Overview Information; Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, (CFDA) Number: 84.217A [OPE]

[Federal Register: December 1, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 231)]
[Notices]
[Page 69552-69556]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Ronald
E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.217A.
Dates: Applications Available: December 1, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 2, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and consortia
of those institutions.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration requested
$380,100,000 for the Federal TRIO Programs for FY 2007, $41,900,000 of
which we intend to use for new awards for the McNair Program. The
actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $220,000-$365,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $234,000.
Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount
exceeding the maximum amounts specified below for a single budget
period of 12 months. We may choose not to further consider or review
applications with budgets that exceed the maximum amounts specified
below, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application,
that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the
specified maximum amount.
For an applicant who is not currently receiving a McNair
Program grant, the maximum award amount is $220,000 for a project that
will serve a minimum of 25 participants.
For an applicant who is currently receiving a McNair
Program grant, the maximum award is the greater of (a) $220,000 or (b)
an amount equal to $9,000 multiplied by the number of participants the
applicant is proposing to serve, not to exceed 105 percent of the
applicant's grant award amount for FY 2006.
Estimated Number of Awards: 180.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Four years except applicants whose peer review
scores are within the highest ten percent of scores of all applicants
receiving awards will receive five-year awards.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the McNair Program is to award
grants to institutions of higher education for projects designed to
provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for
doctoral study.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-15.

[[Page 69553]]

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82,
84, 85, and 86.
(b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 647.

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: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration requested
$380,100,000 for the Federal TRIO Programs for FY 2007, $41,900,000 of
which we intend to use for new awards for the McNair Program. The
actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $220,000-$365,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $234,000.
Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount
exceeding the maximum amounts specified below for a single budget
period of 12 months. We may choose not to further consider or review
applications with budgets that exceed the maximum amounts specified
below, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application,
that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the
specified maximum amount.
For an applicant who is not currently receiving a McNair
Program grant, the maximum award amount is $220,000 for a project that
will serve a minimum of 25 participants.
For an applicant who is currently receiving a McNair
Program grant, the maximum award is the greater of (a) $220,000 or (b)
an amount equal to $9,000 multiplied by the number of participants the
applicant is proposing to serve, not to exceed 105 percent of the
applicant's grant award amount for FY 2006.
Estimated Number of Awards: 180.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Four years except applicants whose peer review
scores are within the highest ten percent of scores of all applicants
receiving awards will receive five-year awards.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and
consortia of those institutions.
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: Eileen S. Bland, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC
20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or by e-mail: TRIO@ed.gov .
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 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 (Part III of the application) is
where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers
use to evaluate your application. You must limit the program narrative
(Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 50 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 within 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, captions, and all text in charts,
tables, and graphs, which may be single spaced.
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.
Use not less than 12-point font.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for
Federal Assistance (SF 424) and Department of Education Supplemental
Information Required for SF 424; Part II, the Budget Information
Summary Form (ED Form 524); Part III-A, McNair Program Profile; and
Part IV, Department of Education Certifications and Assurances and
Survey forms. The page limit also does not apply to the General
Education Provisions Act (GEPA) statement nor does it 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 (Part III).
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 1, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
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 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: April 2, 2007.
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 of 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 McNair Program--CFDA Number
84.217A 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.

[[Page 69554]]

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 McNair
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 84.326,
not 84.326A).
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 consider your
application if it is date and 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 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 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/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 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 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. 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

[[Page 69555]]

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: Linda Byrd-Johnson, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC
20006-8510. FAX: (202) 219-7074.
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 84.217A), 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
84.217A), 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 84.217A), 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 647.21 and are listed in the application package for this
competition.

Note: Under the ``Objectives'' selection criterion, in 34 CFR
647.21(b), applicants must provide data that address both process
and outcome objectives as listed on the McNair Program Profile
relative to the purpose of the McNair Program as described in 34 CFR
647.1.

The McNair Program Profile (Part III-A) in the application package
details specific information that applicants must submit regarding four
specific process and outcome objectives listed in the profile.
Applicants may, but are not required to, develop additional objectives
for their projects.
2. Review and Selection Process: The Secretary will select
applications for funding in rank-order, based on each application's
total score for the selection criteria and prior experience, pursuant
to 34 CFR 647.20 through 647.22. If, after the approval of higher-
ranked applications, there are insufficient funds for two or more
applications with the same total scores, the Secretary will choose
among the tied applications to achieve an equitable geographical
distribution of all new projects.

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 Notice
(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 expenditures information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: The success of the McNair Program is
measured by the increase in the percentage of McNair Program
participants who enroll in and persist in graduate school. All McNair
Program grantees will be required to

[[Page 69556]]

submit an annual performance report regarding this measure.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Eileen S. Bland, U.S. Department
of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 20006-
8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or by e-mail: TRIO@ed.gov.
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 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: November 28, 2006.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-20370 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]

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