Applications for New Awards; Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, 14974-14981 [2015-06501]
Download as PDF
14974
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
Additions
On 1/16/2015 (80 FR 2400–2401) and
2/13/2015 (80 FR 8068–8069), the
Committee for Purchase From People
Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
published notices of proposed additions
to the Procurement List.
After consideration of the material
presented to it concerning capability of
qualified nonprofit agencies to provide
the products and service and impact of
the additions on the current or most
recent contractors, the Committee has
determined that the products and
service listed below are suitable for
procurement by the Federal Government
under 41 U.S.C. 8501–8506 and 41 CFR
51–2.4.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
I certify that the following action will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The major factors considered for this
certification were:
1. The action will not result in any
additional reporting, recordkeeping or
other compliance requirements for small
entities other than the small
organizations that will furnish the
products and service to the Government.
2. The action will result in
authorizing small entities to furnish the
products and service to the Government.
3. There are no known regulatory
alternatives which would accomplish
the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 8501–8506) in
connection with the products and
service proposed for addition to the
Procurement List.
RoadCollege Station, TX
Mandatory Source of Supply: Rising Star
Resource Development Corporation,
Dallas, TX
Contracting Activity: Dept of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Service, ARS
WBSC 32SD, Beltsville, MD
Deletions
On 2/13/2015 (80 FR 8068–8069), the
Committee for Purchase From People
Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
published notice of proposed deletions
from the Procurement List.
After consideration of the relevant
matter presented, the Committee has
determined that the product and
services listed below are no longer
suitable for procurement by the Federal
Government under 41 U.S.C. 8501–8506
and 41 CFR 51–2.4.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
I certify that the following action will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The major factors considered for this
certification were:
1. The action will not result in
additional reporting, recordkeeping or
other compliance requirements for small
entities.
2. The action may result in
authorizing small entities to furnish the
product and services to the Government.
3. There are no known regulatory
alternatives which would accomplish
the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 8501–8506) in
connection with the product and
services deleted from the Procurement
List.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
End of Certification
Accordingly, the following products
and service are added to the
Procurement List:
End of Certification
Products
Product Names/NSNs: Kit, Gifts for Santa/
MR 385
Christmas Sticker Book/MR 378
Mandatory Source of Supply: Winston-Salem
Industries for the Blind, Inc., WinstonSalem, NC
Slotted Spoon, Red/MR 390
Slotted Turner, Red/MR 391
Tongs, Red/MR 392
Slotted Spoon/MR 393, Green
Slotted Turner/MR 394 Green
Tongs, Green/MR 395
Mandatory Source of Supply: Industries for
the Blind, Inc., West Allis, WI
Mandatory for Purchase By: Defense
Commissary Agency, Fort Lee, VA
Distribution: C-List
Product
Product Name/NSNs: Folder, Zebley Claim
7530–00–000–0430
7530–00–000–0432
Mandatory Source of Supply: Goodwill
Industries of the Pioneer Valley, Inc.,
Springfield, MA
Contracting Activity: Social Security
Administration Hdqtrs-Office of
Acquisition & Grants, Baltimore, MD
Service
Service Type: Janitorial Service
Service is Mandatory for: USDA, Agricultural
Research Service, Southern Plains
Agricultural Research Center, 2881 F&B
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
Accordingly, the following product
and services are deleted from the
Procurement List:
Services
Service Type: Custodial Service
Service is Mandatory for: USDA, Laboratory
Research Building
6301 W. 750 North
West Lafayette, IN
Mandatory Source of Supply: Wabash Center,
Inc., Lafayette, IN
Contracting Activity: Dept of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
ARS MWA 52KJ, Lafayette, IN
Service Type: Microfilming Service
Service is Mandatory for: Commodities
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Future Trading Commission
1155 21st Street
Washington, DC
Mandatory Source of Supply: No NPA
Assigned
Contracting Activity: Commodity Futures
Trading Commission
Administrative Services, Washington, DC
Barry S. Lineback,
Director, Business Operations.
[FR Doc. 2015–06417 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards;
Developing Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Program
Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Overview Information
Developing Hispanic-Serving
Institutions (HSI) Program Notice
inviting applications for new awards for
fiscal year (FY) 2015.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.031S.
Applications Available: March
20, 2015.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: May 19, 2015.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: July 20, 2015.
DATES:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The HSI Program
provides grants to assist HSIs to expand
educational opportunities for, and
improve the academic attainment of,
Hispanic students. HSI Program grants
also enable HSIs to expand and enhance
the academic offerings, program quality,
and institutional stability of colleges
and universities that are educating the
majority of Hispanic college students
and help large numbers of Hispanic
students and other low-income
individuals complete postsecondary
degrees.
Background: In 2008, the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (HEA) was
amended by the Higher Education
Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). The
HEOA made a number of changes to the
HSI Program; however the regulations
for the HSI Program in 34 CFR part 606
have not yet been updated to reflect
these changes. Therefore, we encourage
applicants to carefully read this notice,
which references the statutory
provisions where the corresponding
regulatory provisions for this program
have not been updated.
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
For example, section 501 of the HEOA
amended section 503(b) of the HEA to
include, among the authorized activities
under the HSI Program—
(1) Activities to improve student
services, including innovative and
customized instruction courses
designed to help retain students and
move the students into core courses;
(2) Articulation agreements and
student support programs designed to
facilitate the transfer of students from
two-year to four-year institutions; and
(3) Providing education, counseling
services, or financial information
designed to improve the financial and
economic literacy of students or their
families.
The list of authorized activities in
section 503(b) of the HEA was also
amended to use the term ‘‘distance
education technologies’’ in place of
‘‘distance learning academic instruction
capabilities.’’ Therefore,
notwithstanding the description of
authorized activities in 34 CFR 606.10,
applicants may include these activities
in their proposals under this
competition.
We encourage applicants to read
carefully the Selection Criteria section
of this notice. Consistent with the
Department’s increasing emphasis in
recent years on promoting evidencebased practices through our grant
competitions, the Secretary will
evaluate applications on the extent to
which the proposed project is supported
by a logic model that meets the evidence
standard of ‘‘strong theory’’ (as defined
in this notice). Resources to assist
applicants in creating a logic model can
be found here: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/
edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_
2014007.pdf.
Priorities: This notice contains one
absolute priority and two competitive
preference priorities. The absolute
priority is from the Department’s notice
of final supplemental priorities and
definitions for discretionary grant
programs (Supplemental Priorities),
published in the Federal Register on
December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425).
