06-1867. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Office of Indian Education-Demonstration Grants for Indian Children; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.299A.

Dates:

Applications Available: February 28, 2006.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 30, 2006.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 30, 2006.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this program include State educational agencies (SEAs); local educational agencies (LEAs); Indian tribes; Indian organizations; federally supported elementary or secondary schools for Indian students; Indian institutions (including Indian institutions of higher education); or a consortium of any of these institutions.

An application from a consortium of eligible entities must meet the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129. An application from a consortium of eligible entities must include a consortium agreement. Letters of support do not meet the requirement for a consortium agreement.

Applicants applying in consortium with or as an “Indian organization” must demonstrate eligibility by showing how the “Indian organization” meets all the criteria outlined in 34 CFR 263.20.

The term “Indian institution of higher education” means an accredited college or university within the United States that is cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), any other institution that qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and Dine College (formerly Navajo Community College), authorized in the Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.).

We will reject any application that does not meet these requirements.

Estimated Available Funds: $3,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $275,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $250,000.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $275,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 12.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program is to provide financial assistance to projects that develop, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of preschool, elementary, and secondary Indian students. To meet the purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, this program will focus project services on (1) increasing school readiness skills of three- and four-year-old American Indian and Alaska Native children; and (2) enabling American Indian and Alaska Native high school graduates to transition successfully to postsecondary education by increasing their competency and skills in challenging subjects, including mathematics and science.

Priorities: This competition contains two absolute priorities and two competitive preference priorities.

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2006 these priorities are absolute priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), these priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 263.21(c)(1) and (3)). Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet one or both of the following priorities.

These priorities are:

Absolute Priority One

School readiness projects that provide age-appropriate educational programs and language skills to three- and four-year-old Indian students to prepare them for successful entry into school at the kindergarten level.

Absolute Priority Two

College preparatory programs for secondary school students designed to increase competency and skills in challenging subject matter, including mathematics and science, to enable Indian students to transition successfully to postsecondary education.

Competitive Preference Priorities: Within these absolute priorities, we give competitive preference to applicants that address the following priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 10 points to an application, depending on the extent to which the application meets one or both of these priorities.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority One

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 7121 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 7441(d)(1)(B). We award five competitive preference priority points to an applicant that presents a plan for combining two or more of the activities described in section 7121(c) of the ESEA over a period of more than one year.

Note:

For Competitive Preference Priority One, the combination of activities is limited to the activities described in the Absolute Priorities.

Competitive Preference Priority Two

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 7143 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7473. We award five competitive preference priority points to an application submitted by an Indian tribe, Indian organization, or Indian institution of higher education, including a consortium of any of these entities with other eligible entities. An application from a consortium of eligible entities that meets the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129 and includes an Indian tribe, Indian organization, or Indian institution of higher education will be considered eligible to receive the five competitive preference points. These competitive preference points are in addition to the five competitive preference points that may be given under Competitive Preference Priority One.

Note:

A consortium agreement, signed by all parties, must be submitted with the application in order for the application to be considered a consortium application. Letters of support do not meet the requirement for a consortium agreement. We will reject any application from a consortium that does not meet this requirement.

Note:

The term “Indian institution of higher education” means an accredited college or university within the United States that is cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), any other institution that qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and Dine College (formerly Navajo Community College), authorized in the Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.).

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7441.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 263.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: $3,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $275,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $250,000.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $275,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 12.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this program include SEAs; LEAs; Indian tribes; Indian organizations; federally supported elementary or secondary schools for Indian students; Indian institutions (including Indian institutions of higher education); or a consortium of any of these institutions.

An application from a consortium of eligible entities must meet the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129. An application from a consortium of eligible entities must include a consortium agreement. Letters of support do not meet the requirement for a consortium agreement.

Applicants applying in consortium with or as an “Indian organization” must demonstrate eligibility by showing how the “Indian organization” meets all the criteria outlined in 34 CFR 263.20.

The term “Indian institution of higher education” means an accredited college or university within the United States that is cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), any other institution that qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and Dine College (formerly Navajo Community College), authorized in the Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.).

We will reject any application that does not meet these requirements.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost sharing or matching.

3. Other: Projects funded under this competition must budget for a one-and-one-half-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year of the project period.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: [phone]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.

You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/​pubs/​edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: [e-mail].

You may also obtain the application package electronically by downloading it from the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/​about/​offices/​list/​oese/​oie/​index.html.

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.299A.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this competition.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1′ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.

Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that:

• Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
• Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other standards.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: February 28, 2006.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 30, 2006.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 30, 2006.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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 program.

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. 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 Demonstration Grants for Indian Children—CFDA Number 84.299A must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

You may access the electronic grant application for Demonstration Grants for Indian Children at: http://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.

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 time and date stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/​help/​GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
• To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/​GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the new Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/​assets/​GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You must also provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.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 typically included on the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified above or submit a password protected file, we will not review that material.
• Your electronic application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-mail that will include 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 prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). 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 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:

Extensions referred to 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 deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because:

• You do not have access to the Internet; or
• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

and

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and mail or fax your statement to: Lana Shaughnessy, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5C152, Washington, DC 20202-6335. FAX: [phone].

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.299A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260,

or

By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center “ Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.299A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service,

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier, or

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark, or

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application.

Note:

The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

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 84.299A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number—and suffix letter, if any—of the competition under which you are submitting your application.

(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at [phone].

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.

3. Reporting. At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118.

4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program: (1) The percentage of pre-school American Indian and Alaska Native students who possess school readiness skills gained through a scientifically based research curriculum that prepares them for kindergarten; (2) the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native high school students successfully completing (as defined by receiving a passing grade) challenging core subjects (including English, mathematics, science and social studies); and (3) the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native high school students attaining at least the district average score in national college entrance examinations (the ACT and the SAT) and preliminary college entrance examinations (the PSAT).

Under the selection criteria “Quality of project services” and “Quality of the project evaluation,” we will consider the extent to which the applicant demonstrates a strong capacity to provide reliable data on these measures.

All grantees will be expected to submit, as part of their performance report, information documenting their progress with regard to these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Lana Shaughnessy, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5C152, Washington, DC 20202-6335. Telephone: [phone] or by e-mail: [e-mail].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in this section.

VII. Other Information

Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/​news/​fedregister.

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at [phone].

Note:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/​nara/​index.html.

Dated: February 23, 2006.

Henry L. Johnson,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.