FR Doc 05-15636
[Federal Register: August 8, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 151)]
[Notices]
[Page 45708-45712]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08au05-85]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Centers for Independent Living--Training and Technical
Assistance; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2005
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.132B.
Dates: Applications Available: August 8, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 7, 2005.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: Entities that have experience in the operation
of centers for independent living and submit a proposal to provide
training and technical assistance to eligible agencies, centers for
independent living, and Statewide Independent Living Councils.
Estimated Available Funds: $153,699.
Estimated Range of Awards: $70,000-$153,699.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $76,849.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: To provide training and technical assistance
with respect to planning, developing, conducting, administering, and
evaluating centers for independent living to the following eligible
entities authorized under title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
as amended (Act): eligible agencies, centers for independent living
(CILs), and Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs).
The purpose of independent living (IL) services is to maximize
independence, productivity, empowerment, and leadership of individuals
with disabilities and integrate these individuals into the mainstream
of society.
An eligible agency is defined in section 726 of the Act as a
consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential,
private nonprofit agency.
A CIL is defined in section 702(1) of the Act as a consumer-
controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private
nonprofit agency that is designed and operated within a local community
by individuals with disabilities and that provides an array of IL
services.
[[Page 45709]]
A SILC is described in section 705 of the Act. A majority of a
SILC's members are individuals with disabilities, and other members
include CIL representatives and State agency representatives, as well
as other appropriate individuals. The SILC jointly develops and signs
the State Plan for Independent Living with the Designated State Unit
(DSU) and monitors, reviews, and evaluates the implementation of the
State plan.
Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and section
721(b)(3) of the Act, these priorities have been identified by the
Rehabilitation Services Administration Commissioner through a survey
based on the annual performance reports of CILs and SILCs.
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications
that meet one or more of these priorities.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1
Applications must demonstrate how the project will encourage
community-based alternatives to institutionalization. Applications must
address how the project will help CILs meet the training needs of
individuals with disabilities moving from an institutional setting to
community-based living with respect to housing, transportation,
assistive technology, and independent living skills.
Absolute Priority 2
Applications must demonstrate how the project will help CILs
provide outreach and services to consumers from rural settings.
Absolute Priority 3
Applications must demonstrate how the project will assist CILs,
SILCs, and eligible agencies in the development of the Statewide
Network of Centers.
Absolute Priority 4
Applications must demonstrate how the project will encourage CILs,
SILCs, and other eligible agencies to coordinate services and develop
cooperative working relationships with the DSU, other State agencies,
other councils that address the needs of specific disability
populations and issues, and other appropriate public and private
entities.
Under this competition we are particularly interested in
applications that address the following priority.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is an invitational
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that
meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference
over other applications.
This priority is:
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, working in a joint
venture with the National Council on Independent Living to form IL-Net,
currently has a cooperative agreement with the Rehabilitation Services
Administration to develop and provide training and technical assistance
to eligible agencies, CILs, and SILCs for planning, developing,
conducting, administering, and evaluating CILs. Applications should
demonstrate how the project would coordinate with IL-NET's efforts.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 366.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: $153,699.
Estimated Range of Awards: $70,000-$153,699.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $76,849.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Entities that have experience in the
operation of centers for independent living and submit a proposal to
provide training and technical assistance to eligible agencies, centers
for independent living, and Statewide Independent Living Councils.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.132B.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone:
(202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
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 for this program.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 8,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 7, 2005.
Applications for grants under this competition 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 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.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2005.
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 competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
[[Page 45710]]
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under Centers for Independent Living--
Training and Technical Assistance-CFDA Number 132B must be submitted
electronically using the 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 Centers for
Independent Living--Training and Technical Assistance 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.
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 time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/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 consider your application
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date/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 competition to ensure that
you submit your application 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 the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted)
and 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.
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 typically included on the Application for Federal
Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction
Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. 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
above 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 an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include 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 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 as described elsewhere in this notice. If you
submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this
notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an
explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov,
along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). 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: Extensions referred to 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 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
[[Page 45711]]
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Thomas Kelley, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5042, Potomac
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7593.
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
84.132B), 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
84.132B), 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,
(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, or
(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, or
(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 84.132B), 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 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your
application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment 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
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
in 34 CFR 366.15 and are in the application package.
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 also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we 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 of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of 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 specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act
of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning,
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program
results against those goals.
The goal of these grants is to provide training and technical
assistance with respect to planning, developing, conducting,
administering, and evaluating CILs to the following eligible entities
authorized under title VII of the Act: eligible agencies, CILs, and
SILCs.
In annual performance reports, grantees are required to provide
specific information on the number of training activities, the topics
of each training program, the number and types (CILs, SILCs, or
eligible agencies) of participants served, and summary data from
participant evaluations.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Kelley, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5042, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7404.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this
section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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
[[Page 45712]]
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: August 3, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-15636 Filed 8-5-05; 8:45 am]
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