HSI Application

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20006-8510

Fiscal Year 2008

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS

UNDER THE

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM (COLLEGE COST REDUCTION AND ACCESS ACT)

(CFDA NUMBER: 84.xxxx)

Form Approved

OMB No. 1840 -XXXX, Exp. Date:

CLOSING DATE:

Table of Contents

Page

Dear Applicant Letter………………………………………………………. 1

Competition Highlights……………………………………………………... 4

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips………………………………… 7

Grants.gov Registration Instructions for Organizations……………………… 10

Application Transmittal Instructions….……………………………………. 12

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards..........................................…. 15

Authorizing Legislation……………………………………………………… 39

Intergovernmental Review…………………………………………………… 40

INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions for Completing the Application……………..…………………. 41

Instructions for Project Narrative……………………………………………. 43

Instructions for Standard Forms…………………………………………….. 47

Instructions for the SF 424………………………………………………….. 48

Instructions for Department of Education Supplemental Information

for SF 424…………………………………………………………… 50

Instructions for ED 524……………………………………………………… 53

Instructions for Budget Summary Form and Activity Budget Detail Form…… 54

Instructions for Completion of SF-LLL, Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities…………………………………………………. 55

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program Assurances…………………………. 56

HSI Program Profile Form…………………………………………………… 59

Application Checklist ……………………………………………………… … 61

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)………………………………… 62

Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)…………………………….. 63

Paperwork Burden Statement………………………………………………. 65

FORM

Activity Budget Detail Form………………………………………………… 67

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant under the fiscal year (FY) 2008 competition for new awards under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program. Please note that Sections 502 and 503 of Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA), applies to this competition. This letter highlights a few items in the application package that will be important to you in applying for grants under this program and additional information you may be required to provide. Please review the entire application package carefully before preparing and submitting your application.

In order to receive a grant under the CCRAA HSI program, an institution of higher education must have applied for and been designated as an eligible institution. The Notice Inviting Applications for the Designation as an Eligible Institution was published in the Federal Register on March 10, 2008. In addition to basic eligibility requirements, an institution must have at least 25 percent enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application. If you are a four-year HSI institution planning to submit a CCRAA HSI application supporting the competitive preference priorities, the two-year HSI will be required to submit its assurance of 25 percent enrollment of undergraduate FTE Hispanic students.

The Department will cross-reference, for verification, data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the institution’s state reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If there are any differences in the percentages reported to the above references, the institution should justify the differences as a part of their eligibility documentation. When providing eligibility documentation to support your HSI assurances, please note that the Department does not consider a replication of the instructions sufficient justification. If the Department receives a replica of the instructions and/or cannot validate the eligibility data documented in the assurances, the application will be deemed ineligible.

An eligible institution that submits more than one application may be awarded both an Individual Development Grant and a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant, for the CCRAA grant only, providing that the proposed activities are not the same and are different from the institution’s current Title V, HSI grant.

For the FY 2008 grant competition only, the Department has established two competitive preference priorities:

Competitive Preference Priority 1 - to increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and

Competitive Preference Priority 2 - to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between 2-year Hispanic-serving institutions and 4-year institutions in such fields.

Applicants must address both priorities to receive an additional 10 points. These priorities are explained in detail in the Closing Date Notice contained in this application package. You are urged to fully review the Closing Date Notice carefully before preparing your application.

Also, for this FY 2008 grant competition, the Department requires applicants to submit the grant application on Grants.gov, an Internet-based electronic system. A detailed description of this Internet-based system is included in this application package. You are urged to acquaint yourself with the requirements of Grants.gov and register early. Grants.gov is accessible through its portal page at:

http://www.grants.gov

We also urge you to consider the following three extremely important administrative factors if you are planning to apply for this program:

1. We strongly encourage you to register in Grants.gov early. The registration procedures may require 5 or more days to complete.

2. We strongly recommend that you submit your application 2-3 days prior to the closing date. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on your application and the speed of your Internet connection. The application submission process must be completed prior to the deadline for transmittal of application.

3. In order to submit successfully, you must remember to provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when your organization registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

After you electronically submit your application, you will first receive an e-mail from Grants.gov acknowledging the date and time at which your application was received. You will receive a second e-mail from Grants.gov that will state that your application has been validated OR that your application was rejected with errors. If your application is validated, you will receive a third e-mail from the Department of Education with an assigned PR/Award number, which is an ED-specified identifying number that is unique to your application. This third confirmation by e-mail, with a PR/Award number assigned, is the e-mail that verifies that your application was submitted on time by the closing date. This may take several days.

