2015-11658. Tribal Education Department Grant Program

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Education, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of availability and request for proposals.

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SUMMARY:

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) announces the availability of grants to tribes and their tribal education departments for projects identified at 25 U.S.C. 2020. This notice invites tribes with BIE-funded schools on or near Indian lands to submit grant proposals.

DATES:

Grant proposals must be received by June 15, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The BIE will hold pre-application training sessions, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for more information.

ADDRESSES:

Complete details on requirements for proposals and the evaluation and selection process can be found on the BIE Web site at this address: www.bie.edu. Submit grant applications to: Bureau of Indian Education, Attn: Ms. Wendy Greyeyes, 1849 C Street NW., MS-4657-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Email submissions will be accepted at this address: [e-mail]. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for directions on email submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Wendy Greyeyes, Bureau of Indian Education, Office of the BIE Director, [phone]; [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Secretary of the Interior, through BIE, may solicit grant proposals from federally recognized tribes and their tribal education departments (TEDs) for projects defined by 25 U.S.C. 2020. These funds will support the program goals for the following areas to promote tribal education capacity building within Indian reservations to:

• Provide for the development and enforcement of tribal educational codes, including tribal educational policies and tribal standards applicable to curriculum, personnel, students, facilities, and support programs;
• Facilitate tribal control in all matters relating to the education of Indian children on reservations (and on former Indian reservations in Oklahoma); and
• Provide for the development of coordinated educational programs (including all preschool, elementary, secondary, and higher or vocational educational programs funded by tribal, Federal, or other sources) on reservations (and on former Indian reservations in Oklahoma) by encouraging administrative support of all BIE-funded educational programs and encouraging tribal cooperation and coordination with entities carrying out all educational programs receiving financial support from other Federal agencies, State agencies, or private entities.

Grant awards will range from $25,000 to $150,000 per fiscal year depending on the number of projects, number of educational programs impacted, project design and expected outcomes. Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, a grant provided under 25 U.S.C. 2020 shall be provided for a period of three years. If the performance of a grant recipient is satisfactory to the Secretary, the grant may be renewed for an additional two-year term. As defined by 25 U.S.C. 2020, top priority will be given to proposals that meet the following:

• Serve three or more separate BIE-funded schools;
• Provide coordinating services and technical assistance to all relevant BIE-funded schools;
• Plan to monitor and audit grant funds by or through the TED; and/or
• Provide a plan and schedule that:

○ Provides for:

The assumption, by the TED, of all assets and functions of the BIE agency office associated with the tribe, to the extent the assets and functions relate to education; and

the termination by BIE of such functions and office at the time of such assumption; and

○ provides that the assumption will occur over the term of the grant, unless mutually agreeable to the tribal governing body and the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, the period in which such assumption is to occur may be modified, reduced, or extended after the initial year of the grant.

BIE is seeking proposals from tribes that support the development of TEDs to improve educational outcomes for students and improve efficiencies and effectiveness in the operation of BIE-funded schools. Each proposal must include a project narrative, a budget narrative, and a work plan outline. Grant recipients must submit quarterly budget updates and an annual report at the end of each project year to ensure that the TED fulfills the obligations of the grant. Complete details on requirements for proposals and the evaluation and selection process can be found on the BIE Web site at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. In addition, BIE will hold pre-grant proposal training at several sites:

BIE Pre-Grant Proposal Training

Date	Time	Location
Monday, May 18, 2015	11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Local Time)	Webinar Session (Washington, DC): To register for this session, go to: https://dcma100.webex.com/​dcma100/​k2/​j.php?​MTID=​t483049bb290ad1f0c1fa16ea0d979b83.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015	9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Local Time)	Albuquerque, New Mexico. More detailed information is available at www.bie.edu.
Monday, June 1, 2015	9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Local Time)	Bismarck, North Dakota. More detailed information is available at www.bie.edu.

The grant proposal is due June 15, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The proposal should be packaged for delivery to permit timely arrival and sent or hand-delivered to the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

Fax applications will NOT be accepted. Email submissions will be accepted at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Email submissions are limited to attachments compatible with Microsoft Office Word 2007 or later or files with a .pdf file extension. Emailed submissions must not exceed 3MB total in size.

Proposals submitted by Federal Express or Express Mail should be sent two or more days before the closing date to ensure receipt by the deadline. The proposal package should be sent to the address shown in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. The tribe is solely responsible for ensuring that its proposal arrives in a timely manner.

Dated: May 11, 2015.

Lawrence S. Roberts,

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.