[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 35 (Thursday, February 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7960-7964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3036]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; 
Foundations for Learning; Notice inviting applications for new awards 
for fiscal year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215H.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: February 22, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 13, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 12, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) Local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) 
Local councils; (3) Community-based organizations (CBOs), including 
faith-based organizations; (4) Other public or nonprofit private 
entities; or (5) A combination of such entities.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration's budget request for 
FY 2007 does not include funds for this program. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process before the end of the current fiscal year if Congress 
appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the availability 
of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards 
in FY 2008 and subsequent years based on the list of unfunded 
applications from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $245,500.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

[[Page 7961]]

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program supports projects to help eligible 
children become ready for school.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from section 5542 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. 
7269a (ESEA).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards on the basis of the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is: Grants to local educational agencies, local 
councils, community-based organizations, including faith-based 
organizations, and other public and nonprofit private entities, or a 
combination of such entities, to assist eligible children to become 
ready for school.
    To be eligible for funding, a project must propose one or more of 
the following--
    (1) To deliver services to eligible children and their families 
that foster eligible children's emotional, behavioral, and social 
development;
    (2) To coordinate and facilitate access by eligible children and 
their families to the services available through community resources, 
including mental health, physical health, substance abuse, educational, 
domestic violence prevention, child welfare, and social services;
    (3) To provide ancillary services such as transportation or child 
care in order to facilitate the delivery of any other authorized 
services or activities;
    (4) To develop or enhance early childhood community partnerships 
and build toward a community system of care that brings together child-
serving agencies or organizations to provide individualized supports 
for eligible children and their families;
    (5) To evaluate the success of strategies and services provided 
pursuant to the grant in promoting young children's successful entry to 
school and to maintain data systems required for effective evaluations; 
and
    (6) To pay for the expenses of administering the grant activities, 
including assessment of children's eligibility for services.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7269a.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration's budget request for 
FY 2007 does not include funds for this program. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process before the end of the current fiscal year if Congress 
appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the availability 
of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards 
in FY 2008 and subsequent years based on the list of unfunded 
applications from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $245,500.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs; (2) Local councils; (3) Community-
based organizations (CBOs), including faith-based organizations; (4) 
Other public or nonprofit private entities; or (5) A combination of 
such entities.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching but does involve supplement-not supplant funding 
provisions. See 20 U.S.C. 7269a(b)(3)(D).

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 84.215H.
    Copies of the application package for this competition can also be 
found at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/programs.html.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person 
listed in Section VII of this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission:
    a. Statutory Application Requirements: Applications submitted under 
this program must include the following--
    (1) A description of the population that the applicant intends to 
serve and the types of services to be provided under the grant;
    (2) A description of the manner in which services under the grant 
will be coordinated with existing similar services provided by public 
and nonprofit private entities within the State; and
    (3) An assurance that--
     Services under the grant will be provided by or under the 
supervision of qualified professionals with expertise in early 
childhood development;
     These services will be culturally competent;
     These services will be provided in accordance with the 
permissible uses of funds as described elsewhere in this notice;
     Funds will be used to supplement, and not supplant, non-
Federal funds; and
     Parents of students participating in services will be 
involved in the design and implementation of the services.
    b. Page Limit: The program narrative section should not exceed 25 
double-spaced pages using a standard font no smaller than 12-point, 
with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The narrative 
should follow the format and sequence of the selection criteria.
    c. Other: Other 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: February 22, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 13, 2007.
    Applications for grants under the Foundations for Learning Grants 
Program may be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site 
(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.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed

[[Page 7962]]

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in Section VII of this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental review: June 12, 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:
    Limitations on Use of Funds.
    (1) Grant funds may be used only to pay for services that cannot be 
paid for using other Federal, State, or local public resources or 
through private insurance.
    (2) A grantee may not use more than 3 percent of the amount of the 
grant to pay the expenses of administering the authorized activities, 
including assessment of children's eligibility for services.
    We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions 
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under the 
Foundations for Learning Grants Program may be submitted electronically 
or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Government-wide Grants.gov Apply 
site. The Foundations for Learning Grants Program, CFDA Number 84.215H, 
is included in this project. We request your participation in 
Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Government-wide 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 the Foundations 
for learning Grants Program at http://www.Grants.gov You must search 
for the downloadable application package for this competition by the 
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.215, not 84.215H). Please note the 
following:
     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 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 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 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 submit your application in paper format.
     If you submit your application electronically, 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).
     If you 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 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

[[Page 7963]]

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.

    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), 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 84.215H), 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 
84.215H), 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.
    (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.
    (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 Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.215H), 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 receipt. 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

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are in 
the application package for this competition.

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: If funded, you are expected to collect data on the 
key GPRA performance measures for this program and report those data to 
the Department in your final performance report at the end of your 
project period. Your final performance report must also include 
financial information, as directed by the Secretary. We may also 
require more frequent performance reports in accordance with 34 CFR 
75.720(c).
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the Foundations for Learning grants program: (1) The percentage of 
eligible children served by the grant attaining measurable gains in 
emotional, behavioral, and social development will increase; and (2) 
The percentage of eligible children and their families served by the 
grant receiving individualized support from child-serving agencies or 
organizations will increase.
    Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate a strong capacity to 
provide reliable data on these indicators in responding to the 
selection criteria, ``Quality of project services'' and ``Quality of 
the project evaluation.''

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Earl Myers, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., room 3E254, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 708-8846 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 1-888-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on

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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: February 16, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
 [FR Doc. E7-3036 Filed 2-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P