Competitive Preference Priority 1 is
from section 503(b)(5) of the HEA.
Competitive Preference Priority 2 is
from the Supplemental Priorities.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and
any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition, this
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34
CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only
applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Projects that are designed to increase
the number and proportion of high-need
students (as defined in this notice) who
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
are academically prepared for, enroll in,
or complete on time college, other
postsecondary education, or other career
and technical education.
Competitive Preference Priorities: For
FY 2015 and any subsequent year in
which we make awards from the list of
unfunded applicants from this
competition, these priorities are
competitive preference priorities. Under
34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an
application up to two additional points
for each priority, for a total of up to four
additional points, depending on how
well the application meets each of these
competitive preference priorities.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Up to
2 Additional Points)
Tutoring, counseling, and student
service programs designed to improve
academic success, including innovative
and customized instruction courses
(which may include remedial education
and English language instruction)
designed to help retain students and
move the students rapidly into core
courses and through program
completion.
Competitive Preference Priority 2 (Up to
2 Additional Points)
Projects that are designed to support
the development and implementation of
high-quality online or hybrid creditbearing and accessible learning
opportunities that reduce the cost of
higher education, reduce time to degree
completion, or allow students to
progress at their own pace.
Definitions: The following definitions
are from the Supplemental Priorities
and from 34 CFR 77.1 and apply to the
priorities and selection criteria in this
notice:
High-minority school means a school
as that term is defined by a local
educational agency (LEA), which must
define the term in a manner consistent
with its State’s Teacher Equity Plan, as
required by section 1111(b)(8)(C) of the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965, as amended. The applicant
must provide the definition(s) of highminority schools used in its application.
High-need students means students
who are at risk of educational failure or
otherwise in need of special assistance
and support, such as students who are
living in poverty, who attend highminority schools, who are far below
grade level, who have left school before
receiving a regular high school diploma,
who are at risk of not graduating with
a diploma on time, who are homeless,
who are in foster care, who have been
incarcerated, who have disabilities, or
who are English learners.
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14975
Logic model (also referred to as theory
of action) means a well-specified
conceptual framework that identifies
key components of the proposed
process, product, strategy, or practice
(i.e., the active ‘‘ingredients’’ that are
hypothesized to be critical to achieving
the relevant outcomes) and describes
the relationships among the key
components and outcomes, theoretically
and operationally.
Note: In developing logic models,
applicants may want to use resources such as
the Pacific Education Laboratory’s Education
Logic Model Application
(www.relpacific.mcrel.org/PERR.html or
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544779.pdf)
to help design their logic models.
Regular high school diploma means
the standard high school diploma that is
awarded to students in the State and
that is fully aligned with the State’s
academic content standards or a higher
diploma and does not include a General
Education Development credential,
certificate of attendance, or any
alternative award.
Strong theory means a rationale for
the proposed process, product, strategy,
or practice that includes a logic model.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1101–1101d;
1103–1103g.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR
parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and
99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies
on Governmentwide Debarment and
Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR
part 180, as adopted and amended as
regulations of the Department in 2 CFR
part 3485. (c) The Uniform
Administrative Requirements, Cost
Principles, and Audit Requirements for
Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as
adopted and amended in 2 CFR part
3474. (d) The regulations for this
program in 34 CFR part 606. (e) The
Supplemental Priorities.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants—
Individual Development Grants and
Cooperative Arrangement Development
Grants. Planning grants will not be
awarded in FY 2015.
Estimated Available Funds:
$52,287,473.
Contingent upon the availability of
funds and the quality of applications,
we may make additional awards in FY
2016 from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards:
$500,000–$650,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
Individual Development Grants:
$513,000.
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
14976
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grants: $637,000.
Maximum Awards:
Individual Development Grants:
$525,000.
Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grants: $650,000.
We will reject any application that
proposes a budget exceeding these
maximum amounts for a single budget
period of 12 months. The Assistant
Secretary for Postsecondary Education
may change the maximum amount
through a notice published in the
Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards:
Individual Development Grants: 56.
Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grants: 31.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (a) IHEs that
qualify as eligible HSIs are eligible to
apply for new Individual Development
Grants and Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grants under the HSI
Program. To be an eligible HSI, an IHE
must—
(i) Have an enrollment of needy
students, as defined in section 502(b) of
the HEA (section 502(a)(2)(A)(i) of the
HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(i));
(ii) Have, except as provided in
section 522(b) of the HEA, average
educational and general expenditures
that are low, per full-time equivalent
(FTE) undergraduate student, in
comparison with the average
educational and general expenditures
per FTE undergraduate student of
institutions that offer similar instruction
(section 502(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the HEA; 20
U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(ii));
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Note: To demonstrate an enrollment of
needy students and low average educational
and general expenditures per FTE
undergraduate student, an IHE must be
designated as an ‘‘eligible institution’’ in
accordance with 34 CFR 606.3 through 606.5
and the notice inviting applications for
designation as an eligible institution for the
fiscal year for which the grant competition is
being conducted.
For purposes of establishing eligibility
for this competition, the notice inviting
applications for designation as an
eligible institution for FY 2015 was
published in the Federal Register on
November 3, 2014 (79 FR 65197), and
applications were due on December 22,
2014. Only institutions that submitted
the required application and received
designation through this process before
the deadline date are eligible to submit
applications for this competition.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
(iii) Be accredited by a nationally
recognized accrediting agency or
association that the Secretary has
determined to be a reliable authority as
to the quality of education or training
offered, or making reasonable progress
toward accreditation, according to such
an agency or association (section
502(a)(2)(A)(iv) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.
1101a(a)(2)(A)(iv));
(iv) Be legally authorized to provide,
and provide within the State, an
educational program for which the
institution awards a bachelor’s degree
(section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA), or
be a junior or community college (20
U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii));
(v) Have an enrollment of
undergraduate FTE students that is at
least 25 percent Hispanic students at the
end of the award year immediately
preceding the date of application
(section 502(a)(5)(B) of the HEA; 20
U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)(B)); and
(vi) Provide, as an attachment to the
application, the documentation the IHE
relied upon in determining that at least
25 percent of the IHE’s undergraduate
FTE students are Hispanic. The 25
percent requirement applies only to
undergraduate Hispanic students and is
calculated based upon FTE students as
defined in section 502(a)(4) of the HEA.
Instructions for formatting and
submitting the verification
documentation to Grants.gov are in the
application package for this
competition.
