[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 104 (Friday, May 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30799-30801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12209]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; 
Mentoring Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184B.

    Dates: Applications Available: May 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 7, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 28, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) Local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) 
nonprofit, community-based organizations (CBOs), which may include 
faith-based organizations; and (3) a partnership between an LEA and a 
CBO.
    Estimated Available Funds: $29,375,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds, we may make additional awards in FY 2005 and 
subsequent years from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 195.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.

    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 assistance to promote 
mentoring programs for children with greatest need that: (1) Assist 
these children in receiving support and guidance from a mentor; (2) 
improve the academic performance of the children; (3) improve 
interpersonal relationships between the children and their peers, 
teachers, other adults, and family members; (4) reduce the dropout rate 
of the children; and (5) reduce juvenile delinquency and involvement in 
gangs by the children.
    Priorities: The following absolute and competitive preference 
priorities are from the notice of final priorities, requirements, and 
selection criteria for this program published elsewhere in this issue 
of the Federal Register. These priorities are for the FY 2004 grant 
competition and any future awards made on the basis of the funding 
slate from this competition.
    Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority supports projects that address the academic and 
social needs of children with the greatest need through school-based 
mentoring programs and activities and provide these students with 
mentors. These programs and activities must serve children with the 
greatest need in one or more grades 4 through 8 living in rural areas, 
high-crime areas, or troubled home environments, or who attend schools 
with violence problems.

Competitive Preference Priority

    Within this absolute priority, we give competitive preference to 
applications that address the following priority.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we will award an additional five 
points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is for applications proposing a consortium of 
eligible applicants that includes either: (a) At least one LEA and at 
least one CBO that is not a school and that provides services to youth 
and families in the community; or (b) at least one private school that 
qualifies as a nonprofit CBO and at least one other CBO that is not a 
school and that provides services to youth and families in the 
community.
    The consortium must designate one member of the group to apply for 
the grant, unless the consortium is itself eligible as a partnership 
between a LEA and a nonprofit CBO. To receive this competitive 
preference, the applicant must clearly identify the agencies that 
comprise the consortium and must include a detailed plan of their 
working relationship and of the activities that each member will 
perform, including a project budget that reflects the contractual 
disbursements to the members of the consortium. For the purpose of this 
priority, a ``consortium'' means a group application in accordance with 
the provisions of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7140.
    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, 99 and 299. (b) the notice of final 
priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for this program as 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $29,375,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds, we may make additional awards in FY 2005 and 
subsequent years from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 195.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (1) LEAs; (2) CBOs, which may include 
faith-based organizations; and (3) a partnership between an LEA and a 
CBO.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    (a) To be eligible for funding, each applicant must include in its 
application an assurance that it will: (1) Establish clear, measurable 
performance goals; and (2) collect and report to the Department data 
related to the established Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) performance measures for the Mentoring Programs grant 
competition. We will reject any application that does not contain this 
assurance.
    (b) To be eligible for funding, each community-based organization 
is also required to provide an assurance that: (a) It is an eligible 
applicant under the definitions provided in the application package; 
(b) timely and meaningful consultation with an LEA or private school 
has taken place during the design and/or development of the proposed 
program; (c) LEA or private school staff will participate in the 
identification and referral of students to the CBO's proposed program; 
and (d) the LEA or private school will participate in the collection of 
data related to the established GPRA performance measures for the 
Mentoring Programs grant competition.

Equitable Participation by Private School Children and Teachers

    LEAs are required to provide for the equitable participation of 
private school children, their teachers, and other educational 
personnel in private schools

[[Page 30800]]

located in areas served by the grant recipient.
    In order to ensure that grant program activities address the needs 
of private school children, the LEA must engage in timely and 
meaningful consultation with private school officials during the design 
and development of the program. This consultation must take place 
before any decision is made that affects the opportunities of eligible 
private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel to 
participate.
    In order to ensure equitable participation of private school 
children, teachers, and other educational personnel, the LEA must 
consult with private school officials on issues such as: how children's 
needs will be identified; what services will be offered; how and where 
the services will be provided; who will provide the services; how the 
services will be assessed and how the results of assessment will be 
used to improve those services; the amount of funds available for 
services; the size and scope of the services to be provided; how and 
when decisions about the delivery of services will be made; and the 
provision of contract services through potential third-party providers.
    See Section 9501 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Maintenance of Effort

    An LEA may receive a grant under the Mentoring Programs grant 
competition only if the State educational agency finds that the 
combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of the 
agency and the State with respect to the provision of free public 
education by the agency for the preceding fiscal year was not less than 
90 percent of the combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for 
the second preceding fiscal year.

IV. Application 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: 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 84.184B.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements and 
definitions concerning the content of an application are in the notice 
of final priorities published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register. Additional requirements, together with the forms you must 
submit, are in the application package for this program.
    Page Limit: The program narrative section should not exceed 25 
double-spaced pages using a standard font no smaller than 12-pt, with 
1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The narrative should 
follow the format and sequence of the selection criteria.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: May 28, 
2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 7, 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 program. 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 28, 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: Grant funds may not be used to (1) 
directly compensate mentors; (2) obtain educational or other materials 
or equipment that would otherwise be used in the ordinary course of the 
grantee's operations; or (3) support litigation of any kind. We 
reference additional 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.
    Application Procedures:

    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. Mentoring Programs--
CFDA Number 84.184B is one of the programs included in the pilot 
project. If you are an applicant under Mentoring Programs, 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 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:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     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 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
     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.
     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).

[[Page 30801]]

     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) 
245-6272.
     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 elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for Mentoring Programs competition 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 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 persons listed elsewhere in this notice under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contacts) or (2) the 
e-GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Mentoring 
Programs competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
in the application package.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are: (1) The geographic 
distribution of the projects, including urban and rural locations, in 
addition to the rank order of applicants; and (2) to the extent 
practicable, we will select not less than one grant recipient from each 
State for which there is an eligible entity that submits an application 
of sufficient quality.

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 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 75.118. We may also require more frequent performance reports.
    4. Performance Measures: We have identified the following key GPRA 
performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of this program: 
(1) The percentage of student/mentor matches that are sustained for a 
period of twelve months will increase; (2) The percentage of mentored 
students who demonstrate improvement in core academic subjects as 
measured by grade point average after 12 months will increase; and (3) 
The percentage of mentored students who have unexcused absences from 
school will decrease. To be eligible for funding, each applicant must 
include in its application an assurance that it will collect and report 
to the Department data related to the GPRA performance measures for the 
Mentoring Program.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Earl Myers, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E254, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 708-8846. Email address: [email protected].
    Bryan Williams, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., room 3E259, Washington, DC 20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 260-2391. 
Email address: [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 persons 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.
    You may also view this document in text or PDF at the following 
site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/applicant.html.

    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: May 26, 2004.
Deborah A. Price,
Deputy Under Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 04-12209 Filed 5-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U