[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 56 (Friday, March 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13761-13764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5371]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Recreational Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.128J.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: March 23, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 22, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 23, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: States, public agencies, and nonprofit private 
organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,078,665.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, the Secretary may make additional awards in FY 2008 from 
the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $130,000-$140,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $130,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 8.

    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 Recreational Programs is to 
provide individuals with disabilities with recreational activities and 
related experiences to aid in their employment, mobility, 
socialization, independence, and community integration. Recreational 
Programs initiate local recreation projects that will continue after 
Federal assistance ends.

Statutory Requirements for Program

    All applicants seeking funding under this competition must--
    (a) Describe the manner in which the applicant will address the 
needs of individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds 
(section 21(c) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the 
Act));
    (b) Describe the manner in which the findings and results of the 
project to be funded under the grant, particularly information that 
facilitates the replication of the results of that project, will be 
made generally available (section 305(a)(4)(A) of the Act);
    (c) Demonstrate ways in which recreational activities assist in 
maximizing the independence and integration of individuals with 
disabilities into community-based recreational programs (section 
305(a)(1)(C) of the Act);
    (d) Assure that the project will maintain, at a minimum, the same 
level of services over the three-year project period (section 305(a)(5) 
of the Act);
    (e) Assure that the service program funded under the grant will be 
continued after Federal assistance ends (section 305(a)(4)(B) of the 
Act); and
    (f) Provide non-Federal resources (in cash or in-kind) to pay the 
non-Federal share cost of the project in year two at 25 percent of the 
year one Federal grant and in year three at 50 percent of the year one 
Federal grant (section 305(a)(3)(B) of the Act).
    Priorities: This competition includes one absolute priority and one 
competitive preference priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(1), the absolute priority is from the notice of final 
priority for this program, published in the Federal Register on April 
19, 2001 (66 FR 20176). The competitive preference priority is from 
section 75.225 of the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Projects must provide recreational services to individuals with 
disabilities. Recreational services include, but are not limited to, 
vocational skills development, leisure education, leisure

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networking, leisure resource development, physical education and 
sports, scouting and camping, 4-H activities, music, dancing, 
handicrafts, art, and homemaking. Recreational services do not include 
the construction of facilities for aquatic rehabilitation therapy.
    Projects must provide recreational services to individuals with 
disabilities in settings with peers who are not individuals with 
disabilities.
    Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award 
an additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    The applicant must be a novice applicant. Novice applicant means 
any applicant for a grant from the Department that--
    (a) Has never received a grant or subgrant under the Recreational 
Programs;
    (b) Has never been a member of a group application, submitted in 
accordance with section 75.127 through 75.129, that received a grant 
under the Recreational Programs; and
    (c) Has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal 
Government in the five years before the deadline date for applications 
under the Recreational Programs.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 775.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) EDGAR in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 
80, 81, 82, 84, 85, and 86. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 369. (c) 
The notice of final priority published in the Federal Register on April 
19, 2001 (66 FR 20176).

    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: $1,078,665.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, the Secretary may make additional awards in FY 2008 from 
the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $130,000-$140,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $130,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 8.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: States, public agencies, and nonprofit 
private organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Federal share of the cost of a 
project is 100 percent in the first year, 75 percent in the second 
year, and 50 percent in the third year. The local match may be in cash 
or in-kind contributions. See section 305(a)(3) of the Act.

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 84.128J.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 245-7363.
    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.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 23, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 22, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including date 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: July 23, 2007.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under For Further Information Contact.
    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 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 Recreational Programs, CFDA 
Number 84.128J must be submitted electronically using the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through 
this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application 
package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your 
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Recreational 
Programs 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 
84.128, not 84.128J).

    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

[[Page 13763]]

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 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 
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: Ed Hofler, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5065, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7592.
    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 
84.128J), 400 Maryland

[[Page 13764]]

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 
84.128J), 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 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 84.128J), 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

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

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), a measure has been developed for evaluating 
the overall effectiveness of the Recreational Programs: the percentage 
of projects in operation one, two, and three years after Federal 
funding ends. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) collects 
data on this measure by contacting grantees once a year after the 
project period has ended. All grantees will be expected to submit an 
annual performance report documenting their success in maintaining the 
same level of service over their three-year project period and to 
provide information to RSA when they are contacted about their on-going 
activities after the project period has ended.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Ed Hofler, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5065, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7377 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 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: March 20, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E7-5371 Filed 3-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P