[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 86 (Thursday, May 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19553-19555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09418]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018--
Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting 
applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Defraying Costs of Enrolling 
Displaced Students Program, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
(CFDA) number 84.938S.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: May 3, 2018.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 4, 2018.

ADDRESSES: The addresses pertinent to this program--including the 
addresses for obtaining and submitting an application--can be found 
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Davis, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 268-02, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 453-7814. Email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: Under the Defraying Costs of Enrolling 
Displaced Students Program (DCEDS Program or DCEDS), we will award 
grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help 
defray their unexpected expenses associated with enrolling displaced 
students from IHEs at which operations have been disrupted by a covered 
disaster or emergency (``qualifying displaced students''), namely 
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the wildfires in calendar year 
2017 for which the President declared a major disaster or emergency 
under section 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191) (``covered disaster 
or emergency'').
    Exemption From Rulemaking: This program is exempt from the 
rulemaking requirements in section 437 of the General Education 
Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232) and section 553 of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553). Division B, 
Subdivision 1, Title VIII, ``Hurricane Education Recovery'' paragraph 
(6), of Public Law 115-123, the ``Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.'' 132 
Stat. 98.
    Program Authority: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, Public Law 115-
123.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 97, 
98 and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to 
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department 
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474.

    Note:  The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not 
apply for this program.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $75,000,000.
    Estimated Maximum Award: $2,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 250.

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

    Project Period: The Department expects to allocate most of the 
available funds during FY 2018. We may reserve funds to help defray 
costs that extend into future fiscal years.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions that meet the definition of 
``institution of higher education'' in section 101 or section 102(a)(1) 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1001 and 
1002(a)(1)) if they have had unexpected expenses associated with 
enrolling displaced students from IHEs at which operations have been 
disrupted by a covered disaster or emergency.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Grantees may not use DCEDS funds to 
supplant funds that have been or otherwise would have been used for the 
same purpose, including funds made available through the Federal

[[Page 19554]]

Emergency Management Agency, a State, or a nonprofit relief 
organization, with the exception of unreimbursed funds that the grantee 
has already spent on unexpected expenses associated with enrolling 
displaced students from affected IHEs. Grantees may use DCEDS funds to 
supplement funds from other sources up to the full amount needed to 
fully pay the unexpected expenses.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: James Davis, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 268-02, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 453-7814. Email: 
[email protected].
    To obtain a copy via the internet, use the following address: 
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/dceds/applicant.html.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), 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 accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed in 
this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Application contents 
shall include:
    a. A description of the applicant's activities, and unexpected 
expenses associated with enrolling displaced students from IHEs at 
which operations have been disrupted by a covered disaster or 
emergency, for which the applicant requests funding under this program.
    b. A list of the displaced students, by anonymous unique 
identifier, for whom the applicant engaged in the enrollment activities 
labeled (a) through (c) below under Selection Criteria (tuition, fees, 
room, and board) and now requests funding under this program, as a 
result of each covered disaster or emergency, including, for each 
student, (1) the institution from which the student was displaced, and 
(2) the covered disaster or emergency that resulted in the student 
being displaced.
    c. A description of the steps the applicant is taking to ensure 
accountability for the use of program funds and compliance with 
statutory requirements.
    d. The total amount of aid requested for the allowable enrollment 
activities labeled (a) through (c) below under Selection Criteria 
(tuition, fees, room, and board).

    Note: We may consider late applications after on-time 
applications are evaluated.

    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted in 
one of two ways:
    a. Email an electronic version of your application in PDF (Portable 
Document Format) to [email protected], or
    b. Mail the original and two copies of your application by express 
mail service through the U.S. Postal Service or through a commercial 
carrier to James Davis, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 268-02, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200.
    The amount of time it can take to email 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 minutes before the 
application deadline to begin emailing your application.
    For information on requirements when submitting paper applications, 
please see Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of 
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal 
Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at 
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
    3. Accommodations: 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. 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 program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, under 34 
CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to make awards 
in the applicable timeframe.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section above.
    6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must have a Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number, and you must 
maintain an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration with 
current information while your application is under review by the 
Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project period. 
For information on these requirements, please see Common Instructions 
for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, 
published in the Federal Register (83 FR 6003) and available at 
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the DCEDS 
Program at https://www.ed.gov/hurricane-help.

    Note: Applications must be emailed or mailed as described above. 
Applications will not be accepted through www.grants.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The Secretary establishes the following 
factors as criteria to be used in allocating these funds:
    (a) Total amount of tuition waived, not including any portion 
covered by Federal, State, or private aid, for qualifying displaced 
students;
    (b) Total amount of fees waived, not including any portion covered 
by Federal, State, or private aid, for qualifying displaced students;
    (c) Total amount of room and board costs incurred by the applicant, 
not including any portion covered by Federal, State, or private aid, in 
order to enroll qualifying displaced students;
    (d) Funds already received by the applicant to help defray the 
unexpected costs of enrolling qualifying displaced students. (To the 
extent that Federal, State, and private aid has already been subtracted 
from parts (a) through (c), do not count such amounts again in part (d) 
as funds already received. Please see the supplement-not-supplant 
information listed under Supplement-Not-Supplant.)

    Note: In this competition, only the costs of tuition, fees, 
room, and board are allowable. If, after awards are made, funds 
remain available to defray additional costs under this program, we 
may invite applications under a new competition.

    2. Review and Selection Process: Most funds will be awarded to IHEs 
that have enrolled displaced students during the 2017-2018 academic 
year.
    The Secretary may solicit, from any applicant at any time, 
additional information needed to process an application.
    We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in 
any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under 
34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the

[[Page 19555]]

applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as the applicant's use 
of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with grant 
conditions. The Secretary may also consider whether the applicant 
failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of 
unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
requires various assurances, including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under this competition the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
3474.10, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, in 
appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the 
applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of 
unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system 
that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not 
responsible.
    4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this 
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project 
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently 
$150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your 
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal 
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make 
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that 
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as 
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System 
(FAPIIS)), accessible through SAM. You may review and comment on any 
information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and 
that is currently in FAPIIS.
    5. Improper Payments--Additional Reporting: The Bipartisan Budget 
Act of 2018 designates this program to be ``susceptible to significant 
improper payments'' for purposes of the Improper Payments Information 
Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note). See Public Law 115-123, the 
``Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018,'' Division B, Subdivision 1, Title 
XII, Sec.  21208(a), Feb. 9, 2018; 132 Stat. 108. Grantees will be 
required to undertake significant additional reporting as we implement 
plans to identify and reduce improper payments. We will provide 
additional information after we make awards.

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); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic version of your GAN. We also may notify you 
informally.
    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: (a) If you apply for a grant, you must ensure that 
you have in place the necessary processes and systems to comply with 
the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 
funding. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 
170.110(b).
    (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final 
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the 
Secretary. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    (c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the Secretary may provide a grantee 
with additional funding for data collection analysis and reporting. In 
this case the Secretary establishes a data collection period.

VII. 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 compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations via the Federal Digital System at www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other 
documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text 
or PDF. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at the site.
    You also may access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Registerby using the article search feature at 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: April 30, 2018.
Frank T. Brogan,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Delegated the Duties of the 
Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy, Evaluation and Policy 
Development, Delegated the duties of Assistant Secretary, Office of 
Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 2018-09418 Filed 5-2-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P