[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37741-37743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13472]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; Grant 
Competition To Improve Public Knowledge of and Support for Democracy; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.929C.

    Dates:
    Applications Available: July 11, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 10, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 10, 2007.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To improve the quality of civic education 
through the implementation of comprehensive programs to improve public 
knowledge, understanding, and support of the United States Congress and 
the State legislatures.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6711-6714; Section 20629 of Public Law 
110-5, ``Division B--Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007,'' and 
Title III, Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2006, Safe 
Schools and Citizenship Education, of Public Law 109-149.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    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 grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,984,750.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$2,984,750.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4-5.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants:
    State educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
institutions of higher education; and other public and private 
agencies, organizations, and institutions, or a combination of such 
entities.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching:
    This competition does not require cost sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Rita Foy Moss, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E247, 
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 205-8061 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    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 program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You should limit the application narrative to 25 single-
sided, double-spaced, 8.5'' x 11'' pages using a font not smaller than 
12 point, with 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, left, and right 
sides. The narrative should follow the format and sequence of the 
selection criteria.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: July 11, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 10, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted 
electronically using the http://www.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 in paper format 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 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: September 10, 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 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 Governmentwide http://www.grants.gov. 
Apply site. The competition to Improve Public Knowledge of and Support 
for Democracy, CFDA Number 84.929C, is included in this project. We 
request your participation in http://www.grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for this 
competition 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 84.929, not 84.929C).
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the grants.gov Web 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

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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://eGrants.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 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, 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.

    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 
84.929C), 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 
84.929C), 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

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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 
84.929C), 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 
from 34 CFR part 75.210 in EDGAR 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 in 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 Measure:
    If funded, applicants will be expected to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the grant supported activities on improving the 
knowledge, understanding, and support of the United States Congress and 
the State legislatures.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita Foy Moss, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E247, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 205-8061 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) on request to the program 
contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section 
VII in this notice.
    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: July 6, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E7-13472 Filed 7-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P