[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 82 (Monday, April 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21090-21108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10367]



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Part III





Department of Education





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Office of Postsecondary Education--Underground Railroad Educational and 
Cultural Program; Notice Inviting Applications for Grants for the 
Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2002

  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 82 / Monday, April 29, 2002 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.345A]


Office of Postsecondary Education--Underground Railroad 
Educational and Cultural Program; Notice Inviting Applications for 
Grants for the Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program 
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

    Note to Applicants: This notice is a complete application package. 
Together with the statute authorizing the program and the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this notice 
contains all of the information, application forms, and instructions 
you need to apply for a grant under this competition.
    Purpose of Program: The Underground Railroad Educational and 
Cultural Program provides grants to nonprofit educational organizations 
that are established to research, display, interpret, and collect 
artifacts relating to the history of the Underground Railroad.
    Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit educational organizations that are 
established to research, display, interpret, and collect artifacts 
relating to the history of the Underground Railroad.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 30, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 30, 2002.
    Available Funds: $2,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $2,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $437,500.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1-4.

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

    Project Period: A maximum of three years.
    Applicable Statute and Regulations: (a) The Education Department 
General Administrative General Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 
75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) Other required 
activities as required by section 841 of the Higher Education 
Amendments of 1998, Public Law 105-244, 20 U.S.C. 1153.
    Special Requirements: Each nonprofit educational organization 
awarded a grant under this program must enter into an agreement with 
the Department. Each agreement must require the organization--
    (1) To establish a facility to house, display, and interpret the 
artifacts related to the history of the Underground Railroad, and to 
make the interpretive efforts available to institutions of higher 
education that award a baccalaureate or graduate degree;
    (2) To demonstrate substantial private support for the facility 
through the implementation of a public-private partnership between a 
State or local public entity and a private partnership between a State 
or local public entity and a private entity for the support of the 
facility. The private entity must provide matching funds for the 
support of the facility in an amount equal to 4 times the amount of the 
contribution of the State or local public entity, except that not more 
than 20 percent of the matching funds may be provided by the Federal 
Government;
    (3) To create an endowment to fund any and all shortfalls in the 
costs of the on-going operations of the facility;
    (4) To establish a network of satellite centers throughout the 
United States to help disseminate information regarding the Underground 
Railroad throughout the United States, if these satellite centers raise 
80 percent of the funds required to establish the satellite centers 
from non-Federal public and private sources;
    (5) To establish the capability to electronically link the facility 
with other local and regional facilities that have collections and 
programs that interpret the history of the Underground Railroad; and
    (6) To submit, for each fiscal year for which the organization 
receives funding under this program, a report to the Department that 
contains--
    (a) A description of the program and activities supported by the 
funding.
    (b) The audited financial statement of the organization for the 
preceding fiscal year; A plan for the programs and activities to be 
supported by the funding, as the Secretary may require; and
    (c) A plan for the programs and activities to be supported by the 
funding, as the Secretary may require; and
    (d) An evaluation of the programs and activities supported by the 
funding, as the Secretary may require.

Selection Criteria

    We will use the following selection criteria to evaluate 
applications for new grants under this competition.
    The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points.
    The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    Your grant application must carefully address each of the selection 
criteria and describe your efforts to these areas in detail.

(1) Overall Concept (20 points)

    How well the facility supported by the proposed grant would 
effectively house, display, and interpret artifacts related to the 
history of the Underground Railroad and make the interpretive efforts 
available to institutions of higher education that award a 
baccalaureate or graduate degree.

(2) Public-Private Support (20 points)

    How well the applicant organization demonstrates substantial 
private support for the facility through the implementation of a pubic-
private partnership between a State or local public entity and a 
private entity for the support of the facility. The private entity must 
provide matching funds for the support of the facility in an amount 
equal to 4 times the amount of the contribution of the State or local 
public entity, except that not more than 20 percent of the matching 
funds may be provided by the Federal Government.

(3) Endowment (5 points)

    How well the applicant organization addresses the requirement to 
create an endowment to fund any and all shortfalls in the costs of the 
on-going operations of the facility.

(4) Satellite Centers (10 points)

    How well the applicant organization addresses the requirement to 
establish a network of satellite centers throughout the United States 
to disseminate information regarding the Underground Railroad and 
demonstrates the ability to raise 80 percent of the funds required from 
non-Federal public and private sources.

