Enhancements to LDAP Planned. Improved System Responsiveness is the Goal.

Grants.gov is experiencing an extraordinarily high volume of users. The point of entry into the Grants.gov system for applicant log-in is called “the LDAP” - an application protocol for querying directory services. The LDAP is presently configured to handle a peak of 2,000 simultaneous users. Lately, we are confronting upwards to 3,000 simultaneous users by mid-day. When the LDAP is engaged by such a high number of queries, it continues to operate but more slowly. Moreover, accessing the LDAP is extremely difficult. Grants.gov customers are naturally frustrated by these technical challenges.

We understand that entities engaging Grants.gov early in the morning experience minimal difficulty; whereas those entities which wait until later in the day are experiencing significant difficulty.

Our recommendation is two-fold: whenever possible, please do not wait until the last minute of the last day for submissions and please engage the Grants.gov system during its non-peak hours, outside of 11:00 AM EDST to 8:00 PM EDST timeframes to increase your opportunity for a satisfactory experience.

Grants.gov is actively working with the Grants Executive Board on a proposal for increased LDAP capacity.