[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 231 (Friday, December 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69552-69556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20370]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Ronald 
E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.217A.
    Dates: Applications Available: December 1, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 2, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and consortia 
of those institutions.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration requested 
$380,100,000 for the Federal TRIO Programs for FY 2007, $41,900,000 of 
which we intend to use for new awards for the McNair Program. The 
actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $220,000-$365,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $234,000.
    Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount 
exceeding the maximum amounts specified below for a single budget 
period of 12 months. We may choose not to further consider or review 
applications with budgets that exceed the maximum amounts specified 
below, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application, 
that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the 
specified maximum amount.
     For an applicant who is not currently receiving a McNair 
Program grant, the maximum award amount is $220,000 for a project that 
will serve a minimum of 25 participants.
     For an applicant who is currently receiving a McNair 
Program grant, the maximum award is the greater of (a) $220,000 or (b) 
an amount equal to $9,000 multiplied by the number of participants the 
applicant is proposing to serve, not to exceed 105 percent of the 
applicant's grant award amount for FY 2006.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 180.

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

    Project Period: Four years except applicants whose peer review 
scores are within the highest ten percent of scores of all applicants 
receiving awards will receive five-year awards.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the McNair Program is to award 
grants to institutions of higher education for projects designed to 
provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for 
doctoral study.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-15.

[[Page 69553]]

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
84, 85, and 86.
    (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 647.

    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: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration requested 
$380,100,000 for the Federal TRIO Programs for FY 2007, $41,900,000 of 
which we intend to use for new awards for the McNair Program. The 
actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $220,000-$365,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $234,000.
    Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount 
exceeding the maximum amounts specified below for a single budget 
period of 12 months. We may choose not to further consider or review 
applications with budgets that exceed the maximum amounts specified 
below, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application, 
that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the 
specified maximum amount.
     For an applicant who is not currently receiving a McNair 
Program grant, the maximum award amount is $220,000 for a project that 
will serve a minimum of 25 participants.
     For an applicant who is currently receiving a McNair 
Program grant, the maximum award is the greater of (a) $220,000 or (b) 
an amount equal to $9,000 multiplied by the number of participants the 
applicant is proposing to serve, not to exceed 105 percent of the 
applicant's grant award amount for FY 2006.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 180.

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

    Project Period: Four years except applicants whose peer review 
scores are within the highest ten percent of scores of all applicants 
receiving awards will receive five-year awards.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and 
consortia of those institutions.
    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: Eileen S. Bland, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 
20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 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 
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 and 
instructions for this program.
    Page Limit: The program narrative (Part III of the application) is 
where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers 
use to evaluate your application. You must limit the program narrative 
(Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 50 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. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be within the 1'' margin.
     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, which may be single spaced.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will be rejected.
     Use not less than 12-point font.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for 
Federal Assistance (SF 424) and Department of Education Supplemental 
Information Required for SF 424; Part II, the Budget Information 
Summary Form (ED Form 524); Part III-A, McNair Program Profile; and 
Part IV, Department of Education Certifications and Assurances and 
Survey forms. The page limit also does not apply to the General 
Education Provisions Act (GEPA) statement nor does it apply to a table 
of contents. If you include any attachments or appendices not 
specifically requested, these items will be counted as part of the 
program narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page limit 
requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection 
criteria in the program narrative (Part III).
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: December 1, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
    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 do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 2, 2007.
    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 McNair Program--CFDA Number 
84.217A 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.

[[Page 69554]]

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 McNair 
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 (e.g., search for 84.326, 
not 84.326A).
    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 date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and 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 and 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 and 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 program 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/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps 
include (1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that 
includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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 Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must 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 submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three 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 you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     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 in this paragraph 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 from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application 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 experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support 
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    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 described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application 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. 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: The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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

[[Page 69555]]

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 statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Linda Byrd-Johnson, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 
20006-8510. FAX: (202) 219-7074.
    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 84.217A), 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 
84.217A), 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 84.217A), 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix 
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this 
notification 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 34 CFR 647.21 and are listed in the application package for this 
competition.

    Note: Under the ``Objectives'' selection criterion, in 34 CFR 
647.21(b), applicants must provide data that address both process 
and outcome objectives as listed on the McNair Program Profile 
relative to the purpose of the McNair Program as described in 34 CFR 
647.1.

    The McNair Program Profile (Part III-A) in the application package 
details specific information that applicants must submit regarding four 
specific process and outcome objectives listed in the profile. 
Applicants may, but are not required to, develop additional objectives 
for their projects.
    2. Review and Selection Process: The Secretary will select 
applications for funding in rank-order, based on each application's 
total score for the selection criteria and prior experience, pursuant 
to 34 CFR 647.20 through 647.22. If, after the approval of higher-
ranked applications, there are insufficient funds for two or more 
applications with the same total scores, the Secretary will choose 
among the tied applications to achieve an equitable geographical 
distribution of all new projects.

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 Notice 
(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 expenditures information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The success of the McNair Program is 
measured by the increase in the percentage of McNair Program 
participants who enroll in and persist in graduate school. All McNair 
Program grantees will be required to

[[Page 69556]]

submit an annual performance report regarding this measure.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Eileen S. Bland, U.S. Department 
of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 20006-
8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 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 person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

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

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: November 28, 2006.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E6-20370 Filed 11-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P