[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 135 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38827-38831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13728]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Fund for 
the Improvement of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Hurricane Education Recovery Awards for Fiscal 
Year 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.938H.
    Dates: July 16. 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Pre-Application: July 27, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 17, 2007.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants to institutions of higher 
education (IHEs), as defined in section 101 or section 102(c) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), that are located in an 
area in which a major disaster was declared related to Hurricanes 
Katrina or Rita that were forced to close, relocate, or significantly 
curtail their activities as a result of damage directly caused by the 
hurricanes. These Hurricane Education Recovery Awards can only be used 
to defray expenses, (including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses 
already incurred, and construction) incurred as a direct result of 
Hurricanes Katrina or Rita, and for payments to enable affected IHEs to 
provide grants to students who attend such IHEs for academic years 
beginning on or after July 1, 2006.
    Supplementary Information: Under the Emergency Supplemental 
Appropriations and Additional Supplemental Appropriations for 
Agricultural and Other Emergency Assistance for the Fiscal Year Ending 
September 30, 2007, and for Other Purposes (Pub. L. No. 110-28), only 
IHEs as defined in section 101 or section 102(c) of the HEA that are 
located in an

[[Page 38828]]

area in which a major disaster was declared in accordance with section 
401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and that were forced to 
close, relocate, or significantly curtail their activities as a result 
of damage directly caused by the hurricanes may receive awards. The 
area for which a major disaster was declared in accordance with section 
401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita includes the States of 
Louisiana and Mississippi and certain counties in the States of 
Alabama, Florida, and Texas. A list of these counties is available at: 
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_recovery.shtm.
    Hurricane Education Recovery Awards can only be used to defray 
expenses, including lost revenue, expenses already incurred, and 
construction expenses directly related to damage resulting from 
Hurricanes Katrina or Rita and for payments to enable affected IHEs to 
provide grants to students who attend such IHEs for academic years 
beginning on or after July 1, 2006. These grants are awarded under the 
authority of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education 
authorized by title VII, part B of the HEA.
    Public Law No. 110-28 authorizes the Department to make these funds 
available based on criteria established by the Secretary. Accordingly, 
the Secretary establishes and will consider the following criteria in 
allocating these funds: expenses that would have been covered by 
revenues lost by the IHE as a direct result of the hurricanes; expenses 
incurred by the IHE in remedying the effects of the hurricanes; the 
costs of construction associated with physical damage caused by the 
hurricanes; any amount of any insurance settlement or other 
reimbursement received including from a Federal or other relief agency; 
and the number of Pell Grant recipients enrolled at the IHE at any time 
during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 award year. IHEs must include 
information responsive to each of these criteria in their pre-
applications.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), and section 437 of the General Education 
Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232), the Department generally offers 
interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed program 
requirements. However, Pub. L. No. 110-28 specifically exempts criteria 
established by the Secretary for the award of funds under this program 
from the rulemaking requirements of the APA and GEPA.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $30,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $750,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 40.


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


    Project Period: IHEs receiving Hurricane Education Recovery Awards 
must obligate the funds received by September 30, 2009. Funds being 
used for construction must be expended by September 30, 2011.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs, as defined in section 101 or 102(c) 
of the HEA that are located in an area in which a major disaster was 
declared in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act related to Hurricanes 
Katrina or Rita, and that were forced to close, relocate, or 
significantly curtail their activities as a result of damage directly 
caused by the hurricanes.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application or Pre-application Package: 
Cassandra Courtney, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary 
Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, 
Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7506 or by e-mail: 
[email protected] or [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 
or pre-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.
    Pre-Application: IHEs intending to submit an application for a 
Hurricane Education Recovery Award must first complete and submit a 
pre-application data information form from which institutional 
allotments will be calculated. Data forms and instructions can be 
downloaded from: http://www.ed.gov/OPE (click on the Hurricane 
Education Recovery Awards link). Complete the form and send it to: 
http://HERA2.ed.gov by the date established under Pre-Application 
Deadline. Within one week of the Pre-Application Deadline, the 
Department will calculate the applicant IHE's allotment and e-mail the 
amount back to the contact person identified on the form. IHEs will 
then have until August 17, 2007 to submit their application and budget 
through the e-Application system.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 25 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
curricula vitae (3-page, condensed vitae are preferred), the 
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all 
of the application narrative in Part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: July 16, 2007.

[[Page 38829]]

    Deadline for Transmittal of Pre-Application: July 27, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 17, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    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.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this 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 Hurricane Education Recovery 
Awards 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 Hurricane 
Education Recovery Awards 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 84.326, not 84.326A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your 
application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline 
date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify 
you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time 
stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this 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 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

[[Page 38830]]

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 
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: Cassandra Courtney, Fund 
for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street, 6th Floor, NW., Washington, DC 20006-8544, 
FAX: (202) 502-7877.
    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 84.938H, 
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 84.938H, 
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 84.938H, 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. 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

[[Page 38831]]

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 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.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cassandra Courtney, Fund for the 
Improvement of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20006. Telephone: (202) 
502-7506 or by e-mail: [email protected] or [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 11, 2007.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E7-13728 Filed 7-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P