[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 23 (Thursday, February 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6154-6160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02338]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Supplemental Support Under the
American Rescue Plan
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
announcing the availability of funds and the application deadline for
new grants to institutions of higher education under the Higher
Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF or HEERF III), Supplemental
Support under the American Rescue Plan (SSARP) program, Assistance
Listing Number (ALN) 84.425T. The SSARP program supports institutions
of higher education (IHEs or institutions) with the greatest unmet
needs related to the novel coronavirus 2019 pandemic (coronavirus or
COVID-19).
DATES:
Applications available: February 3, 2022.
Deadline for transmittal of applications: April 4, 2022.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979. Please note that these Common
Instructions supersede the version published on February 13, 2019, and,
in part, describe the transition from the requirement to register in
SAM.gov a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the
implementation of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). More information
on the phase-out of DUNS number is available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Epps, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 2B133, Washington, DC 20202-
[[Page 6155]]
6450. Telephone: (202) 377-3711. 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: The SSARP program supports public and private
nonprofit IHEs that the Secretary determines have, after allocating
other funds available under HEERF III, the greatest unmet needs related
to the coronavirus, including institutions with large populations of
graduate students and institutions that did not otherwise receive a
HEERF allocation under the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARP).
Background: On March 11, 2021, the ARP (Pub. L. 117-2) was signed
into law. ARP section 2003, as incorporating the Coronavirus Response
and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) section
314(a)(3), requires the Secretary of Education to allocate 0.5 percent
of HEERF III funding ($198 million) for discretionary grants under part
B of title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA),
for public and private nonprofit IHEs that the Secretary determines
have, after allocating other funds available under HEERF III, the
greatest unmet needs related to coronavirus, including institutions
with large populations of graduate students and institutions that did
not otherwise receive an allocation under ARP. Proprietary institutions
are not eligible for funding since eligibility is limited to those
institutions that are eligible under part B of title VII of the HEA.
HEERF has been a critical lifeline to aid institutions in meeting
urgent public health needs to prevent and respond to the Coronavirus
pandemic, providing Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students to
support continued enrollment and learning, addressing student basic
needs, providing mental health and other immediate support.
As institutions continue to address the immediate challenges
brought on by the pandemic, the Department encourages institutions
applying for the SSARP program to use the funding to support campuses
and students in the following ways:
(1.) Covid-19 mitigation: ARP requires that institutions spend a
portion of their HEERF grant funds to implement evidence-based
practices to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public
health guidelines. According to a recent survey of college presidents
conducted by the American Council on Education, nearly 90 percent of
institutions used HEERF to purchase COVID-19 tests, conduct health
screening, and meet other urgent health needs.\1\ The Department has
heard from institutions of the importance of HEERF in implementing
testing and contact tracing, purchasing PPE, HVAC, and other
ventilation system improvements to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and
in providing vaccine clinics and incentives, and the Department
continues to encourage institutions to use HEERF grant funds in these
ways.
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\1\ https://www.acenet.edu/Research-Insights/Pages/Senior-Leaders/Presidents-Survey-HEERF.aspx.
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(2.) Addressing students' basic needs: HEERF provides broad
flexibility to each institution to address specific student needs
related to coronavirus. Many institutions have used HEERF to expand
student support services for underserved students by covering the cost
of childcare, expanding access to campus-based food pantries and meal
programs, subsidizing on- and off-campus housing, providing
transportation subsidies, and expanding campus health services and
other mental health supports.
(3.) Support continued enrollment and re-enrollment: Community
colleges and other institutions are facing significant enrollment
declines, and as of January 2022 enrollment overall is estimated to
have fallen by over 900,000 students since the beginning of the
pandemic.\2\ HEERF grant funds should be used to support continued
enrollment and re-enrollment by providing additional emergency grant
aid to students, subsidizing the cost of college to students, and
providing additional student supports.
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\2\ https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/.
