Get Prequalified

Nonprofit organizations must Prequalify to do business with New York State agencies before they can compete for State grants. The process allows nonprofits to address questions and concerns prior to entering a competitive bid process. Nonprofits are strongly encouraged to begin the Prequalification process as soon as possible.

To become prequalified, a nonprofit must first register with Grants Gateway.  Once registered, nonprofits complete an online Prequalification application. This includes completing a series of forms by answering basic questions regarding the organization, and uploading key organizational documents.

Disclaimer: New York State reserves 5-10 business days from the receipt of complete Prequalification applications to conduct its review. If supplementary information or updates are required, review times will be longer. Due to the length of time this process could take to complete, it is advised that nonprofits Prequalify as soon as possible. Failure to successfully complete the Prequalification process early enough may result in a grant application being disqualified.

Grant proposals received from nonprofit applicants that are not Prequalified in the Grants Gateway at the application due date and time will not be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration.

Nonprofits that have registered in the Gateway can take the following steps to prequalify.

Complete the Prequalification Application

1. Login to the Grants Gateway. 
   • Users logging in for the first time must update their password.
2. Click the Organization(s) link at the top of the page.
   • Complete all required fields.
   • Save your work.  On a successful Save, the Document Vault link will appear near the top of the page.
3. Click the Document Vault link.
   • Complete the Prequalification application by updating all required forms and uploading all required documents. An overview of the required forms and documents is available below.
   • Upload optional documents as you see fit. Optional documents will not be reviewed as part of the Prequalification process, but may be of interest to the State agency(s) with which you ultimately seek to do business.
   • Review your work.

Submit the Document Vault

1. Click the Submit Document Vault link located at the center of the page and attest to the accuracy and currency of the information contained therein. Users will receive a system generated email confirming their vault has been submitted.
2. If the State reviewer, a.k.a. Prequalification Specialist, has questions or requires additional information, users will receive a system generated email instructing they to login to the Gateway and take necessary action.
3. Once an organization's Prequalification application has been approved, the user will receive a system generated email that they have successfully been Prequalified to do business with New York State. Their Document Vault will be placed in the status of “Document Vault Prequalified.”

Forms that must be completed include:

• Organizational Capacity
• Organizational Compliance
• Organizational Integrity
• Service Descriptors
• Service Capacity

Documents that must be uploaded include:

• Certificate of Incorporation or equivalent document
• IRS 501(c) determination letter
• IRS 990
• Audit/Reviews and Findings
• CHAR500 or CHAR410
• Board of Directors Profile
• Senior Leadership Resumes
• Corporate Bylaws

Once Prequalified, it is the responsibility of nonprofits to maintain Prequalification by keeping their Document Vaults current and in one of the following Grants Gateway Prequalified statuses:

• Document Vault Prequalified
• Document Vault Prequalified (Open), or
• Document Vault Prequalified (In Review) 

As indicated in the Vendor Prequalification Manual, three of a nonprofit’s essential financial documents - the IRS990, Financial Statement and Charities Bureau filing - expire on an annual basis. A nonprofit must upload current versions of these documents and submit their updated Document Vault for review and approval each year to maintain prequalification. Nonprofits are provided a full 10.5 months from the end of their fiscal year to provide a current IRS990 or Financial Statement without the interim requirement of uploading extension requests.