[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 151 (Monday, August 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45708-45712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15636]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Centers for Independent Living--Training and Technical 
Assistance; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.132B.
    Dates: Applications Available: August 8, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 7, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Entities that have experience in the operation 
of centers for independent living and submit a proposal to provide 
training and technical assistance to eligible agencies, centers for 
independent living, and Statewide Independent Living Councils.
    Estimated Available Funds: $153,699.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $70,000-$153,699.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $76,849.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2.

    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: To provide training and technical assistance 
with respect to planning, developing, conducting, administering, and 
evaluating centers for independent living to the following eligible 
entities authorized under title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 
as amended (Act): eligible agencies, centers for independent living 
(CILs), and Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs).
    The purpose of independent living (IL) services is to maximize 
independence, productivity, empowerment, and leadership of individuals 
with disabilities and integrate these individuals into the mainstream 
of society.
    An eligible agency is defined in section 726 of the Act as a 
consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential, 
private nonprofit agency.
    A CIL is defined in section 702(1) of the Act as a consumer-
controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private 
nonprofit agency that is designed and operated within a local community 
by individuals with disabilities and that provides an array of IL 
services.

[[Page 45709]]

    A SILC is described in section 705 of the Act. A majority of a 
SILC's members are individuals with disabilities, and other members 
include CIL representatives and State agency representatives, as well 
as other appropriate individuals. The SILC jointly develops and signs 
the State Plan for Independent Living with the Designated State Unit 
(DSU) and monitors, reviews, and evaluates the implementation of the 
State plan.
    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and section 
721(b)(3) of the Act, these priorities have been identified by the 
Rehabilitation Services Administration Commissioner through a survey 
based on the annual performance reports of CILs and SILCs.
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications 
that meet one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1

    Applications must demonstrate how the project will encourage 
community-based alternatives to institutionalization. Applications must 
address how the project will help CILs meet the training needs of 
individuals with disabilities moving from an institutional setting to 
community-based living with respect to housing, transportation, 
assistive technology, and independent living skills.

Absolute Priority 2

    Applications must demonstrate how the project will help CILs 
provide outreach and services to consumers from rural settings.

Absolute Priority 3

    Applications must demonstrate how the project will assist CILs, 
SILCs, and eligible agencies in the development of the Statewide 
Network of Centers.

Absolute Priority 4

    Applications must demonstrate how the project will encourage CILs, 
SILCs, and other eligible agencies to coordinate services and develop 
cooperative working relationships with the DSU, other State agencies, 
other councils that address the needs of specific disability 
populations and issues, and other appropriate public and private 
entities.
    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 this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference 
over other applications.
    This priority is:
    The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, working in a joint 
venture with the National Council on Independent Living to form IL-Net, 
currently has a cooperative agreement with the Rehabilitation Services 
Administration to develop and provide training and technical assistance 
to eligible agencies, CILs, and SILCs for planning, developing, 
conducting, administering, and evaluating CILs. Applications should 
demonstrate how the project would coordinate with IL-NET's efforts.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 366.

    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.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $153,699.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $70,000-$153,699.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $76,849.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 2.

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


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Entities that have experience in the 
operation of centers for independent living and submit a proposal to 
provide training and technical assistance to eligible agencies, centers 
for independent living, and Statewide Independent Living Councils.
    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: 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 84.132B.
    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, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 8, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 7, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this competition 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 do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 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 competition.
    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 competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.

[[Page 45710]]

    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under Centers for Independent Living--
Training and Technical Assistance-CFDA Number 132B must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov. 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 Centers for 
Independent Living--Training and Technical Assistance 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, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, 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 date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 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 submission 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 competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted) and provide on your application the 
same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the 
registration process may take five or more business days to complete.
     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. You 
must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a 
.DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. 
If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified 
above or submit a password protected file, we will not review that 
material.
     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 acknowledgment 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.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are prevented from electronically 
submitting your application on the application deadline date because of 
technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an 
extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business 
day to enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by 
hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the 
mailing instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you 
submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this 
notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an 
explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, 
along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We 
will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov 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 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

[[Page 45711]]

statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Thomas Kelley, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5042, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7593.
    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 
84.132B), 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 
84.132B), 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 84.132B), 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

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
in 34 CFR 366.15 and 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: The Government Performance and Results Act 
of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the 
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals.
    The goal of these grants is to provide training and technical 
assistance with respect to planning, developing, conducting, 
administering, and evaluating CILs to the following eligible entities 
authorized under title VII of the Act: eligible agencies, CILs, and 
SILCs.
    In annual performance reports, grantees are required to provide 
specific information on the number of training activities, the topics 
of each training program, the number and types (CILs, SILCs, or 
eligible agencies) of participants served, and summary data from 
participant evaluations.

VII. Agency Contact

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Kelley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5042, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7404.
    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.
    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

[[Page 45712]]

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: August 3, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-15636 Filed 8-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P