NAICS Codes Explained: How They Affect Your Grant Eligibility
A NAICS code is a six-digit number that classifies what your business does. Government agencies use NAICS codes to define who can bid on an opportunity and to set small-business size standards. Choosing accurate primary and secondary NAICS codes directly determines which grants and contracts you qualify for.
What NAICS codes are
NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are standardized six-digit codes that describe a business’s primary economic activity. Federal, state, and local agencies use them to categorize opportunities and match them to qualified vendors.
Why they control your eligibility
Almost every government opportunity lists one primary NAICS code. If your business is not registered under that code (or a closely related one), you may be screened out automatically. Registering the right primary and secondary codes widens the set of opportunities you can pursue.
NAICS codes and size standards
Each NAICS code carries a Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard — either a maximum number of employees or maximum average annual revenue. The same company can be “small” under one code and “large” under another, which affects eligibility for set-aside opportunities.
How to choose the right codes
Select the primary code that best reflects your core revenue-generating activity, then add secondary codes for other legitimate lines of business. Do not add codes for work you cannot credibly perform — misrepresentation can lead to disqualification or debarment.
Our matching engine uses your registered NAICS codes to surface only the opportunities you are genuinely eligible for, avoiding wasted effort on mismatched bids.