(5) Electronic Link (10 points)

    How well the applicant Organization addresses the requirement to 
establish the capability to electronically link the facility with other 
local and regional facilities that have collections and programs which 
interpret the history of the Underground Railroad.

(6) Quality of Program Personnel (10 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry 
out the proposed program. In determining the quality of project 
personnel, the Secretary considers the following:
    (a) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience 
of key personnel. (5 points)
    (b) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color,

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national origin, gender, age, or diability. (5 points)

(7) Quality of Management Plan (15 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed grant program. In determining the quality of the management 
plan for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following:
    (a) The adequacy of the managment plan to achieve the objectives of 
the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks. (5 points)
    (b) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project. (5 points)
    (c) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspective 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project. (5 
points)

(8) Quality of Project Evaluation (10 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be 
conducted of the proposed program. In determining the quality of the 
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following:
    (a) The extent to which the methods of evaluations are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project. (7 points)
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings. (3 points)

Application Requirements (Project Narrative):

     An application submitted for funding under this program must 
include--
    (1) The name, address, and web site address, if any, of the 
nonprofit educational organization seeking to participate, and the 
name, title, mailing and e-mail address, and telephone number of a 
contact person for the organization.
    (2) A description of the facility that will be used to house, 
display, and interpret the artifacts related to the history of the 
Underground Railroad and to make the interpretive efforts available to 
institutions of higher education that award a baccalaureate or graduate 
degree.
    (3) A description of the substantial private support for the 
facility through the implementation of a public-private partnership 
between a State or local pubic entity and a private entity for the 
support of the facility and documentation that these entities will 
provide matching funds as required in section 841(b)(2) of the Higher 
Education Amendments of 1998.
    (4) A description of how the endowment will be created to fund any 
and all shortfalls in the costs of the on-going operations of the 
facility and expected sources of these funds.
    (5) A statement as to whether the applicant organization intends to 
establish a network of satellite centers throughout the United States 
and help disseminate information regarding the Underground Railroad 
throughout the United States. If the applicant's organization does 
intend to establish a network, the applicant must describe the network 
and document how the satellite centers will raise 80 percent of the 
funds required from non-Federal public and private sources.
    (6) A detailed description of how the applicant intends to 
electronically link the facility with other local and regional 
facilities that have collections and programs which interpret the 
history of the Underground Railroad, including a listing of the 
facilities the applicant intends to include.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental 
Review of Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    One of the objectives of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism. The 
Executive order relies on processes developed by State and local 
governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal financial 
assistance.
    If you are an applicant, you must contact the appropriate State 
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about, and comply with, the 
States process under Executive Order 12372. If you propose to perform 
activities in more than one State, you should immediately contact the 
SPOC for each one of those States and follow the procedures established 
in each State under the Executive order. If you want to know the name 
and address of any SPOC, see the latest official SPOC list on the Web 
site of the Office of Management and Budget at the following address: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
    In States that have not established a process or chosen a program 
for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit 
comments directly to the Department.
    Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a 
SPOC and any comments from State, areawide, regional, and local 
entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in this 
application notice to the following address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372-
CFDA# U.S. Department of Education, Room 7E200, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.
    We will determine proof of mailing under 34 CFR 75.102 (Deadline 
date for applications). Recommendations or comments may be hand-
delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date indicated 
in this notice.
    Please note that this address is not the same address as the one to 
which an applicant submits its completed application. Do not send 
applications to the above address.

Application Instructions and Forms

    The Appendix to this notice contains forms and instructions, a 
notice to applicants regarding compliance with section 427 of the 
General Education Provisions Act, and various assurances and 
certifications. Please organize the parts and additional materials in 
the following order:
    To apply for an award under this program competition, your 
application must include the following parts:
    1. Application for Federal Assistance (ED Form 424 (Exp. 11/30/
2004)) and instructions and definition.
    2. Budget Information'Non-Construction Programs (ED Form 524) and 
instructions.
    3. Budget Narrative.
    4. Project Narrative--Applicants should submit a narrative that 
addresses the elements described in this notice under ``Application 
Requirements''.
    5. Assurances and Certifications.
    a. Assurances--Non Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B) (Rev. 
7-97).
    b. Certification regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 
80-0013, 12/98) and instructions.
    c. Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and 
Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 9/90) 
and instructions. (NOTE: ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees 
and should not be transmitted to the Department.)
    d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL (Rev. 7-
97)) and instructions.
    You may submit information on a photocopy of the application and 
budget forms, the assurances and the

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certifications. However, the application form, the assurances, and the 
certifications must each have an original signature. We will not award 
a grant unless we have received a completed application form.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in this 
application notice.

