[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 120 (Friday, June 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34454-34457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12117]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Centers for Independent Living--Training and Technical 
Assistance; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.132B.

    Applications Available: June 22, 2007.
    Date of Pre-Application Meeting: July 2, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 6, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 3, 2007.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To provide training and technical assistance 
with respect to planning, developing, conducting, administering, and 
evaluating centers for independent living to the following entities: 
Centers for independent living (CILs), eligible agencies, and Statewide 
Independent Living Councils (SILCs).
    A CIL is a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, 
nonresidential private nonprofit agency that is designed and operated 
within a local community by individuals with disabilities and that 
provides an array of independent living services. An eligible agency is 
a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, 
nonresidential, private nonprofit agency.
    Each State establishes a SILC that jointly develops and signs the 
State Plan for Independent Living with the Designated State Unit and 
monitors, reviews, and evaluates the implementation of the State plan. 
A majority of a SILC's members are individuals with disabilities, and 
other members include CIL representatives and State agency 
representatives, as well as other appropriate individuals.
    The purpose of independent living services is to maximize 
independence, productivity, empowerment, and leadership of individuals 
with significant disabilities and integrate these individuals into the 
mainstream of society.
    Priorities: These priorities are from the notice of final 
priorities for this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register.
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2007 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3) we consider only applications 
that meet one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Priority 1--Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Training and 
Technical Assistance Center.
    Priority 2--Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) Training 
and Technical Assistance Center.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 366. (c) The notice of final priorities published elsewhere in 
this issue of the Federal Register.

    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: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,329,327 ($1,004,327 for Priority 1 
and $325,000 Priority 2).
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,004,327 for Priority 1 and $325,000 for Priority 2 
for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for 
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 2 (one for Priority 1 and one for 
Priority 2).

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Entities that have experience in the 
operation of centers for independent living.

[[Page 34455]]

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

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), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.132B.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the team under 
Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice.
    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: June 22, 2007.
    Date of Pre-Application Meeting: July 2, 2007. Interested parties 
are invited to participate in this pre-application meeting to discuss 
the priorities and to receive information and technical assistance 
through individual consultation. Interested parties may participate in 
this meeting by conference call with staff from the Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) between 1 p.m. and 3 
p.m., Washington, DC time. On the same day, OSERS staff also will be 
available from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., by telephone, to provide 
information and technical assistance through individual consultation. 
For further information or to make arrangements to participate on the 
conference call or for an individual consultation, contact Sean 
Barrett, U.S. Department of Education, Potomac Center Plaza, room 5042, 
550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7604 
or by e-mail: [email protected].
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 6, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format 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.
    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 in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 3, 2007.
    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 in 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 Centers for Independent Living--
Training and Technical Assistance-CFDA Number 84.132B 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 Centers for 
Independent Living--Training and Technical Assistance 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 84.132, not 
84.132B).

    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 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

[[Page 34456]]

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, toll free, 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 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice 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: Thomas Kelley, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5055, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Fax: (202) 245-7593.
    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 84.132B), 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or

orBy mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.132B), 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,

[[Page 34457]]

Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.132B), 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 34 CFR 366.15 and are listed 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 Notice 
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    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 in 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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act 
of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the 
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals.
    The goal of these grants is to provide training and technical 
assistance with respect to planning, developing, conducting, 
administering, and evaluating CILs to the following eligible entities 
authorized under title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 
amended: Eligible agencies, CILs, and SILCs.
    In annual performance reports, grantees are required to provide 
specific information on the number of training activities, the topics 
of each training program, the number and types of participants served 
(i.e., CILs, SILCs, or eligible agencies), and summary data from 
participant evaluations.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Thomas Kelley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5055, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7404 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and 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, PCP, Washington, DC 
20202-2500. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, 
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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: June 19, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E7-12117 Filed 6-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P