Applications for New Awards; Supplemental Support Under the American Rescue Plan, 6154-6160 [2022-02338]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 23 (Thursday, February 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6154-6160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02338]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Supplemental Support Under the 
American Rescue Plan

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice 
announcing the availability of funds and the application deadline for 
new grants to institutions of higher education under the Higher 
Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF or HEERF III), Supplemental 
Support under the American Rescue Plan (SSARP) program, Assistance 
Listing Number (ALN) 84.425T. The SSARP program supports institutions 
of higher education (IHEs or institutions) with the greatest unmet 
needs related to the novel coronavirus 2019 pandemic (coronavirus or 
COVID-19).

DATES: 
    Applications available: February 3, 2022.
    Deadline for transmittal of applications: April 4, 2022.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an 
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to 
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the 
Federal Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at 
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979. Please note that these Common 
Instructions supersede the version published on February 13, 2019, and, 
in part, describe the transition from the requirement to register in 
SAM.gov a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the 
implementation of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). More information 
on the phase-out of DUNS number is available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Epps, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 2B133, Washington, DC 20202-

[[Page 6155]]

6450. Telephone: (202) 377-3711. Email: [email protected].
    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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The SSARP program supports public and private 
nonprofit IHEs that the Secretary determines have, after allocating 
other funds available under HEERF III, the greatest unmet needs related 
to the coronavirus, including institutions with large populations of 
graduate students and institutions that did not otherwise receive a 
HEERF allocation under the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARP).
    Background: On March 11, 2021, the ARP (Pub. L. 117-2) was signed 
into law. ARP section 2003, as incorporating the Coronavirus Response 
and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) section 
314(a)(3), requires the Secretary of Education to allocate 0.5 percent 
of HEERF III funding ($198 million) for discretionary grants under part 
B of title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 
for public and private nonprofit IHEs that the Secretary determines 
have, after allocating other funds available under HEERF III, the 
greatest unmet needs related to coronavirus, including institutions 
with large populations of graduate students and institutions that did 
not otherwise receive an allocation under ARP. Proprietary institutions 
are not eligible for funding since eligibility is limited to those 
institutions that are eligible under part B of title VII of the HEA.
    HEERF has been a critical lifeline to aid institutions in meeting 
urgent public health needs to prevent and respond to the Coronavirus 
pandemic, providing Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students to 
support continued enrollment and learning, addressing student basic 
needs, providing mental health and other immediate support.
    As institutions continue to address the immediate challenges 
brought on by the pandemic, the Department encourages institutions 
applying for the SSARP program to use the funding to support campuses 
and students in the following ways:
    (1.) Covid-19 mitigation: ARP requires that institutions spend a 
portion of their HEERF grant funds to implement evidence-based 
practices to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public 
health guidelines. According to a recent survey of college presidents 
conducted by the American Council on Education, nearly 90 percent of 
institutions used HEERF to purchase COVID-19 tests, conduct health 
screening, and meet other urgent health needs.\1\ The Department has 
heard from institutions of the importance of HEERF in implementing 
testing and contact tracing, purchasing PPE, HVAC, and other 
ventilation system improvements to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and 
