[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 22 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5627-5630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-413]



[[Page 5627]]

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; American 
Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Alaska Native 
and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.031T, 
84.031N and 84.031W.

    Dates: Applications Available: February 3, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 21, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 19, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that qualify 
as eligible institutions under the American Indian Tribally Controlled 
Colleges and Universities (TCCU), and Alaska Native and Native 
Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Programs may apply for grants 
under this notice. These programs are authorized by Title III, Part A 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and are known as Title 
III, Part A Programs. To qualify as an eligible institution under any 
Title III, Part A Program, an institution must satisfy several 
criteria, including one related to needy student enrollment and one 
related to average Educational and General (E&G) expenditures for a 
particular base year. The eligibility requirements are in a Notice 
Inviting Applications for Designation as Eligible Institutions for 
Fiscal Year 2005 that was published in the Federal Register on November 
30, 2004 (69 FR 69589) and in program regulations in 34 CFR 607.2 
through 607.5. The regulations may be accessed by visiting the 
following Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.

Relationship Between Title III, Part A and Hispanic Serving Institution 
Programs

    Note 1:  A grantee under the Developing Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions (HIS) Program, authorized under Title V of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), may not receive a grant 
under any Title III, Part A Program. Further, a current Developing 
HIS Program grantee may not give up its grant under the Developing 
HIS Program in order to receive a grant under any Title III, Part A 
Program.


    Note 2:  An institution that does not fall within the limitation 
described in Note 1 may apply for a FY 2005 grant under all Title 
III, Part A Programs for which it is eligible, as well as under the 
Developing HIS Program. However, a successful applicant may receive 
only one grant.


    Estimated Available Funds: $8,691,201 for new awards under the ANNH 
Program and $17,748,000 for new awards under the TCCU Program. 
$15,591,342 for new awards under the SIP. A competition will not be 
held in FY 2005 for the SIP. Instead, the Department will fund new 
grants to eligible applicants on the FY 2004 SIP slate. We will fund 
only Individual Development Grant applications from the FY 2004 SIP 
slate.
    For specific funding information, see the chart in the Award 
Information section of this notice.
    Estimated Award Amount: See chart.
    Estimated Number of Awards: See chart.


    Note:  The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice. Applicants should periodically check the Title III, Part A 
Web site for further information on these programs. The address 
is:http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html.


    Project Period: 60 months for individual development grants, and 12 
months for construction grants under the TCCU Program and renovation 
grants under the ANNH Program.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The SIP, TCCU, and ANNH Programs are all 
authorized under Title III, Part A of the HEA. Each provides grants to 
eligible institutions of higher education to enable them to improve 
their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability, 
and increase their self-sufficiency.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059d.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 607.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $8,691,201 for new awards under the ANNH 
Program and $17,748,000 for new awards under the TCCU Program. 
$15,591,342 for new awards under the SIP. A competition will not be 
held in FY 2005 for the SIP. Instead, the Department will fund new 
grants for eligible applicants on the FY 2004 SIP slate. We will fund 
only Individual Development Grant applications from the FY 2004 SIP 
slate.
    For specific funding information, see the chart in this section of 
this notice.
    Estimated Award Amount: See chart.
    Estimated Number of Awards: See chart.


    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice. Applicants should periodically check the Title III, Part A 
Web site for further information on these programs. The address is: 
http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html.


    Project Period: 60 months for individual development grants and 12 
months for construction grants under the TCCU Program and renovation 
grants under the ANNH Program.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Estimated
          Program name            Estimated award amount     number of
                                                              awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska Native and Native
 Hawaiian Program:
    --5-year Individual          $500,000 per year......               5
     Development Grants
     (84.031N and 84.031W).
    --Renovation Grants........  $750,000 for 1 year....               8
Tribally Controlled Colleges
 and Universities Program
 (84.031T):
    --5-year Individual          $400,000 per year......               7
     Development Grants.
    --Construction and           $1,500,000 for 1 year..              10
     Renovation Grants.
Strengthening Institutions
 Program (83.031A):
    --5-year Individual          $365,000 per year......           * 44
     Development Grants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding based on FY 2004 slate.


[[Page 5628]]

III. Eligibility Information

    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that qualify 
as eligible institutions under the TCCU, and ANNH Programs may apply 
for grants under this notice. To qualify as an eligible institution 
under any Title III, Part A Program, an institution must satisfy 
several criteria, including one related to needy student enrollment and 
one related to average E&G expenditures for a particular base year. The 
eligibility requirements are set forth in a Notice Inviting 
Applications for Designation as Eligible Institutions for Fiscal Year 
2005 that was published in the Federal Register on November 30, 2004 
(69 FR 59589), and in program regulations contained in 34 CFR 607.2 
through 607.5. The regulations may be accessed by visiting the 
following Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.

