A joint statement on proposed changes to SAM.gov registration

By Community-Centric Fundraising, More Than Grant Writers, and Crappy Funding Practices 

SAM.gov is not a policy debate. It is not a grant application. It is the door. And this administration wants to put a political test in front of it.

Public Comment Deadline: March 30, 2026

We are deeply concerned about proposed changes to the SAM.gov registration process and the broader policy environment in which these changes are emerging.

The General Services Administration is proposing to add new certifications to SAM.gov, the registration every nonprofit must complete and renew annually to be eligible for federal funding. Before an organization submits a single application, it would be required to attest that it does not engage in what this administration has defined as “illegal DEI,” it does not serve undocumented immigrants, and it poses no threat to national security. These certifications would apply universally, across every future application, to every federal agency, under threat of civil and criminal penalties. 

SAM.gov is not a policy debate. It is not a grant application. It is the door. And this administration wants to put a political test in front of it.

The language is vague, and the legal exposure is a concern because the populations most likely to be limited by that combination are the same populations that have always had the hardest time getting through this door.

Our collective experiences in this field have proven that when the rules are unclear and the stakes are high, organizations lose options for needed revenue. The organizations most likely to lose are grassroots nonprofits, BIPOC-led organizations, immigrant-serving agencies, LGBTQ+-affirming providers, and organizations doing racial equity work.

That is the intended effect.

We support accountability in federal grantmaking. Real accountability asks whether public money reaches people, whether it is used responsibly, whether communities have any say in how it moves. These proposed certifications, however, require organizations to attest to ideological alignment with a political agenda as a condition of participation in a public funding system. Those are not the same thing, and we will not pretend they are.

The public comment period closes March 30, 2026. We are asking professionals in our communities to submit a comment before that deadline. Your expertise and insight are powerful. Use your experience to share what these certifications would mean for the organizations you work with, the people those organizations serve, and the sector’s ability to do its job.

Public funds should be accessible to organizations doing public good. The entry point to federal funding is not the place for a political test.

You can find more information from the National Council on Nonprofits and submit comments here.

Community-Centric Fundraising is a movement working to center race, equity, and community in philanthropy and fundraising. 

More Than Grant Writers is a community of grant professionals committed to a more equitable and accountable funding sector. 

Crappy Funding Practices holds funders publicly accountable for the barriers and burdens they place on the nonprofits and communities this sector claims to serve.