[Federal Register: March 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 41)]
[Notices]               
[Page 10366-10370]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr05-35]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Alaska Native Education Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.356A.

DATES: Applications Available: March 3, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: (a) Alaska Native organizations;
    (b) Educational entities with experience in developing or operating 
Alaska Native programs or programs of instruction conducted in Alaska 
Native languages;
    (c) Cultural and community-based organizations with experience in 
developing or operating programs to benefit Alaska Natives; and
    (d) Consortia of organizations and entities described in this 
paragraph.

    Note: A State educational agency or local educational agency may 
apply for an award under this program only as part of a consortium 
involving an Alaska Native organization. The consortium may include 
other eligible applicants.

    Estimated Available Funds: $7,300,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards in FY 2006 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $315,000-$630,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 12-22.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to develop and 
support supplemental educational programs to benefit Alaska Natives. 
Permissible activities under this program include the following: (1) 
Development and implementation of plans, methods, and strategies to 
improve the education of Alaska Natives; (2) development of curricula 
and educational programs that address the educational needs of Alaska 
Native students; (3) professional development activities for educators; 
(4) development and operation of home instruction programs for Alaska 
Native preschool children, to ensure the active involvement of parents 
in their

[[Page 10367]]

children's education from the earliest ages; (5) family literacy 
services; (6) development and operation of student enrichment programs 
in science and mathematics; (7) research and data collection activities 
to determine the educational status and needs of Alaska Native children 
and adults; (8) other research and evaluation activities related to 
programs carried out under Alaska Native education programs; (9) 
remedial and enrichment programs to assist Alaska Native students in 
performing at a high level on standardized tests; (10) education and 
training of Alaska Native students enrolled in a degree program that 
will lead to certification or licensing as teachers; (11) parenting 
education for parents and caregivers of Alaska Native children to 
improve parenting and caregiving skills (including skills relating to 
discipline and cognitive development and parenting education provided 
through in-home visitation of new mothers); (12) activities carried out 
through Even Start programs under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) and 
Head Start programs under the Head Start Act, including the training of 
teachers for Even Start and Head Start programs; (13) other early 
learning and preschool programs; (14) dropout prevention programs; (15) 
career preparation activities to enable Alaska Native children and 
adults to prepare for meaningful employment, including programs 
providing ``tech-prep,'' mentoring, training, and apprenticeship 
activities; (16) provision of operational support and purchasing of 
equipment to develop regional vocational schools in rural areas of 
Alaska, including boarding schools, for Alaska Native students in 
grades 9 through 12, or at higher levels of education, to provide the 
students with necessary resources to prepare for skilled employment 
opportunities; (17) construction of facilities that support the 
operation of Alaska Native education programs; and (18) other 
activities, consistent with the purposes of this program, to meet the 
educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from section 7304(c) of ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7544(c)).
    Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award 
an additional 5 points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    The Secretary shall give priority to applications from Alaska 
Native regional nonprofit organizations, or consortia that include at 
least one Alaska Native regional nonprofit organization. In order to 
receive a competitive preference under this priority, an application 
must provide documentation supporting its claim that it meets this 
priority.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7541, et seq.; Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2005 (Pub. L. 108-447).

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    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: $7,300,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards in FY 2006 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $315,000--$630,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 12-22.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (a) Alaska Native organizations;
    (b) Educational entities with experience in developing or operating 
Alaska Native programs or programs of instruction conducted in Alaska 
Native languages;
    (c) Cultural and community-based organizations with experience in 
developing or operating programs to benefit Alaska Natives; and
    (d) Consortia of organizations and entities described in this 
paragraph to carry out programs that meet the purposes of this program.

    Note: A State educational agency or local educational agency may 
apply for an award under this program only as part of a consortium 
involving an Alaska Native organization. The consortium may include 
other eligible applicants.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Alexis Fisher, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W217, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 401-0281 or by e-mail: 
alexis.fisher@ed.gov.
    You may also obtain the application electronically by downloading 
it from the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/alaskanative/applicant.html
.

    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to limit the application narrative (text plus all figures, 
charts, tables, and diagrams) to the equivalent of no more than 25 
pages, using 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, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover 
sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget 
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-
page abstract, one-page proof of eligibility, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all 
of the application narrative in Part III.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: March 3, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted

[[Page 10368]]

electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: Under section 7304(b) of the ESEA (20 
U.S.C. 7544(b)), not more than five percent of funds provided to a 
grantee under this competition for any fiscal year may be used for 
administrative purposes.
    We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions 
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically, unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Alaska Native Education Program--
CFDA Number 84.356A--must be submitted electronically using e-
Application available through the Department's e-Grants system, 
accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application 
for this competition after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do 
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application 
process.
     The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site 
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is 
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on 
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to 
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Any narrative sections of your application should be 
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement that will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the ED 424.
    (4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the attention of the Alaska Native 
Education Program at (202) 742-5418.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of 
one business day in order to transmit your application electronically, 
by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2)(a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or 
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore 
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all 
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions 
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of the 
Department's e-Application system.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the e-Application system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Department's e-Application system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the

[[Page 10369]]

Internet to submit your application. If you mail your written statement 
to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before 
the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the 
Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks 
before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Alexis Fisher, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W217, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Fax: (202) 260-8969.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.356A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.356A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.356A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, 
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter, 
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: We will use the following selection criteria 
from 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications for new grants under this 
competition. The maximum score for all criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    The selection criteria for this competition are as follows:
    (a) Need for Project (20 points). In determining the need for the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the magnitude of the need for 
the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the 
proposed project.
    (b) Quality of Project Design (30 Points). In determining the 
quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate 
to and will successfully address the needs of the target population or 
other identified needs.
    (c) Quality of Project Personnel (15 Points). In determining the 
quality of project personnel who will carry out the proposed project, 
the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of key project personnel.
    (d) Adequacy of Resources (15 Points). In determining the adequacy 
of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the 
extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project.
    (e) Quality of Project Evaluation (20 Points). In determining the 
quality of the evaluation for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.

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). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: 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 multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial

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expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The Alaska Native Education program seeks 
to support supplemental education programs to benefit Alaska Native 
populations. The Department uses the following performance targets to 
measure the program's success: (1) An increased percentage of Alaska 
Native students will meet or exceed proficiency standards in 
mathematics, science, or reading; (2) an increased percentage of Alaska 
Native children will improve on measures of school readiness; and (3) 
the dropout rate of Alaska Native middle and high school students will 
decrease.
    Each grantee is expected to submit an annual performance report 
documenting its contributions in assisting the Department in meeting 
these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis Fisher, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W217, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-0281 or by e-mail: alexis.fisher@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.

    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.



    Dated: February 25, 2005.
Raymond J. Simon,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 05-4106 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am]

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