[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8389-8392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-3988]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; 
Grants To Reduce Alcohol Abuse; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184A

DATES: Applications Available: February 24, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 9, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 26, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs).
    Estimated Available Funds: $5,500,000. The Secretary may reserve up 
to 25 percent of funds to award grants to low-income and rural LEAs. 
Contingent upon the availability of funds, we may make additional 
awards in FY 2005 from the rank-ordered list of non-funded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 11.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides grants to LEAs to develop 
and implement innovative and effective programs to reduce alcohol abuse 
in secondary schools.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from section 4129 of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities 
Act, 20 U.S.C. 7139.
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is: Alcohol Abuse Reduction.
    A project must develop and implement innovative and effective 
programs to reduce alcohol abuse in secondary schools.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7139.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, 99, and 299.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $5,500,000. The Secretary may reserve

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up to 25 percent of funds for grants to low-income and rural LEAs. 
Contingent upon the availability of funds, we may make additional 
awards in FY 2005 from the rank-ordered list of non-funded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 11.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: To be eligible to receive a grant under this competition, 
an LEA's application must include--
    i. A description of the activities to be carried out under the 
grant;
    ii. An assurance that such activities will include one or more of 
the proven strategies for reducing underage alcohol abuse as determined 
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
(SAMSA);
    iii. An explanation of how other activities to be carried out under 
the grant that are not a SAMSA model program will be effective in 
reducing underage alcohol abuse, including references to the past 
effectiveness of such activities;
    iv. An assurance that the applicant will submit to the Secretary an 
annual report concerning the effectiveness of the programs and 
activities funded under the grant.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education
    Publications Center (ED Pubs), 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), you may call (toll 
free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected]
    If you request an application from ED Pubs be sure to identify this 
competition as follows: CFDA number 84.184A.
    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 elsewhere in 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 
competition. You may access the electronic version of the application 
at the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvalcoholabuse/index.html
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 24, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 9, 2004.
    The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or 
by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the 
application package for this competition. The application package also 
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 26, 2004.
    Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 competition.
    4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    5. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition. Application Procedures: The Government Paperwork 
Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277) and the Federal 
Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-
107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to improve our grant 
processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and entities to conduct 
business with us electronically is a major part of our response to 
these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the Internet as our 
chief means of conducting transactions in order to improve services to 
our customers and to simplify and expedite our business processes.
    Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting 
applications differ from those in the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 DCR 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.
    We are requiring that applications for grants under the Grants to 
Reduce Alcohol Abuse competition-CFDA Number 84.184A-be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-GRANTS system. The e-
GRANTS system is accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    If you are unable to submit an application through the e-GRANTS 
system, you may submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic 
submission requirement. In your request, you should explain the reason 
or reasons that prevent you from using the Internet to submit your 
application. Address your request to: Ethel F. Jackson, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3E308, FOB6, 
Washington, DC 20202-6450. Please submit your request no later than two 
weeks before the application deadline date.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are 
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper 
application by the application deadline date in accordance with the 
transmittal instructions in the application package. The paper 
application must include a written request for a waiver documenting the 
reasons that prevented you from using the Internet to submit your 
application.
    Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications: We are 
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of 
applications to include additional formula grant programs and 
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Grants to Reduce 
Alcohol Abuse competition--CFDA Number 84.184A--is one of the programs 
included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Grants 
to Reduce Alcohol Abuse competition, you must submit your application 
to us in electronic format or receive a waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of e-Application. If you use e-
Application, you will be entering data online while completing your 
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant

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application to us. The data you enter online will be saved into a 
database. We shall continue to evaluate the success of e-Application 
and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     When you enter the e-Application system, you 
will find information about its hours of operation. We strongly 
recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to 
initiate an e-Application package.
     You will not receive additional point value 
because you do not submit a grant application in electronic format, nor 
will we penalize you if you submit an application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, 
including the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), 
Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs (ED 524) and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your 
application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which 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 Application for 
Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center 
after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution'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 ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
     We may request that you give us original 
signatures on other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from submitting your application 
on the application deadline date because the e-Application system is 
unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day in 
order 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 e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system 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) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time 
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 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 acknowledgement 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Grants to 
Reduce Alcohol Abuse competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
in 34 CFR 75.210 and in the application package for this competition.
    2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider 
in selecting an application for an award is rural and low-income 
status.
    Applications from rural and low-income applicants will be read and 
scored separately and up to 25 percent of the available funds will be 
reserved for awards to these LEAs. The following is a suggested 
definition of rural and low-income that has been used by this program 
in a previous competition; however, LEAs that want to be considered as 
rural and low-income applicants may provide other supporting evidence 
of their status as rural and low-income.
    A rural and low-income LEA is one (a) that is designated with a 
locale code of 6, 7, or 8, as determined by the Department's National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES); and (b) in which 20 percent or 
more of the children ages 5 through 17 years served by the LEA are from 
families below the poverty line. Note: Applicants wishing to be 
considered under this factor must be both rural and low-income.

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 Notice 
(GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we will 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. 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 specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.718.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), three measures have been developed for evaluating 
the overall effectiveness of the Grants to Reduce Alcohol Abuse 
competition: (1) The percentage of grantees whose target students show 
a measurable decrease in binge drinking; (2) the percentage of grantees 
that show a measurable increase in the percentage of target students 
who believe that alcohol abuse is harmful to their health; and (3) the 
percentage of grantees that show a measurable increase in the 
percentage of target students who disapprove of alcohol abuse. These 
three measures constitute the Department's indicators of success for 
this program. Consequently, applicants for a grant under this program 
are advised to give careful consideration to these three outcomes in 
conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their 
proposed project. If funded, applicants will be asked to collect and 
report data in their annual performance reports about progress toward 
these goals.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Ethel F. Jackson, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3E308, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2812 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (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 program contact person listed in this 
section.

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VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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: February 18, 2004.
Deborah A. Price,
Deputy Under Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 04-3988 Filed 2-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P