(b) Funds for the HSI Program will be
awarded each fiscal year; thus, for this
program, the ‘‘end of the award year
immediately preceding the date of
application’’ refers to the end of the
fiscal year prior to the application due
date. The end of the fiscal year occurs
on September 30 for any given year.
(c) In considering applications for
grants under this program, the
Department will compare the data and
documentation the institution relied on
in its application with data reported to
the Department’s Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System
(IPEDS), the IHE’s State-reported
enrollment data, and the institutional
annual report. If different percentages or
data are reported in these various
sources, the institution must, as part of
the 25 percent assurance verification,
explain the reason for the differences. If
the IPEDS data show that less than 25
percent of the institution’s
undergraduate FTE students are
Hispanic, the burden is on the
institution to show that the IPEDS data
are inaccurate. If the IPEDS data
indicate that the institution has an
undergraduate FTE less than 25 percent,
and the institution fails to demonstrate
PO 00000
Frm 00072
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
that the IPEDS data are inaccurate, the
institution will be considered
ineligible.1
(d)(i) A grantee under the HSI
Program, which is authorized by title V
of the HEA, may not receive a grant
under any HEA, title III, part A or part
B program (section 505 of the HEA; 20
U.S.C. 1101D). The title III, part A
programs include: The Strengthening
Institutions Program; the American
Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and
Universities Program; the Alaska Native
and Native Hawaiian-Serving
Institutions Programs; the Asian
American and Native American Pacific
Islander-Serving Institutions Program;
and the Native American-Serving NonTribal Institutions Program.
Furthermore, a current HSI Program
grantee may not give up its HSI grant in
order to receive a grant under any title
III, part A program (§ 606.2(c)(1)).
(ii) An HSI that does not fall within
the limitation described in paragraph
(d)(i) may apply for a FY 2015 grant
under all title III, part A programs for
which it is eligible, as well as under the
HSI Program. However, a successful
applicant may receive only one grant.
(e) An eligible HSI that submits
multiple applications may only be
awarded at most one Individual
Development Grant and/or one
Cooperative Arrangement Development
Grant per fiscal year (34 CFR 606.9 and
606.13). In addition, the Secretary will
not award a second Individual
Development Grant to an HSI with a
current five-year Individual
Development Grant as described in 34
CFR 606.9(b)(1).
(f) An eligible HSI that submits a
Cooperative Arrangement Development
Grant with a partnering branch campus
that is a part of the same institution will
not be awarded a grant (34 CFR
606.7(b)).
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
program does not require cost sharing or
matching unless the grantee uses a
portion of its grant for establishing or
improving an endowment fund. If a
grantee uses a portion of its grant for
endowment fund purposes, it must
match those grant funds with nonFederal funds (section 503(c)(2) of the
HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101b(c)(2)).
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address To Request Application
Package: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S.
1 For purposes of making the determination
described in paragraph (e) of the eligibility criteria
for this competition, IHEs must report their
undergraduate Hispanic FTE percentages based on
the student enrollment count closest to, but not
after, September 30, 2014.
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
Department of Education, 1990 K Street
NW., Room 6010, Washington, DC
20006–8513. Telephone: (202) 502–7606
or by email: Carnisia.Proctor@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877–
8339.
Individuals with disabilities can
obtain a copy of the application package
in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
large print, audiotape, or compact disc)
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
(Part III of the application) is where you,
the applicant, address the selection
criteria, the absolute priority, and the
competitive preference priorities that
reviewers use to evaluate your
application. We have established
mandatory page limits for Individual
Development Grant and Cooperative
Arrangement Development Grant
applications. You must limit the section
of the application narrative that
addresses:
• The selection criteria and the
absolute priority to no more than 50
pages for an Individual Development
Grant application and no more than 70
pages for a Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grant application.
• A competitive preference priority, if
you are addressing one or both, to no
more than three pages (for a total of six
pages if you address both).
Accordingly, under no circumstances
may the application narrative exceed 56
pages for an Individual Development
Grant application or 76 pages for a
Cooperative Arrangement Development
Grant application.
Please include a separate heading for
the absolute priority and for each
competitive preference priority that you
address.
For the purpose of determining
compliance with the page limits, each
page on which there are words will be
counted as one full page. Applicants
must use the following standards:
• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ × 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″ margins.
• 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, figures, and graphs. These
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
items may be single-spaced. Charts,
tables, figures, and graphs in the
application narrative count toward the
page limit.
• Use a font that is either 12 point or
larger, or no smaller than 10 pitch
(characters per inch). However, you may
use a 10-point font in charts, tables,
figures, graphs, footnotes, and endnotes.
• Use one of the following fonts:
Times New Roman, Courier, Courier
New, or Arial. An application submitted
in any other font (including Times
Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be
accepted.
The page limit applies to all of the
application narrative section, including
your complete response to the selection
criteria (including the budget narrative),
the absolute priority, and the
competitive preference priorities.
However, the page limit does not apply
to Part I, the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424); the Department of
Education Supplemental Information
form (SF 424); Part II, Budget
Information—Non-Construction
Programs (ED 524); Part IV, the
assurances and certifications; or the
one-page project abstract, program
activity budget detail form and
supporting narrative, and the five-year
plan. If you include any attachments or
appendices not specifically requested in
the application package, these items
will be counted as part of your
application narrative for purposes of the
page-limit requirement.
Note: The narrative response to the budget
selection criteria is not the same as the
activity detail budget form and supporting
narrative. The supporting narrative for the
activity detail budget form lists the requested
budget items line by line.
We will reject your application if you
exceed the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 20,
2015.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: May 19, 2015.
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 in paper format by
mail or hand delivery if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
submission requirement, please refer to
section IV. 7. Other Submission
Requirements of 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
PO 00000
Frm 00073
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14977
in connection with the application
process should contact one of the
persons listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of
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 20, 2015.
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: (a) General.
We reference regulations outlining
funding restrictions in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
(b) Applicability of Executive Order
13202. Applicants that apply for
construction funds under the HSI
Program must comply with Executive
Order 13202, as amended. This
Executive order provides that recipients
of Federal construction funds may not
‘‘require or prohibit bidders, offerors,
contractors, or subcontractors to enter
into or adhere to agreements with one
or more labor organizations, on the same
or other construction project(s)’’ or
‘‘otherwise discriminate against bidders,
offerors, contractors, or subcontractors
for becoming or refusing to become or
remain signatories or otherwise to
adhere to agreements with one or more
labor organizations, on the same or
other related construction project(s).’’
Projects funded under this program that
include construction activity will be
provided a copy of this Executive order
and will be asked to certify that they
will adhere to it.
