[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 147 (Tuesday, August 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43628-43631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-6629]



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Part IV





National Institute for Literacy





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Overview Information; Literacy Information and Communication (LINCS) 
Regional Resource Centers; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 147 / Tuesday, August 1, 2006 / 
Notices  

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NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY


Overview Information; Literacy Information and Communication 
(LINCS) Regional Resource Centers; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.257T.


DATES: Applications Available: August 1, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 5, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 5, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: Public and private agencies or institutions, 
or non-profit organizations, with knowledge and expertise in adult 
basic education and adult literacy; or consortia of such agencies, 
institutions, or organizations. Additional information concerning 
eligibility requirements is in Section III.1. in this notice.
    Estimated Available Funds: $750,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $175,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3.

    Note: The National Institute for Literacy is not bound by any 
estimates in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months. Each grantee will be required to 
enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Institute for 
Literacy (Institute) for the duration of the project period.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program

    The purpose of the Literacy Information and Communication (LINCS) 
Regional Resource Centers (Centers) is to provide for the dissemination 
of highest-quality resources using various approaches (such as 
highlighting online materials, face-to-face technical assistance, 
distance learning, and discussion lists) through partnerships with 
adult education and related organizations to help practitioners use 
evidence-based instructional practices that improve outcomes in adult 
learners' literacy skills. The Centers will organize training and 
workshops based on Institute-developed materials, as well as provide 
assistance in using online instructional resources provided through 
LINCS. The Centers are intended to play a vital role in helping the 
Institute fulfill its authorized responsibilities to establish a 
national electronic database of information that disseminates 
information to the broadest possible audience within the literacy and 
basic skills field and a communication network for literacy programs, 
providers, social service agencies, and students. These grants will be 
awarded as cooperative agreements, as the Institute will be 
substantially involved with the grantees in the implementation of the 
funded activities. The Institute has grouped states into the following 
regions, for purposes of awarding these grants:
    Region I: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, 
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New 
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
    Region II: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, 
Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, 
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, 
and West Virginia.
    Region III: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, 
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, 
Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
    Applicants should specify which Region they are submitting an 
application for in their proposals. For background information on the 
Institute and LINCS, please visit: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/grants_contracts/info.html.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9252.

    Applicable Regulations: For purposes of this grant competition, the 
following regulations from the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) are applicable: 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 
79, 80, 82, 84, 85, and 97.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Available Funds: $750,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $175,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months. Continuation awards are contingent 
on a grantee's progress and future Congressional appropriations.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Public and private agencies or 
institutions, or non-profit organizations, with knowledge and expertise 
in adult basic education and adult literacy; or consortia of such 
agencies, institutions, or organizations. It is expected that 
applicants shall have significant knowledge and experience with the 
adult education and literacy system; understand current issues in adult 
education and literacy, especially content areas and professional 
development; be familiar with researchers and experts in the adult 
education and literacy field, reading, learning disabilities, and 
research methods; and be able to facilitate and organize a network of 
partners within their region.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Although this program does not require 
cost sharing or matching for eligibility, the Institute encourages 
applicants to provide some institutional financial commitment to the 
project.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Jo Maralit; National 
Institute for Literacy; 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 730; Washington, DC 
20006; Telephone: 202-233-2028; fax: 202-233-2050; 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 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 competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part IV of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. The Director strongly 
encourages applicants to limit Part IV to the equivalent of no more 
than 20 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The suggested page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; 
Part V, the budget section, including the

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narrative budget justification; Part VII the assurances and 
certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all 
of the application narrative in Part IV.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 1, 
2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 5, 2006.
    Applications for grants under this application notice may be 
submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (http://www.grants.gov), or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery, please refer 
to section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 5, 2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications

    Electronic submissions of applications have been submitted 
electronically through the U.S. Department of Education's e-Application 
system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply 
with the President's Management Agenda, the Institute is participating 
as a partner in the new governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site in FY 
2006. The Institute's LINCS Regional Resource Center application notice 
(CFDA Number 84.257T) is one of the programs included in this project. 
We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for LINCS Regional 
Resource Centers 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.

    Notes:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     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 application process through 
Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the U.S. Department of 
Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application 
through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for 
this application notice to ensure that you submit your application 
in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the 
U.S. Department of 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 the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
.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 submit your application in paper format.
     You may 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. 
If you choose to submit your application electronically, 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 Institute will retrieve 
your application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation 
by e-mail that will include a PR/Award number (an Institute-
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 System 
Unavailability: 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). The Institute 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 Institute 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.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail

    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), your package should 
include one original plus two copies of the

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application. Three additional copies (for a total of six applications) 
are requested, but not required. Each application should be clipped or 
stapled, not bound or enclosed in a folder and submitted on or before 
the application deadline date, to the Institute at the applicable 
following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: National Institute for 
Literacy, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.257T), 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 
730, Washington, DC 20006-2417; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: National Institute for Literacy, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.257T), 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 730, 
Washington, DC 20006-2417, Phone: 202-233-2025.

