[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 82 (Thursday, April 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24764-24765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10325]



  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 82 / Thursday, April 27, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA NO. 84.334]


Office of Postsecondary Education, Gaining Early Awareness and 
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year 2000

Purpose of Program

    The purpose of this program is to give more elementary school, 
middle school, and secondary school low-income students the skills, 
motivation, and preparation needed to pursue postsecondary education. 
Through early college preparation and awareness activities, eligible 
students are provided comprehensive mentoring, counseling, outreach and 
supportive services, including information to students and their 
parents about the benefits of postsecondary education and the 
availability of Federal financial assistance to attend college. Through 
the scholarship component, which is mandatory for State grants and 
optional for Partnership grants, eligible students are provided 
scholarships for higher education.

Eligible Applicants

    1. Partnerships with at least--
     One institution of higher education. This may be any 
degree-granting two-year or four-year college or university;
     One local educational agency (school district) on behalf 
of one or more schools with a 7th grade and the high school(s) that the 
students at these middle schools would normally attend. Generally, at 
least 50 percent of the students attending the participating school 
with a 7th grade must be eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. 
However, as an alternative, Partnerships may choose to work with one or 
more grade levels of students, beginning not later than the 7th grade, 
who reside in public housing; and
     Two additional organizations, such as businesses, 
professional associations, community-based organizations, State 
Agencies, elementary schools, philanthropic organizations, religious 
groups, and other public or private organizations.
    2. State Agencies as designated by the State's Governor, one per 
State.
    Applications Available: April 27, 2000.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 26, 2000.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 25, 2000.
    Available Funds: $47,000,000.
    Estimated Average Awards: No minimum, maximum or average award has 
been established for Partnership grants. The size of each Partnership 
grant will depend on the number of students served. However, there is a 
maximum annual Federal contribution of $800 per student for Partnership 
grants.
    For State grants, the estimated average award is $1.5 million to $2 
million with a $5 million maximum and no minimum award.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 6 State grant awards and 74 partnership 
grant awards.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months, unless the Department announces 
that Congress has passed a technical amendment to the contrary.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary uses the selection criteria in accordance with 34 CFR 
75.209 and 75.210 to evaluate applications for Gaining Early Awareness 
and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The application package 
includes selection criteria and the points assigned to the criteria.

Priorities

Competitive Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority
    Providing Program Services in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise 
Community (For Partnership or State grants)--Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 694.17(a), the Secretary gives competitive 
preference to an application for a partnership or State grant that 
serves a substantial number or percentage of students who reside in an 
Empowerment Zone, a supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise 
Community.
    The Secretary will select an application that meets this priority 
over an application of comparable merit that does not meet the 
priority.

Invitational Priority

    Scholarships (For Partnerships grants only)--Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(1) and 34 CFR 694.17(b) the Secretary is particularly 
interested in applications that meet the invitations priority for 
establishing or maintaining a financial assistance program that awards 
scholarships to students either in accordance with section 404E of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or in accordance with 34 CFR 
694.12. However, an application that meets this invitational priority 
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.

For Applications or Information Contact

    Rafael Ramirez, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department 
of Education, 1900 K Street, NW, Room 6252, Washington, DC 20006. 
Telephone 1-800-USA-LEARN, email [email protected] or fax your request to 
(202) 502-7675. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain the GEAR UP application in 
an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) upon request to Rafael Ramirez, whose contact information is 
listed in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may 
obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format, also, 
by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the 
application package.

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 sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

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http://www.ed.gov/news.html
http://www.ed.gov/gearup

    To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at the previous sites. If you have any 
questions about using the 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 Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-21.

    Dated: April 14, 2000.
A. Lee Fritschler,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-10325 Filed 4-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U