[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83917-83918]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28501]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice Reopening the Application Period for Certain Applicants 
Under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), Sections 
18004(a)(1), 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3); Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
Economic Security (CARES) Act

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary is reopening the application period for certain 
institutions of higher education (IHEs) that previously applied for 
HEERF, CARES Act funds. The Secretary takes this action to specifically 
allow those eligible applicants that previously submitted timely 
applications but were denied funding due to technical errors with their 
submission, additional time to submit their Certifications and 
Agreements (applications), and associated data submissions for approved 
information collections under OMB control numbers 1801-0005, 1840-0842, 
and 1840-0843. This reopening also permits prior applicants that did 
not apply for the full amount of their allocation within a particular 
funding stream to resubmit their applications, in order to receive the 
full allocation amount they were eligible to receive. This reopening 
does not apply to any IHE that did not apply for HEERF, CARES Act funds 
during a previous open period, or allow an IHE to apply to a new CARES 
Act funding stream.

DATES: Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 11, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Epps, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 250-64, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: The Department of Education HEERF Call Center at (202) 377-
3711. Email: [email protected]. Please also visit our HEERF website at: 
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/caresact.html.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay

[[Page 83918]]

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 24, 2020, we published in the 
Federal Register a notice establishing an August 1, 2020 deadline date 
for IHEs that did not initially apply to receive allocations to 
transmit their Certification and Agreements (applications) for funds 
from the HEERF under sections 18004(a)(1), 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3) 
of the CARES Act (85 FR 37923) (June 24, 2020 notice). On September 4, 
2020, we published a notice in the Federal Register reopening the 
application period until September 30, 2020 (85 FR 55266).
    The June 24, 2020 notice applied to applications under the 
following Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers:
     84.425E--Student Aid Portion of section 18004(a)(1).
     84.425F--Institutional Portion of section 18004(a)(1).
     84.425J--Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
under section 18004(a)(2).
     84.425K--Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities 
under section 18004(a)(2).
     84.425L--Minority Serving Institutions under section 
18004(a)(2).
     84.425M--Strengthening Institutions Program under section 
18004(a)(2).
     84.425N--Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary 
Education (FIPSE) under section 18004(a)(3).
    This notice reopens the period for transmittal of applications via 
grants.gov for the following eligible applicants until January 11, 
2021.
    1. IHEs that previously applied for funding, but submitted their 
application under the incorrect funding opportunity.
    2. IHEs that previously applied for funding under a particular 
funding opportunity, but failed to submit all necessary documentation 
for that funding opportunity, such as the required data from section 4 
of the CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1) Reserve Fund Application (OMB 
Control Number 1840-0847) (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/reserveappfinal932020.pdf).
    3. IHEs that previously applied for funding under the FIPSE Formula 
Grant program (CFDA 84.425N), but failed to submit the required budget 
form to complete their application
    4. IHEs that previously applied for funding under the FIPSE Formula 
Grant program (CFDA 84.425N), but did not have an award on the section 
18004(a)(1) allocation table and did not submit an application as a 
reserve school under the Student Aid Portion or the Institutional 
Portion under section 18004(a)(1). These IHEs must submit the required 
data from section 4 of CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1) Reserve Fund 
Application (OMB Control Number 1840-0847) (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/reserveappfinal932020.pdf) for the Department to 
calculate the amount of funding they are eligible to receive under the 
FIPSE Formula Grant program.
    5. IHEs that originally applied for less funding than they were 
eligible to receive under a particular funding opportunity. These IHEs 
may submit revised applications to that funding opportunity to receive 
up to the full amount of the original allocation they were eligible to 
receive.

    Note: This notice reopens the period for transmittal of 
applications only for applicants that meet one of the conditions 
described above. The Department will not accept applications from 
IHEs that we cannot verify have previously attempted to apply 
through grants.gov for a specific HEERF funding opportunity and meet 
one of the conditions described above.


    Note:  All information in the Certification and Agreements and 
in the June 24, 2020 notice remains the same, except for the 
deadline for the transmittal of applications from eligible 
applicants that meet one of the conditions identified above.


    Note:  Projects must be awarded and operated in a manner 
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in the 
U.S. Constitution and the Federal civil rights laws.

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    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 at www.govinfo.gov. 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 Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by 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.

Robert L. King,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2020-28501 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
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