in providing vaccine clinics and incentives, and the Department 
continues to encourage institutions to use HEERF grant funds in these 
ways.
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    \1\ https://www.acenet.edu/Research-Insights/Pages/Senior-Leaders/Presidents-Survey-HEERF.aspx.
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    (2.) Addressing students' basic needs: HEERF provides broad 
flexibility to each institution to address specific student needs 
related to coronavirus. Many institutions have used HEERF to expand 
student support services for underserved students by covering the cost 
of childcare, expanding access to campus-based food pantries and meal 
programs, subsidizing on- and off-campus housing, providing 
transportation subsidies, and expanding campus health services and 
other mental health supports.
    (3.) Support continued enrollment and re-enrollment: Community 
colleges and other institutions are facing significant enrollment 
declines, and as of January 2022 enrollment overall is estimated to 
have fallen by over 900,000 students since the beginning of the 
pandemic.\2\ HEERF grant funds should be used to support continued 
enrollment and re-enrollment by providing additional emergency grant 
aid to students, subsidizing the cost of college to students, and 
providing additional student supports.
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    \2\ https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/.
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    (4.) Forgive institutional debts and end transcript withholding: 
Small sums of money owed on student account balances can derail 
enrollment, limit transfer, and restrict access to jobs and earning 
potential. Many institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), 
Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and community colleges, have 
forgiven unpaid balances for students enrolled during the time of the 
coronavirus pandemic and taken steps to end transcript withholding, 
allowing students to move forward with subsequent opportunities.
    (5.) Expanding programs that lead to in-demand high-quality jobs: 
HEERF has aided institutions in creating access to new programs that 
prepare students for high-quality jobs in demand, as a result of the 
coronavirus, that require specialized training and education.
    Development of Institutional Eligibility Criteria for the SSARP 
program: To determine the types of institutions that would be funded 
under the statutory focus on ``greatest unmet needs related to 
coronavirus,'' the Department published a notice on May 11, 2021 on its 
ARP HEERF III website (www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/arpheerfiiia3proposednotice.pdf) that announced the Department's 
proposed institutional eligibility criteria for the SSARP program and 
invited public comment.
    The Department accepted public comments from May 11 to May 25, 
2021. The Department received comments from three entities representing 
institutions of higher education and trade associations supporting the 
Department's absolute priorities, inclusion of MSIs, and majority 
graduate institutions. Commenters suggested the Department broaden its 
proposed priorities in several ways. One commenter urged the Department 
to consider making awards to institutions that more recently gained 
eligibility as MSIs. Another commenter requested that we expand the use 
of funds beyond Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. Finally, 
one commenter requested that the Department include as eligible 
applicants IHEs with non-traditional academic programming that may have 
been underfunded under previous iterations of HEERF.
    Although we appreciate the commenters' feedback on the proposed 
categories of eligible applicants, we believe the Department's proposed 
categories better reflect the intent of ARP section 2003 and the CRRSAA 
section 314(a)(3) to prioritize both institutions that would have 
otherwise received a HEERF allocation and providing Emergency Financial 
Aid Grants to Students. Accordingly, in this notice, we provide for 
five absolute priorities that represent separate funding categories for 
different categories of eligible applicants. In developing these 
absolute priorities, we have broadened the proposed categories of 
eligible applicants to better account for ways in which institutions 
may have been underfunded or have unmet needs related to coronavirus. 
In addition, in this notice, we establish the requirements an 
institution must meet to establish its eligibility under each of the 
five absolute priorities.

