[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38793-38797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16366]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education
Overview Information; Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) ;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.031A.
Dates:
Applications Available: July 6, 2010.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 5, 2010.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The SIP provides grants to eligible
institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help them become self
sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students, by
providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution's academic
quality, institutional management and fiscal stability.
Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested
in applications that address the following priorities.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2010, there are four invitational
priorities for this program. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give
an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive
or absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority 1.
Support activities that will improve the institution's persistence
and graduation rates.
Invitational Priority 2.
Work with the appropriate State agencies to develop strategies for
using State longitudinal data systems to track outcomes for students
attending the grantee institution, including the extent to which the
students complete certificates, two-year degrees, and four-year degrees
at other institutions.
Invitational Priority 3.
Develop academic programs to improve course completion rates or
develop innovative support programs that are designed to increase
completion rates.
Invitational Priority 4.
Develop dual enrollment programs that facilitate the transition
between high school and college or career pathway programs that
integrate basic academic instruction with technical or professional
occupational training to advance individuals, particularly adult
learners, on a career path toward high-wage occupations in high-demand
industries.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057--1059d (Title III, Part A of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in
34 CFR part 607.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $17,830,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2011 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Estimated
Program name and type of award Maximum award number of average award
amount awards amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengthening Institutions Program (84.031A)......
5-year Development Grants......................... $400,000 47 $365,000
5-year Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. $500,000 1 $400,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 38794]]
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months for development grants and
cooperative arrangement development grants.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: This program is authorized by Title III,
Part A, of the HEA. To qualify as an eligible institution under any
Title III, Part A program, an institution must, among other
requirements--
(1) Be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to
be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training
offered;
(2) Be legally authorized by the State in which it is located to be
a junior college or to provide an educational program for which it
awards a bachelor's degree;
(3) Be designated as an ``eligible institution'' by demonstrating
that it: (A) Has an enrollment of needy students as described in 34 CFR
607.3; and B) has low average educational and general expenditures per
full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student as described in 34 CFR
607.4.
Relationship between the Title III, Part A programs and the
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program.
Note 1: A grantee under the Developing Hispanic-Serving
Institutions (HSI) program, which is authorized under Title V of the
HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, Title III, Part A
program. The Title III, Part A programs include SIP, Tribally
Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native
Hawaiian-serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American
Pacific Islander-serving Institutions, and Native American-serving
Nontribal Institutions. Further, a current HSI program grantee may
not give up its HSI grant to receive a grant under any Title III,
Part A program.
Note 2: An eligible HSI that does not fall within the limitation
described in Note 1 (i.e., is not a current grantee under the HSI
program) may apply for a FY 2010 grant under all Title III, Part A
programs for which it is eligible, as well as receive consideration
for a grant under the HSI program. However, a successful applicant
may receive only one grant.
Note 3: An eligible IHE that submits more than one application
may only be awarded one individual development grant or one
cooperative arrangement development grant in a fiscal year. We will
not award a second cooperative arrangement development grant to an
otherwise eligible IHE for the same award year as the IHE's existing
cooperative arrangement development grant award.
Note 4: The Department will make five-year awards for individual
development grants and five-year awards for cooperative arrangement
development grants in rank order from the funding slate according to
the average score received from a panel of three readers.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for
establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a
portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match those
grant funds with non-Federal funds (20 U.S.C. 1059c(c)(3)(B)).
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Grant funds shall be used so that they
supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the funds that would
otherwise be available for the activities to be carried out under the
grant and in no case supplant those funds (34 CFR 607.30(b)).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application via the Internet using the following address: http://e-grants.ed.gov. If you do not have access to the Internet, please
contact Imogene Byers or Darlene B. Collins, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513.
You may contact the individuals at the following e-mail addresses and
telephone numbers:
[email protected]; (202) 502-7672.
[email protected]; (202) 502-7576.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed
in this section.
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 program.
Page Limits: We have established mandatory page limits for the
applications to be submitted under this notice. You must limit your
application to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages for an
individual development grant, and 70 pages for a cooperative
arrangement development grant, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side
only, with 1 inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page
numbers and an identifier may be outside the 1 margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, captions and all text in charts,
tables, figures, and graphs. Charts, tables, figures, and graphs in the
application narrative may be single spaced and will count toward the
page limit.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, and no
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, Application for
Federal Assistance (SF-424); the Supplemental Information for SF-424
Form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the Budget
Information Summary Form (ED Form 524); and Part IV, the assurance and
certifications. The page limit also does not apply to the one-page
abstract, the table of contents, the resumes, and the bibliography. If
you include any attachments or appendices, these items will be counted
as part of the Program Narrative (Part III of the application) for
purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include your complete
response to the selection criteria in the program narrative.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page
limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 6, 2010.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 5, 2010.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV.7. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
[[Page 38795]]
CONTACT in section VII in this notice. If the Department provides an
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in
connection with the application process, the individual's application
remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this
notice.
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 the regulations outlining
funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this
notice.
