[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3490-3494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-750]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


 Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Native Hawaiian Education Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.362A.

    Dates: Applications Available: January 23, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 24, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: Native Hawaiian educational organizations; 
Native Hawaiian community-based organizations; public and private 
nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions with experience in 
developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of 
instruction in the Native Hawaiian language, and consortia of the 
previously mentioned organizations, agencies, and institutions.
    Estimated Available Funds: $9,500,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards for FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $375,000--$1,100,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $450,000 (The size of the awards 
will be commensurate with the nature and scope of the work proposed).
    Estimated Number of Awards: 21.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Education 
program is to support innovative projects that enhance the educational 
services provided to Native Hawaiian children and adults. These 
projects may include those activities authorized under section 
7205(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (ESEA).
    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), the 
following competitive preference priorities are from section 7205(a)(2) 
of the ESEA.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2006, and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award a maximum of 5 points 
(total) to an application, depending on the extent to which the 
application meets one or more of these priorities.
    The Secretary will give a competitive preference to applicants 
proposing projects that are designed to address one or more of the 
following:
    (a) Beginning reading and literacy among students in kindergarten 
through third grade;

[[Page 3491]]

    (b) The needs of at-risk children and youth;
    (c) The needs in fields or disciplines in which Native Hawaiians 
are underemployed; and
    (d) The use of the Hawaiian language in instruction.

    Note: In order to receive additional points under a competitive 
preference priority, an application should provide adequate and 
sufficient information that clearly substantiates its claim that it 
meets each priority addressed.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7515-7517; Departments of Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2006 (Public Law 109-149).
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.


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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: $9,500,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards for FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $375,000 - $1,100,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $450,000 (The size of the awards 
will be commensurate with the nature and scope of the work proposed).
    Estimated Number of Awards: 21.


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


    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Native Hawaiian educational organizations; 
Native Hawaiian community-based organizations; public and private 
nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions with experience in 
developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of 
instruction in the Native Hawaiian language; and consortia of the 
previously mentioned organizations, agencies, and institutions.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching requirements, but the program does have a 
supplement-not-supplant funding requirement. Funds made available under 
this program may be used only to supplement and expand programs and 
authorities in the area of education to further the purposes of the 
Native Hawaiian Education program (section 7203(3) of the ESEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: To obtain a copy of the 
application package via the Internet use the following address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/nathawaiian/applicant.html
    Individuals may also obtain a copy of the application package by 
contacting the program contact persons listed in this section.
    Address and mail your request for information to: Beth Fine, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W223, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1091 or by e-mail: 
[email protected] or Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W225, Washington, DC 20202-6200. 
Telephone: (202) 260-1541 or by e-mail: [email protected]
    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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
persons 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 competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the 
application narrative (text plus all figures, charts, tables, and 
diagrams) 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 application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, and graphs.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial.
     Use size 12-point font.
     Begin numbering at the right bottom of the first page in 
Arabic numerals (``1'') and number the pages consecutively throughout 
the document.
     Include all critical information in the program narrative.
    The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the 
budget section, including the budget narrative justification; the 
assurances and certifications; the project abstract; the resumes; and 
the appendices.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: January 23, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 24, 2006.
    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.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: This program has a statutory requirement 
prohibiting the use of Federal funds to supplant non-Federal funds. 
Under 34 CFR 75.563, if a grantee decides to charge indirect costs to a 
program with this type of statutory requirement, the grantee shall use 
a restricted indirect cost rate computed under 34 CFR 76.564 through 
76.569. Also, under section 7205(b) of the ESEA, not more than five 
percent of funds provided to a grantee under this competition for any 
fiscal year may be used for administrative purposes. We reference 
additional 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.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Native Hawaiian Education 
Program--CFDA Number 84.362A must be submitted electronically using the 
Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov. Through this site, you

[[Page 3492]]

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 Native 
Hawaiian Education 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, 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 of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the new 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You must also 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, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
     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 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.
    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

[[Page 3493]]

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: Beth Fine, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Room 3W223, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200 or Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Room 3W225, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. FAX: (202) 260-8969.
    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 
84.362A), 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 
84.362A), 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 84.362A), 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 competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed in the application 
package. The maximum possible score for this competition is 105 points 
(100 points under the selection criteria and 5 points under the 
competitive preference) The maximum possible points for each criterion 
are as follows:

a. Significance and Need for Project (15 points)
b. Quality of the Project Design (30 points)
c. Quality of Project Personnel (10 points)
d. Adequacy of Resources (15 points)
e. Quality of the Management Plan (15 points)
f. Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points)

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: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Department has developed three measures for 
evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Native Hawaiian Education 
Program--(1) Increasing the percentage of teachers who participate in 
professional development activities under the program that address the 
unique educational needs of program participants; (2) Increasing the 
percentage of Native Hawaiian children who participate in early 
education programs and improve on measures of school readiness and 
literacy; and (3) Increasing the percentage of students participating 
in the program who will meet or exceed proficiency standards in 
mathematics, science, or reading.
    All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance 
report addressing these performance measures, to the extent that they 
apply to the grantee's project.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Beth Fine, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3W223,

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Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1091 or by e-mail: 
[email protected] or Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3W225, Washington, DC 20202-6200. 
Telephone: (202) 260-1541 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    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 persons listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.


    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 17, 2006.
Henry L. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-750 Filed 1-20-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P