[[Page 6156]]

    Priorities: This notice contains five absolute priorities. We are 
establishing these priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2022 grant 
competitions and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the 
list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance with 
section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities. 
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet one 
or more of these priorities.
    The Secretary intends to award grants under each of the absolute 
priorities. Applicants must clearly identify the absolute priority or 
priorities that the proposed project addresses in the SSARP Program 
Profile Information Form (Profile Form). Each applicant must submit 
only one application, but an applicant may apply to receive funds under 
multiple priorities.
    In selecting grantees under the absolute priorities, the Department 
will fund each applicant according to the absolute priority or 
priorities under which it is applying. We will allocate funds under the 
allocation formula specific to the applicable priority or priorities. 
Should funding requests in approved applications exceed available 
funding under the ARP (a)(3) program, the Department reserves the right 
to make ratable reductions for any of the allocations under Absolute 
Priorities 1-3 and to determine the amount of funding needed to support 
each of the absolute priorities based on applications received. For 
Absolute Priorities 4 and 5, the Department may also prioritize awards 
to applicants that did not receive funding under priorities 6 and 7 in 
the Supplemental Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education (SAIHE) 
program,\3\ depending on the number of applications received.
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    \3\ The SAIHE program under CRRSAA HEERF (HEERF II) addressed 
institutions' unmet needs due to coronavirus. The Department 
announced awards under that program on July 29, 2021.
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    These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1: Underfunded (a)(1) Grantees due to Technical 
Errors, Application Issues, or not Reporting in IPEDS:
    Background: Under Absolute Priority 1, the Department will provide 
funding to institutions that did not receive CRRSAA (a)(1) funding 
because the applicant did not apply by the deadline or did not submit a 
complete application under the correct grants.gov funding opportunity 
number.
    The Department will also fund institutions that could have been 
eligible to receive funding under ARP (a)(1) but did not receive an 
allocation because they did not report 2018/19 student data in the 
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which were the 
data used in calculating the formula awards for ARP (a)(1).
    Note: Institutions that were included on the ARP (a)(1) allocation 
table should not apply here. To accommodate institutions that missed 
the ARP (a)(1) application deadline, the Department is reopening the 
ARP (a)(1) application in a separate notice.
    Absolute Priority 1: The Department invites applications from 
institutions that were underfunded under CRRSAA or ARP (a)(1) for any 
of the following reasons:
    (a) The institution was identified within the Department's 
allocation table \4\ as eligible to receive funding under the 
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 
(CRRSAA) (a)(1) but did not receive an award because the applicant did 
not apply by the deadline or did not submit a complete application 
under the correct grants.gov funding opportunity number.
    (b) The institution could have been eligible to receive funding 
under ARP (a)(1) but did not receive an allocation because it did not 
report 2018/19 student data in the IPEDS, which are the data used in 
calculating the formula awards for ARP (a)(1).
    Award Amounts: Under paragraph (a) of Absolute Priority 1(a), the 
funds will be allocated based on the allocations institutions were 
eligible to receive under CRRSAA, (a)(1). For Absolute Priority 1(b), 
allocations will be based on the formula methodology that was used for 
ARP (a)(1), except that the Department will use updated (2019-2020) 
IPEDS and FSA Pell Volume data. If institutions believe these data do 
not capture their need (e.g., they did not report to IPEDS their 2019-
2020 enrollment), they may provide alternative data in the Profile 
Form.
    Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under paragraph (a) of this 
priority must use its award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 
Students in the amount that would have been required had they received 
a CRRSAA (a)(1) award. A grantee under paragraph (b) of this priority 
must use its award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students 
in the amount that would have been required had they received an ARP 
(a)(1) award.
    Absolute Priority 2: MSI or Strengthening Institutions Program 
(SIP) Grantees that were Underfunded due to Technical Errors or 
Application Issues, are Newly Eligible, or are a Branch Campus:
    Background: Under Absolute Priority 2, the Department invites 
institutions to apply that should have received funds but did not, or 
were underfunded, under MSI or SIP funding streams for several reasons.
    Specifically, the Department intends to fund applicants that did 
not receive ARP(a)(2) funding but have gained new or additional 
eligibility for funds since the time the Department initially allocated 
ARP (a)(2) funding on May 11, 2021 through December 31, 2021, including 
through FY 21 grant competitions, or were a branch campus designated as 
eligible under titles III and V of the HEA according to the FY 2021 
Eligibility Matrix but were not funded under ARP (a)(2) either directly 
or through their parent institutions because the Department did not 
have the requisite data to calculate their allocations. The Department 
also plans to fund institutions that did not receive an award under 
CRRSAA (a)(2) because the applicant did not successfully apply by the 
deadline or failed to submit a complete application under the correct 
funding opportunity number.
    Note: Institutions that were included on the ARP (a)(2) allocation 
table but did not receive an award should not apply here. To 
accommodate these institutions, the Department plans to reopen the ARP 
(a)(2) application in a separate notice.
    Absolute Priority 2: The Department invites applications from IHEs 
that should have received funds but did not, or were underfunded, under 
the HEERF (a)(2) MSI/SIP funding streams for any of the following 
reasons:
    (a) The institution has gained new or additional eligibility for 
funds since the time the Department initially allocated ARP (a)(2) 
funding because the institution was:
    (1) Previously designated as ineligible for ARP (a)(2) funds but 
has since been designated as eligible under titles III or V of the HEA 
through December 31, 2021; or
    (2) Previously eligible under the MSI or SIP funding stream but is 
now eligible under one or more additional (a)(2)-MSI categories.
    (b) The institution did not receive an award under CRRSAA (a)(2) 
because the institution did not successfully apply by the deadline, or 
because the institution failed to submit a complete application under 
the correct funding opportunity number.
    (c) The institution was a branch campus designated as eligible 
under titles III and V of the HEA (according to the FY 2021 Eligibility 
Matrix) but was