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(4.) Forgive institutional debts and end transcript withholding:
Small sums of money owed on student account balances can derail
enrollment, limit transfer, and restrict access to jobs and earning
potential. Many institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs),
Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and community colleges, have
forgiven unpaid balances for students enrolled during the time of the
coronavirus pandemic and taken steps to end transcript withholding,
allowing students to move forward with subsequent opportunities.
(5.) Expanding programs that lead to in-demand high-quality jobs:
HEERF has aided institutions in creating access to new programs that
prepare students for high-quality jobs in demand, as a result of the
coronavirus, that require specialized training and education.
Development of Institutional Eligibility Criteria for the SSARP
program: To determine the types of institutions that would be funded
under the statutory focus on ``greatest unmet needs related to
coronavirus,'' the Department published a notice on May 11, 2021 on its
ARP HEERF III website (www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/arpheerfiiia3proposednotice.pdf) that announced the Department's
proposed institutional eligibility criteria for the SSARP program and
invited public comment.
The Department accepted public comments from May 11 to May 25,
2021. The Department received comments from three entities representing
institutions of higher education and trade associations supporting the
Department's absolute priorities, inclusion of MSIs, and majority
graduate institutions. Commenters suggested the Department broaden its
proposed priorities in several ways. One commenter urged the Department
to consider making awards to institutions that more recently gained
eligibility as MSIs. Another commenter requested that we expand the use
of funds beyond Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. Finally,
one commenter requested that the Department include as eligible
applicants IHEs with non-traditional academic programming that may have
been underfunded under previous iterations of HEERF.
Although we appreciate the commenters' feedback on the proposed
categories of eligible applicants, we believe the Department's proposed
categories better reflect the intent of ARP section 2003 and the CRRSAA
section 314(a)(3) to prioritize both institutions that would have
otherwise received a HEERF allocation and providing Emergency Financial
Aid Grants to Students. Accordingly, in this notice, we provide for
five absolute priorities that represent separate funding categories for
different categories of eligible applicants. In developing these
absolute priorities, we have broadened the proposed categories of
eligible applicants to better account for ways in which institutions
may have been underfunded or have unmet needs related to coronavirus.
In addition, in this notice, we establish the requirements an
institution must meet to establish its eligibility under each of the
five absolute priorities.
[[Page 6156]]
Priorities: This notice contains five absolute priorities. We are
establishing these priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2022 grant
competitions and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the
list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance with
section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet one
or more of these priorities.
The Secretary intends to award grants under each of the absolute
priorities. Applicants must clearly identify the absolute priority or
priorities that the proposed project addresses in the SSARP Program
Profile Information Form (Profile Form). Each applicant must submit
only one application, but an applicant may apply to receive funds under
multiple priorities.
In selecting grantees under the absolute priorities, the Department
will fund each applicant according to the absolute priority or
priorities under which it is applying. We will allocate funds under the
allocation formula specific to the applicable priority or priorities.
Should funding requests in approved applications exceed available
funding under the ARP (a)(3) program, the Department reserves the right
to make ratable reductions for any of the allocations under Absolute
Priorities 1-3 and to determine the amount of funding needed to support
each of the absolute priorities based on applications received. For
Absolute Priorities 4 and 5, the Department may also prioritize awards
to applicants that did not receive funding under priorities 6 and 7 in
the Supplemental Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education (SAIHE)
program,\3\ depending on the number of applications received.
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\3\ The SAIHE program under CRRSAA HEERF (HEERF II) addressed
institutions' unmet needs due to coronavirus. The Department
announced awards under that program on July 29, 2021.
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These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1: Underfunded (a)(1) Grantees due to Technical
Errors, Application Issues, or not Reporting in IPEDS:
Background: Under Absolute Priority 1, the Department will provide
funding to institutions that did not receive CRRSAA (a)(1) funding
because the applicant did not apply by the deadline or did not submit a
complete application under the correct grants.gov funding opportunity
number.