6. Data Universal Numbering System
Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and System for Award
Management: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must—
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer
Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number
and TIN with the System for Award
Management (SAM) (formerly the
Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the
Government’s primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and
TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active SAM
registration with current information
while your application is under review
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
14978
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
by the Department and, if you are
awarded a grant, during the project
period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from
Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one to two
business days.
If you are a corporate entity, agency,
institution, or organization, you can
obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue
Service. If you are an individual, you
can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security
Administration. If you need a new TIN,
please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to
become active.
The SAM registration process can take
approximately seven business days, but
may take upwards of several weeks,
depending on the completeness and
accuracy of the data entered into the
SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you
think you might want to apply for
Federal financial assistance under a
program administered by the
Department, please allow sufficient time
to obtain and register your DUNS
number and TIN. We strongly
recommend that you register early.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Note: Once your SAM registration is active,
you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the
information to be available in Grants.gov and
before you can submit an application through
Grants.gov.
If you are currently registered with
SAM, you may not need to make any
changes. However, please make certain
that the TIN associated with your DUNS
number is correct. Also note that you
will need to update your registration
annually. This may take three or more
business days.
Information about SAM is available at
www.SAM.gov. To further assist you
with obtaining and registering your
DUNS number and TIN in SAM or
updating your existing SAM account,
we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet,
which you can find at: https://
www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/samfaqs.html.
In addition, if you are submitting your
application via Grants.gov, you must (1)
be designated by your organization as an
Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these
steps are outlined at the following
Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/
web/grants/register.html.
7. 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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
the speed of your Internet connection.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that
Applications for grants under the HSI you do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the submission
Program, CFDA number 84.031S, must
process through Grants.gov.
be submitted electronically using the
• You should review and follow the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site
Education Submission Procedures for
at www.Grants.gov. Through this site,
submitting an application through
you will be able to download a copy of
Grants.gov that are included in the
the application package, complete it
application package for this competition
offline, and then upload and submit
to ensure that you submit your
your application. You may not email an application in a timely manner to the
electronic copy of a grant application to Grants.gov system. You can also find the
us.
Education Submission Procedures
We will reject your application if you pertaining to Grants.gov under News
submit it in paper format unless, as
and Events on the Department’s G5
described elsewhere in this section, you system home page at www.G5.gov.
qualify for one of the exceptions to the
• You will not receive additional
electronic submission requirement and
point value because you submit your
submit, no later than two weeks before
application in electronic format, nor
the application deadline date, a written
will we penalize you if you qualify for
statement to the Department that you
an exception to the electronic
qualify for one of these exceptions.
submission requirement, as described
Further information regarding
elsewhere in this section, and submit
calculation of the date that is two weeks your application in paper format.
before the application deadline date is
• You must submit all documents
provided later in this section under
electronically, including all information
Exception to Electronic Submission
you typically provide on the following
Requirement.
forms: the Application for Federal
You may access the electronic grant
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
application for the HSI Program at
Education Supplemental Information for
www.Grants.gov. You must search for
SF 424, Budget Information—Nonthe downloadable application package
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all
for this program by the CFDA number.
necessary assurances and certifications.
Do not include the CFDA number’s
• You must upload any narrative
alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search
sections and all other attachments to
for 84.031, not 84.031S).
your application as files in a PDF
Please note the following:
(Portable Document) read-only, non• When you enter the Grants.gov site, modifiable format. Do not upload an
you will find information about
interactive or fillable PDF file. If you
submitting an application electronically upload a file type other than a readthrough the site, as well as the hours of
only, non-modifiable PDF or submit a
operation.
password-protected file, we will not
• Applications received by Grants.gov review that material.
are date and time stamped. Your
• Your electronic application must
application must be fully uploaded and
comply with any page-limit
submitted and must be date and time
requirements described in this notice.
stamped by the Grants.gov system no
• After you electronically submit
later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC your application, you will receive from
time, on the application deadline date.
Grants.gov an automatic notification of
Except as otherwise noted in this
receipt that contains a Grants.gov
section, we will not accept your
tracking number. (This notification
application if it is received—that is, date indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not
and time stamped by the Grants.gov
receipt by the Department.) The
system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, Department then will retrieve your
DC time, on the application deadline
application from Grants.gov and send a
date. We do not consider an application second notification to you by email.
that does not comply with the deadline
This second notification indicates that
requirements. When we retrieve your
the Department has received your
application from Grants.gov, we will
application and has assigned your
notify you if we are rejecting your
application a PR/Award number (an
application because it was date and time ED-specified identifying number unique
stamped by the Grants.gov system after
to your application).
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
• We may request that you provide us
the application deadline date.
original signatures on forms at a later
• The amount of time it can take to
date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
upload an application will vary
in Case of Technical Issues with the
depending on a variety of factors,
including the size of the application and Grants.gov System: If you are
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications
PO 00000
Frm 00074
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
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 4:30:00 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
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII of 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
application by 4:30:00 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.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
statement to the Department, explaining
which of the two grounds for an
exception prevents 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: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street
NW., Room 6010, Washington, DC
20006–8513. FAX: (202) 502–7813.
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 following address:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.031S), LBJ Basement
Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202–4260.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00075
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14979
(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 84.031S), 550 12th
Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.
The Application Control Center
accepts hand deliveries daily between
8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 606.22 and from 34 CFR 75.210 and
are as follows:
(a) Quality of the applicant’s
comprehensive development plan. The
extent to which—
(1) The strengths, weaknesses, and
significant problems of the institution’s
academic programs, institutional
management, and fiscal stability are
clearly and comprehensively analyzed
and result from a process that involved
major constituencies of the institution;
(2) The goals for the institution’s
academic programs, institutional
management, and fiscal stability are
realistic and based on comprehensive
analysis;
(3) The objectives stated in the plan
are measurable, related to institutional
goals, and, if achieved, will contribute
to the growth and self-sufficiency of the
institution; and
(4) The plan clearly and
comprehensively describes the methods
and resources the institution will use to
institutionalize practice and
improvements developed under the
proposed project, including, in
particular, how operational costs for
personnel, maintenance, and upgrades
of equipment will be paid with
institutional resources.
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14980
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
(b) Quality of activity objectives. The
extent to which the objectives for each
activity are—
(1) Realistic and defined in terms of
measurable results; and
(2) Directly related to the problems to
be solved and to the goals of the
comprehensive development plan.
(c) Quality of implementation
strategy. The extent to which—
(1) The implementation strategy for
each activity is comprehensive;
(2) The rationale for the
implementation strategy for each
activity is clearly described and is
supported by the results of relevant
studies or projects; and
(3) The timetable for each activity is
realistic and likely to be attained.