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not funded under ARP(a)(2) either directly or through its parent 
institution because the Department did not have the requisite data to 
calculate its allocation.
    Award Amounts: For Absolute Priority 2(a) and (c), the funds will 
be allocated based on the formula methodology in CRRSAA section 
314(a)(2) that was used to calculate ARP (a)(2) MSI/SIP allocations. 
For institutions that were allocated funds under ARP(a)(2) SIP but that 
have been designated eligible as an MSI, the Department will calculate 
the award the institution would have received as an MSI and subtract 
the award the institution already received under SIP. For Absolute 
Priority 2(b), amounts will be based on the amounts allocated on the 
CRRSAA (a)(2) allocation tables.
    Absolute Priority 3: Underfunded ARP (a)(1) Grantees due to an 
Institutional Merger or Change in Program Participation Agreement 
(PPA):
    Background: Under Absolute Priority 3, the Department invites 
applications from institutions that can demonstrate their ARP (a)(1) 
allocation was underfunded or not funded because their student 
enrollment or Pell recipient total was undercounted due to an 
institutional merger not captured in their ARP (a)(1) allocation, or a 
recent change in their HEA Title IV PPA effective date resulting in the 
institution being underfunded due to the formula methodology used to 
calculate allocations under ARP(a)(1). An institution might be eligible 
under this Absolute Priority if it currently has a certified and 
approved PPA but did not have one during the 2018-19 award year.
    Absolute Priority 3: The Department invites applications from 
institutions that can demonstrate their ARP (a)(1) allocation was 
underfunded or not funded because their student enrollment or Pell 
recipient total was undercounted due to--
    (a) An institutional merger not captured in their ARP (a)(1) 
allocation; or
    (b) A change in their HEA Title IV PPA effective date through 
December 31, 2021, resulting in the institution being underfunded due 
to the formula methodology used to calculate allocations under ARP 
(a)(1) award amounts.
    Award Amounts: The funds will be allocated based on the ARP (a)(1) 
formula methodology, using updated (2019-2020) IPEDS and FSA Pell 
Volume data. Institutions that believe these data do not capture their 
need (e.g., they did not report 2019-2020 enrollment to IPEDS) may 
provide alternative data in the Profile Form. The Department will 
deduct any funds already received under ARP (a)(1) by the institutions 
in making awards.
    Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under this priority must use its 
award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students in the amount 
that would have been required had they received an ARP (a)(1) award.
    Absolute Priority 4: Community Colleges and Rural IHEs Serving a 
High Percentage of Low-Income Students and Experiencing Enrollment 
Declines:
    Background: The pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income 
students and the community colleges that help serve those students. 
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, 
the lowest-income households with at least one expected student 
enrolling in postsecondary education were three times more likely to 
cancel their enrollment plans entirely compared to the highest income 
households.\5\
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    \5\ Table 6, www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/hhp/hhp27.html.
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    In response to these enrollment declines, under Absolute Priority 
4, the Department invites applications from community colleges that 
serve a high percentage of low-income students and have experienced 
significant enrollment declines, and from IHEs located in rural 
settings that serve a high percentage of low-income students and have 
experienced significant enrollment declines.
    Under this priority, the Department has set a minimum threshold for 
these institutions, both of which must be met to receive funds: (1) 50 
percent or more of degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students 
enrolled in Fall 2019 were Pell Grant recipients; and (2) a 4.5 percent 
or greater decline in student enrollment from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020. 
These percentages were set using data from IPEDS and represent the 
Department's attempt to prioritize institutions that have the greatest 
unmet needs.
    Through this priority, the Department seeks to make awards to the 
identified categories of IHEs for the purposes of (1) providing 
additional financial aid to students to support their continued 
enrollment and re-enrollment in postsecondary education and (2) 
providing institutional funding that allows institutions to continue to 
support, engage, and reengage their students. Depending on the number 
of applications received, the Department may prioritize institutions 
that did not receive funds under the SAIHE program for the same 
priority.
    Absolute Priority 4: The Department invites applications from 
community colleges, and IHEs located in rural settings, that--
    (a) Had 50 percent or more of degree/certificate-seeking 
undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2019 who were Pell Grant 
recipients; and
    (b) Experienced a 4.5 percent or greater decline in student 
enrollment from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020.
    Award amounts: Awards under this absolute priority will be based on 
each institution's relative share of Pell Grant recipients using FSA 
Pell Program volume data in 2019-2020. The per-Pell-recipient amount 
will be established after the Department receives all the applications 
under this priority.
    Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under this priority must use at 
least 50 percent of its award for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 
Students.
    Note: The following campus settings will be considered rural: Town-
Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural Fringe, Rural-Distant, and 
Rural-Remote, as defined by the National Center for Education 
Statistics (NCES) College Navigator search tool. Applicants may look up 
individual campus locale settings at: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.
    Absolute Priority 5: Institutions Serving High Percentages of 
Graduate Students:
    Background: Finally, the Department is establishing Absolute 
Priority 5 to provide additional support to institutions with high 
percentages of graduate students. Congress specified in section 
2003(a)(3) of the ARP that, in allocating funds to institutions with 
the greatest unmet need due to the coronavirus, the Department should 
consider institutions with large populations of graduate students. 
Accordingly, under this priority, the Department is awarding funds to 
eligible institutions for which graduate students comprise 90 percent 
or more of their student population according to Fall 2020 enrollment 
data provided in IPEDS. This threshold of 90 percent reflects the 
Department's goal of targeting funds to institutions with large 
graduate populations since the weighing of the main ARP formula toward 
Pell recipients meant that these institutions did not receive 
sufficient awards relative to the size of their student body. However, 
because some standalone graduate schools may have small undergraduate 
offerings, we have chosen 90 percent as a threshold to ensure we do not 
exclude a college that is primarily a graduate institution, but which 
also serves a limited number of

