[Federal Register: December 24, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 248)]
[Notices]
[Page 79060-79063]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24de08-49]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information;
Foundations for Learning; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215H.
Dates: Applications Available: December 24, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 24, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 27, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: This program supports projects to help eligible
children become ready for school.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority
is from section 5542 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA), 20
U.S.C. 7269a.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2009 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition,
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we
consider only applications that meet this priority.
This priority is: Grants to local educational agencies (LEAs),
local councils, community-based organizations (CBOs), including faith-
based organizations, and other public and nonprofit private entities,
or a combination of such entities, to assist eligible children to
become ready for school.
To be eligible for funding, a project must propose one or more of
the following:
(1) To deliver services to eligible children and their families
that foster eligible children's emotional, behavioral, and social
development.
(2) To coordinate and facilitate access by eligible children and
their families to the services available through community resources,
including mental health, physical health, substance abuse, educational,
domestic violence prevention, child welfare, and social services.
(3) To provide ancillary services such as transportation or child
care in order to facilitate the delivery of any other authorized
services or activities.
(4) To develop or enhance early childhood community partnerships
and build toward a community system of care that brings together child-
serving agencies or organizations to provide individualized supports
for eligible children and their families.
(5) To evaluate the success of strategies and services provided
pursuant to the grant in promoting young children's successful entry to
school and to maintain data systems required for effective evaluations.
(6) To pay for the expenses of administering the grant activities,
including assessment of children's eligibility for services.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7269a.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, 99, and 299.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration's budget request for
FY 2009 does not include funds for this program. However, we are
inviting
[[Page 79061]]
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards later in FY 2009 and FY
2010 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $245,500.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 18 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (1) LEAs, including charter schools that
are considered LEAs under State law; (2) local councils; (3) CBOs,
including faith-based organizations; (4) other public or nonprofit
private entities; or (5) a combination of such entities.
2.a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements in accordance with section 5541(i) of the
ESEA.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following
address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/learningfoundations/applicant.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also:
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.215H.
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 person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
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.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 24, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 24, 2009.
Applications for grants under this program may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV.6.
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 CONTACT in section VII
of 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.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 27, 2009.
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:
Limitations on Use of Funds
(1) Grant funds may be used only to pay for services that cannot be
paid for using other Federal, State, or local public resources or
through private insurance.
(2) A grantee may not use more than three percent of the amount of
the grant to pay the expenses of administering the authorized
activities, including assessment of children's eligibility for services
(20 U.S.C. 7269a).
We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the
Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this program may be submitted
electronically or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We are participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov
Apply site. Foundations for Learning, CFDA number 84.215H, is included
in this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Governmentwide 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.
You may access the electronic grant application for Foundations for
Learning 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 (e.g., search for 84.215,
not 84.215H).
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
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 date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 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.
[[Page 79062]]
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 program 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 steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include
(1) Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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 Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see
http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).
You also must 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 submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including all information you
typically provide on the following forms: 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.
If you submit your application electronically, 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.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application 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 experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
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 4:30:00 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 described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. 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 4:30:00
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: The extensions to which we refer 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 application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 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 84.215H), 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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) 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
84.215H), 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
[[Page 79063]]
Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if
any, of the competition under which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this 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
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 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 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 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. You must also submit an interim progress report
twelve months after the award date. This report should provide the most
current performance and financial expenditure information as directed
by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. 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 Foundations for Learning grants program: (1) The percentage of
eligible children served by the grant attaining measurable gains in
emotional, behavioral, and social development; and (2) the percentage
of eligible children and their families served by the grant receiving
individualized support from child-serving agencies or organizations.
Note that in applying the selection criteria to be used in this
competition for ``Quality of project services'' and ``Quality of the
project evaluation,'' the Secretary will take into consideration the
extent to which the applicant demonstrates a strong capacity to provide
reliable data on these indicators.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dana Carr, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 10096, PCP, Washington, DC
20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 245-7868 or by e-mail: dana.carr@ed.gov.
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 under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT 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. 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 (202) 512-1530.
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: December 19, 2008.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E8-30706 Filed 12-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P