[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27523-27526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10680]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information 
Predominantly Black Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.382A.
    DATES: Applications Available: May 13, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 27, 2008.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 26, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Predominantly Black 
Institutions (PBI) Program is to strengthen predominantly Black 
institutions to carry out programs in the following areas: Science, 
technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); health education; 
internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; or 
improving educational outcomes of African-American males.
    Program Authority: Title IV, Part J, Section 499A of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the College Cost Reduction 
and Access Act (CCRAA) of 2007.
    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: $15,000,000.
    Estimated Size of Awards: $600,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education that--
    (A) Has an enrollment of needy students as defined by the CCRAA of 
2007. The term enrollment of needy students means the enrollment at an 
institution of higher education with respect to which not less than 50 
percent of the undergraduate students enrolled in an academic program 
leading to a degree--
    (a) In the second fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which 
the determination is made, were Federal Pell Grant recipients for such 
year;
    (b) Come from families that receive benefits under a means-tested 
Federal benefit program (as defined in paragraph (5));
    (c) Attended a public or nonprofit private secondary school--
    (i) That is in the school district of a local educational agency 
that was eligible for assistance under part A of title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for any year during 
which the student attended such secondary school; and
    (ii) Which for the purpose of this paragraph and for that year was 
determined by the Secretary (pursuant to regulations and after 
consultation with the State educational agency of the State in which 
the school is located) to be a school in which the enrollment of 
children counted under a measure of poverty described in section 
1113(a)(5) of such Act exceeds 30 percent of the total enrollment of 
such school; or
    (d) Are first-generation college students (as that term is defined 
in section 402A(g)), and a majority of such first-generation college 
students are low-income individuals. The term low-income individual has 
the meaning given such term in section 402A(g).
    (B) Has an average educational and general expenditure which is 
low, per full-time equivalent undergraduate student in comparison with 
the average educational and general expenditure per full-time 
equivalent undergraduate student of institutions of higher education 
that offer similar instruction. The Secretary may waive this 
requirement, in accordance with section 392(b) of the HEA in the same 
manner as the Secretary applies the waiver requirements to grant 
applicants under section 312(b)(1)(B) of the HEA;
    (C) Has an enrollment of undergraduate students--
    i. That is at least 40 percent Black American students;
    ii. That is at least 1,000 undergraduate students;
    iii. Of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate 
students enrolled at the institution are low-income individuals or 
first-generation college students (as that term is defined in section 
402A(g); The term first generation college student means--(A) an 
individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate 
degree; or (B) in the case of any individual who regularly resided with 
and received support from only one parent, an individual whose only 
such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree; and
    iv. Of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students 
are enrolled in an educational program leading to a bachelor's or 
associate's degree that the institution is licensed to award by the 
State in which the institution is located;
    (D) Is legally authorized to provide, and provides within the 
State, an educational program for which the institution of higher 
education awards bachelor's degree, or in the case of a junior or 
community college, an associate's degree;
    (E) Is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or 
association determined by the Secretary to be a reliable authority as 
to the quality of training offered, or is, according to such an agency 
or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation; and
    (F) Is not receiving assistance under Part B of Title III of the 
HEA, as amended by the CCRAA of 2007.
    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: Karen W. Johnson, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC 
20006-8515. Telephone: (202) 502-7777 or by e-mail: 
[email protected] or Bernadette Miles, U.S. Department of

[[Page 27524]]

Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6047, Washington, DC 20006-8515. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7616 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 and instructions for this 
program. Page Limit: The program narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses 
the selection criteria to the equivalent of no more than 30 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. 
Page numbers and an identifier may be outside of the 1 
margin.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. Charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs in the application narrative may be single spaced 
and will count toward the page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     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 be rejected.
     The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF-424 form (SF-424); Part II, 
the Budget Information Non-Construction Programs form (ED 524); and 
Part IV, the Assurances and Certifications. The page limit also does 
not apply to a table of contents. If you include any attachments or 
appendices not specifically requested, these items will be counted as 
part of the program narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page limit 
requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection 
criteria in the program narrative.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit or if 
you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 13, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 27, 2008.
    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 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: August 26, 2008.
    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 in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program 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 Predominantly Black Institutions 
Program, CFDA Number 84.382A, 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 the 
Predominantly Black Institutions program at http://www.Grants.gov. You 
must search for the downloadable application package for this program 
by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in 
your search (e.g., search for 84.382, not 84.382A).
    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 accept your application if 
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. 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 program to ensure that you 
submit your application

[[Page 27525]]

in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the 
Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF-424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an Ed-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, 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 either of 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 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: Karen W. Johnson, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC 
20006-8515, FAX: (202) 502-7861.
    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 84.382A), 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 
84.382A), 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.

[[Page 27526]]

    (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 84.382A), 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

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from 34 CFR 75.209(a) and 75.210, and are as follows--

Need for the project (20 points);
Quality of the project design (15 points);
Quality of project services (15 points);
Quality of project personnel (10 points);
Adequacy of resources (5 points);
Quality of the management plan (20 points);
Quality of project evaluation (15 points).

    Additional information regarding these criteria is in the 
application package for this competition.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Applicants must provide, as an 
attachment to the application, the documentation the institution relied 
upon to determine that at least 40 percent of the institution's 
undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) students are Black American 
students.

    Note: The 40 percent requirement applies only to undergraduate 
Black American students and is calculated based upon FTE students. 
Instructions for formatting and submitting the verification 
documentation to Grants.gov are in the application package for this 
competition.

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 will 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. Grantees are required to use the electronic data 
instrument Caliber Annual Performance Reporting System to complete the 
final report. 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 Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the Predominantly Black Institutions program:
    (1) The number of full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolling 
at Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI).
    (2) The increase in the persistence rate for students enrolled at 
PBIs.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Karen W. Johnson, Institutional 
Development and Undergraduate Education Service, U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6032, Washington, DC 20006-8515. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7777 or by e-mail: [email protected] or 
Bernadette D. Miles, Institutional Development and Undergraduate 
Education Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 
room 6047, Washington, DC 20006-8515. Telephone: (202) 502-7616 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: May 8, 2008.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-10680 Filed 5-12-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P