FR Doc E6-749
[Federal Register: January 23, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 3499-3502]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja06-50]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Gaining
Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.334S
(State grants) and 84.334A (Partnership grants).
DATES: Applications Available: January 23, 2006. Deadline for
Transmittal of Applications: March 9, 2006. Deadline for
Intergovernmental Review: May 2, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: (1) A State; or (2) a partnership consisting
of (A) one or more local educational agencies acting on behalf of (i)
one or more elementary schools or secondary schools, and (ii) the
secondary schools that students from the schools described in (i) would
normally attend; (B) one or more degree granting institutions of higher
education; and (C) at least two community organizations or entities,
such as businesses, professional associations, community-based
organizations, philanthropic organizations, State agencies,
institutions or agencies sponsoring programs authorized under subpart 4
of part A of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended,
or other public or private agencies or organizations.
Note: For State grants, the fiscal agent/applicant must be a
single State agency as designated by the State's governor. For
partnership grants, the fiscal agent/applicant must be either an
institution of higher education that is not pervasively sectarian or
a local educational agency.
Estimated Available Funds: $24,500,000 for partnership grants and
$12,000,000 for State grants.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$7,000,000 for partnership
grants and $500,000-$3,000,000 for State grants.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,200,000 for partnership grants
and $3,000,000 for State grants.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application for a State grant
that proposes a budget exceeding $3,000,000 for a single budget period
of 12 months. We will reject any application for a partnership grant
that proposes a budget exceeding $800 per student for a single budget
period of 12 months. We also will reject any State or partnership grant
application that proposes an increase in its budget after the first 12-
month budget period. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education may change any of these maximum amounts through a notice
published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4 State grants and 20 partnership
grants.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 72 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is to support early
college preparation and awareness activities for low-income students.
Priority: Under this competition we are particularly interested in
applications that address one or both of the following priorities.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2006 these priorities are
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority 1
Applicants are encouraged to include plans to develop and
administer an assessment in the tenth and/or eleventh grade to
determine whether GEAR UP students are adequately prepared for
postsecondary education. Assessments would include math and language
skills, and other content areas or skills the applicant believes are
sound indicators of preparedness for college-level work. The results of
such an assessment would then be used as a substitute for placement
tests that members of the cohort who are admitted to a partner
institution of higher education would otherwise be required to take,
and to guide intervention strategies that focus on the needs of
individual GEAR UP students to help ensure that, by the time they
graduate from high school, they are prepared for college.
The Secretary will review the results of this invitational priority
(including the number of applicants who include information responsive
to this priority and whether any grantees develop and administer an
assessment), and may propose to modify the regulations for the GEAR UP
program (34 CFR part 694) to require that grantees conduct this type of
an assessment of the students receiving services through GEAR UP
partnership or State grants.
Invitational Priority 2
Partnership applicants are encouraged to include plans to establish
and maintain a financial assistance program that awards college
scholarships to GEAR UP students consistent with the requirements
governing GEAR UP scholarships that State grantees must meet in section
404E of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. That provision
includes requirements regarding the amounts of the scholarships and
student eligibility. Applicants proposing plans that include this
priority should be sure to consider how the financial assistance
program will be administered after Federal funding for the grant has
ended. Since any Federal funds or non-Federal matching contributions to
be used for scholarships in future years must be obligated during the
appropriate budget period, the requirement of an obligation requires
that these funds be placed in a trust or other irrevocable instrument
for the benefit of the GEAR UP students until such time as the funds
are awarded to individual students.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-21.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82,
[[Page 3500]]
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 694.
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: $24,500,000 for partnership grants and
$12,000,000 for State grants.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000--$7,000,000 for partnership
grants and $500,000--$3,000,000 for State grants.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,200,000 for partnership grants
and $3,000,000 for State grants.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application for a State grant
that proposes a budget exceeding $3,000,000 for a single budget period
of 12 months. We will reject any application for a partnership grant
that proposes a budget exceeding $800 per student for a single budget
period of 12 months. We also will reject any State or partnership grant
application that proposes an increase in its budget after the first 12-
month budget period. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education may change any of these maximum amounts through a notice
published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4 State grants and 20 partnership
grants.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 72 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (1) A State; or (2) a partnership
consisting of (A) one or more local educational agencies acting on
behalf of (i) one or more elementary schools or secondary schools, and
(ii) the secondary schools that students from the schools described in
(i) would normally attend; (B) one or more degree granting institutions
of higher education; and (C) at least two community organizations or
entities, such as businesses, professional associations, community-
based organizations, philanthropic organizations, State agencies,
institutions or agencies sponsoring programs authorized under subpart 4
of part A of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended,
or other public or private agencies or organizations.