The Department will also fund institutions that could have been
eligible to receive funding under ARP (a)(1) but did not receive an
allocation because they did not report 2018/19 student data in the
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which were the
data used in calculating the formula awards for ARP (a)(1).
Note: Institutions that were included on the ARP (a)(1) allocation
table should not apply here. To accommodate institutions that missed
the ARP (a)(1) application deadline, the Department is reopening the
ARP (a)(1) application in a separate notice.
Absolute Priority 1: The Department invites applications from
institutions that were underfunded under CRRSAA or ARP (a)(1) for any
of the following reasons:
(a) The institution was identified within the Department's
allocation table \4\ as eligible to receive funding under the
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021
(CRRSAA) (a)(1) but did not receive an award because the applicant did
not apply by the deadline or did not submit a complete application
under the correct grants.gov funding opportunity number.
(b) The institution could have been eligible to receive funding
under ARP (a)(1) but did not receive an allocation because it did not
report 2018/19 student data in the IPEDS, which are the data used in
calculating the formula awards for ARP (a)(1).
Award Amounts: Under paragraph (a) of Absolute Priority 1(a), the
funds will be allocated based on the allocations institutions were
eligible to receive under CRRSAA, (a)(1). For Absolute Priority 1(b),
allocations will be based on the formula methodology that was used for
ARP (a)(1), except that the Department will use updated (2019-2020)
IPEDS and FSA Pell Volume data. If institutions believe these data do
not capture their need (e.g., they did not report to IPEDS their 2019-
2020 enrollment), they may provide alternative data in the Profile
Form.
Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under paragraph (a) of this
priority must use its award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to
Students in the amount that would have been required had they received
a CRRSAA (a)(1) award. A grantee under paragraph (b) of this priority
must use its award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students
in the amount that would have been required had they received an ARP
(a)(1) award.
Absolute Priority 2: MSI or Strengthening Institutions Program
(SIP) Grantees that were Underfunded due to Technical Errors or
Application Issues, are Newly Eligible, or are a Branch Campus:
Background: Under Absolute Priority 2, the Department invites
institutions to apply that should have received funds but did not, or
were underfunded, under MSI or SIP funding streams for several reasons.
Specifically, the Department intends to fund applicants that did
not receive ARP(a)(2) funding but have gained new or additional
eligibility for funds since the time the Department initially allocated
ARP (a)(2) funding on May 11, 2021 through December 31, 2021, including
through FY 21 grant competitions, or were a branch campus designated as
eligible under titles III and V of the HEA according to the FY 2021
Eligibility Matrix but were not funded under ARP (a)(2) either directly
or through their parent institutions because the Department did not
have the requisite data to calculate their allocations. The Department
also plans to fund institutions that did not receive an award under
CRRSAA (a)(2) because the applicant did not successfully apply by the
deadline or failed to submit a complete application under the correct
funding opportunity number.
Note: Institutions that were included on the ARP (a)(2) allocation
table but did not receive an award should not apply here. To
accommodate these institutions, the Department plans to reopen the ARP
(a)(2) application in a separate notice.
Absolute Priority 2: The Department invites applications from IHEs
that should have received funds but did not, or were underfunded, under
the HEERF (a)(2) MSI/SIP funding streams for any of the following
reasons:
(a) The institution has gained new or additional eligibility for
funds since the time the Department initially allocated ARP (a)(2)
funding because the institution was:
(1) Previously designated as ineligible for ARP (a)(2) funds but
has since been designated as eligible under titles III or V of the HEA
through December 31, 2021; or
(2) Previously eligible under the MSI or SIP funding stream but is
now eligible under one or more additional (a)(2)-MSI categories.
(b) The institution did not receive an award under CRRSAA (a)(2)
because the institution did not successfully apply by the deadline, or
because the institution failed to submit a complete application under
the correct funding opportunity number.
