[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 118 (Monday, June 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26563-26567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11479]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; American History and Civics
Education National Activities--Seminars for America's
Semiquincentennial
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 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
American History and Civics Education National Activities-Seminars for
America's Semiquincentennial (AHC-Seminars) program.
DATES:
Applications Available: June 23, 2025.
Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: July 8, 2025.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 23, 2025.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 22, 2025.
Pre-Application Webinar Information: The Office of Elementary and
Secondary Education intends to conduct informational webinars designed
to provide technical assistance to interested applicants for grants
under the AHC-Seminars program. These informational webinars will occur
approximately two weeks after this notice is published in the Federal
Register, with information available at https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-birth-grade-12/well-rounded-education-grants/american-history-and-civics-national-activities-grants.
Note: For new potential grantees unfamiliar with grantmaking at the
Department, please consult our ``Getting Started with Discretionary
Grant Applications'' web page at www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/apply-grant/getting-started-discretionary-grant-applications.
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 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Orman Feres, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 4B114, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 453-6921. 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
Assistance Listing Number: 84.422C.
OMB Control Number: 1894-0006.
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the AHC-Seminars program is to
promote new and existing evidence-based strategies to encourage
innovative American history, civics and government, and geography
instruction.
Background: As the Semiquincentennial of the American experiment in
self-government approaches, it provides an exceptional opportunity to
reflect on the principles that have shaped the nation's foundation.
This program will support seminars for educators or students in honor
of the 250th anniversary of America's founding.
The success of the American experiment in self-government requires
the cultivation of both citizen competency and informed patriotism
among the American People. Citizens must understand why our free-market
democracy is a highly evolved system of cooperation made robust by our
constitutional republic, and how it functions to secure the blessings
of liberty for all Americans. This understanding can only be acquired
and prove to be lasting when rooted in a recognition of the nobility of
America's foundational principles, and an accurate and honest account
of American history that shows how the United States has worked through
profound challenges to its ideals, including the evils of slavery and
segregation, in its ongoing battle to live up to them.
The upcoming Semiquincentennial of America's founding is more than
a commemorative milestone--it is a call to reinvest in the education
and cultivation of a citizenry capable of sustaining the American
experiment in self-government. By supporting seminars that encourage a
deeper understanding of our constitutional republic, this new program
aims to equip educators or students with the knowledge and character
needed to uphold the freedoms we enjoy. Through an honest engagement
with our history and an appreciation of the institutions that make our
civil society flourish, we can prepare the next generation to carry
forward the principles of liberty, limited government, and dedication
to the doctrine of equality that define our nation.
Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority and one
competitive preference priority. We are establishing these priorities
for the FY 2025 grant competition 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 Priority: For FY 2025 in which we make awards from the
list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is
an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only
applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Seminars for educators or students on American History and Civics
in honor of the Semiquincentennial of the United States of America.
Applicants must design and implement innovative or new and existing
evidence-based approaches to seminars for educators or students
specifically focused on American history and civics that directly
commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Seminars must study the American political tradition (ideas,
traditions, institutions, and texts essential to American
constitutional government and the American heritage) with a focus on
the first principles of the Founding, their inclusion in the
Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and
their development over time.
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2025 in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition,
this priority is a competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 10 points to an
application, depending on how well the application meets this priority.
Competitive Preference Priority: Civic Institutes at Institutions
of Higher Education (0 or 10 points).
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Priority will be given to applicants from institutions of higher
education that have established independent academic units dedicated to
civic thought, constitutional studies, American history, leadership,
and economic liberty. These institutes should demonstrate a sustained
commitment to robust civil discourse, the liberal arts, and the study
of American history and politics through primary documents.
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. 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 specific program (AHC-
Seminars) under section 2233 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act, as amended (ESEA), and, therefore, this competition qualifies for
this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary
has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities in accordance
with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities will apply to grants
awarded under this competition in FY 2025.
Program Requirements: These program requirements are from section
2233(b)(1) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6663). For FY 2025 in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded applications, the following program
requirements apply:
A grantee must operate a project for the purposes of expanding,
developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating for voluntary
use, innovative, evidence-based approaches or professional development
programs in American history, civics and government, and geography,
which shall:
(a) Demonstrate the potential to improve the quality of student
achievement in, and teaching of, American history, civics and
government, or geography, in elementary and secondary schools; and
(b) Demonstrate innovation, scalability, accountability, and a
focus on underserved populations.
Note: An applicant may consider how to meet these requirements by
(a) the pre- and post-assessment of participants, and (b) how
participants will share their knowledge from attendance at the seminars
with elementary and secondary schools.
Definitions: For FY 2025 and any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition,
the following definitions apply to this competition. The definition of
``evidence-based'' is from section 8101 of the ESEA. The definitions of
``demonstrates a rationale,'' ``logic model,'' ``project component,''
and ``relevant outcome,'' are from 34 CFR 77.1.
Demonstrates a rationale means that there is a key project
component included in the project's logic model that is supported by
citations of high-quality research or evaluation findings that suggest
that the project component is likely to significantly improve relevant
outcomes.
Evidence-based means an activity, strategy, or intervention that
demonstrates a rationale based on high quality research findings or
positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is
likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes; and
includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity,
strategy, or intervention.
Logic model (also referred to as a theory of action) means a
framework that identifies key project components of the proposed
project (i.e., the active ``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be
critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the
theoretical and operational relationships among the key project
components and relevant outcomes.
Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention,
process, product, practice, or policy included in a project. Evidence
may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of
project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices
for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).
Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s)
the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the
specific goals of the program.
Program Authority: Section 2233 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 6663.
Note: Projects awarded must comply 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 (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 regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $14,200,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2026 from the list of
unfunded applications from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,000,000 per year.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $650,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $1,000,000 to
any applicant per 12-month budget period. The Department plans to fully
fund awards made under this notice with FY 2025 funds.
