[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 78 (Friday, April 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21266-21269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9498]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; 
Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth Substance Use and 
Violence; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2010

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184W.
    Dates: Applications Available: April 23, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 7, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 6, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth 
Substance Use and Violence provides competitive grants to State 
educational agencies (SEAs) to build and sustain capacity to prevent 
youth substance use and violence and support collaboration between SEAs 
and other State agencies that are involved in efforts to prevent these 
problems. Funds must be used to enhance the capacity of State agencies 
to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to create 
and sustain a safe and drug-free school environment.
    Priority: We are establishing this priority for the FY 2010 grant 
competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the 
list of unfunded applicants from this competition, in accordance with 
section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) State 
and Local Grants program, which, for many years, provided funding for 
formula grants to States to support LEAs and community-based 
organizations in developing and implementing programs to prevent drug 
use and violence among children and youth, did not receive a fiscal 
year 2010 appropriation. As we transition from formula to discretionary 
and competitive funding under the FY 2010 appropriation, this priority 
is established to help States increase their capacity to provide a 
State prevention infrastructure and to assist States with strategic 
planning during this transition process by facilitating partnerships 
between SEAS and other State agencies to support the prevention efforts 
of LEAs.
    Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Grants to build and sustain SEA capacity to prevent youth substance 
use and violence and support collaboration between the SEA and other 
State agencies that are involved in efforts to prevent these problems. 
To meet this priority, funds must be used to enhance the capacity of 
State agencies to support LEAs in their efforts to create and sustain a 
safe and drug-free school environment. Grantees may carry out technical 
assistance and training, program support services, data analysis, 
coordination of activities, and information dissemination, as well as 
other activities that enhance the capacity of State agencies to support 
local school-based efforts to create safe and drug-free environments 
for their students.

[[Page 21267]]

    Also as part of this priority, grantees must produce a plan for 
sustaining their State's infrastructure to support the implementation 
of effective drug and violence prevention activities at the State and 
local levels after the grant support provided by this program has 
ended. The plan must identify and address key elements of the State's 
strategy, including, but not limited to: (1) The State's strategic 
goals for preventing youth drug use and violence; (2) planned continued 
collaboration with other State agencies and relevant non-governmental 
organizations with expertise in preventing youth drug use and violence, 
including school and community prevention efforts; (3) the State's 
systematic needs assessment process, which must include an assessment 
of available resources at the State and local levels to address the 
State's needs with regard to preventing youth drug use and violence; 
and (4) a statement, based on the needs assessment, of the State's 
performance measures, that will help State agencies, as well as schools 
and communities, assess progress in preventing youth drug use and 
violence.
    Application Requirements: To be eligible for a grant under this 
program, an applicant must include in its application--
    1. A description of how the applicant will use grant funds to 
enhance the capacity of State agencies to support LEAs in their efforts 
to create and sustain safe and drug-free learning environments for 
their students;
    2. A description of how the applicant will plan and coordinate 
substance use and violence prevention services with the Single State 
Agency for Substance Abuse Services or other State agencies that are 
involved in efforts to prevent youth substance use and violence. The 
application must include a letter signed by the SEA and all 
participating State agencies indicating their agreement to conduct the 
activities proposed in the application and specifying the roles and 
responsibilities of each party;
    3. A description of the process the applicant will use to develop 
the required plan to create or enhance, and sustain, a State 
infrastructure designed to support effective efforts to prevent youth 
drug use and violence;
    4. A description of how the applicant will use funds to sustain its 
prevention efforts, identifying relevant sources of funding and other 
types of support, after the end of the grant period;
    5. A description of how the applicant will identify possible 
overlap and duplication of services, and more efficient uses of 
resources; and
    6. A description of the process the applicant will use to identify 
gaps and weaknesses in the existing infrastructure.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and other 
requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary 
to exempt from rulemaking requirements, regulations governing the first 
grant competition under a new or substantially revised program 
authority. This is the first grant competition for this program under 
section 4121 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (20 U.S.C. 7131), and therefore qualifies for this exemption. 
In order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to 
forgo public comment on the priority and application requirements under 
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. This priority and these application 
requirements will apply to the FY 2010 grant competition and any 
subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded 
applicants from this competition.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations in CFR part 299.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $8,000,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2011 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $125,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $125,000 for a State with fewer 
than 1,400,000 students enrolled; $185,000 for a State with at least 
1,400,000 but fewer than 2,000,000 students enrolled; and $250,000 for 
a State with at least 2,000,000 students enrolled. Award ranges are 
based on 2007-2008 school year enrollment data submitted by SEAs 
through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
    Estimated Number of Awards: 45.

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

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

    Note: To support applicants in planning their proposed budgets, 
the Department has developed the following list, which contains a 
nonbinding budget maximum for each State.

    Group 1--$125,000: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, 
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, 
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, 
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New 
Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, 
South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West 
Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico. 
Outlying Areas: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas 
Islands (CNMI), Guam, Virgin Islands.
    Group 2--$185,000: Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania.
    Group 3--$250,000: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    Participation by Private School Children and Teachers:
    Section 9501 of the ESEA, requires that SEAs, LEAs, or other 
entities receiving funds under the SDFSCA provide for the equitable 
participation of private school children, their teachers, and other 
educational personnel in private schools located in areas served by the 
grant recipient.
    In order to ensure that grant program activities address the needs 
of private school children, the applicant must engage in timely and 
meaningful consultation with private school officials during the design 
and development of the program. This consultation must take place 
before any decision is made that affects the opportunities of eligible 
private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel to 
participate in grant program activities.
    Administrative direction and control over grant funds must remain 
with the grantee.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet. To obtain a copy via the 
Internet, use the following address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. You can also request an application by 
writing to: Christine F. Pinckney, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., room 10077, Potomac

[[Page 21268]]

Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202.
    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 program contact person listed 
under Accessible Format in section VII 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 program.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 23, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 7, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program may be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site, or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV.6. 
Other Submission Requirements of 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 
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: August 6, 2010.
    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 program may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    If you choose to submit your application to us electronically, you 
must use e-Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants 
Web site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    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:
     Your participation in e-Application is voluntary.
     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 
program after 4:30 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 a.m. 
Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 8 p.m. Sunday, 
Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of maintenance, the 
system is unavailable between 8 p.m. on Sundays and 6 a.m. on Mondays, 
and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 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 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 System 
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. If e-Application is available, and, 
for any reason, you are unable to submit your application 
electronically or you do not receive an automatic acknowledgment of 
your submission, you may submit your

[[Page 21269]]

application in paper format by mail or hand delivery in accordance with 
the instructions in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.184W), 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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.184W), 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 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 are listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
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. Part of the performance report must include the 
sustainability plan described in the absolute priority of this notice. 
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: We have identified the following 
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) performance 
measure for assessing the effectiveness of the Building State Capacity 
for Preventing Youth Substance Use and Violence program: The percentage 
of grantees that submit a high-quality plan to create and sustain an 
effective infrastructure to support the implementation of effective 
drug and violence prevention activities. The plan must include, at a 
minimum, the four key elements described in the absolute priority of 
this notice.
    This measure constitutes the Department's indicator of success for 
this program. Consequently, we advise an applicant for a grant under 
this program to give careful consideration to this measure in 
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation for its proposed project. 
Each grantee will be required to provide, in its final report, data 
about its progress in meeting this measure.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine F. Pinckney, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 10077, Potomac Center 
Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7894 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.

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.

    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: April 20, 2010.
Kevin Jennings,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. 2010-9498 Filed 4-22-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P