    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 Director of the 
Institute.
    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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Institute at the following address: National Institute for 
Literacy, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.257T), 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 
730, Washington, DC 20006-2417.
    The National Institute for Literacy 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 Institute:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and Item 4 of the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA 
number--and suffix letter--of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application. For the LINCS Regional Resource Center 
competition: CFDA Number 84.257T.
    (2) The Institute 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 National Institute for Literacy 
at 202-233-2025.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from section 75.210 of EDGAR, 34 CFR 75.210, and are as follows. The 
maximum possible score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum possible score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses 
following the criterion.
1. Quality of the project design (20 points)
    (1) The Director considers the quality of the design of the 
proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Director considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (ii) The quality of the proposed demonstration design and 
procedures for documenting project activities and results.
    (iii) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated 
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, 
State, and Federal resources.
    (iv) The extent to which the proposed project will establish 
linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing 
services to the target population.
2. Quality of project services (20 points)
    (1) The Director considers the quality of the services to be 
provided by the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by 
the proposed project, the Director considers the quality and 
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for 
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (3) In addition, the Director considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which entities that are to be served by the 
proposed technical assistance project demonstrate support for the 
project.
    (ii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the 
proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and 
effective practice.
    (iii) The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    (iv) The extent to which the services to be provided by the 
proposed project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for 
maximizing the effectiveness of project services.
    (v) The extent to which the technical assistance services to be 
provided by the proposed project involve the use of efficient 
strategies, including the use of technology, as appropriate, and the 
leveraging of non-project resources.
3. Quality of project personnel (25 points)
    (1) The Director considers the quality of the personnel who will 
carry out the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Director 
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.
    (3) In addition, the Director considers the following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of key project personnel.
    (iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
4. Adequacy of resources (25 points)
    (1) The Director considers the adequacy of resources for the 
proposed project.
    (2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project, the Director considers the following factors:
    (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    (ii) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in 
the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.

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    (iii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (iv) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
5. Quality of the management plan (10 points)
    (1) The Director considers the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project, the Director 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, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (ii) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and 
continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider 
in selecting an application for an award is the extent to which an 
applicant's response to the selection criteria addresses its ability to 
meet, and its commitment to, the following expectations of the Centers, 
which will be included in the cooperative agreements between the 
grantees and the Institute:
    a. Map the professional development systems and opportunities in 
the states within its region, within the first four months of the grant 
period.
    b. Conduct an assessment of the needs of practitioners and 
professional development offices and organizations in its region with 
particular emphasis on gathering information on awareness and use of 
scientifically-based and other high quality research and materials, 
within the first six months of the grant period.
    c. Based on the results of the professional development maps and 
needs assessment, develop a plan to establish and maintain partnerships 
with organizations and groups of administrators, state staff, project 
directors, and professional developers to assist with information 
dissemination in the region. For more information on partnerships: 
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/grants_contracts/info.html.
    d. Create and implement a comprehensive regional dissemination plan 
for the three-year grant period based on the results of the needs 
assessment as well as available Institute resources, such as 
publications, online materials, discussion lists, and training packages 
on topics such as adult reading instruction, serving adults with 
learning disabilities (using Bridges to Practice), and basing 
instruction on evidence-based practices.
    e. Organize and manage training using recognized national experts 
for partners and partners' constituents, as approved by the Institute. 
Establish a Regional Training Team made up of liaisons from each state 
partner to coordinate and enhance states' training capacity.
    f. Provide technical assistance to partners, as needed, to increase 
their technology capacity and facilitate collaboration, dissemination 
and training opportunities through the use of online tools and systems.
    g. Gather data for measures established by the Institute concerning 
training, information dissemination, and partnerships.
    h. Collaborate with other Regional Resource Centers and carry out 
joint activities when appropriate to maximize impact. Regional Resource 
Center project directors and staff shall meet two times a year with 
Institute staff, participate in monthly conference calls, and other 
telephone meetings, as necessary.
    i. Develop a sustainability plan that describes how the Center 
plans to sustain the proposed activities after the grant period.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we will 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 will 
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 Institute. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit 
semi-annual performance reports, as well as an annual performance 
report that provides the most current performance and financial 
expenditure information as specified in 34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the following measure has been developed for 
evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Institute's technical 
assistance and training: The percentage of individuals who receive NIFL 
technical assistance who can demonstrate that they implemented 
instructional practices grounded in scientifically based research 
within six months of receiving the technical assistance. The Institute 
will expect all grantees to document information that addresses this 
measure in the performance reports referenced in section VI.3. of this 
notice.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Jo Maralit, National Institute for 
Literacy, 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 730, Washington, DC 20006, 
Telephone: 202-233-2028, fax: 202-233-2050, 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 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 the Institute published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/grants_contracts/grants.html. 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: July 28, 2006.
Sandra L. Baxter,
Director.
[FR Doc. 06-6629 Filed 7-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6055-01-P