Estimated Number of Awards: 5-10.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education or other
nonprofit or for-profit organization with demonstrated expertise in the
development of evidence-based approaches with the potential to improve
the quality of American history, civics and government, or geography
learning and teaching.
Note: If multiple eligible entities wish to form a consortium and
jointly submit a single application, they must follow the procedures
for group applications described in 34 CFR 75.127 through 34 CFR
75.129.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require
cost sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. In accordance with section 2301 of the
ESEA, funds made available under this program must be used to
supplement, and not supplant, other non-Federal funds that would
otherwise be expended to carry out activities under this program.
c. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses a training
indirect cost rate. This limits indirect cost reimbursement to an
entity's actual indirect costs, as determined in its negotiated
indirect cost rate agreement, or eight percent of a modified total
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direct cost base, whichever amount is less. For more information
regarding training indirect cost rates, see 34 CFR 75.562. For more
information regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated
indirect cost rate, please see www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ofo#Indirect-Cost-Division.
d. Administrative Cost Limitation: This program does not include
any program-specific limitation on administrative expenses. This
program does not include any program-specific limitation on
administrative expenses. All administrative expenses must be reasonable
and necessary and conform to Cost Principles described in 2 CFR part
200 subpart E of the Uniform Guidance.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its 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 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain requirements and information on how to
submit an application.
2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of
projects that may be proposed in applications for the AHC-Seminars
program, your application may include business information that you
consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11, we define ``business
information'' and describe the process we use in determining whether
any of that information is proprietary and, thus, protected from
disclosure under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552, as amended).
Because we plan to make successful applications available to the
public, you may wish to request confidentiality of business
information.
Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your
application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure
under Exemption 4. In the appropriate Appendix section of your
application, under ``Other Attachments Form,'' please list the page
number or numbers on which we can find this information. For additional
information please see 34 CFR 5.11(c).
3. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this
competition. Please note that, under 34 CFR 79.8(a), we have shortened
the standard 60-day intergovernmental review period in order to make an
awards by the end of FY 2025.
4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
5. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you,
the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the
application narrative to no more than 50 pages and (2) use the
following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, reference citations, and captions, as well as
all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.
Use a font that is 12 point or larger.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the
assurances and certifications; or the abstract (follow the guidance
provided in the application package for completing the abstract), the
table of contents, the list of priority requirements, the resumes, the
reference list, the letters of support, or the appendices. However, the
recommended page limit does apply to all of the application narrative,
including all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen
shots.
Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged to include a table
of contents that specifies where each required part of the application
is located.
6. Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to
develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it
has a better understanding of the number of entities that intend to
apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary
strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department
of its intent to submit an application. To do so, please email the
program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
with the subject line ``Intent to Apply,'' and include the applicant's
name and a contact person's name and email address.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed below:
(a) Quality of the project design. (30 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project demonstrates a
rationale that is aligned with the purposes of the grant program. (10
points)
(ii) The likely benefit to the intended recipients, as indicated by
the logic model or other conceptual framework, of the services to be
provided. (10 points)
(iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the
proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge and an evidence-based
project component. (10 points)
(b) Significance. (20 points)
The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.
In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially contributions toward
improving teaching practice and student learning and achievement. (10
points)
(ii) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the
proposed project will lead to meaningful improvements in the
achievement of students as measured against rigorous and relevant
standards. (10 points)
(c) Quality of the Management Plan. (Up to 20 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified, measurable, and
ambitious yet achievable within the project period, and aligned with
the purposes of the grant program. (10 points)
(ii) The feasibility of the management plan to achieve project
objectives and goals on time and within budget, including clearly
defined
[[Page 26566]]
responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project
tasks. (10 points)
(d) Adequacy of resources. (30 points)
The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project. In determining the adequacy of resources, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of support for the project, including facilities,
equipment, supplies, and other resources, from the applicant or the
lead applicant organization. (10 points)
(ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to
the number of persons to be served, the depth and intensity of
services, and the anticipated results and benefits. (10 points)
(iii) The extent to which there is a plan to incorporate the
project purposes, activities, or benefits into the ongoing work of the
applicant beyond the end of the project period. (10 points)
2. 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 awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall ensure
that, to the extent practicable, grants are distributed among eligible
entities that will serve geographically diverse areas, including urban,
suburban, and rural areas.
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
200.206, 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.
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), 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 System
for Award Management's (SAM) Responsibility/Qualification reports
(formerly referred to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity
Information System (FAPIIS)). You may review and comment on any
information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and
that is currently in the Responsibility/Qualification reports in SAM.
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
SAM semiannually. Please review these requirements if this grant plus
all the other Federal funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
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. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to
openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in
part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of
modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those
modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent
that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or
other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works.
Additionally, a grantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must
have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables. This
dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your
application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional
information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR
3474.20.
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 under the competition. See the standards in
2 CFR 170.105 to determine whether you are covered by 2 CFR part 170.
(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). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
5. Performance Measures: For the purposes of Department reporting
under 34 CFR 75.110, the Department has established the following
performance measure for the AHC-Seminars Program:
The percentage of participants who demonstrate through pre- and
post-assessments an increased understanding of American history, civics
and government, and geography.
6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR
75.253, the Secretary 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; if the Secretary
has established performance measurement requirements, whether the
grantee has made substantial progress in achieving the performance
targets in the grantee's approved application; and whether the
continuation of the project
[[Page 26567]]
is in the best interest of the Federal Government.
In making a continuation award, the Secretary 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
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, 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
site.
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.
Hayley B. Sanon,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary,
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2025-11479 Filed 6-20-25; 8:45 am]
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