The GEAR UP program is a discretionary grant program designed to significantly increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

The FY 2011 application package must be downloaded from Grants.gov. There is a range of resources, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions and troubleshooting tips, on the Grants.gov Help page at http://grants.gov/help/help.jsp. An applicant may also contact Grants.gov by phone or use live chat via the Contact Us page at https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx.

Grantees will be selected through a rigorous peer review process. Selection will be based upon selection criteria stated in the application and published in the Federal Register.

The governor of each state may designate only one agency to apply for and administer a GEAR UP state grant, though states are encouraged to ensure strong collaboration between K-12 and higher education agencies and may choose to have more than one entity deliver the services.

A partnership grant application must be submitted on behalf of a partnership consisting of one or more local educational agencies and one or more degree-granting institutions of higher education and not less than two other community organizations or entities such as businesses, professional organizations, or state agencies.

An applicant may submit more than one application for a GEAR UP Partnership grant as long as each application proposes to serve a different cohort. State applicants may not submit multiple applications.

The maximum federal award for state grants is $5,000,000 per year. There is no minimum State grant award. Partnership grants are limited to $800 per student.

Yes. Successful applicants are required to match the federal contribution dollar-for-dollar, that is, the non-federal contribution must equal at least 50 percent of the total six or seven-year project cost.

Consistent with section 75.562 of Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), all grant recipients are limited to a maximum indirect cost rate of eight percent of a modified total direct cost base or the amount permitted by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, whichever is less.

Up to 84 months.

The cohort or whole-grade model involves providing services to all students in the participating grade levels, rather than a selected group of students. By law, a cohort must start no later than the 7th grade, and services must be provided to the students in the cohort through the 12th grade. Each cohort must include either: (1) all of the students in a particular grade level at a participating school that has a 7th grade and in which at least 50 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; or (2) all of the students in a particular grade level, who reside in public housing, as defined in section 3(b) (1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937.

Priority students are defined in the law as any student in secondary school who is eligible to be counted under section 1124 (c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; eligible for assistance under a State program funded under part A or E of Title IV of the Social Security Act; eligible for assistance under subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; or otherwise considered by the applicant to be a disconnected student.

Yes. Eligible entities may participate in more than one partnership or state project, as long as services are coordinated, and partners' roles and responsibilities are clear. A state may also serve as one of the partners in a partnership project and receive a state grant at the same time.

Yes. State and Partnership grantees are required to provide comprehensive mentoring, outreach, and supportive services to participating students. (See 34 CFR 694.21 for a detailed list of required activities for GEAR UP projects).

GEAR UP State grantees are required to have a scholarship component and must spend 50 percent of the grant funds on scholarships unless granted a waiver.

Partnership grantees may choose to have a scholarship component but are not required to do so.

For the FY 2011 competition, applicants are not required to propose to serve students served under a previous GEAR UP grant.