(c) The institution was a branch campus designated as eligible
under titles III and V of the HEA (according to the FY 2021 Eligibility
Matrix) but was
[[Page 6157]]
not funded under ARP(a)(2) either directly or through its parent
institution because the Department did not have the requisite data to
calculate its allocation.
Award Amounts: For Absolute Priority 2(a) and (c), the funds will
be allocated based on the formula methodology in CRRSAA section
314(a)(2) that was used to calculate ARP (a)(2) MSI/SIP allocations.
For institutions that were allocated funds under ARP(a)(2) SIP but that
have been designated eligible as an MSI, the Department will calculate
the award the institution would have received as an MSI and subtract
the award the institution already received under SIP. For Absolute
Priority 2(b), amounts will be based on the amounts allocated on the
CRRSAA (a)(2) allocation tables.
Absolute Priority 3: Underfunded ARP (a)(1) Grantees due to an
Institutional Merger or Change in Program Participation Agreement
(PPA):
Background: Under Absolute Priority 3, the Department invites
applications from institutions that can demonstrate their ARP (a)(1)
allocation was underfunded or not funded because their student
enrollment or Pell recipient total was undercounted due to an
institutional merger not captured in their ARP (a)(1) allocation, or a
recent change in their HEA Title IV PPA effective date resulting in the
institution being underfunded due to the formula methodology used to
calculate allocations under ARP(a)(1). An institution might be eligible
under this Absolute Priority if it currently has a certified and
approved PPA but did not have one during the 2018-19 award year.
Absolute Priority 3: The Department invites applications from
institutions that can demonstrate their ARP (a)(1) allocation was
underfunded or not funded because their student enrollment or Pell
recipient total was undercounted due to--
(a) An institutional merger not captured in their ARP (a)(1)
allocation; or
(b) A change in their HEA Title IV PPA effective date through
December 31, 2021, resulting in the institution being underfunded due
to the formula methodology used to calculate allocations under ARP
(a)(1) award amounts.
Award Amounts: The funds will be allocated based on the ARP (a)(1)
formula methodology, using updated (2019-2020) IPEDS and FSA Pell
Volume data. Institutions that believe these data do not capture their
need (e.g., they did not report 2019-2020 enrollment to IPEDS) may
provide alternative data in the Profile Form. The Department will
deduct any funds already received under ARP (a)(1) by the institutions
in making awards.
Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under this priority must use its
award to fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students in the amount
that would have been required had they received an ARP (a)(1) award.
Absolute Priority 4: Community Colleges and Rural IHEs Serving a
High Percentage of Low-Income Students and Experiencing Enrollment
Declines:
Background: The pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income
students and the community colleges that help serve those students.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey,
the lowest-income households with at least one expected student
enrolling in postsecondary education were three times more likely to
cancel their enrollment plans entirely compared to the highest income
households.\5\
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\5\ Table 6, www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/hhp/hhp27.html.
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In response to these enrollment declines, under Absolute Priority
4, the Department invites applications from community colleges that
serve a high percentage of low-income students and have experienced
significant enrollment declines, and from IHEs located in rural
settings that serve a high percentage of low-income students and have
experienced significant enrollment declines.
Under this priority, the Department has set a minimum threshold for
these institutions, both of which must be met to receive funds: (1) 50
percent or more of degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students
enrolled in Fall 2019 were Pell Grant recipients; and (2) a 4.5 percent
or greater decline in student enrollment from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020.
These percentages were set using data from IPEDS and represent the
Department's attempt to prioritize institutions that have the greatest
unmet needs.
Through this priority, the Department seeks to make awards to the
identified categories of IHEs for the purposes of (1) providing
additional financial aid to students to support their continued
enrollment and re-enrollment in postsecondary education and (2)
providing institutional funding that allows institutions to continue to
support, engage, and reengage their students. Depending on the number
of applications received, the Department may prioritize institutions
that did not receive funds under the SAIHE program for the same
priority.