Finally, we would like to share with you the importance of ensuring that your application includes a strong evaluation plan. The peer reviewers will be instructed to look closely at the potential of CCRAA HSI Program applicants to successfully reach their individual project goals, which are driven by the performance indicators for the CCRAA HSI Program. The evaluation plan should not only include formative and summative measures, but also, address the use of appropriate controls and techniques that provide for independent evaluation. The evaluation plan should shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant period and provide benchmarks for the monitoring of progress and measurement of that progress throughout the grant award period. You should pay close attention to the information provided in the Instructions for Project Narrative section of this application regarding the development of your evaluation activity. Technical Assistance workshops will be held to help grantees design and implement strong evaluations. These workshops will also emphasize the need for developing strong project-level performance measures that capture the impact of the activities grantees pursue. The Department is committed to helping grantees use data to achieve their goals and, in turn, help the Department improve our own technical assistance activities.

The Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards under the CCRAA published in the Federal Register is the official document describing the requirements for submitting a CCRAA HSI grant application. You should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained in the official document. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Carnisia Proctor at [email protected] or by phone at (202) 502-7606.

We encourage applicants to review the “Competition Highlights” found in the application package for an overview of important items.

I appreciate your interest in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program and look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXX

James E. Laws, Jr., Ed.D

Director, Institutional Development

and Undergraduate Education Service

Competition Highlights

1. HSI applications submitted for FY 2008 must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. You are urged to acquaint yourself with the requirements of Grants.gov early as the registration procedures may require 5 or more days to complete. A more thorough discussion is included later in this application package. Grants.gov is accessible through its portal page at:

http://www.grants.gov

2. It is important to know that Grants.gov does not allow applicants to “un-submit” applications. Therefore, if you discover that changes or additions are needed once your application has been accepted and validated by the Department, you must “re-submit” the entire application. You should know that if the Department receives duplicate applications, we will accept and process the application with the latest “date/time received” validation.

3. In the FY 2008 grant competition only, the Department is particularly interested in applicants that address the competitive preference priorities. Under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, $100 million has been designated for awards to Hispanic-Serving Institutions for activities described in section 503, with a priority given to applicants that propose to address the competitive preference priorities. These priorities are explained in detail in the Closing Date Notice contained in this application package. You are urged to fully review the Closing Date Notice carefully before preparing your application.

4. Applicants are required to submit a Project Abstract. The Project Abstract is limited to a one page single-spaced document. The abstract must include the name of the institution, city, and purpose. The abstract must be uploaded into the “ED Abstract Form” in the Grants.gov system.

5. Applicants must complete the CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form. Applicants are required to copy and paste the HSI form into a separate document or recreate the form exactly as it appears and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” in Grants.gov as either a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf document.

6. Applicants must complete the Activity Budget Detail Form. Applicants are required to copy and paste the Budget Detail Form into a separate document or recreate the form exactly as it appears and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” in Grants.gov as a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf document.

7. You will be required to provide the Department with the documentation the institution relied upon in determining that at least 25 percent of the institution’s undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic. The Department will cross-reference, for verification, data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the institution’s state reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If there are any differences in the percentages reported to the above references, the institution should justify the differences as a part of their eligibility documentation. When providing eligibility documentation to support your HSI assurances, please note that the Department does not consider a replication of the instructions as sufficient justification. If the Department receives a replica of the instructions and/or cannot validate assurances, the application will be deemed ineligible.

8. New CCRAA HSI grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for the following types of grants: Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. An applicant may apply for more than one type of CCRAA HSI grant. For the 2008 CCRAA HSI grant competition only, an eligible HSI that submits more than one application may be awarded both an Individual Development Grant and a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant, providing that the proposed activities are not the same and are different from the institution’s current Title V, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant.

9. All applicants are required to adhere to the page limit for the Project Narrative portion of the application. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses the selection criteria to no more than 35 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 55 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant.

10. Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working off-line and saving data on your computer. Please be sure to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to log on to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. (This is different from e-Application, where you are working on-line and saving data to the Department’s database.) You must provide the SAME DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

11. The application must be received on or before the deadline date and time. Late applications will not be accepted. We suggest that you submit your application several days before the deadline. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline to ensure fairness to all applicants. No changes or additions to an application will be accepted after the deadline date.

12. Included in this application package is a document containing submission procedures to ensure your application is received in a timely and acceptable manner. Consult and follow the Federal Register notice to ensure proper guidance for application submission. Exceptions to the electronic submission requirement are also outlined in the Federal Register notice. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline in order to ensure fairness to all applicants. Please note that Grants.gov does not allow applicants to “un-submit” applications. If you discover that changes or additions are needed once your application has been accepted and validated by the Department, you must “re-submit” the entire application. Should the Department receive duplicate applications, we will accept and process the application with the latest “date/time received” validation.

13. You are required to submit a Project Abstract. Information provided in the Project Abstract is limited to one single-spaced page and must be uploaded into the “ED Abstract Form” in the Grants.gov application package. Applicants must also complete an “CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form,” found on pages 65-66. Applicants are asked to carefully read question #11 on the CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form, and check the box or place an X in the space before the box certifying that they will comply with the statutory requirements and program assurances cited in the HSI program regulations, 34 CFR 606.2. Upon completion of the program profile sheet, you are required to copy and paste the CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form into a separate document or recreate the form exactly as it appears, and attach the form to the “Other Attachments Form” in Grants.gov as either a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf document.