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undergraduate students. Depending on the number of applications 
received, the Department may prioritize institutions that did not 
receive funds under SAIHE.
    Absolute Priority 5: The Department invites applications from 
eligible institutions for which graduate students comprise 90 percent 
or more of their student population according to Fall 2020 enrollment 
data provided in IPEDS.
    Award amounts: For Absolute Priority 5, the Department will use the 
number of graduate students enrolled at the institution as reported in 
IPEDS (using Fall 2020 enrollment) to calculate the allocation.
    Student Grant Minimum: Grantees under this priority must use all 
funds awarded to make Emergency Financial Aid Grants to graduate 
Students.
    Definitions: For the FY 2022 grant competition we are establishing 
the following definitions of ``community college'' and ``Minority 
Serving Institution,'' in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Community college means an institution that meets the definition in 
section 312(f) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)) or an IHE (as defined in 
section 101 of the HEA) that awards degrees and certificates, more than 
50 percent of which are not bachelor's degrees (or an equivalent) or 
master's, professional, or other advanced degrees.
    Minority-Serving Institution means an institution that is eligible 
to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title 
III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the HEA.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and definitions. 
Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary to exempt from 
rulemaking requirements regulations governing the first grant 
competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. 
This is the first grant competition for this program under section 2003 
of ARP, as incorporating CRRSAA section 314(a)(3), and therefore 
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, 
the Secretary has decided to forgo formal public comment under the 
Administrative Procedure Act on the priorities and definitions under 
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities and definitions will apply 
to the FY 2022 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition.
    Program Authority: CRRSAA section 314(a)(3) and ARP section 2003.
    Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner 
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal 
civil rights laws.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 
97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget 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 as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474.
    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $197,922,850.
    Estimated Award Amounts and Number of Awards: The award amounts 
will depend on the absolute priority or priorities under which an 
institution is applying. The award amounts and number of awards will 
also depend on the number of applications received under each priority. 
At the time at which we make awards, the Department will post an 
allocation table with award amounts and amounts subject to the use-of-
funds restrictions under the applicable priorities. See the Absolute 
Priorities section of this notice for more information.
    Should requests for funding exceed the amount available under the 
ARP (a)(3) program, the Department reserves the right to make ratable 
reductions for any awards under Absolute Priorities 1-3 and to 
determine the amount of funding needed to support each of the absolute 
priorities based on applications received. For Absolute Priorities 4 
and 5, the Department may prioritize awards to applicants that did not 
receive funding under SAIHE, depending on the number of applications 
received.
    In making awards under Absolute Priority 4, the Department may also 
give priority to eligible applicants in the following order:

    Tier 1: Community colleges; and
    Tier 2: Other public and private nonprofit IHEs in rural 
settings.

