[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 17 (Friday, January 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4548-4552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1342]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information: Native Hawaiian Education Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.362A.
    DATES:
    Applications Available: January 25, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 10, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Education 
program is to support innovative projects that enhance the educational 
services provided to Native Hawaiian children and adults. These 
projects may include those activities authorized under section 
7205(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (ESEA).

    Note: A permissible activity under this competition includes the 
construction, renovation, or modernization of an elementary school 
or secondary school, or of a structure related to an elementary 
school or secondary school, run by the Department of Education of 
the State of Hawaii that serves a predominately Native Hawaiian 
student body.

    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), competitive 
preference priorities (1)(a) through (1)(d) are from section 7205(a)(2) 
of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7515(a)(2)). Competitive preference priority (2) 
is from the notice of final priorities for discretionary grant programs 
published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60045).
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2008 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 
five points (total) to an application, depending on how well the 
application meets one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:
    The Secretary will give a competitive preference to applicants 
proposing:
    (1) Projects that are designed to address one or more of the 
following:
    (a) Beginning reading and literacy among students in kindergarten 
through third grade.
    (b) The needs of at-risk children and youth.
    (c) The needs in fields or disciplines in which Native Hawaiians 
are underemployed.
    (d) The use of the Hawaiian language in instruction.
    (2) Projects that support activities and interventions aimed at 
improving the academic achievement of secondary school students who are 
at greatest risk of not meeting challenging State academic standards 
and not completing high school.

    Note: In order to receive additional points under a competitive 
preference priority, an

[[Page 4549]]

application should provide adequate and sufficient information that 
clearly substantiates its claim that it meets each priority.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7511-7517; Div. G, Title III of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-161).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final priorities for 
discretionary grant programs published in the Federal Register on 
October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60045).

    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: $9,683,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2009 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$950,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $421,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 23.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Native Hawaiian educational organizations; 
Native Hawaiian community-based organizations; public and private 
nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions with experience in 
developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or programs of 
instruction in the Native Hawaiian language; and consortia of the 
previously mentioned organizations, agencies, and institutions.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching requirements.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Funds made available under this program 
may be used only to supplement and expand programs and authorities in 
the area of education to further the purposes of the Native Hawaiian 
Education program, pursuant to section 7203(3) of the ESEA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain a copy of 
the application package via the Internet, or from the program office. 
To obtain a copy via the Internet, use either of the following 
addresses: http://www.grants.gov or http://www.ed.gov/programs/nathawaiian/applicant.html.
    To obtain a copy from the program office, contact: Joanne Osborne, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W215, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 401-1265 or by e-mail: 
[email protected] or Beth Fine, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W242, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: 
(202) 260-1091 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 persons 
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 (Part III) is where you, the 
applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to 
evaluate your application. You must limit the application narrative 
(Part III) to 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, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, 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. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the 
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, 
the assurances and certifications; the abstract; the resumes; or the 
appendices. However, you must include all of the application narrative 
in Part III.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: January 25, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 10, 2008.
    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 
one of the persons 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 competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: This program has a statutory requirement 
prohibiting the use of Federal funds to supplant non-Federal funds. 
Under 34 CFR 75.563, if a grantee decides to charge indirect costs to a 
program with this type of statutory requirement, the grantee must use a 
restricted indirect cost rate computed under 34 CFR 76.564 through 
76.569. Also, under section 7205(b) of the ESEA, not more than five 
percent of funds provided to a grantee under this competition for any 
fiscal year may be used for administrative purposes. We reference 
additional 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 the Native Hawaiian Education 
program, CFDA Number 84.362A must be submitted electronically using the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site

[[Page 4550]]

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 the Native 
Hawaiian Education program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search 
for the downloadable application package for this competition by the 
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.362, not 84.362A).
    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 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 persons 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

[[Page 4551]]

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: Joanne Osborne, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W215, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 205-4921 or Beth Fine, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W242, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200 FAX: (202) 260-8969.
    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 
84.362A), 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 
84.362A), 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 84.362A), 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.
    (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 75.210 and are listed below. The maximum possible score for 
this competition is 105 points (100 points under the selection criteria 
and 5 points under the competitive preference). The maximum possible 
points for each criterion are as follows:
    a. Significance of Project (5 points). In determining the 
significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the 
significance of the problem or issue to be addressed by the proposed 
project.
    b. Need for Project (5 points). In determining the need for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the magnitude of the need for 
the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the 
proposed project.
    c. Quality of the Project Design (30 points). In determining the 
quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate 
to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population 
or other identified needs.
    d. Quality of Project Personnel (10 points). In determining the 
quality of project personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to 
which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons 
who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented 
based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In 
addition, the Secretary considers one or more of the following factors:
    (1) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    (2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    (3) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of project consultants or subcontractors.
    e. Quality of the Management Plan (20 points). In determining the 
quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.

[[Page 4552]]

    f. Quality of the Project Evaluation (20 points). In determining 
the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project, 
the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    g. Adequacy of Resources (10 points). In determining the quality of 
the adequacy of resources to conduct the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    (2) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    (3) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.

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 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 Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed three measures 
for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Native Hawaiian 
Education program:
    (1) The percentage of teachers who, through the program, 
participate in professional development activities that address the 
unique educational needs of program participants.
    (2) The percentage of Native Hawaiian children who participate in 
early education through the program and improve on measures of school 
readiness and literacy.
    (3) The percentage of students participating in the program who 
meet or exceed proficiency standards in mathematics, science, or 
reading.
    All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance 
report addressing these performance measures, to the extent that they 
apply to the grantee's project.

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Osborne, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W215, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-1265 or by e-mail: [email protected] or 
Beth Fine, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
3W242, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1091 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 persons 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://gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: January 22, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E8-1342 Filed 1-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P