DUNS Number
If you are applying for a financial grant from the Arts Fund, you will be required to provide a Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number. If your organization does not currently have a DUNS number, please read below to learn how to register for one. There is no fee for registering for a DUNS number.

What is a DUNS number?
Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) is a company that provides business information for credit, marketing, and purchasing decisions. Its "data universal numbering system," known as DUNS, issues unique 9-digit numbers that are used by businesses and the federal government to keep track of more than 100 million businesses world-wide.

Why is the Arts Fund requiring a DUNS number?
Americans for the Arts has created an annual research initiative – the Creative Industries project – that uses DUNS numbers to document the number of arts-related businesses and employees in any geographical region or political jurisdiction. This information will be used to increase the awareness of the national scope of the arts industry and provide a way to advance the arts at the state and national level.

Additionally, the federal government (including the National Endowment for the Arts) has recently adopted a new policy that requires all organizations to provide a DUNS number as part of their grant applications and proposals.

How do I get a DUNS number?
It only takes a 5 to 10 minutes to get a DUNS number from D&B by phone (you may be on hold for a little while), but online applications take a business day to process. Note that an authorizing official, not a project director, of the organization should request a DUNS number.

By phone: Call D&B's special toll-free number for grant applicants: 1-866-705-5711. When you call, tell the operator that you are applying to a grant program and need to register for a DUNS number. You will be asked to provide the following information (subject to minor changes):

• Legal name of organization
• Physical address
• Mailing address (if separate)
• Telephone number
• Web address
• Name of the authorizing official (e.g., president, director, etc.)
• The purpose of your organization (e.g., non-profit theatre company to perform and create work, museum that provides art exhibitions for the general public, etc.)
• Total number of employees

Online: Your organization can also register for a DUNS number via D&B's website. This will take a business day to process.