[Federal Register: May 13, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 93)]
[Notices]
[Page 27523-27526]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13my08-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information
Predominantly Black Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.382A.
DATES: Applications Available: May 13, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 27, 2008.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 26, 2008.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Predominantly Black
Institutions (PBI) Program is to strengthen predominantly Black
institutions to carry out programs in the following areas: Science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); health education;
internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; or
improving educational outcomes of African-American males.
Program Authority: Title IV, Part J, Section 499A of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the College Cost Reduction
and Access Act (CCRAA) of 2007.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $15,000,000.
Estimated Size of Awards: $600,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 24 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education that--
(A) Has an enrollment of needy students as defined by the CCRAA of
2007. The term enrollment of needy students means the enrollment at an
institution of higher education with respect to which not less than 50
percent of the undergraduate students enrolled in an academic program
leading to a degree--
(a) In the second fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which
the determination is made, were Federal Pell Grant recipients for such
year;
(b) Come from families that receive benefits under a means-tested
Federal benefit program (as defined in paragraph (5));
(c) Attended a public or nonprofit private secondary school--
(i) That is in the school district of a local educational agency
that was eligible for assistance under part A of title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for any year during
which the student attended such secondary school; and
(ii) Which for the purpose of this paragraph and for that year was
determined by the Secretary (pursuant to regulations and after
consultation with the State educational agency of the State in which
the school is located) to be a school in which the enrollment of
children counted under a measure of poverty described in section
1113(a)(5) of such Act exceeds 30 percent of the total enrollment of
such school; or
(d) Are first-generation college students (as that term is defined
in section 402A(g)), and a majority of such first-generation college
students are low-income individuals. The term low-income individual has
the meaning given such term in section 402A(g).
(B) Has an average educational and general expenditure which is
low, per full-time equivalent undergraduate student in comparison with
the average educational and general expenditure per full-time
equivalent undergraduate student of institutions of higher education
that offer similar instruction. The Secretary may waive this
requirement, in accordance with section 392(b) of the HEA in the same
manner as the Secretary applies the waiver requirements to grant
applicants under section 312(b)(1)(B) of the HEA;
(C) Has an enrollment of undergraduate students--
i. That is at least 40 percent Black American students;
ii. That is at least 1,000 undergraduate students;
iii. Of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate
students enrolled at the institution are low-income individuals or
first-generation college students (as that term is defined in section
402A(g); The term first generation college student means--(A) an
individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate
degree; or (B) in the case of any individual who regularly resided with
and received support from only one parent, an individual whose only
such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree; and
iv. Of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students
are enrolled in an educational program leading to a bachelor's or
associate's degree that the institution is licensed to award by the
State in which the institution is located;
(D) Is legally authorized to provide, and provides within the
State, an educational program for which the institution of higher
education awards bachelor's degree, or in the case of a junior or
community college, an associate's degree;
(E) Is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or
association determined by the Secretary to be a reliable authority as
to the quality of training offered, or is, according to such an agency
or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation; and
(F) Is not receiving assistance under Part B of Title III of the
HEA, as amended by the CCRAA of 2007.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Karen W. Johnson, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC
20006-8515. Telephone: (202) 502-7777 or by e-mail:
karen.johnson@ed.gov or Bernadette Miles, U.S. Department of
[[Page 27524]]
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6047, Washington, DC 20006-8515.
Telephone: (202) 502-7616 or by e-mail: bernadette.miles@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact
person listed in this section.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package and instructions for this
program. Page Limit: The program narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses
the selection criteria to the equivalent of no more than 30 pages,
using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Page numbers and an identifier may be outside of the 1
margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. Charts, tables,
figures, and graphs in the application narrative may be single spaced
and will count toward the page limit.
Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-point
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will be rejected.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF-424 form (SF-424); Part II,
the Budget Information Non-Construction Programs form (ED 524); and
Part IV, the Assurances and Certifications. The page limit also does
not apply to a table of contents. If you include any attachments or
appendices not specifically requested, these items will be counted as
part of the program narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page limit
requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection
criteria in the program narrative.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit or if
you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: May 13, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 27, 2008.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 26, 2008.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Predominantly Black Institutions
Program, CFDA Number 84.382A, must be submitted electronically using
the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov.
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the
Predominantly Black Institutions program at http://www.Grants.gov. You
must search for the downloadable application package for this program
by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in
your search (e.g., search for 84.382, not 84.382A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you
submit your application
[[Page 27525]]
in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the
Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-
Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1)
Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF-424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an Ed-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date, please contact either of the persons listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and provide
an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Karen W. Johnson, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC
20006-8515, FAX: (202) 502-7861.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.382A), 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.382A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
[[Page 27526]]
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.382A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR 75.209(a) and 75.210, and are as follows--
Need for the project (20 points);
Quality of the project design (15 points);
Quality of project services (15 points);
Quality of project personnel (10 points);
Adequacy of resources (5 points);
Quality of the management plan (20 points);
Quality of project evaluation (15 points).
Additional information regarding these criteria is in the
application package for this competition.
2. Review and Selection Process: Applicants must provide, as an
attachment to the application, the documentation the institution relied
upon to determine that at least 40 percent of the institution's
undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) students are Black American
students.
Note: The 40 percent requirement applies only to undergraduate
Black American students and is calculated based upon FTE students.
Instructions for formatting and submitting the verification
documentation to Grants.gov are in the application package for this
competition.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we will notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section in this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary
under 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data
instrument Caliber Annual Performance Reporting System to complete the
final report. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of
the Predominantly Black Institutions program:
(1) The number of full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolling
at Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI).
(2) The increase in the persistence rate for students enrolled at
PBIs.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Karen W. Johnson, Institutional
Development and Undergraduate Education Service, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC 20006-8515.
Telephone: (202) 502-7777 or by e-mail: karen.johnson@ed.gov or
Bernadette D. Miles, Institutional Development and Undergraduate
Education Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW.,
room 6047, Washington, DC 20006-8515. Telephone: (202) 502-7616 or by
e-mail: bernadette.miles@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/index.html.
Dated: May 8, 2008.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-10680 Filed 5-12-08; 8:45 am]
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