Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview Information; Centers for Independent Living; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, (CFDA) Number: 84.132A [OSERS]

[Federal Register: August 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 160)]
[Notices]
[Page 47787-47791]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18au06-62]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information; Centers for Independent Living; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.132A.

Dates: Applications Available: August 18, 2006. Deadline for
Transmittal of Applications: September 18, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to apply, an applicant must--
(a) Be a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability,
nonresidential, private nonprofit agency;
(b) Have the power and authority to--
(1) Carry out the purpose of part C of title VII of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act) and perform the
functions listed in section 725(b) and (c) of the Act and subparts F
and G of 34 CFR part 366 within a community located within a State or
in a bordering State; and
(2) Receive and administer--
(i) Funds under 34 CFR part 366;
(ii) Funds and contributions from private or public sources that
may be used in support of a center for independent living (center); and
(iii) Funds from other public and private programs;
(c) Be able to plan, conduct, administer, and evaluate a center
consistent with the standards and assurances in section 725(b) and (c)
of the Act and subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366;
(d) Either--
(1) Not currently be receiving funds under part C of chapter 1 of
title VII of the Act; or
(2) Propose the expansion of an existing center through the
establishment of a separate and complete center (except that the
governing board of the existing center may serve as the governing board
of the new center) at a different geographical location;

[[Page 47788]]

(e) Propose to serve one or more of the geographic areas that are
identified as unserved or underserved by the State and territories
listed under Estimated Number of Awards; and
(f) Submit appropriate documentation demonstrating that the
establishment of a new center is consistent with the design for
establishing a statewide network of centers in the State plan of the
State or territory whose geographic area or areas the applicant
proposes to serve.
Estimated Available Funds: $154,046.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1, distributed in the following manner:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated
States and territories Estimated number of
available funds awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Samoa........................ $154,046 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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: This program provides support for planning,
conducting, administering, and evaluating centers that comply with the
standards and assurances in section 725 of the Act, consistent with the
design included in the State plan for establishing a statewide network
of centers.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f-1.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR
parts 364 and 366.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $154,046.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1, distributed in the following manner:

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to apply, an applicant
must--
(a) Be a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability,
nonresidential, private nonprofit agency;
(b) Have the power and authority to--
(1) Carry out the purpose of part C of title VII of the Act and
perform the functions listed in section 725(b) and (c) of the Act and
subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366 within a community located within a
State or in a bordering State; and
(2) Receive and administer--
(i) Funds under 34 CFR part 366;
(ii) Funds and contributions from private or public sources that
may be used in support of a center; and
(iii) Funds from other public and private programs;
(c) Be able to plan, conduct, administer, and evaluate a center
consistent with the standards and assurances in section 725(b) and (c)
of the Act and subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366;
(d) Either--
(1) Not currently be receiving funds under part C of chapter 1 of
title VII of the Act; or
(2) Propose the expansion of an existing center through the
establishment of a separate and complete center (except that the
governing board of the existing center may serve as the governing board
of the new center) at a different geographical location;
(e) Propose to serve one or more of the geographic areas that are
identified as unserved or underserved by the States and territories
listed under Estimated Number of Awards; and
(f) Submit appropriate documentation demonstrating that the
establishment of a new center is consistent with the design for
establishing a statewide network of centers in the State plan of the
State or territory whose geographic area or areas the applicant
proposes to serve.
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 84.132A.
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 competition.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 18,
2006. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 18, 2006.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (http://www.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

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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.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, in order to
ensure that these FY 2006 grants are made before September 30, 2006,
the 60-day intergovernmental review period has been waived.
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.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications: Applications for grants
under the Centers for Independent Living program--CFDA Number 84.132A
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 the Centers for
Independent Living 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.
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/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps

include (1) registering your organization, (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.
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 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 assurance 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
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

[[Page 47790]]

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
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 5055, 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.
Submission of Paper Applications By Mail: If you qualify for any
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 84.132A), 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
84.132A), 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 84.132A), 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 the appropriate place on the SF 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

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are in 34 CFR 366.27.
2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider
in selecting an application for an award is comments regarding the
application, if any, by the State Independent Living Council in the
State or territory in which the applicant is located.

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.

[[Page 47791]]

The goal of the Centers for Independent Living program is to
promote and practice the independent living philosophy of consumer
control of the center regarding decisionmaking, service delivery,
management, and establishment of the policy and direction of the
center; self-help and self-advocacy; development of peer relationships
and peer role models; and the equal access of individuals with
significant disabilities to society and to all services, programs,
activities, resources, and facilities, whether public or private and
regardless of the funding source.
In order to measure the success of one component of meeting this
goal, each grantee is required to track the number of individuals who
leave nursing homes and other institutions for community-based housing
due to independent living services provided by the center. In annual
performance reports, centers are required to provide information on the
number of individuals requesting this service and the number of
individuals who successfully relocated from institutionalized to
community-based living.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Thomas Kelley, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5055, 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 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 14, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6-13648 Filed 8-17-06; 8:45 am]

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