Note: For State grants, the fiscal agent/applicant must be a
single State agency as designated by the State's Governor. For
partnership grants, the fiscal agent/applicant must be either an
institution of higher education that is not pervasively sectarian or
a local educational agency.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Section 404C of the Higher Education
Act of 1965, as amended, requires grantees under this program to
provide not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the project over
six years. By regulation, a partnership may propose a non-Federal
contribution of less than 50 percent, but not less than 30 percent of
the total cost of the project, if the partnership includes three or
fewer institutions of higher education as members and meets the high-
need criteria in 34 CFR 694.7(b)(2). The non-Federal share of project
costs may be in cash or in-kind. Applicants will be held to the
matching commitment proposed in the application for funding, even if
the proposed match is higher than the percent required by statute.
3. Other: For State grants, at least 25 percent, and not more than
50 percent of grant funds must be spent on early college preparation
and awareness, and at least 50 percent of grant funds must be spent on
postsecondary scholarships to eligible GEAR UP students. The Secretary
may waive the scholarship percentage requirement if the applicant
demonstrates that it has another means of providing the students with
financial assistance.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an
application package via the Internet by downloading the package from
the program Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html.
You also may obtain a copy of the application package at the
following address: Angela Oliphant, Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, U.S. Department of Education,
1990 K Street, NW., suite 6101, Washington, DC 20006-8524. Telephone:
(202) 502-7676.
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 for this program.
Page Limit: The application narrative addresses the selection
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must
limit the application narrative found in Part 4 of the application to
the equivalent of no more than 40 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.
Double space all text in the application narrative,
including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and
captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
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 not be accepted.
Use a font that is either 12-point or larger.
The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances
and certifications; or the one-page abstract.
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: January 23, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 9, 2006.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. 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: May 2, 2006.
4. Intergovernmental Review: These programs are 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 packages for these
programs.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
[[Page 3501]]
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 GEAR UP State and Partnership
Competitions--CFDA Numbers 84.334S and CFDA 84.334A must be submitted
electronically using e-Application available through the Department's
e-Grants system, accessible through the e-Grants portal page at:
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application
for this program after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application
process.
The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
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
the GEAR UP Title Page Form, Project Budget Summary Forms 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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment, that will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the GEAR UP Title Page Form to the
Application Control Center after following these steps:
(1) Print the GEAR UP Title Page Form from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign the GEAR
UP Title Page Form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the GEAR UP Title Page Form.
(4) Fax the signed GEAR UP Title Page Form to the Application
Control Center at (202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of
one business day to enable you to transmit your application
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this
extension if:
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2)(a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of the
Department's e-Application 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 e-Application system because:
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Department's e-Application 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: Angela Oliphant, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 6101, Washington, DC
20006-8524. Fax: (202) 502-7675.
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
[[Page 3502]]
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: 84.334S or 84.334A (as appropriate), 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260, or By mail through a
commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control
Center, Attention: 84.334S or 84.334A (as appropriate), 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.
a. 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:
84.334A or 84.334S (as appropriate), 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--on the GEAR UP Title Page Form 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 program are
from the Education Department General Administrative Regulations
(EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed 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 objectives of the GEAR UP program are:
(1) To increase the academic performance and preparation for
postsecondary education of participating students; (2) to increase the
rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary
education of participating students; and (3) to increase educational
expectations for participating students and student and family
knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and
financing.
To assess the performance of the program in achieving these
objectives, the Department has developed a number of performance
measures that are included in the application package. All grantees
will be expected to submit an annual performance report documenting
their success in addressing these performance measures.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Oliphant, Gaining Early
Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 6101, Washington, DC 20006-8524.
Telephone: (202) 502-7676.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-3339.
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: January 18, 2006.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-749 Filed 1-20-06; 8:45 am]
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