[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50260-50263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18631]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration 
Projects--Positive Psychology; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.235A.

DATES: Applications Available: August 13, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 13, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 17, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: State vocational rehabilitation agencies, 
community rehabilitation programs, Indian tribes or tribal 
organizations, and other public or nonprofit agencies or organizations, 
including institutions of higher education.
    Estimated Available Funds: $500,000.
    Funds under this competition will be used to support projects in FY 
2004. In FY 2005, the Assistant Secretary may consider funding high-
quality applications submitted in FY 2004.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $500,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides grants to eligible 
entities to expand and improve the provision of rehabilitation 
services, including research and evaluation activities.
    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority, 
definitions, and application requirements for this program, published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet the priority, definitions, and application requirements.
    The priority, definitions, and application requirements are:

Model Demonstration Projects--Positive Psychology

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).

    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, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 
34 CFR part 373.

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



[[Page 50261]]


    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: $500,000.
    Funds under this competition will be used to support projects in FY 
2004. In FY 2005, the Assistant Secretary may consider funding high-
quality applications submitted in FY 2004.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $500,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: State vocational rehabilitation agencies, 
community rehabilitation programs, Indian tribes or tribal 
organizations, and other public or nonprofit agencies or organizations, 
including institutions of higher education.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

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: 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 84.235A.
    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 Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. 
Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Services 
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    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 program. There are 
also General Requirements for Applicants in the notice of final 
priority, definitions, and application requirements, published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. We suggest you limit Part 
III to the equivalent of no more than 35 pages, using the following 
standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side 
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     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.
     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.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 13, 
2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 13, 2004.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted by 
mail or hand delivery (including a commercial carrier or courier 
service), or electronically using the Electronic Grant Application 
System (e-Application) available through the Department's e-GRANTS 
system. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit 
your application by mail or hand delivery, or electronically, please 
refer to Section IV. 6. Procedures for Submitting Applications in this 
notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 17, 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 competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: Indirect cost reimbursement for grants 
under this program is limited to the recipient's actual indirect costs, 
as determined by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, or 10 
percent of the total direct cost base, whichever amount is less (34 CFR 
373.22(a)). We reference additional regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Procedures for Submitting Applications: Applications for grants 
under this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper 
format by mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    If you submit your application to us electronically, you must use 
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 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. The data you enter online will be saved into a 
database.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     You must submit your grant application electronically 
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 
application deadline date. The regular hours of operation of the e-
Grants Web site are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. 
Thursday until midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that 
the system is unavailable on Sundays, and after 7 p.m. on Wednesdays 
for maintenance, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours 
are posted on the e-Grants Web site. 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 your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction

[[Page 50262]]

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 applicant'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 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 Special 
Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration Projects--Positive 
Psychology competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications By Mail. If you submit your 
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or 
a commercial carrier), you must send the original and two copies of 
your application on or before the application deadline date to the 
following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control 
Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.235A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    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; or
    4. Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    1. A private metered postmark, or
    2. A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will notify you that we will not consider the application.

    Note: Applicants should note that 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.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application on or before the application deadline date to the 
following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control 
Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.235A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 
7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts deliveries daily between 8 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays and 
Federal holidays. A person delivering an application must show 
identification to enter the building.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:

    1. 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.
    2. 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 mailing 
of your application, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

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 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.
    4. Performance Measures: All grantees must submit an annual 
performance report documenting their evaluation findings. This report 
must describe whether the developed and tested model was successful in 
improving the quality of employment outcomes for individuals with 
disabilities. The report must include, but is not limited to, the 
following information: objective performance measures that clearly 
relate to the intended outcomes and goals and that are used to assess 
progress in achieving the intended outcomes and goals. Each grantee 
must report annually on this information using the Rehabilitation 
Services Administration Annual Reporting Form for Special

[[Page 50263]]

Demonstration Grants, OMB 1820-0646, an electronic grantee 
reporting system.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfreda Reeves, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5040, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7485.
    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.

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: 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: August 11, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-18631 Filed 8-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P