02-18602. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Indian Education; Demonstration Grants for Indian Children; Notice Inviting Applications for New Discretionary Program Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Demonstration Grants program is to provide financial assistance to projects to develop, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of preschool, elementary, and secondary students, through activities such as:

(a) Innovative programs related to the educational needs of educationally deprived children;

(b) Educational services that are not available to such children in sufficient quantity or quality, including remedial instruction, to raise the achievement of Indian children in one or more of the core academic subjects of English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, art, history, and geography;

(c) Bilingual and bicultural programs and projects;

(d) Special health and nutrition services, and other related activities, that address the special health, social, and psychological problems of Indian children;

(e) Special compensatory and other programs and projects to assist and encourage Indian children to enter, remain in, or reenter school, and to increase the rate of secondary school graduation;

(f) Comprehensive guidance, counseling, and testing services;

(g) Early childhood and kindergarten programs, including family-based preschool programs that emphasize school readiness and parental skills, and the provision of services to Indian children with disabilities;

(h) Partnership projects between local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education that allow secondary school students to enroll in courses at the postsecondary level to aid these students in the transition from secondary school to postsecondary education;

(i) Partnership projects between schools and local businesses for school-to-work transition programs designed to provide Indian youth with the knowledge and skills they need to make an effective transition from school to a first job in a high-skill, high-wage career;

(j) Programs designed to encourage and assist Indian students to work toward, and gain entrance into, an institution of higher education; or

(k) Other services that meet the purpose of this program.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this program include a State educational agency (SEA); LEA; Indian tribe; Indian organization; federally supported elementary and secondary school for Indian students; Indian institution, including an Indian institution of higher education; or a consortium of such institutions that meet the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129.

Note:

An application from a consortium of eligible entities must meet the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129. The written agreement must be submitted with the application. The agreement must be signed or the applicant must submit other evidence that all the members of the consortium agree to the contents of the agreement. Letters of support do not meet the consortium requirements. The Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that does not meet these requirements.

Applications Available: July 23, 2002.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 22, 2002.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 22, 2002.

Available Funds: $4,200,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000 to $400,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $280,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 15.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Budget Requirement: Projects funded under this competition must budget for a one and one-half day Project Directors' meeting during each year of the budget.

Maximum Annual Award Amount: In no case does the Secretary make an award greater than $400,000 during any single budget period in the award. The Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding these maximum amounts.

Page Limit: The application narrative is where an applicant addresses the selection criteria that are used by reviewers in evaluating the application. An applicant must limit the narrative to the equivalent of no more than 75 double-spaced pages, using the following standards:

(1) A “page” is 81/2″ × 11″ (one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom and sides).

(2) 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, must be double-spaced (no more than three lines per vertical inch).

(3) For all text (including charts, tables, 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 the cover sheet; the budget section (including the narrative budget justification); the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, appendices, resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the application narrative addressing the selection criteria must be included in the narrative section.

Reviewers will not read any pages of applications that—

• Exceed the page limit if one applies these standards; or
• Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if one applies other standards.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) 34 CFR Part 263.

Priorities

Absolute Priority

Under Section 34 CFR 75.102 of EDGAR, the Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the priority selected. The program regulations at 34 CFR 263.21(c) identify the absolute priorities for the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program that may be selected by the Secretary. For the FY 2002 grant competition, the Secretary reserves all of the funds available for new awards under the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program to fund only those applications that meet one or more of the following absolute priorities found at 34 CFR 263.21(c):

(1) 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 school level.

(2) Early childhood and kindergarten programs, including family-based preschool programs, emphasizing school readiness and parental skills.

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

Competitive Preference

(1) In making multiyear grants under this program, the Secretary will award five (5) additional points to an application that presents a plan for combining two or more of the activities described in Section 7121(c) of the Act over a period of more than one year.

(2) In making grants under this program, the Secretary will award five (5) additional points to an application submitted by an Indian tribe, Indian organization, and 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 meet 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 (5) additional priority points. The written consortium agreement must be submitted with the application. The agreement must be signed or the applicant must submit other evidence that all the members of the consortium agree to the contents of the agreement. Letters of support do not meet the consortium requirements. The Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that does not meet these requirements.

Authority: Section 7143; 20 U.S.C. 7473.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria are included in full in the application package for this competition. These selection criteria were established based on the regulations for evaluating discretionary grants found in 34 CFR 75.200 through 75.209.

Application Procedures

Note:

Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting applications differ from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

In FY 2002, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. The Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program, CFDA 84.299A, is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.

The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for improvement.

If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the following:

• Your participation is voluntary.
• You will not receive any additional point value or penalty because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
• You can submit all documents electronically, including the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
• Within three working days of submitting your electronic application fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following these steps:

1. Print the ED 424 form from the e-APPLICATION system.

2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative signs this form.

3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your application).

4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 424.

5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center at [phone].

• We may request that you give us original signatures on all other forms at a later date.

You may access the electronic grant application for the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic Applications and Transmittal Instructions) in the application package.

Note:

Your e-APPLICATION must be submitted through the Internet using the software provided on the e-Grants Web Site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the deadline date. All e-APPLICATION submissions that are attempted after that time on the closing date will not be accepted. Applicants that miss the e-APPLICATION submission time must print out their entire application (an original and two copies) and transmit hard copies of the application, following the transmittal procedures for mail or hand delivery, not later than midnight of the closing date.

For Applications Contact: 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 telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734. You may also contact ED Pubs via its Web site (http://www.ed.gov/​edpubs.html) or its E-mail address ([e-mail]). 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 by contacting the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: [phone]. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cathie Martin, Office of Indian Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W115, Washington, DC 20202-6335. Telephone: [phone]. Internet address: [e-mail].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Services (FIRS) 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.

Electronic Access to This Document

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

You may also view this document at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/​offices/​OESE/​oie/​index.html.

Note:

The official version of this document is 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.access.gpo.gov/​nara/​index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7831.

Dated: July 18, 2002.

Susan B. Neuman,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.