[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 113 (Monday, June 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28223-28227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13881]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; 
Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.345A.

    Dates:
    Applications Available: June 15, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2009.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 28, 2009.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Underground Railroad 
Educational and Cultural (URR) Program is to help preserve the 
Underground Railroad's legacy and to help demonstrate how the 
Underground Railroad's widespread operations network transformed our 
Nation. In addition, the URR also promotes the formation of public-
private partnerships to help disseminate information regarding the 
Underground Railroad throughout the United States,

[[Page 28224]]

including lessons to be drawn from the history of the Underground 
Railroad.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1153.
    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.

    Note:  The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions 
of higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,945,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000-$1,000,000 total for up 
to three years.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit educational organizations that 
are established to research, display, interpret, and collect artifacts 
relating to the history of the Underground Railroad, including the 
lessons to be drawn from such history.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Federal Government may provide no 
more than 20 percent of the total funds for any project funded under 
this competition. See 20 U.S.C. 1153(b)(2). Applicants must provide the 
remaining funding from non-Federal public or private entities in an 
amount equal to or greater than four times the amount of the grant 
awarded under this section. All applicants will be required to provide 
documentation to substantiate their ability to meet the cost sharing 
requirement.
    3. Other:
    (a) Each nonprofit educational organization awarded a grant under 
this competition must establish a facility to--
    (i) House, display, interpret, and communicate information 
regarding the artifacts and other materials related to the history of 
the Underground Railroad, including the lessons to be drawn from such 
history;
    (ii) Maintain such artifacts and materials;
    (iii) Make these efforts, as described in paragraph (i), available 
including through electronic means, to elementary and secondary 
schools, institutions of higher education, and the general public.
    (b) Each grantee must demonstrate substantial public and private 
support for the operation of the facility through the implementation of 
a public-private partnership between one or more State or local public 
entities and one or more private entities. This public-private 
partnership must provide the matching funds from non-Federal sources 
for the support of the facility, as described in the preceding section 
on cost sharing or matching.
    (c) Each grantee must create an endowment to fund any and all 
shortfalls in the costs of the on-going facility operations.
    (d) Grantees may establish and maintain a network of satellite 
centers throughout the United States to help disseminate information 
regarding the Underground Railroad, including the lessons to be drawn 
from the history of the Underground Railroad, if such satellite centers 
raise 80 percent of the funds required to establish the satellite 
centers from non-Federal public and private sources.
    (e) In addition, grantees must establish and maintain the 
capability to electronically link the facility with other local and 
regional facilities that have collections and programs that interpret 
the history of the Underground Railroad, including the lessons to be 
drawn from such history.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: http://e-grants.ed.gov. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, 
fax, or call the following: Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 
1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: 
(301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.345A.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under 
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    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 the 
application narrative 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.
     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. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or 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; the table of contents; the 
project abstract; or the appendix. The appendix may include only 
project documentation; one-page r[eacute]sum[eacute]s for key 
personnel; letters of commitment from partners, satellite centers, or 
electronic linkage partners; letters from professionals who will ensure 
that the applicant creates, designates, or raises funds for the 
required project endowment; and bibliographical references or 
citations.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: June 15, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2009.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. Please 
do not use Grant.gov; the Department has moved its grant application 
mechanism to e-Application on e-Grants. 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 of this notice.

[[Page 28225]]

    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 
of 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 28, 2009.
    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 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 Underground Railroad Educational 
and Cultural Program--CFDA number 84.345A--must be submitted 
electronically using e-Application, accessible through the Department's 
e-Grants Web site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    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.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this 
competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait 
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     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: The 
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. 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.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number 
(an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application 
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by 
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2)(a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between 
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date; or
    (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For 
Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due 
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application 
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users 
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this 
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
    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 e-Application because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
e-Application; 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

[[Page 28226]]

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 prevents 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: Claire D. Cornell, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6145, 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 following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.345A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    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 84.345A, 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 grant 
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 program are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 and include: significance (10 points); quality of 
the project design (40 points); adequacy of resources (20 points); 
quality of project personnel (10 points); and quality of the project 
evaluation (20 points). Additional information regarding these criteria 
is in the application package for this competition.
    In making grant awards for this program, the Department will 
consider information concerning the applicant's performance and use of 
funds from a prior grant in this program, or in any other Department 
program, and will consider the applicant's failure to submit an 
acceptable performance report for a grant in this or any other 
Department program. 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3).

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 of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
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.
    In the annual and final reports, applicants must provide 
documentation of their efforts to collect, research, display, and 
interpret artifacts, digital resources, and other materials that 
collect, preserve, and disseminate information on the Underground 
Railroad's history, including the lessons to be drawn from such 
history. If they have created or designated satellite centers, they 
must provide documentation of their creation or designation of 
satellite centers, an account of the satellite centers' activities, and 
documentation of the satellite centers' 4:1 cost share. Grantees must 
also provide evidence of their creation of electronic links to other 
organizations and facilities that have collections and programs that 
interpret the history of the Underground Railroad and lessons drawn 
from such history. Grantees must document their efforts to make their 
resources and efforts available through electronic means, to elementary 
and secondary schools, to institutions of higher education, and to the 
general public. Finally, each annual report must contain the audited 
financial statement of the organization for the preceding fiscal year.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the following measure will be used by the 
Department in assessing the performance of the Underground

[[Page 28227]]

Railroad Educational and Cultural Program: The extent to which funded 
projects have been institutionalized and are able to continue after URR 
funding ends.
    If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data on these 
measures in your project's annual performance report (EDGAR, 34 CFR 
75.590).

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For Further Information Contact: 
Claire D. Cornell, Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural 
Program, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6145, 
Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7609 or by e-mail: 
[email protected]. The agency contact person does not mail 
application materials and does not accept applications.
    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible 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 of 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.

    Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated 
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy 
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education, to perform the 
functions of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

    Dated: June 9, 2009.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-13881 Filed 6-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P