[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66369-66372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18275]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Strengthening Program Evaluation 
Capacity: Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies To Increase 
Postsecondary Student Success

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice 
inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the 
Strengthening Program Evaluation Capacity grant program.

DATES: 
    Application Packages Available: August 29, 2024.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 14, 2024.

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 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at 
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Soldner. Telephone: 202-453-
7441. Email: [email protected].
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and 
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: In awarding grants under this program, the 
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) intends to build individual and 
organizational capacity to conduct high-quality evaluations of 
education interventions that are designed in accordance with evaluation 
standards identified by IES's What Works Clearinghouse (see https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks). Sponsored by IES's National Center for 
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), this program 
supports NCEE's larger mission to encourage the conduct and use of 
scientifically valid education research and evaluation throughout the 
United States.
    Assistance Listing Numbers: 84.429A.
    OMB Control Number: 4040-0001.
    Competition in this Notice:
    NCEE is announcing one competition under its Strengthening Program 
Evaluation Capacity (SPEC) program: Building Evidence of Effectiveness 
of Strategies to Increase Postsecondary Student Success (PS) Network 
(ALN 84.429A). Through this program, IES is seeking evaluation teams to 
join the new Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies to 
Increase Postsecondary Student Success (SPEC-PS) Network. Evaluation 
teams will (1) engage in a series of IES-sponsored technical

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assistance activities that will strengthen their capacity to design and 
conduct rigorous evaluations of a proposed postsecondary student 
success intervention, (2) implement the proposed intervention at more 
than one institution that participates in programs authorized by Title 
IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), 
and (3) conduct an independent evaluation of the intervention once 
implemented that includes an examination of the impact of the 
intervention on HEA program participants.
    Evaluation teams must consist of employees at (1) State higher 
education agencies and/or (2) consortia of 2-year or 4-year 
institutions of higher education. Interventions proposed to be 
implemented and evaluated under this grant program must be allowable 
under one or more programs authorized by the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001 et 
seq.) and the evaluations must examine the impact of the intervention 
on HEA program participants. Additional information, including about 
eligible evaluation teams and interventions, is provided in the request 
for applications (RFA).
    Multiple Submissions: You may submit applications to more than one 
of the FY 2025 research grant programs offered through the Department, 
including those offered through IES as well as those offered through 
other offices and programs within the Department. However, you may 
submit only one application to the IES grant program announced here. If 
you submit multiple similar applications, IES will determine whether 
and which applications will be accepted for review and/or will be 
eligible for funding. In addition, if you submit the same or similar 
application to IES and to another funding entity within or external to 
the Department and receive funding for the non-IES application prior to 
IES scientific peer review of applications, you must withdraw the same 
or similar application submitted to IES, or IES may otherwise determine 
you are ineligible to receive an award. If reviews are happening 
concurrently, IES staff will consult with the other potential funder to 
determine the degree of overlap and which entity will provide funding 
if both applications are being considered for funding.
    Exemption from Proposed Rulemaking: Under section 191 of the 
Education Sciences Reform Act, 20 U.S.C. 9581, IES is not subject to 
section 437(d) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C. 
1232(d), and is therefore not required to offer interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on matters relating to grants.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9561-9563 et seq.; Sec. 310 of 
Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (117 Pub. L. 
328).
    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 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 
and 99. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are applicable, 
except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 
75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)-
(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, 75.230, 75.250(a), and 75.708. (b) 
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 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 Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance 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 to these competitions.
    Note: The Department will implement the provisions in the OMB final 
rule OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance, which amends 2 CFR 
parts 25, 170, 175, 176, 180, 182, 183, 184, and 200, on October 1, 
2024. Grant applicants should follow the provisions in the OMB Guidance 
for Federal Financial Assistance (89 FR 30046) when preparing an 
application. For more information about these updated regulations 
please visit: www.cfo.gov/resources/uniform-guidance/.

