Table of Contents

Title Page

1. Before We Begin
   • How do I apply for student financial assistance?
   • What is a formula grant and how do I get more information about formula grant programs?

2. Let's Get Started

   • What is a discretionary grant?
   • What is a cooperative agreement?
   • How does the Department establish discretionary grant programs?
   • How are the Department's programs organized?
   • How do I obtain information about the Department's discretionary grant programs?
   • How do I learn if I am eligible to receive a discretionary grant?

3. Applying for a Grant

   • How do I apply for funding from a Department discretionary grant program?
   • What is an application package?
   • How do I get an application package?
   • Can I apply for an ED grant online?
   • How does the Department decide what goes into an application package?
   • What are certifications and assurances?
   • What are regulations?
   • What are funding priorities?
   • Is there anything I can do to help shape regulations and funding priorities?
   • Whom do I contact if I have questions concerning the application?
   • What do I need to know about indirect costs and the indirect cost rate when preparing my application?
   • What are performance measures?
   • What do I need to know about protection of human participants in research when preparing my application?
   • Where do I send the completed application?
   • What happens if I miss the application deadline?
   • What if there are technical problems with e-Application on the deadline date?
   • What if there are technical problems with Grants.gov on the application deadline date?
   • What if I find an error or realize I have omitted something in my application after the deadline?
   • What happens to an application once the Department receives it?
   • What do the letters and numbers mean in my PR/Award number?
   • What happens if my application is not eligible?

4. Waiting To Hear

   • How does the Department consider my application for funding?
   • How are application reviewers chosen?
   • What criteria do reviewers use to score my application?
   • How does the Department take into account variations in scoring practices among reviewers?
   • Does a high score guarantee funding?
   • How long does it take the Department to decide on my application?

5. Getting Funded

   • What happens to my application after the application review process?
   • How does the Department decide which applicants get funded?
   • How do I learn that my application has been funded?
   • Is an application always funded for the entire amount requested?
   • What does it mean if my project has cost sharing or matching requirements?
   • What information does my Grant Award Notification contain?
   • What happens after I get the grant award?
   • How do I get my grant funds?
   • How long does it take to get my grant funds?
   • How do I get funds after the first year if my organization receives a multi-year award?

6. My Responsibilities as a Grantee

   • What responsibilities do I have under a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement?
   • What must I do if I need to change some part of my project from the original application?
   • What can I do to help my request for a change get processed quickly?
   • Do OMB circulars apply to my grant award?
   • How do I make sure that I am complying with the regulations that apply to my award?
   • How does the Department know how my project is doing?
   • What do I need to do to prepare for a site visit?

7. Wrapping It Up

   • What happens after the project has ended?
   • What responsibilities do I have after the project has ended?
   • What does the Department do with the information in my final performance report?
   • What happens if I cannot send my final report by the due date because I have not finished the work of the project?
   • What happens if I have completed the work of the project but cannot send my final report by the due date for some other valid reason?
   • How do I get help completing my final report?
   • Where do I send my report and how many copies do I need to send?
   • What happens if I do not send the Department required reports?
   • Do I have to keep any records related to my grant project after the Department closes out my grant?
   • What kinds of records do I need to keep?

8. Just One More Thing

   • What are the audit requirements for my grant?
   • What happens if the Office of Inspector General selects my project for an audit?
   • What happens if the audit report determines certain costs or activities are unallowable?
   • Can I appeal the Department's decision that I must repay money?

Glossary

Other Information

Afterword

For your convenience, a PDF version of this document is available for download: grantmaking2005.pdf (424K)

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