Does an Applicant need to fully register with SAM.gov to apply for CDFI Certification or is just obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) sufficient?

Yes. An organization applying for CDFI Certification must fully register with SAM.gov. Simply obtaining the UEI without fully registering with SAM.gov is not sufficient. Additionally, once certified, a CDFI must continue to demonstrate that it maintains an active SAM.gov account. A lapse in the SAM.gov account may result in loss of certification as maintaining an active SAM.gov account is required to meet the Legal Entity requirement for Certification.