Absolute Priority 4: The Department invites applications from
community colleges, and IHEs located in rural settings, that--
(a) Had 50 percent or more of degree/certificate-seeking
undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2019 who were Pell Grant
recipients; and
(b) Experienced a 4.5 percent or greater decline in student
enrollment from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020.
Award amounts: Awards under this absolute priority will be based on
each institution's relative share of Pell Grant recipients using FSA
Pell Program volume data in 2019-2020. The per-Pell-recipient amount
will be established after the Department receives all the applications
under this priority.
Student Grant Minimum: A grantee under this priority must use at
least 50 percent of its award for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to
Students.
Note: The following campus settings will be considered rural: Town-
Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural Fringe, Rural-Distant, and
Rural-Remote, as defined by the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES) College Navigator search tool. Applicants may look up
individual campus locale settings at: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.
Absolute Priority 5: Institutions Serving High Percentages of
Graduate Students:
Background: Finally, the Department is establishing Absolute
Priority 5 to provide additional support to institutions with high
percentages of graduate students. Congress specified in section
2003(a)(3) of the ARP that, in allocating funds to institutions with
the greatest unmet need due to the coronavirus, the Department should
consider institutions with large populations of graduate students.
Accordingly, under this priority, the Department is awarding funds to
eligible institutions for which graduate students comprise 90 percent
or more of their student population according to Fall 2020 enrollment
data provided in IPEDS. This threshold of 90 percent reflects the
Department's goal of targeting funds to institutions with large
graduate populations since the weighing of the main ARP formula toward
Pell recipients meant that these institutions did not receive
sufficient awards relative to the size of their student body. However,
because some standalone graduate schools may have small undergraduate
offerings, we have chosen 90 percent as a threshold to ensure we do not
exclude a college that is primarily a graduate institution, but which
also serves a limited number of
[[Page 6158]]
undergraduate students. Depending on the number of applications
received, the Department may prioritize institutions that did not
receive funds under SAIHE.
Absolute Priority 5: The Department invites applications from
eligible institutions for which graduate students comprise 90 percent
or more of their student population according to Fall 2020 enrollment
data provided in IPEDS.
Award amounts: For Absolute Priority 5, the Department will use the
number of graduate students enrolled at the institution as reported in
IPEDS (using Fall 2020 enrollment) to calculate the allocation.
Student Grant Minimum: Grantees under this priority must use all
funds awarded to make Emergency Financial Aid Grants to graduate
Students.
Definitions: For the FY 2022 grant competition we are establishing
the following definitions of ``community college'' and ``Minority
Serving Institution,'' in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Community college means an institution that meets the definition in
section 312(f) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)) or an IHE (as defined in
section 101 of the HEA) that awards degrees and certificates, more than
50 percent of which are not bachelor's degrees (or an equivalent) or
master's, professional, or other advanced degrees.
Minority-Serving Institution means an institution that is eligible
to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title
III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the HEA.
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 definitions.
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 2003
of ARP, as incorporating CRRSAA section 314(a)(3), and therefore
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards,
the Secretary has decided to forgo formal public comment under the
Administrative Procedure Act on the priorities and definitions under
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities and definitions will apply
to the FY 2022 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this
competition.
Program Authority: CRRSAA section 314(a)(3) and ARP section 2003.
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal
civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86,
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 regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $197,922,850.
Estimated Award Amounts and Number of Awards: The award amounts
will depend on the absolute priority or priorities under which an
institution is applying. The award amounts and number of awards will
also depend on the number of applications received under each priority.
At the time at which we make awards, the Department will post an
allocation table with award amounts and amounts subject to the use-of-
funds restrictions under the applicable priorities. See the Absolute
Priorities section of this notice for more information.
Should requests for funding exceed the amount available under the
ARP (a)(3) program, the Department reserves the right to make ratable
reductions for any awards under Absolute Priorities 1-3 and to
determine the amount of funding needed to support each of the absolute
priorities based on applications received. For Absolute Priorities 4
and 5, the Department may prioritize awards to applicants that did not
receive funding under SAIHE, depending on the number of applications
received.