    Depending on the funds available for this absolute priority, some 
applicants may not be funded based on tier rankings. An IHE must 
complete Section 5 of the Profile form for this absolute priority.
    Project Period: Up to 12 months.
    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are IHEs (as defined in 
section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that are public or private 
non-profit IHEs that meet the eligibility requirements specified in the 
absolute priority or priorities under which the applicant applies. With 
the exception of Absolute Priority 2(c), institutional eligibility is 
based on the six-digit OPEID.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award 
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities 
described in its application.
    4. Uses of Funds: Unless noted otherwise, in accordance with 
section 2003 of the ARP, grantees may use these grant funds for their 
institutional costs to defray expenses associated with coronavirus 
(including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, 
technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, 
faculty and staff trainings, and payroll); and to make additional 
Emergency Financial Grants to Students, which may be used for any 
component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs 
that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health 
care (including mental health care), and child care.
    Additionally, no funds received by an IHE under this section may be 
used to fund contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment 
recruitment activities; marketing or recruitment; endowments; capital 
outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian 
instruction, or religious worship; senior administrator or executive 
salaries, benefits, bonuses, contracts, incentives; stock buybacks, 
shareholder dividends, capital distributions, and stock options; or any 
other cash or other benefit for a senior administrator or executive.
    Furthermore, in accordance with ARP section 2003(5), an institution 
that has not previously received ARP (a)(1) or (a)(2) funding must use 
a portion of funds received under any of the absolute priorities in 
this competition to (A) implement evidence-based practices to monitor 
and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public health guidelines; 
and (B) conduct direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the 
opportunity to receive a

[[Page 6159]]

financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family 
member or independent student, or other circumstances, described in 
section 479A.
    Finally, grantees under certain priorities are required to expend a 
certain percentage of funds on Emergency Financial Aid Grants to 
Students. The Department will publish an ARP (a)(3) allocation table 
will identify the minimum amount that each institution must spend on 
Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students amounts at the time of 
award.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to 
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of 
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal 
Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at 
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979, which contain requirements and 
information on how to submit an application. Please note that these 
Common Instructions supersede the version published on February 13, 
2019, and, in part, describe the transition from applicants using a 
DUNS Number to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). More information on 
the phase-out of the DUNS Number is available here: www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.
    2. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, 
under 34 CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to 
make awards in a timely manner.
    3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations sections of this notice. We 
describe requirements relating to the uses of funds, including funding 
restrictions, under this program in the Uses of Funds section of this 
notice.
    4. Recommended Page Limit: The application for this program 
includes the Standard Form 424, the Certificate and Agreement, and the 
SSARP Program Profile Information Form. The project narrative form in 
grants.gov is where you, the applicant, will include the Certificate 
and Agreement for this program and the SSARP Program Profile 
Information Form.
    5. Program Profile Information Form: Applicants must complete the 
Program Profile Information Form and submit the form under the program 
narrative form in grants.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    1. 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 
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 
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    For this competition, the Department has waived the peer review 
process for this program. Department staff will review eligible 
applications using the criteria specified in the applicable absolute 
priority or priorities.
    2. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
200.208, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR 
3474.10, 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.
    3. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this 
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project 
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently 
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your 
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal 
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make 
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that 
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as 
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System 
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may 
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal 
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
    Please note that, if the total value of your currently active 
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the 
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity 
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal 
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
    4. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and 
Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal 
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and 
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting 
applications in accordance with:
    (a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering 
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of 
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
    (b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video 
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) (2 CFR 
200.216);
    (c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to 
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United 
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
    (d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest 
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program 
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, the 
individuals listed as the Authorizing Representative and Director will 
receive a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email 
containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we will 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

[[Page 6160]]

application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: (a) Institutions receiving a grant under this program 
must report their expenditures using the HEERF Public Quarterly 
Reporting Form and the HEERF Annual Report. More information is 
available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfreporting.html.
    (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 multiyear 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).

VII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an 
accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an 
accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text 
format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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 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.

Michelle Asha Cooper,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs, Delegated the 
Authority to Perform the Functions and Duties of the Assistant 
Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2022-02338 Filed 2-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P