After nearly 20 years in service, the Department of Commerce will retire the Grants Online system on September 30, 2024. Custom-built by NOAA, this system has been in use since January 10, 2005, with other DOC grant-making bureaus joining in subsequent years.

In February 2021, the DOC Grants Enterprise Management Solution (GEMS) PMO, led by its Department of Commerce sponsors, chose the eRA platform for DOC grants, partnering with HHS/NIH as the Federal Shared Service Provider. Transition activities kicked off in May 2021, with NOAA moving to the eRA Production system in July 2023 for Phase 1. Phase 2 began in October FY 2024, followed by Phase 3 in January 2024.

******* NOTE REGARDING APPLICATION MIGRATIONS from GRANTS ONLINE *****

On June 14, 2024, the Grants Online PMO will provide the last copy of the Production Grants Online database to the eRA team.  The final set of applications to be automatically migrated to eRA must be in Grants Online by 5:00PM Eastern Time on that day.   Remaining applications that have not been selected for funding in Grants Online at that time will be migrated to eRA with a status of Withdrawn.  They will be available in the eRA system for funding in the future if needed.

Applications downloaded to Grants Online from Grants.gov between June 15 and June 30, 2024 can be transferred to eRA manually using the eRA “Paper Application” process available from the GEMS Internal website.

The interface between Grants.gov and Grants Online will remain in place until June 30, 2024.   After June 30th, no applications will be downloaded to Grants Online from Grants.gov.   Please note -- as of May 30, 2024, there are still 50 RFAs and/or NOFOs generated out of Grants Online that have closing dates at Grants.gov beyond June 30, 2024.

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By June 30, 2024, all grant activities will stop in Grants Online, which will be switched to Read-Only mode for the last quarter of FY 2024. Decommissioning will start on July 1, 2024, with the remaining tasks completed after the fiscal year ends. These activities include:

  • Final migration of core data from Grants Online to eRA
  • Final extraction of non-core data from Grants Online to a shared Google drive
  • Arrangements to store official Grants Online PMO records in compliance with Records Management policy
  • Discontinuing of any remaining system interfaces
  • Taking the Grants Online system permanently off-line
  • Closure of InterAgency Agreements
  • Shut down of the Grants Online PMO website
  • Closeout of the IT Services contract supporting the Grants Online PMO

The Grants Online PMO greatly appreciates the partnership with, and support from our customers and we wish for much success in the new system.

Schedule for when applications will be transferred from Grants Online to eRA

Round 1:  11/3 - 11/16

FRI 11/3 - Copy of Grants Online database exported with selected applications

MON 11/6 - Grants Online database moved to eRA cloud

TUE 11/7 - eRA team retrieves Grants Online database

WED - TUE 11/8 -11/14 - eRA team extracts the applications from the Grants Online database and loads them into the eRA database

WED 11/15 - eRA validates the data upload

THU 11/16 - Applications should be available in eRA / Buffer day for eRA to fix any issues with the upload 

 

Round 2:  11/17 - 11/29, 2023

Round 3:   12/1  - 12/14, 2023
Round 4:   12/15 - 12/28, 2023
Round 5:   12/29 - 1/11, 2024
Round 6:   1/12 - 1/25, 2024
Round 7:   1/26 - 2/8, 2024
Round 8:   2/9 - 2/22, 2024
Round 9:   2/23 - 3/7, 2024
Round 10:   3/8 - 3/21, 2024
Round 11:  3/22 - 4/4, 2024
Round 12:  4/5 - 4/18, 2024
Round 13:  4/19 - 5/2, 2024
Round 14:  5/3 - 5/16, 2024
Round 15: 5/17 - 5/30, 2024
Round 16: 5/31 - 6/13, 2024
Round 17: 6/14 - 6/26, 2024
 
Once applications are picked up by the Program Office in eRA, the Competition Manager will need to complete the following activities BEFORE moving the award package to GMD:
 
1.  Initiate the Selection Package in PAYPLAN, get approval from the Selecting Official and FALD (Competitions Only)
2.  Complete the Procurement Request in PAYPLAN, get approval from the Budget Officer.
3.  Complete the Environmental Compliance review.
4.  Complete the PO Checklist.

Our Mission

The mission of the Grants Online Program Management Office is to provide the Department of Commerce (DOC) with a single unified grant processing and administration system, using an electronic solution that will reduce processing time and increase efficiency.


Our Users

Federal Program Office
 There are two areas of focus for Federal Program Offices:

  • The PRE-AWARD/AWARD page highlights all processes and user manuals for applications that have not been awarded yet.
  • The POST-AWARD/CLOSEOUT page highlights all processes and user manuals for awards that have been accepted by the Grantee.

Grantee

The Grantee or Grant Recipient page highlights all processes and user manuals for accepting an award through award reporting and maintenance. 

Grants Management

Grants Management personnel are Federal users that perform various actions throughout the life cycle of an award. This page has user manuals appropriate for this user group. 

Reviewer

Reviewer uses Grants Online to provide input or review and evaluate applications.  This link takes you to the Reviewers Quick Reference Guide. 


Our In Person Training

The Grants Online Training Classes and Webinars page has details and materials for all training opportunities.


Our Process

The following diagram highlights the various aspects of the Grants life cycle, and will help you determine which link to select under the Our Users section.

Infographic showing the Grants Life Cycle - KEY: (F)= Federal User Functionality; (G)= Grantee and Federal User Functionality; (R)=Reviewer Functionality - Column 1, Pre-Award: (F) Create/Review RFA/FFO in Grants Online, Post FFO/Application at Grants.gov; (F) Notify Applicants (Non-Comp only); (G) Submit Applications via Grants.gov; (F) Receive Applications via Grants.gov; (F) Review Application Packages (Minimum Requirements); (R) Review, Evaluate Applications - Column 2, Award: (F) Recommend Applicant
 

Our Contact Information

Grants Online Help Desk

Phone Number: (240) 533-9533 
E-mail: grantsonline.helpdesk@noaa.gov
Hours of Operation: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST