2022-11178. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Application for Grants Under the Strengthening Institutions Program, CFDA #84.031A & 84.031F

AGENCY:

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 24, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this information collection request by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Comments may also be sent to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Nalina Lamba-Nieves, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Application for grants under the Strengthening Institutions Program, CFDA #84.031A & 84.031F.

OMB Control Number: 1840-0114.

Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 590.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 38,350.

Abstract: This collection is the application booklet for the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), ALN #84.031A & 84.031F. SIP provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to improve their academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability to increase their self-sufficiency and strengthen their capacity. Funding is targeted to institutions that enroll a large proportion of financially disadvantaged students and have low per-student expenditures. Section 311(b) and Section 391(a)(1) of Title III, Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 US Code § 1057 and the governing regulations (34 CFR 607.1-607.31) require collection of the information identified in the application package, in order to make awards.

This collection is being submitted under the Streamlined Clearance Process for Discretionary Grant Information Collections (1894-0001). Therefore, the 30-day public comment period notice will be the only public comment notice published for this information collection.

Dated: May 19, 2022.

Kun Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.