Electronic Access To This Documents

    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: 
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 (202) 512-1530.
    You may also view this document in text at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/FIPSE.

    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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay Donahue, U.S. Department of 
Education, 8th Floor, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-8544. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7507 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Services (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Procedure Act (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 Fiscal Year 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 Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural 
Program--CFDA No. 84.345A is one of the programs included in the pilot 
project. If you are an applicant under the Underground Railroad 
Educational and Cultural 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 Ed 424 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 (202) 260-1349.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date. You my access the electronic grant 
application for the Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural 
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) in the application package.
    If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you 
must meet the following deadline requirements:
    (A) If You Send Your Application by Mail:
    You must mail the original and two copies of the application on or 
before the deadline date. Mail your application to: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA No. 84.345A, 7th 
& D Streets, SW, Room 3633, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 
20202-4725.
    You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:
    (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.
    If you mail an 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.
    (B) If You Deliver Your Application by Hand:
    You or your courier must hand deliver the original and two copies 
of the application by 4:30p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the 
deadline date. Deliver your application to: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA No. 84.345A, 7th 
& D Streets, SW, Room 3633, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 
20202-4725.
    The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time), except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays. The Center accepts 
application deliveries through the D Street entrance only. A person 
delivering an application must show identification to enter the 
building.
    (C) If You Submit Your Application Electronically:
    You must submit your grant application 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.
    The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. 
until 12

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midnight (Washington, DC time) Monday-Friday and 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. 
Saturdays. The system is unavailable on the second Saturday of every 
month, Sundays, and Federal holidays. Please note that on Wednesdays 
the Web site is closed for maintenance at 7 p.m. (Washington, DC time).
    Notes:
    (1) 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.
    (2) If you send your application by mail or if you or your courier 
deliver it by hand, the Application Control Center will mail a Grant 
Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the 
notification of application receipt within 15 days from the date of 
mailing the application, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 708-9493.
    (3) If your application is late, we will notify you that we will 
not consider the application.
    (4) You must indicate on the envelope and-if not provided by the 
Department-in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424 (exp. 11/30/2004)) the CFDA number-and suffix 
letter, if any-of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (5) If you submit your application through the Internet via the e-
Grants Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we 
receive your application.

Parity Guidelines Between Paper and Electronic Applications

    In FY 2002, the U. S. Department of Education is continuing to 
expand the pilot project, which began in FY 2000, which allows 
applicants to use an Internet-based electronic system for submitting 
applications. This competition is among those that have an electronic 
submission option available to all applicants. The system, called e-
APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS (Electronic Grant Application System), 
allows an applicant to submit a grant application to us electronically, 
using a current version of the applicant's Internet browser. To see e-
APPLICATION visit the following address: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    Users of e-APPLICATION, a data driven system, will be entering data 
on-line while completing their applications. This will be more 
interactive than just e-mailing a soft copy of a grant application to 
us. If you participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter on-line will go into a 
database and ultimately will be accessible in electronic form to our 
reviewers.
    This pilot project continues the Department's transition to an 
electronic grant award process. In addition to e-APPLICATION, the 
Department plans to expand the number of discretionary programs using 
the electronic peer view (e-READER) system and to increase the 
participation of discretionary programs offering grantees the use of 
the electronic annual performance reporting (e-REPORTS) system. To help 
ensure parity and a similar look between electronic and paper copies of 
grant applications, we are asking each applicant that submits a paper 
application to adhere to the following guidelines:
     Submit your application on 8\1/2\" by 11" paper.
     Leave a 1-inch margin on all sides.
     Use consistent font throughout your document. You may also 
use boldface type, underlining, and italics. However, please do not use 
colored text.
     Please use black and white, also, for illustrations, 
including charts, tables, graphs and pictures.
     For the narrative component, your application should 
consist of the number and text of each selection criterion followed by 
the narrative. The text of the selection criterion, if included, does 
not count against any page limitation.
     Place a page number at the bottom right of each page 
beginning with 1; and number your pages consecutively throughout your 
document.

    Program Authority: Section 841 of the Higher Education 
Amendments of 1998, Pub. L. 105-244, 20 U.S.C. 1153.

    Dated: April 22, 2002.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
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[FR Doc. 02-10367 Filed 4-26-02; 8:45 am]
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