Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services: Overview Information; Projects With Industry (PWI) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 16656-16660 [E8-6453]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 61 (Friday, March 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16656-16660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6453]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services: Overview 
Information; Projects With Industry (PWI) Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.234S.


DATES: Applications Available: March 28, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 27, 2008.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 28, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The PWI program creates and expands job and 
career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the 
competitive labor market by engaging the talent and leadership of 
private industry as partners in the rehabilitation process. Projects 
identify competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed 
to perform those jobs, create practical settings for job readiness and 
training programs, and provide training, job placements, and career 
advancement services.
    Statutory Requirements: Each grantee under the PWI program must--
    a. Provide for the establishment of a business advisory council 
(BAC), which must be comprised of representatives of private industry, 
business concerns, organized labor, individuals with disabilities and 
their representatives, and a representative of the appropriate 
designated State unit. The BAC must (1) identify job and career 
availability within the community, consistent with the current and 
projected local employment opportunities identified by the local 
workforce investment board for the community under section 118(b)(1)(B) 
of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998; (2) identify the skills 
necessary to perform the jobs and careers identified; and (3) prescribe 
training programs designed to develop appropriate job and career 
skills, or job placement programs designed to identify and develop job 
placement and career advancement opportunities, for individuals with 
disabilities (see 29 U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(A));
    b. Provide job development, job placement, and career advancement 
services (see 29 U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(B));
    c. To the extent appropriate, provide for--
    1. Training in realistic work settings to prepare individuals with 
disabilities for employment and career advancement in the competitive 
labor market (see 29 U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(C)(i)); and
    2. To the extent practicable, the modification of any facilities or 
equipment of the employer involved that are used primarily by 
individuals with disabilities under this program. However, a project 
may not be required to provide for this modification if the 
modification is required as a reasonable accommodation under the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12101-12213 (see 29 
U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(C)(ii)); and
    d. Provide individuals with disabilities with support services as 
may be required to maintain the employment and career advancement for 
which the individuals have received training under this program (see 29 
U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(D)).
    Priorities: This competition uses a competitive preference priority 
and an invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), the competitive preference priority is from the 
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (34 CFR 
75.225(c)(2)).
    Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this

[[Page 16657]]

competition, this priority is a competitive preference priority. Under 
34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional five points to the 
application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    Novice Applicant. The applicant must be a novice applicant. Novice 
applicant means any applicant for a grant from the Department that--
    1. Has never received a grant or subgrant under the PWI program;
    2. Has never been a member of a group application, submitted in 
accordance with CFR 75.127 through 75.129, that received a grant under 
the PWI program; and
    3. Has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal 
Government in the five years before the deadline date for applications 
under the PWI program.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent year in which 
we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105 (c)(1), we do not give an application that meets this 
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.
    This priority is:
    Faith-based and Community Organizations. The Secretary is 
especially interested in applications in which the applicant proposes 
to--
    1. Contact faith-based and community organizations to determine 
whether such organizations will participate in the project by providing 
services or placement opportunities, as appropriate and
    2. Engage such organizations to provide services and placement 
opportunities to the project, as appropriate.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 795.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 379 and part 369.

    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: $18,900,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2009 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$350,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $300,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 63.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Employers, nonprofit agencies or 
organizations, designated State units, labor unions, community 
rehabilitation program providers, trade associations, Indian tribes, 
tribal organizations, and other agencies or organizations, including 
faith-based and community organizations, with the capacity to create 
and expand job and career opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities.
    Grant awards will be made only to organizations that provide job 
and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities within the 
State in which the organization is located or a contiguous State.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing of at least 20 percent of 
the total cost of the project is required of grantees under the PWI 
program. (see 29 U.S.C. 795(c))
    3. Other: In order to receive a continuation award under this 
program, an applicant receiving a grant under this program must comply 
with the provisions of 34 CFR 75.253(a), including making substantial 
progress toward meeting the objectives in its approved application. In 
assessing substantial progress, the Department will consider whether 
the grantee has served the number of individuals with disabilities it 
projected it would serve in its application. In addition, the grantee 
must submit data in accordance with 34 CFR 379.54 showing that it has 
met the program compliance indicators established under 34 CFR 379.51. 
Grantees must meet each of the indicators in order to receive a 
continuation award as provided in 34 CFR 379.50.

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), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number: 84.234S.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team 
listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice.
    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: March 28, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 27, 2008.
    Applications for grants under this competition 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 in paper format 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.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 28, 2008.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 
competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this

[[Page 16658]]

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 PWI Program, CFDA Number 84.234S, 
must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov 
Apply site at https://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 PWI Program 
at https://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not 
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 
84.234, not 84.234S).
    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 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 https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://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 https://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, toll free, 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 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice 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

[[Page 16659]]

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 
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: Kerrie Clark, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5048, Potomac 
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7281.
    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 84.234S), 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 
84.234S), 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.
    (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.
    (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 84.234S), 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 competition 
are from 34 CFR 379.30 and 34 CFR 379.31 and are listed in the 
application package.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award under this program are as 
follows:
    a. The equitable distribution of projects among the States; and
    b. The past performance of the applicant in carrying out a similar 
PWI project under previously awarded grants, as indicated by factors 
such as compliance with grant conditions, soundness of programmatic and 
financial management practices, and meeting the compliance indicators 
and other requirements for continuation of funding.

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 notify you informally, also.
    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 in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in 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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results

[[Page 16660]]

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has established five performance 
measures for the PWI program. The measures are: Percentage of 
individuals served who were placed in competitive employment; cost per 
placement; average increase in weekly earnings experienced by 
individuals placed in competitive employment; percentage of 
participants exiting the program who are placed into competitive 
employment; and cost per participant. Each grantee must submit an 
annual performance report documenting its success in addressing these 
performance measures, as well as the compliance indicators required by 
the program regulations in 34 CFR part 379, subpart F.
    In addition, the PWI program is part of the Administration's job 
training and employment common measures initiative. The common measures 
for job training and employment programs targeting adults are--entered 
employment (percentage of individuals employed in the first quarter 
after program exit); retention in employment (percentage of individuals 
employed in the first quarter after exit that were still employed in 
the second and third quarters after program exit); earnings increase 
(percentage change in earnings pre-registration to post-program and 
first quarter after exit to third quarter after exit); and efficiency 
(annual cost per participant). The Department is currently working 
toward implementation of these common measures. Each grantee will be 
required to collect and report data for the common measures when 
implemented.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerrie Clark, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5048, PCP, Washington, DC 
20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7281 or e-mail: kerrie.clark@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, 
at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format 
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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: https://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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/.


    Dated: March 25, 2008.
Tracy R. Justesen,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E8-6453 Filed 3-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P