(d) Quality of key personnel. The
extent to which—
(1) The past experience and training
of key professional personnel are
directly related to the stated activity
objectives; and
(2) The time commitment of key
personnel is realistic.
(e) Quality of project management
plan. The extent to which—
(1) Procedures for managing the
project are likely to ensure efficient and
effective project implementation; and
(2) The project coordinator and
activity directors have sufficient
authority to conduct the project
effectively, including access to the
president or chief executive officer.
(f) Quality of evaluation plan. The
extent to which—
(1) The data elements and the data
collection procedures are clearly
described and appropriate to measure
the attainment of activity objectives and
to measure the success of the project in
achieving the goals of the
comprehensive development plan; and
(2) The data analysis procedures are
clearly described and are likely to
produce formative and summative
results on attaining activity objectives
and measuring the success of the project
on achieving the goals of the
comprehensive development plan.
(g) Budget. The extent to which the
proposed costs are necessary and
reasonable in relation to the project’s
objectives and scope.
(h) Quality of the project design. The
Secretary considers the quality of the
design of the proposed project. In
determining the quality of the design of
the proposed project, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the
proposed project is supported by strong
theory (as defined in this notice).
2. Review and Selection Process: We
remind potential applicants that in
reviewing applications in any
discretionary grant competition, the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR
75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the
applicant in carrying out a previous
award, such as the applicant’s use of
funds, achievement of project
objectives, and compliance with grant
conditions. The Secretary may also
consider whether the applicant failed to
submit a timely performance report or
submitted a report of unacceptable
quality.
In addition, in making a competitive
grant award, the Secretary also requires
various assurances including those
applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs
or activities receiving Federal financial
assistance from the Department of
Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4,
108.8, and 110.23).
3. Tiebreaker: In tie-breaking
situations for development grants
described in 34 CFR 606.23(b), the HSI
Program regulations require that we
award one additional point to an
application from an IHE that has an
endowment fund of which the current
market value, per FTE enrolled student,
is less than the average current market
value of the endowment funds, per FTE
enrolled student, at comparable
institutions that offer similar
instruction. We also award one
additional point to an application from
an IHE that has expenditures for library
materials per FTE enrolled student that
are less than the average expenditures
for library materials per FTE enrolled
student at comparable institutions that
offer similar instruction.
For the purpose of these funding
considerations, we use 2012–2013 data.
If a tie remains after applying the
tiebreaker mechanism above, priority
will be given in the case of applicants
for (a) Individual Development Grants,
to applicants that addressed the
statutory priority found in section
521(d) of the HEA; and (b) Cooperative
Arrangement Development Grants, to
applicants in accordance with section
524(b) of the HEA, under which the
Secretary determines that the
cooperative arrangement is
geographically and economically sound
or will benefit the applicant HSI.
If a tie still remains after applying the
additional point(s) and the relevant
statutory priority, we will determine the
ranking of applicants based on the
lowest endowment values per FTE
enrolled student.
4. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR
3474.10, the Secretary may impose
special conditions and, in appropriate
circumstances, high-risk conditions on a
grant if the applicant or grantee is not
financially stable; has a history of
unsatisfactory performance; has a
PO 00000
Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
financial or other management system
that does not meet the standards in 2
CFR part 200, subpart D; has not
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant;
or is otherwise not responsible.
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); or, we may send you an email
containing a link to access an electronic
version of your 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 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: (a) If you apply for a
grant under this competition, you must
ensure that you have in place the
necessary processes and systems to
comply with the reporting requirements
in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive
funding under the competition. This
does not apply if you have an exception
under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) 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 www.ed.gov/
fund/grant/apply/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The
Secretary has established the following
key performance measures for assessing
the effectiveness of the HSI Program:
a. The percentage change, over the
five-year grant period, of the number of
full-time degree-seeking undergraduate
students enrolled at HSIs.
b. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate
students who were in their first year of
postsecondary enrollment in the
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices
previous year and are enrolled in the
current year at the same two-year HSI.
c. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate
students who were in their first year of
postsecondary enrollment in the
previous year and are enrolled in the
current year at the same four-year HSI.
d. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate
students enrolled at four-year HSIs
graduating within six years of
enrollment.
e. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate
students enrolled at two-year HSIs
graduating within three years of
enrollment.
f. Federal cost per undergraduate and
graduate degree at institutions in the
HSI Program.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a
continuation award under 34 CFR
75.253, the Secretary considers, among
other things: Whether a grantee has
made substantial progress in achieving
the goals and objectives of the project;
whether the grantee has expended funds
in a manner that is consistent with its
approved application and budget; and,
if the Secretary has established
performance measurement
requirements, the performance targets in
the grantee’s approved application. In
making a continuation award, the
Secretary also considers whether the
grantee is operating in compliance with
the assurances in its approved
application, including those applicable
to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit
discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance
from the Department (34 CFR 100.4,
104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
Electronic Access to This Document:
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 via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF you must
have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the
Department published in the Federal
Register by using the article search
feature at www.federalregister.gov.
Specifically, through the advanced
search feature at this site, you can limit
your search to documents published by
the Department. Delegation of
Authority: The Secretary of Education
has delegated authority to Jamienne S.
Studley, Deputy Under Secretary, to
perform the functions and duties of the
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education.
Dated: March 17, 2015.
Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–06501 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
VII. Agency Contact
Federal Student Aid,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of an altered system of
records.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUMMARY:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room
6010, Washington, DC 20006–8513.
Telephone: (202) 502–7606 or by email:
Carnisia.Proctor@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the
FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339.
Applicants should periodically check
the HSI Program Web site for further
information. The address is:
www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/
index.html.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) on
request to the program contact person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:14 Mar 19, 2015
Jkt 235001
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended
(Privacy Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Chief
Operating Officer for Federal Student
Aid (FSA) of the U.S. Department of
Education (the Department) publishes
this notice of an altered system of
records entitled ‘‘Person Authentication
Service (PAS)’’ (18–11–12).
PAS contains records about former,
current, and prospective students, and
their parents and endorsers, who apply
for a user ID and password (FSA ID).
The PAS system will be used to generate
authentication and log-on credentials
for those individuals wishing to access
various student financial assistance
systems, online applications, Web sites,
and services to obtain information about
their personal records. PAS will replace
the current Department of Education
(ED) Personal Identification Number
(PIN) Registration System, and the ED
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14981
PIN Registration System will be retired.