II. Award Information

    Types of Awards: Cooperative agreements.
    Fiscal Information: This competition will be supported with funds 
reserved under the authority in sec. 310 of Division H of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) for the purpose 
of carrying out rigorous and independent evaluations and to collect and 
analyze outcome data for any program authorized by the HEA.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $1,000,000 for the entire project 
period of 3 years. The size of the awards will depend on the scope of 
the projects proposed.
    Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards will depend on the 
quality of the applications received and the availability of funds.
    IES may waive any of the following limits on awards in the special 
case that the peer review process results in a tie between two or more 
grant applications, making it impossible to adhere to the limits 
without funding only some of the equally ranked applications. In that 
case, IES may make a larger number of awards to include all 
applications of the same rank.
    We intend to fund up to 3 evaluation teams. However, should funding 
be available, we may consider making additional awards to high-quality 
applications that remain unfunded after 3 awards are made.
    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
    Project Period: Up to 3 years.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are State higher 
education agencies or public or private institutions of higher 
education, as defined in section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
Applicants that are public or private institutions of higher education 
must lead the activities of a consortium comprised of at least two 
public or private institutions of higher education, as defined in 
section 101 of the HEA.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: The competition in this notice does 
not require cost sharing or matching.
    b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses an 
unrestricted indirect cost rate. For more information regarding 
indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate, please 
see www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html.
    3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee under this 
competition may award subgrants--to directly carry out project 
activities described in its application--to the following types of 
entities: public and private agencies and institutions of higher 
education. The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has 
identified in an approved application.

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 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain requirements and information on how to 
submit an application.

[[Page 66371]]

    2. Other Information: Information regarding program and application 
requirements for the competition can be found in the currently 
available IES NCEE Application Submission Guide and in the NCEE Request 
for Applications (RFA), which will be available on or before August 29, 
2024, on the IES website at: https://ies.ed.gov/funding/. The 
application packages for this competition will also be available on or 
before August 29, 2024.
    3. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application are contained in the RFA. The 
forms that must be submitted are in the application package.
    4. Submission Dates and Times: The deadline date for transmittal of 
applications is November 14, 2024.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirement.
    5. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    6. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: For all its grant competitions, IES uses 
selection criteria based on a peer review process that has been 
approved by the National Board for Education Sciences. The Peer Review 
Procedures for Grant Applications can be found on the IES website at 
https://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/application_review.asp.
    For the 84.429A competition, peer reviewers will evaluate the 
significance of the proposed capacity building, the significance of the 
proposed intervention, institutional resources, and engagement and 
dissemination.
    For all IES competitions, applications must include budgets no 
higher than the relevant maximum award as set out in the relevant RFA. 
IES will not make an award exceeding the maximum award amount as set 
out in the relevant RFA.
    2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
IES 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, compliance with the 
IES policy regarding public access to research, and compliance with 
grant conditions. IES 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, IES 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 
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition, the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
200.208, IES 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.
    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 
$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.
    5. In General: In accordance with the Guidance for Federal 
Financial Assistance 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, 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. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for an annual 
meeting of up to three days for project directors to be held in 
Washington, DC.
    4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
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 
IES. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual 
performance report that provides

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the most current performance and financial expenditure information as 
directed by IES under 34 CFR 75.118. IES 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.
    5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its 
education research grant programs, IES annually assesses the percentage 
of projects that result in peer-reviewed publications and the number of 
IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving 
learner education outcomes.
    6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 
75.253, IES considers, among other things: whether a grantee has made 
substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of the 
project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is 
consistent with its approved application and budget; whether a grantee 
is in compliance with the IES policy regarding public access to 
research; and if IES has established performance measurement 
requirements, whether the grantee has made substantial progress in 
achieving the performance targets in the grantee's approved 
application.
    In making a continuation award, IES also considers whether the 
grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved 
application, 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).

VII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, as well as in the RFA and 
application package, individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the RFA 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, 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 Department documents 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 
Adobe website.
    You may also access Department documents 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.

Matthew Soldner,
Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2024-18275 Filed 8-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P