Relationship Between Title III, Part A and Hispanic Serving Institution 
Programs

    Note 1: A grantee under the HSI Program, authorized under Title 
V of the HEA, may not receive a grant under any Title III, Part A 
Program. Further, a current Developing HSI Program grantee may not 
give up its grant under the Developing HSI Program in order to 
receive a grant under any Title III, Part A Program.


    Note 2: An institution that does not fall within the limitation 
described in Note 1 may apply for a FY 2005 grant under all Title 
III, Part A Programs for which it is eligible, as well as under the 
Developing HSI Program. However, a successful applicant may receive 
only one grant.


    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: There is no cost sharing or matching 
requirement in any Title III, Part A Program, unless a grantee under 
the SIP or TCCU Program uses a portion of its grant for establishing or 
improving an endowment fund. If it does, it must match with non-Federal 
funds at least the amount of grant funds used for this purpose. 20 
U.S.C. 1057(d)(2) and 1059c (c)(3)(B).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Dr. Maria E. Carrington, 
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, 
Washington, DC 20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7777 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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the contact person 
listed in this section.
    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.
    Page Limit: We have established mandatory page limits for the 
applications to be submitted under this notice. You must limit your 
application to the equivalent of no more than 70 pages for an 
individual development grant and 50 pages for a renovation grant under 
the ANNH Program; 70 pages for an individual development grant and 50 
pages for a construction grant under the TCCU Program 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 and headings. 
You may single space abstracts, footnotes, quotations, references, 
captions, tables and forms (including the ED Forms), however, you must 
still use font size 12.
     Use a font that is 12-point or larger.
     No appendices or attachments should be included with the 
application. If you include any attachments or appendices, these items 
will be counted for purposes of the page limit requirement.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit;
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: February 3, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 21, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
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 electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We will not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 19, 2005.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: These programs are 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 these programs.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 
607.10. We reference additional regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
these programs must be submitted electronically, unless you qualify for 
an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

    Applications for grants under the Title III, Part A Programs--CFDA 
Numbers 84.031N, 84.031T and 84.031W must be submitted electronically 
using e-Application available through the Department's e-Grants system, 
accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application 
for these programs after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do 
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application 
process.
     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.

[[Page 5629]]

Thursday until midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that 
the system is unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays 
and 6 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any 
modifications to these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and 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 Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Any narrative sections of your application should be 
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement that 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 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 provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically 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 electronic 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 
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. If the system is down and therefore 
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all 
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions 
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of the 
Department's e-Application system.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the e-Application system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Department's e-Application system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Dr. Maria E. Carrington, 
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6033, 
Washington, DC 20006-8513. FAX: (202) 502-7861.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail

    If you qualify for any exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 
84.031N, 84.031T and 84.031W), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20202-4260, or
    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 
84.031N, 84.031T and 84.031W), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 
20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, 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 Secretary of the 
U.S. Department 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 not consider your application.


    Note:  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 qualify for an exception to electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following

[[Page 5630]]

address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.031N, 84.031T and 84.031W), 550 12th 
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-
4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    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 ED 424 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 grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for these programs 
are in 34 CFR 607.22.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are the tie-breaking situations 
described in 34 CFR 607.23. The Title III, Part A Program regulations 
require that we award one additional point to an application from an 
institution of higher education (IHE) that has an endowment fund for 
which the 2002-2003 market value per FTE student was less than the 
comparable average per FTE student at a similar type IHE. We also award 
one additional point to an application from an IHE that had 
expenditures for library materials in 2002-2003 per FTE student that 
were less than the comparable average per FTE student at a similar type 
IHE.
    For the purpose of these funding considerations, an applicant must 
demonstrate that the market value of its endowment fund per FTE student 
and library expenditures per FTE student, were less than the average 
expenditure per FTE student when calculated using the data submitted by 
applicants for the year 2002-2003.
    If a tie remains after applying the additional point(s), we will 
determine the ranking of applicants based on the lowest combined 
library expenditures per FTE student and endowment values per FTE 
student.

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 and 607.31.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the Title III, Part A Programs: (1) The percentage of Title III, Part A 
project goals relating to the improvement of academic quality that are 
met or exceeded will increase or be maintained over time. (2) The 
percentage of Title III, Part A goals relating to the improvement of 
student services and student outcomes that are met or exceeded will 
increase or be maintained over time. (3) The percentage of Title III, 
Part A project goals relating to the improvement of institutional 
management and fiscal stability that are met or exceeded will increase 
or be maintained over time.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dr. Maria E. Carrington, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 
20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7777 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.

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: January 31, 2005.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E5-413 Filed 2-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P