[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59985-59986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21006]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Funding Down the State and Partnership Grant Slates From Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2014; Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate 
Programs (GEAR UP)

[Catalog of Financial Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.334S and 
84.334A]

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of intent to fund down the State and partnership grant 
slates from FY 2014.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary intends to use grant slates developed in FY 2014 
for the GEAR UP Program authorized by Section 404A of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), to make new grant awards in FY 
2016. The Secretary takes this action because a number of high-quality 
applications remain on the FY 2014 State and partnership grant slates 
and limited funding is available for new grant awards in FY 2016. We 
expect to use an estimated $20,000,000 for new awards in FY 2016.

[[Page 59986]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karmon Simms-Coates, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5W250, Washington, DC 
20202. Telephone: (202) 453-7917 or by email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an 
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact 
disc) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On June 4, 2014, the Department of Education published two notices 
in the Federal Register (79 FR 32241 (State Grants) and 79 FR 32249 
(Partnership Grants)) inviting applications for FY 2014 State and 
partnership new awards under the GEAR UP Program.
    In response to the notices, we received a number of high-quality 
applications. Many applications that received high scores by peer 
reviewers were not selected for funding.
    To conserve funding that would have been required for a peer review 
of new grant applications submitted under this program and instead use 
those limited funds to support grant activities, the FY 2015 GEAR UP 
grantees were selected from the State and partnership slates developed 
during the FY 2014 competition using the priority, selection criteria, 
and application requirements referenced in the June 2014 notice. A 
number of high-quality applications from the 2014 competition were not 
funded in 2014 or 2015. We will select new grantees in FY 2016 from the 
existing State and partnership slates developed in FY 2014 for the same 
reasons and in the same manner as we did in FY 2015.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-21-1070a-28.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 
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by the Department.

    Dated: August 26, 2016.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Innovation, 
Delegated the Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 2016-21006 Filed 8-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P