To encourage greater participation by first-time and inexperienced applicants for federal funding, the U.S. Department of Education today published in the Federal Register rules that would make it easier for novice grant applicants to secure funding from the department.

"These changes will improve the quality of the review process and provide greater opportunities for inexperienced, novice applicants to receive funding and, most important, to help our children," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "We will broaden and diversify the pool of applicants and demonstrate the Bush administration's commitment to making government more accessible and responsive to taxpayers."

The final rules published today modify the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) that govern discretionary grant programs by giving the secretary of education the option of holding separate competitions just for novice applicants, or including novice applicants in the general program competitions, but giving them a competitive preference through bonus points.

Under the new rules, a novice applicant means any applicant who:

• has never received a grant or subgrant under the program from which it seeks funding;
• has never been a member of a group application that received a grant under the program from which it seeks funding; and
• has not had an active discretionary grant from the federal government in the five years before the deadline date for applications under the program.
• More than 100 discretionary grant competitions are expected during fiscal year 2002, which extends through Sept. 30, providing an estimated $900 million in support for education programs.

Details on obtaining grants from the Education Department are available on the department's Web site at www.ed.gov, then clicking "Grants & Contracts."

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