasonable, and how 200.405 decides whether a cost is allocable to an award.
- Single Audit Threshold: When a Local Government Needs One (2 CFR 200.501)
The current Single Audit threshold in 2 CFR 200.501 ($1,000,000 in federal awards expended in a fiscal year), program-specific audits, and the 200.512 due date.
- The De Minimis Indirect Cost Rate (Up to 15% of MTDC) Explained
How the de minimis indirect cost rate works under 2 CFR 200.414(f): up to 15 percent of modified total direct costs, who can use it, MTDC, consistent charging.
- Grant Match and Cost Sharing: What Counts Under 2 CFR 200.306
What counts as match or cost share on a federal grant under 2 CFR 200.306: cash and in-kind, the seven tests, unrecovered indirect costs, volunteer valuation.
- FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance and BRIC: How Local Governments Apply
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance for local governments (BRIC, Flood Mitigation Assistance, HMGP and more), applying as a subapplicant, and BRIC status.
- CDBG Basics: How Community Development Block Grants Work for Cities and Counties
How HUD's CDBG program works: entitlement cities and urban counties vs. the state program, eligible activities, national objectives, the 70% rule, the 20% cap.
- EPA State Revolving Funds: CWSRF and DWSRF Basics for Water Projects
How EPA's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds work for local water projects: state-run loans, 20% state match, 30-year terms, and subsidy.
- SF-425 Federal Financial Reports and Grant Closeout Deadlines (2 CFR 200.328, 200.344)
Post-award basics from 2 CFR: SF-425 Federal Financial Report due dates, the 120-day closeout window for reports and liquidation, and 3-year record retention.
- Federal Grant Record Retention: The Three-Year Rule and Its Exceptions (2 CFR 200.334)
How long to keep federal grant records under 2 CFR 200.334: three years from the final financial report, when it runs longer, and equipment and rate records.
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