The system of records notice for the ED
PIN Registration System is 18–11–12; it
was published in the Federal Register
on December 27, 1999 (64 FR 72400–
72402).
PAS will be used to access a variety
of Departmental systems and Web sites,
including, but not limited to:
• Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA; www.fafsa.ed.gov)
• Studentaid.gov
• StudentLoans.gov
• TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve
(ATS)
• Federal Student Aid Information
Center (FSAIC)
• National Student Loan Data System
(NSLDS; www.nslds.ed.gov)
Specifically, through this notice, the
Department revises the name of the
system from the ED PIN Registration
System to the PAS and makes
alterations to the system, including, but
not limited to, the system location, the
categories of records maintained in this
system, the system’s purposes, and the
system’s routine uses. Additionally, the
Department seeks comment on the
altered system of records described in
this notice, in accordance with the
requirements of the Privacy Act.
DATES: Submit your comments on this
notice of an altered system of records on
or before April 20, 2015.
The Department filed a report
describing the altered system of records
covered by this notice with the Chair of
the Senate Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, the
Chair of the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, and
the Administrator of the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), on March 10, 2015. This altered
system of records will become effective
at the later date of: (1) The expiration of
the 40-day period for OMB review on
April 19, 2015, unless OMB waives 10
days of the 40-day review period for
compelling reasons shown by the
Department; or (2) April 20, 2015,
unless the system of records needs to be
changed as a result of public comment
or OMB review. The Department will
publish any changes to the altered
system of records notice that result from
public comment or OMB review.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about
the altered system of records to FSA
PAS System Owner, Technology Office,
Union Center Plaza (UCP), 830 First
Street NE., room 103E2, Washington, DC
20202–5454. Telephone: 202–377–3557.
If you prefer to send your comments by
email, use the following address:
comment@ed.gov. You must include the
E:\FR\FM\20MRN1.SGM
20MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14974-14981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06501]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Developing Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Program
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overview Information
Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program Notice
inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.031S.
DATES: Applications Available: March 20, 2015.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 19, 2015.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 20, 2015.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The HSI Program provides grants to assist HSIs
to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic
attainment of, Hispanic students. HSI Program grants also enable HSIs
to expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and
institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating
the majority of Hispanic college students and help large numbers of
Hispanic students and other low-income individuals complete
postsecondary degrees.
Background: In 2008, the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) was
amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). The
HEOA made a number of changes to the HSI Program; however the
regulations for the HSI Program in 34 CFR part 606 have not yet been
updated to reflect these changes. Therefore, we encourage applicants to
carefully read this notice, which references the statutory provisions
where the corresponding regulatory provisions for this program have not
been updated.
[[Page 14975]]
For example, section 501 of the HEOA amended section 503(b) of the
HEA to include, among the authorized activities under the HSI Program--
(1) Activities to improve student services, including innovative
and customized instruction courses designed to help retain students and
move the students into core courses;
(2) Articulation agreements and student support programs designed
to facilitate the transfer of students from two-year to four-year
institutions; and
(3) Providing education, counseling services, or financial
information designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of
students or their families.
The list of authorized activities in section 503(b) of the HEA was
also amended to use the term ``distance education technologies'' in
place of ``distance learning academic instruction capabilities.''
Therefore, notwithstanding the description of authorized activities in
34 CFR 606.10, applicants may include these activities in their
proposals under this competition.
We encourage applicants to read carefully the Selection Criteria
section of this notice. Consistent with the Department's increasing
emphasis in recent years on promoting evidence-based practices through
our grant competitions, the Secretary will evaluate applications on the
extent to which the proposed project is supported by a logic model that
meets the evidence standard of ``strong theory'' (as defined in this
notice). Resources to assist applicants in creating a logic model can
be found here: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014007.pdf.
Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority and two
competitive preference priorities. The absolute priority is from the
Department's notice of final supplemental priorities and definitions
for discretionary grant programs (Supplemental Priorities), published
in the Federal Register on December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425). Competitive
Preference Priority 1 is from section 503(b)(5) of the HEA. Competitive
Preference Priority 2 is from the Supplemental Priorities.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition,
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we
consider only applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Projects that are designed to increase the number and proportion of
high-need students (as defined in this notice) who are academically
prepared for, enroll in, or complete on time college, other
postsecondary education, or other career and technical education.
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2015 and any subsequent
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from
this competition, these priorities are competitive preference
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an application up to
two additional points for each priority, for a total of up to four
additional points, depending on how well the application meets each of
these competitive preference priorities.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Up to 2 Additional Points)
Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to
improve academic success, including innovative and customized
instruction courses (which may include remedial education and English
language instruction) designed to help retain students and move the
students rapidly into core courses and through program completion.
Competitive Preference Priority 2 (Up to 2 Additional Points)
Projects that are designed to support the development and
implementation of high-quality online or hybrid credit-bearing and
accessible learning opportunities that reduce the cost of higher
education, reduce time to degree completion, or allow students to
progress at their own pace.
Definitions: The following definitions are from the Supplemental
Priorities and from 34 CFR 77.1 and apply to the priorities and
selection criteria in this notice:
High-minority school means a school as that term is defined by a
local educational agency (LEA), which must define the term in a manner
consistent with its State's Teacher Equity Plan, as required by section
1111(b)(8)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended. The applicant must provide the definition(s) of high-minority
schools used in its application.
High-need students means students who are at risk of educational
failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as
students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools,
who are far below grade level, who have left school before receiving a
regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not graduating with a
diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have
been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English learners.
Logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-
specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the
proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active
``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the
relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key
components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.
Note: In developing logic models, applicants may want to use
resources such as the Pacific Education Laboratory's Education Logic
Model Application (www.relpacific.mcrel.org/PERR.html or https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544779.pdf) to help design their logic
models.
Regular high school diploma means the standard high school diploma
that is awarded to students in the State and that is fully aligned with
the State's academic content standards or a higher diploma and does not
include a General Education Development credential, certificate of
attendance, or any alternative award.
Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product,
strategy, or practice that includes a logic model.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1101-1101d; 1103-1103g.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97,
98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide
Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted
and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c)
The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and
amended in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 606. (e) The Supplemental Priorities.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants--Individual Development Grants
and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. Planning grants will
not be awarded in FY 2015.
Estimated Available Funds: $52,287,473.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$650,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
Individual Development Grants: $513,000.
[[Page 14976]]
Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants: $637,000.
Maximum Awards:
Individual Development Grants: $525,000.
Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants: $650,000.
We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding
these maximum amounts for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards:
Individual Development Grants: 56.
Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants: 31.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (a) IHEs that qualify as eligible HSIs are
eligible to apply for new Individual Development Grants and Cooperative
Arrangement Development Grants under the HSI Program. To be an eligible
HSI, an IHE must--
(i) Have an enrollment of needy students, as defined in section
502(b) of the HEA (section 502(a)(2)(A)(i) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.
1101a(a)(2)(A)(i));
(ii) Have, except as provided in section 522(b) of the HEA, average
educational and general expenditures that are low, per full-time
equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student, in comparison with the average
educational and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate student of
institutions that offer similar instruction (section 502(a)(2)(A)(ii)
of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(ii));
Note: To demonstrate an enrollment of needy students and low
average educational and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate
student, an IHE must be designated as an ``eligible institution'' in
accordance with 34 CFR 606.3 through 606.5 and the notice inviting
applications for designation as an eligible institution for the
fiscal year for which the grant competition is being conducted.
For purposes of establishing eligibility for this competition, the
notice inviting applications for designation as an eligible institution
for FY 2015 was published in the Federal Register on November 3, 2014
(79 FR 65197), and applications were due on December 22, 2014. Only
institutions that submitted the required application and received
designation through this process before the deadline date are eligible
to submit applications for this competition.
(iii) Be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency
or association that the Secretary has determined to be a reliable
authority as to the quality of education or training offered, or making
reasonable progress toward accreditation, according to such an agency
or association (section 502(a)(2)(A)(iv) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.
1101a(a)(2)(A)(iv));
(iv) Be legally authorized to provide, and provide within the
State, an educational program for which the institution awards a
bachelor's degree (section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA), or be a
junior or community college (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii));
(v) Have an enrollment of undergraduate FTE students that is at
least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year
immediately preceding the date of application (section 502(a)(5)(B) of
the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)(B)); and
(vi) Provide, as an attachment to the application, the
documentation the IHE relied upon in determining that at least 25
percent of the IHE's undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic. The 25
percent requirement applies only to undergraduate Hispanic students and
is calculated based upon FTE students as defined in section 502(a)(4)
of the HEA. Instructions for formatting and submitting the verification
documentation to Grants.gov are in the application package for this
competition.
(b) Funds for the HSI Program will be awarded each fiscal year;
thus, for this program, the ``end of the award year immediately
preceding the date of application'' refers to the end of the fiscal
year prior to the application due date. The end of the fiscal year
occurs on September 30 for any given year.
(c) In considering applications for grants under this program, the
Department will compare the data and documentation the institution
relied on in its application with data reported to the Department's
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the IHE's
State-reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If
different percentages or data are reported in these various sources,
the institution must, as part of the 25 percent assurance verification,
explain the reason for the differences. If the IPEDS data show that
less than 25 percent of the institution's undergraduate FTE students
are Hispanic, the burden is on the institution to show that the IPEDS
data are inaccurate. If the IPEDS data indicate that the institution
has an undergraduate FTE less than 25 percent, and the institution
fails to demonstrate that the IPEDS data are inaccurate, the
institution will be considered ineligible.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For purposes of making the determination described in
paragraph (e) of the eligibility criteria for this competition, IHEs
must report their undergraduate Hispanic FTE percentages based on
the student enrollment count closest to, but not after, September
30, 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(d)(i) A grantee under the HSI Program, which is authorized by
title V of the HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, title III,
part A or part B program (section 505 of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101D). The
title III, part A programs include: The Strengthening Institutions
Program; the American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and
Universities Program; the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving
Institutions Programs; the Asian American and Native American Pacific
Islander-Serving Institutions Program; and the Native American-Serving
Non-Tribal Institutions Program. Furthermore, a current HSI Program
grantee may not give up its HSI grant in order to receive a grant under
any title III, part A program (Sec. 606.2(c)(1)).
(ii) An HSI that does not fall within the limitation described in
paragraph (d)(i) may apply for a FY 2015 grant under all title III,
part A programs for which it is eligible, as well as under the HSI
Program. However, a successful applicant may receive only one grant.
(e) An eligible HSI that submits multiple applications may only be
awarded at most one Individual Development Grant and/or one Cooperative
Arrangement Development Grant per fiscal year (34 CFR 606.9 and
606.13). In addition, the Secretary will not award a second Individual
Development Grant to an HSI with a current five-year Individual
Development Grant as described in 34 CFR 606.9(b)(1).
(f) An eligible HSI that submits a Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grant with a partnering branch campus that is a part of the
same institution will not be awarded a grant (34 CFR 606.7(b)).
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for
establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a
portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match those
grant funds with non-Federal funds (section 503(c)(2) of the HEA; 20
U.S.C. 1101b(c)(2)).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package: Carnisia M. Proctor,
U.S.
[[Page 14977]]
Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 6010, Washington, DC
20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7606 or by email:
Carnisia.Proctor@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or compact disc) 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 (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria, the
absolute priority, and the competitive preference priorities that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. We have established
mandatory page limits for Individual Development Grant and Cooperative
Arrangement Development Grant applications. You must limit the section
of the application narrative that addresses:
The selection criteria and the absolute priority to no
more than 50 pages for an Individual Development Grant application and
no more than 70 pages for a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant
application.
A competitive preference priority, if you are addressing
one or both, to no more than three pages (for a total of six pages if
you address both).
Accordingly, under no circumstances may the application narrative
exceed 56 pages for an Individual Development Grant application or 76
pages for a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application.
Please include a separate heading for the absolute priority and for
each competitive preference priority that you address.
For the purpose of determining compliance with the page limits,
each page on which there are words will be counted as one full page.
Applicants must use 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'' margins.
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, figures, and graphs. These items may be single-spaced. Charts,
tables, figures, and graphs in the application narrative count toward
the page limit.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, or no
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-
point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and endnotes.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit applies to all of the application narrative section,
including your complete response to the selection criteria (including
the budget narrative), the absolute priority, and the competitive
preference priorities. However, the page limit does not apply to Part
I, the Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); the Department of
Education Supplemental Information form (SF 424); Part II, Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524); Part IV, the
assurances and certifications; or the one-page project abstract,
program activity budget detail form and supporting narrative, and the
five-year plan. If you include any attachments or appendices not
specifically requested in the application package, these items will be
counted as part of your application narrative for purposes of the page-
limit requirement.
