[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9817-9820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4555]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Indian Education, Overview Information; Demonstration 
Grants for Indian Children; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Discretionary Program Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.299A.


DATES: Applications Available: March 3, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 1, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this program include a 
State educational agency (SEA); a local educational agency (LEA); an 
Indian tribe; an Indian organization; a federally supported elementary 
or secondary school for Indian students; an Indian institution, 
including an Indian institution of higher education; or a consortium of 
such institutions that meet the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 
75.129. An application from a consortium of eligible entities must meet 
the requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129. The consortium 
agreement, signed by all parties, must be submitted with the 
application in order to be considered as a consortium application. 
Letters of support do not meet the consortium requirements. The 
Secretary will reject any application that does not meet these 
requirements.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,527,754.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000 to $400,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $323,411.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Deputy Under Secretary may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

    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: The purpose of the Demonstration Grants for 
Indian Children program is to provide financial assistance to projects 
to develop, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and 
programs to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of 
preschool, elementary, and secondary Indian students. To meet the 
purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, this program will 
focus project services on increasing school readiness skills of three- 
and four-year-old American Indian and Alaska Native children; and 
enabling American Indian and Alaska Native high school graduates to 
transition successfully to postsecondary education by increasing their 
competency and skills in challenging subject matter, including 
mathematics and science.
    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), these 
absolute priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 
263.21(c)(1) and (3)).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2004 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications 
that meet one or both of these priorities. These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1. School readiness projects that provide age 
appropriate educational programs and language skills to three- and 
four-year-old Indian students to prepare them for successful entry into 
school at the kindergarten level.
    Absolute Priority 2. College preparatory programs for secondary 
school students designed to increase competency and skills in 
challenging subject matter, including mathematics and science, to 
enable Indian students to transition successfully to postsecondary 
education.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: Within the absolute priorities, 
we give competitive preference to applicants that address the following 
priorities.
    Competitive Preference Priority 1. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 7121 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 
7441(d)(1)(B).Five (5) competitive preference priority points will be 
awarded to an application that presents a plan for combining two or 
more of the activities described in section 7121(c) of the ESEA over a 
period of more than one year.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 7143 of the ESEA, 20 
U.S.C. 7473. Five (5) competitive preference priority points will be 
awarded to an application submitted by an Indian tribe, Indian 
organization, or Indian institution of higher education, including a 
consortium of any of these entities with other eligible entities. An 
application from a consortium of eligible entities that meets the 
requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129 and includes an Indian 
tribe, Indian organization, or Indian institution of higher education 
will be considered eligible to receive the five (5) priority points.
    These competitive preference points are in addition to the five 
competitive preference points that may be given under Competitive 
Preference Priority 1.

    Note: The consortium agreement, signed by all parties, must be 
submitted with the application in order to be considered a 
consortium application. Letters of support do not meet the 
consortium requirements. The Secretary will reject any application 
that does not meet these requirements.


    Note: The term ``Indian institutions of higher education'' means 
an accredited college or university within the United States cited 
in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 
1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), any other institution that qualifies for 
funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University 
Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and Dine College 
(formerly Navajo Community College), authorized in the Navajo 
Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.).

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7441.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) 34 CFR part 263.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.


[[Page 9818]]



II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,527,754.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000 to $400,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $323,411.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Deputy Under Secretary may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this program 
include a SEA; a LEA; an Indian tribe; an Indian organization; a 
federally supported elementary or secondary school for Indian students; 
an Indian institution, including an Indian institution of higher 
education; or a consortium of such institutions that meets the 
requirements of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129. An application from a 
consortium of eligible entities must meet the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.127 through 75.129. The consortium agreement, signed by all parties, 
must be submitted with the application in order to be considered as a 
consortium application. Letters of support do not meet the consortium 
requirements. The Secretary will reject any application that does not 
meet these requirements.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    (a) Indian Organization. Applicants that apply as an ``Indian 
organization'' must demonstrate in the application how they meet all 
criteria for this term as defined in 34 CFR 263.20 in order to be 
considered an eligible Indian organization.
    (b) Budget Requirement. Projects funded under this competition must 
budget for a one-and-one-half day Project Directors' meeting in 
Washington, DC, during each year of the project period.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), PO 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 84.299A.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed elsewhere in 
this notice under For Further Information Contact.
    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.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
addresses the selection criteria reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. An applicant must limit the narrative to the equivalent of 
no more than 50 double-spaced pages, using the following standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    [sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    [sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must 
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
    [sbull] Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
    [sbull] Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other 
standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: March 3, 
2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 2, 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: June 1, 2004.
    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 will reject any application that 
proposes a budget exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of 12 
months. We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the 
Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. 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 
program.

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (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

    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 Demonstration 
Grants for Indian Children program--CFDA Number 84.299A--is one of the 
programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under 
the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children 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). 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 application to us. If you 
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you

[[Page 9819]]

enter online will be saved into a database. We request your 
participation in e-Application. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
    [sbull] You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
    [sbull] You may 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.
    [sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
    [sbull] 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).
    [sbull] 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.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program and 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 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 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the 
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

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 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 this 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 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program: (1) Increasing 
percentages of pre-school American Indian and Alaska Native students 
will possess school readiness skills gained through a scientifically 
based, research-based curriculum that prepares them for kindergarten; 
and (2) the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native high school 
graduates who increase their competency and skills in challenging 
subject matter, including mathematics and science, to enable successful 
transition to postsecondary education will increase.
    Under the selection criteria ``Quality of project services'' and 
``Quality of the project evaluation,'' we will consider the extent to 
which the applicant demonstrates a strong capacity to provide reliable 
data on these indicators.
    All grantees will be expected to submit, as part of their 
performance report, information documenting their progress with regard 
to these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Victoria Vasques, Office of Indian 
Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
3W205, Washington, DC 20202-6335. Telephone: (202) 260-3774 or by 
email: [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 contact person listed in this section.

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.


[[Page 9820]]


    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 25, 2004.
Victoria Vasques,
Deputy Under Secretary for Indian Education.
[FR Doc. 04-4555 Filed 3-1-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P