[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10079-10083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-819]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Women's Educational Equity Act Program (WEEA); Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.083A.


    Note: The Department is not inviting applications under CFDA 
Number 84.083B (research and development grants) for FY 2005.


DATES: Applications Available: March 2, 2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: April 1, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 15, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Public agencies; private nonprofit agencies; 
organizations, including community- and faith-based organizations; 
institutions; student groups; community groups; and individuals.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,519,942.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $125,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Award: $175,000.
    Maximum Award: $250,000 is the maximum award for a single budget 
period of 12 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14-15.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the WEEA program is: (a) To 
promote gender equity in education in the United States; (b) to provide 
financial assistance to enable educational agencies and institutions to 
meet the requirements of title IX of the Educational Amendments of 
1972; and (c) to promote equity in education for women and girls who 
suffer from multiple forms of discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic 
origin, limited English proficiency, disability, or age.
    Priority: Under this competition we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following priority.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is an invitational 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that 
meets the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference 
over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Invitational Priority: Projects designed to increase the number of 
low-income women and girls pursuing and excelling in advanced courses 
in mathematics or science (including computer science), and entering 
highly skilled careers in which they have been underrepresented.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7283-7283g.

    Applicable Regulations: 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.

    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.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 99 apply only to an 
educational agency or institution.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,519,942.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $125,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $175,000.
    Maximum Award: $250,000 is the maximum award for a single budget 
period of 12 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14-15.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Public agencies; private nonprofit 
agencies; organizations, including community- and faith-based 
organizations; institutions; student groups; community groups; and 
individuals.
    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: You may obtain an 
application package via Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet use the following 
address: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html. To obtain a copy from ED 
Pubs, write or call the following: 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 84.083A.
    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 section VII of 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 program.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: We will be able to develop a more 
efficient process for reviewing grant applications if we have a better 
understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply

[[Page 10080]]

for funding under this competition. Therefore, we strongly encourage 
each potential applicant for the Women's Educational Equity program to 
notify us by e-mail that it intends to submit an application for 
funding. We request that this e-mail notification be sent no later than 
April 1, 2005, to Dr. Frances Yvonne Hicks at [email protected]. 
Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still 
apply for funding.
    Page Limit for Program Narrative: The program narrative (Part IV of 
the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection 
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We strongly 
encourage you to limit Part IV to the equivalent of no more than 25 
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 program 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 the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters or support. However, you should include 
all of the application narrative in Part IV.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available:  March 2, 
2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 1, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). 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: June 15, 2005.
    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 reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an 
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the WEEA program--CFDA Number 
84.083A--must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply 
site. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us.
    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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the WEEA 
program at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include 
the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted with a 
date/time received by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will not 
consider your application if it was received by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date. When we retrieve 
your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was submitted after 4:30 p.m. on 
the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that 
your application is submitted timely to the Grants.gov system.
     To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must have a D-U-
N-S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You 
should allow a minimum of five business days to complete the CCR 
registration.
     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 
all information typically included on 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.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    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

[[Page 10081]]

unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov 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. Frances Yvonne 
Hicks, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
4W208, Washington, DC 20202-5943. FAX: (202) 205-5630.
    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 an 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 Number 84.083A), 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 Number 84.083A), 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 the 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 address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.083A), 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 Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (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 this program are 
from the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) and 34 CFR 75.210 of 
EDGAR. (Note: Men and boys may participate in any program or activity 
assisted with funds under this program.) The maximum possible score for 
each criterion is indicated in parentheses with the criterion in this 
notice. The maximum score for all of the criteria is 100 points. The 
criteria are as follows:
    Selection Criteria for Implementation Grants pursuant to Section 
5613(b)(2) (20 U.S.C. 7283(b)(2)) of WEEA and 34 CFR 75.210:
    (a) Effectively achieving the purposes of WEEA (15 points). The 
Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the project 
will effectively achieve the purposes of the Women's Educational Equity 
program.

    Note:  Applicants should consider the following statutory 
provisions when responding to this criterion. The purpose of the 
WEEA is: (a) To promote gender equity in education in the United 
States; (b) to provide financial assistance to enable educational 
agencies and institutions to meet the requirements of title IX of 
the Educational Amendments of 1972; and (c) to promote equity in 
education for women and girls who suffer from multiple forms of 
discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic origin, limited English 
proficiency, disability, or age.

    (b) Project as a component of a comprehensive plan (10 points). The 
Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the 
project is a significant component of a comprehensive plan for 
educational equity and compliance with title IX of the Educational 
Amendments of 1972 in the particular school district, institution of 
higher education, vocational-technical institution, or other 
educational agency or institution.
    (c) Implementing an institutional change strategy (10 points). The 
Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the 
project would implement an institutional change strategy with long-term 
impact that will continue as a central activity of the applicant after 
the grant has been terminated.
    (d) Need for project (15 points). The Secretary considers the need 
for the proposed project. In determining the need for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project will promote equity 
in educational and career opportunities for those women and girls who 
suffer multiple forms of discrimination, based

[[Page 10082]]

on sex, race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, disability, 
or age.
    (e) Quality of Project Personnel (10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (f) Quality of the management plan (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (iii) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of 
perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed 
project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, 
a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or 
beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate.
    (g) Quality of the project evaluation (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (ii) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

    Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the 
application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape 
the development of the project from the beginning of the grant 
period. The plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress 
toward specific project objectives and also outcome measures to 
assess the impact on teaching and learning or other important 
outcomes for project participants. More specifically, the plan 
should identify the individual or organization that has agreed to 
serve as evaluator for the project and describe the qualifications 
of that evaluator. The plan should describe the evaluation design, 
indicating: (1) What types of data will be collected; (2) when 
various types of data will be collected; (3) what methods will be 
used; (4) what instruments will be developed and when; (5) how the 
data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of results and outcomes will 
be available; and (7) how the applicant will use the information 
collected through the evaluation to monitor progress of the funded 
project and to provide accountability information both about success 
at the initial site and effective strategies for replication in 
other settings. Applicants are encouraged to devote an appropriate 
level of resources to project evaluation.

    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors considered in 
selecting an application for an award will include:
     A variety of levels of education, including preschool, 
elementary and secondary education, higher education, vocational 
education, and adult education;
     Different regions of the United States; and
     A diversity of urban, rural, and suburban entities.

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 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.118. We may also require more frequent 
performance reports in accordance with 34 CFR 75.720(c). All of these 
reports must include data collected by you on the key GPRA performance 
measures for this program described in the next section. For additional 
specific requirements on grantee reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Secretary has developed performance measures 
for assessing the effectiveness of this program. These measures are:
     An increase in the number/percent of students who are 
pursuing advanced courses in mathematics and science (including 
computer science), and
     An increase in the number/percent of students who indicate 
increased knowledge of non-traditional career options in mathematics 
and science (including computer science) and who plan to pursue these 
careers.
    Performance targets, published in the application package, 
represent the expected increases that measure project performance. 
Beginning in FY 2005-2006 grantees will collect and report baseline 
data for these measures.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Frances Yvonne Hicks, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W208, 
Washington, DC 20202-5943. Telephone: (202) 260-0964.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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.

[[Page 10083]]

    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 24, 2005.
Michael J. Petrilli,
Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. E5-819 Filed 3-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P