Note: The narrative response to the budget selection criteria
is not the same as the activity detail budget form and supporting
narrative. The supporting narrative for the activity detail budget
form lists the requested budget items line by line.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 20, 2015.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 19, 2015.
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 in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission
Requirements of 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
one of the persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII of 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 20, 2015.
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: (a) General. We reference regulations
outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice.
(b) Applicability of Executive Order 13202. Applicants that apply
for construction funds under the HSI Program must comply with Executive
Order 13202, as amended. This Executive order provides that recipients
of Federal construction funds may not ``require or prohibit bidders,
offerors, contractors, or subcontractors to enter into or adhere to
agreements with one or more labor organizations, on the same or other
construction project(s)'' or ``otherwise discriminate against bidders,
offerors, contractors, or subcontractors for becoming or refusing to
become or remain signatories or otherwise to adhere to agreements with
one or more labor organizations, on the same or other related
construction project(s).'' Projects funded under this program that
include construction activity will be provided a copy of this Executive
order and will be asked to certify that they will adhere to it.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the
Government's primary registrant database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information
while your application is under review
[[Page 14978]]
by the Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project
period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one to two business days.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal
financial assistance under a program administered by the Department,
please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number
and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.
Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through
Grants.gov.
If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov,
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
7. 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 HSI Program, CFDA number 84.031S,
must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov
Apply site at 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 email 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 HSI Program
at 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 84.031, not
84.031S).
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 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. 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
4:30:00 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 under News and Events on the Department's G5
system home page at www.G5.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 you typically provide on the following forms: the
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.
You must upload any narrative sections and all other
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document)
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only,
non-modifiable PDF 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 email. 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
[[Page 14979]]
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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 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 application by 4:30:00
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
prevents 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: Carnisia M. Proctor,
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 6010, Washington,
DC 20006-8513. FAX: (202) 502-7813.
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 following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.031S), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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 84.031S), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 606.22 and from 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows:
(a) Quality of the applicant's comprehensive development plan. The
extent to which--
(1) The strengths, weaknesses, and significant problems of the
institution's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal
stability are clearly and comprehensively analyzed and result from a
process that involved major constituencies of the institution;
(2) The goals for the institution's academic programs,
institutional management, and fiscal stability are realistic and based
on comprehensive analysis;
(3) The objectives stated in the plan are measurable, related to
institutional goals, and, if achieved, will contribute to the growth
and self-sufficiency of the institution; and
(4) The plan clearly and comprehensively describes the methods and
resources the institution will use to institutionalize practice and
improvements developed under the proposed project, including, in
particular, how operational costs for personnel, maintenance, and
upgrades of equipment will be paid with institutional resources.
[[Page 14980]]
(b) Quality of activity objectives. The extent to which the
objectives for each activity are--
(1) Realistic and defined in terms of measurable results; and
(2) Directly related to the problems to be solved and to the goals
of the comprehensive development plan.
(c) Quality of implementation strategy. The extent to which--
(1) The implementation strategy for each activity is comprehensive;
(2) The rationale for the implementation strategy for each activity
is clearly described and is supported by the results of relevant
studies or projects; and
(3) The timetable for each activity is realistic and likely to be
attained.
(d) Quality of key personnel. The extent to which--
(1) The past experience and training of key professional personnel
are directly related to the stated activity objectives; and
(2) The time commitment of key personnel is realistic.
(e) Quality of project management plan. The extent to which--
(1) Procedures for managing the project are likely to ensure
efficient and effective project implementation; and
(2) The project coordinator and activity directors have sufficient
authority to conduct the project effectively, including access to the
president or chief executive officer.
(f) Quality of evaluation plan. The extent to which--
(1) The data elements and the data collection procedures are
clearly described and appropriate to measure the attainment of activity
objectives and to measure the success of the project in achieving the
goals of the comprehensive development plan; and
(2) The data analysis procedures are clearly described and are
likely to produce formative and summative results on attaining activity
objectives and measuring the success of the project on achieving the
goals of the comprehensive development plan.
(g) Budget. The extent to which the proposed costs are necessary
and reasonable in relation to the project's objectives and scope.
(h) Quality of the project design. The Secretary considers the
quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the
quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the extent to which the proposed project is supported by strong theory
(as defined in this notice).
2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition,
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Tiebreaker: In tie-breaking situations for development grants
described in 34 CFR 606.23(b), the HSI Program regulations require that
we award one additional point to an application from an IHE that has an
endowment fund of which the current market value, per FTE enrolled
student, is less than the average current market value of the endowment
funds, per FTE enrolled student, at comparable institutions that offer
similar instruction. We also award one additional point to an
application from an IHE that has expenditures for library materials per
FTE enrolled student that are less than the average expenditures for
library materials per FTE enrolled student at comparable institutions
that offer similar instruction.
For the purpose of these funding considerations, we use 2012-2013
data.
If a tie remains after applying the tiebreaker mechanism above,
priority will be given in the case of applicants for (a) Individual
Development Grants, to applicants that addressed the statutory priority
found in section 521(d) of the HEA; and (b) Cooperative Arrangement
Development Grants, to applicants in accordance with section 524(b) of
the HEA, under which the Secretary determines that the cooperative
arrangement is geographically and economically sound or will benefit
the applicant HSI.
If a tie still remains after applying the additional point(s) and
the relevant statutory priority, we will determine the ranking of
applicants based on the lowest endowment values per FTE enrolled
student.
4. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may
impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk
conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially
stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or
other management system that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part
200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or
is otherwise not responsible.
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); or, we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your 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 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: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) 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 www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of
the HSI Program:
a. The percentage change, over the five-year grant period, of the
number of full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at
HSIs.
b. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary
enrollment in the
[[Page 14981]]
previous year and are enrolled in the current year at the same two-year
HSI.
c. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary
enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year at
the same four-year HSI.
d. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students enrolled at four-year HSIs graduating within six
years of enrollment.
e. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students enrolled at two-year HSIs graduating within
three years of enrollment.
f. Federal cost per undergraduate and graduate degree at
institutions in the HSI Program.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee
has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is
consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the
performance targets in the grantee's approved application. In making a
continuation award, the Secretary also considers whether the grantee is
operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved
application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving
Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5,
106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S. Department
of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 6010, Washington, DC 20006-8513.
Telephone: (202) 502-7606 or by email: Carnisia.Proctor@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
Applicants should periodically check the HSI Program Web site for
further information. The address is: www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the
site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department. Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education
has delegated authority to Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary,
to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education.
Dated: March 17, 2015.
Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-06501 Filed 3-19-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P