In making awards under Absolute Priority 4, the Department may also
give priority to eligible applicants in the following order:
Tier 1: Community colleges; and
Tier 2: Other public and private nonprofit IHEs in rural
settings.
Depending on the funds available for this absolute priority, some
applicants may not be funded based on tier rankings. An IHE must
complete Section 5 of the Profile form for this absolute priority.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are IHEs (as defined in
section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that are public or private
non-profit IHEs that meet the eligibility requirements specified in the
absolute priority or priorities under which the applicant applies. With
the exception of Absolute Priority 2(c), institutional eligibility is
based on the six-digit OPEID.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its application.
4. Uses of Funds: Unless noted otherwise, in accordance with
section 2003 of the ARP, grantees may use these grant funds for their
institutional costs to defray expenses associated with coronavirus
(including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred,
technology costs associated with a transition to distance education,
faculty and staff trainings, and payroll); and to make additional
Emergency Financial Grants to Students, which may be used for any
component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs
that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health
care (including mental health care), and child care.
Additionally, no funds received by an IHE under this section may be
used to fund contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment
recruitment activities; marketing or recruitment; endowments; capital
outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian
instruction, or religious worship; senior administrator or executive
salaries, benefits, bonuses, contracts, incentives; stock buybacks,
shareholder dividends, capital distributions, and stock options; or any
other cash or other benefit for a senior administrator or executive.
Furthermore, in accordance with ARP section 2003(5), an institution
that has not previously received ARP (a)(1) or (a)(2) funding must use
a portion of funds received under any of the absolute priorities in
this competition to (A) implement evidence-based practices to monitor
and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public health guidelines;
and (B) conduct direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the
opportunity to receive a
[[Page 6159]]
financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family
member or independent student, or other circumstances, described in
section 479A.
Finally, grantees under certain priorities are required to expend a
certain percentage of funds on Emergency Financial Aid Grants to
Students. The Department will publish an ARP (a)(3) allocation table
will identify the minimum amount that each institution must spend on
Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students amounts at the time of
award.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal
Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979, which contain requirements and
information on how to submit an application. Please note that these
Common Instructions supersede the version published on February 13,
2019, and, in part, describe the transition from applicants using a
DUNS Number to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). More information on
the phase-out of the DUNS Number is available here: www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.
2. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 a timely manner.
3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations sections of this notice. We
describe requirements relating to the uses of funds, including funding
restrictions, under this program in the Uses of Funds section of this
notice.
4. Recommended Page Limit: The application for this program
includes the Standard Form 424, the Certificate and Agreement, and the
SSARP Program Profile Information Form. The project narrative form in
grants.gov is where you, the applicant, will include the Certificate
and Agreement for this program and the SSARP Program Profile
Information Form.
5. Program Profile Information Form: Applicants must complete the
Program Profile Information Form and submit the form under the program
narrative form in grants.gov.
V. Application Review Information
1. Review and Selection Process: 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 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).
For this competition, the Department has waived the peer review
process for this program. Department staff will review eligible
applications using the criteria specified in the applicable absolute
priority or priorities.
2. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
200.208, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR
3474.10, 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.
3. 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
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(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 the System for Award Management. You may
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
4. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and
Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting
applications in accordance with:
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) (2 CFR
200.216);
(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, the
individuals listed as the Authorizing Representative and Director will
receive a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email
containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we will 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
[[Page 6160]]
application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: (a) Institutions receiving a grant under this program
must report their expenditures using the HEERF Public Quarterly
Reporting Form and the HEERF Annual Report. More information is
available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfreporting.html.
(b) 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 multiyear award, you must submit an annual
performance report that provides the most current performance and
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c).
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package 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.
Michelle Asha Cooper,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs, Delegated the
Authority to Perform the Functions and Duties of the Assistant
Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2022-02338 Filed 2-2-22; 8:45 am]
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