Applicability of Executive Order 13202. Applicants that apply for
construction funds under the Title III, Part A programs, must comply
with Executive Order 13202 signed by former President George W. Bush on
February 17, 2001, and amended on April 6, 2001. This Executive Order
provides that recipients of Federal construction funds may not
``require or prohibit bidders, offerors, contractors, or subcontractors
to enter into or adhere to agreements with one or more labor
organizations, on the same or other construction project(s)'' or
``otherwise discriminate against bidders, offerors, contractors, or
subcontractors for becoming or refusing to become or remain signatories
or otherwise adhere to agreements with one or more labor organizations,
on the same or other construction project(s).'' However, the Executive
Order does not prohibit contractors or subcontractors from voluntarily
entering into these agreements. Projects funded under this program that
include construction activity will be provided a copy of this Executive
Order and will be asked to certify that they will adhere to it.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the
Department of Education, (1) you must have a Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); (2)
you must register both of those numbers with the Central Contractor
Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant database; and (3)
you must provide those same numbers on your application.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one business day.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization
you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an
individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or
the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow
2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take
three or more business days to complete.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under the
SIP 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 SIP--CFDA number 84.031A, must be
submitted electronically using e-Application, accessible through the
Department's e-Grants Web site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this
program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m.
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
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 you typically provide on the following forms: The
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 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 in this paragraph 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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number
(an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application
Unavailability:
[[Page 38796]]
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on
the application deadline date because e-Application is unavailable, we
will grant you an extension of one business day to enable you to
transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery.
We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date; or
(b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
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 e-Application system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
e-Application;
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
prevents 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: Imogene Byers or Darlene
B. Collins, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th
floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513. FAX: (202) 502-7861.
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 following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.031A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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.
(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.
(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 84.031A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number including and
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you notification of
receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive the grant
notification within 15 business days from the application deadline
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application
Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR 607.22, paragraphs (a)-(g). Applicants must address each of
the following selection criteria (separately for each proposed
activity). The total weight of the selection criteria is 100 points;
the maximum score for each criterion is noted in parentheses. The
complete language of the selection criteria is in the application
package for this competition.
(a) Quality of The Applicant's Comprehensive Development Plan
(Maximum 25 Points).
(b) Quality of Activity Objectives (Maximum 15 Points).
(c) Quality of Implementation Strategy (Maximum 20 Points).
(d) Quality of Key Personnel (Maximum 7 Points).
(e) Quality of Project Management Plan (Maximum 10 Points).
(f) Quality of Evaluation Plan (Maximum 15 Points).
(g) Budget (Maximum 8 Points).
2. Review and Selection Process: Awards will be made in rank order
according to the average score received from a panel of three readers.
Tie-breaker for Development Grants. In tie-breaking situations for
development grants, 34 CFR 607.23(b) of the regulations requires that
we award one additional point to an application from an IHE that has an
endowment fund of which the current market value, per full time
equivalent (FTE) enrolled student, is less than the average current
market value of the endowment funds, per FTE enrolled student at
similar type
[[Page 38797]]
institutions. We award one additional point to an application from an
IHE that had expenditures for library materials per FTE enrolled
student that are less than the average expenditure for library
materials per FTE enrolled student at similar type institutions. We
also add one additional point to an application from an IHE that
proposes to carry out one or more of the following activities--
(1) Faculty development;
(2) Funds and administrative management;
(3) Development and improvement of academic programs;
(4) Acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening management
and academic programs;
(5) Joint use of facilities; and
(6) Student services.
For the purpose of these funding considerations, we use 2007-2008
data.
If a tie remains after applying the tie-breaker mechanism above,
priority will be given in the case of applicants for: (a) Individual
development grants to applicants that have the lowest endowment values
per FTE enrolled student; and (b) cooperative arrangement development
grants to applicants in accordance with section 394(b) of the HEA, if
the Secretary determines that the cooperative arrangement is
geographically and economically sound or will benefit the applicant
institution.
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 notify you informally, also.
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 in 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 directed by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118 and 34 CFR 607.31. The Secretary may also require more
frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific
requirements on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of
the Title III, Part A SIP:
a. The percentage change, over the 5-year period, of the number of
full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled at SIP institutions.
Note that this is a long-term measure, which will be used to
periodically gauge performance, beginning in FY 2009;
b. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students at 4-year SIP institutions who were in their
first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are
enrolled in the current year at the same SIP institution;
c. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students at 2-year SIP institutions who were in their
first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are
enrolled in the current year at the same SIP institution;
d. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students enrolled at 4-year SIP institutions graduating
within 6 years of enrollment; and
e. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students enrolled at 2-year SIP institutions graduating
within 3 years of enrollment.
VII. Agency Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Imogene Byers or Darlene B. Collins,
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor,
Washington, DC 20006-8513. You may contact these individuals at the
following e-mail addresses and telephone numbers:
[email protected]; (202) 502-7672.
[email protected]; (202) 502-7576.
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed in section VII of this
notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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.
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.
Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education, to perform the
functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education.
Dated: June 30, 2010.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2010-16366 Filed 7-2-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P