14. Applicants will also be required to complete an Activity Budget Detail Form. Applicants are required to copy and paste the Activity Budget Detail Form into a separate document or recreate the form exactly as it appears and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” in Grants.gov as either a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf document.

Please go to http://www.grants.gov/ForApplicants for help with Grants.gov and click on “help” at the top of the screen. Also, refer to “Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants” found on pages 7-9 of this application booklet.

You are reminded that the document published in the Federal Register is the official document and that you should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained within the official document.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

U.S. Department of Education

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Department of Education.

1. REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration may take five or more days to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration Steps are complete. For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. [Note: your organization will need to update its Central Contractor Registry (CCR) registration annually.]

2. SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on a number of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully before 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date.

[Note: To submit successfully, you must provide the SAME DUNS number on your application that was used when your organization registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).]

3. VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov and the Department of Education receive your Grants.gov submission timely and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, log in to Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: “Validated,” “Received by Agency,” or “Agency Tracking Number Assigned.”

If the date/time received is later than 4:30 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, on the closing date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received”, it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site: http://www.grants.gov/help/submit_application_faqs.jsp#10. For more detailed information on why an application may be rejected, you can review Application Error Tips http://www.grants.gov/section910/ApplicationErrorTips.pdf. If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. [Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully. ]

Submission Problems – What should you do?

If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or use the customer support available on the Web site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp.

If electronic submission is optional and you have problems that you are unable to resolve before the deadline date and time for electronic applications, please follow the transmittal instructions for hard copy applications in the Federal Register notice and get a hard copy application postmarked by midnight on the deadline date.

If electronic submission is required, you must submit an electronic application before 4:30 p.m., unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register notice and 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. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working offline and saving data on your computer. Please be sure to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to logon to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. You must provide on your application the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the CCR.

Please go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Submit Application FAQs found on the Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/help/submit_application_faqs.jsp.

Dial-Up Internet Connections

When using a dial up connection to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g. cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. If you do not have access to a high-speed connection and electronic submission is required, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

MAC Users

If you do not have a Windows operating System, you will need to use the Citrix solution discussed on Grants.gov or a Windows Emulation program to submit an application using Grants.gov. For additional information, review the FAQs for non-windows users, http://www.grants.gov/resources/download_software.jsp#non_windows. Also, to view white paper for Macintosh users published by Pure Edge go to the following link: http://www.grants.gov/section678/PureEdgeSupportforMacintosh.pdf, and/or contact Grants.gov Customer Support (http://www.grants.gov/contactus/contactus.jsp) for more information. If electronic submission is required and you are concerned about your ability to submit electronically as a non-windows user, please follow instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

ATTENTION – Microsoft Vista and Word Users

Please note that Grants.gov does not currently support the new Microsoft Vista Operating System. The PureEdge software used by Grants.gov for forms is not compatible with Vista.

In addition, the new version of Microsoft Word saves documents with the extension .DOCX. The Grants.gov system does not process Microsoft Word documents with the extension .DOCX. When submitting Microsoft Word attachments to Grants.gov, please use the version of Microsoft Word that ends in .DOC. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please email the Grants.gov Contact Center at [email protected] or call 1-800-518-4726.

GRANTS.GOV REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

The Grants.gov registration process involves three basic steps:

1. Register your organization

   • Obtain a D-U-N-S Number (see below for instructions)

   • Register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) (see below for instructions)

2. Register yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)

   • Obtain a username and password from the Grants.gov credential provider (https://apply.grants.gov/OrcRegister)

   • Register with Grants.gov (http://apply.grants.gov/GrantsgovRegister)

3. Get authorized as an AOR by your organization

   • Receive approval from your organization’s E-Business POC (see CCR instructions below for details)

   • If you are both the E-Business POC and an AOR, you should authorize your own AOR request

For more information, go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.

Note: If you are a grant applicant who is submitting a grant application on your own behalf and not on behalf of a company, institution, state, local or tribal government, or other type of organization, refer to http://www.grants.gov/assets/IndividualRegCheck.pdf. If you apply as an individual to a grant application package designated for organizations, your application will be rejected.

D-U-N-S NUMBER INSTRUCTIONS

To successfully submit an application using Grants.gov, you must provide your organization’s D-U-N-S Number. The D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit number issued by Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), a global information services provider, that identifies your organization and is used by the Federal government to track how Federal money is distributed. Most large organizations, libraries, colleges, and research universities already have D-U-N-S numbers. Ask your grant administrator or chief financial officer to provide your organization’s D-U-N-S Number.

If your organization does not have a D-U-N-S Number, you can obtain one at no charge by calling 1-866-705-5711 or by completing a D-U-N-S Number Request Form (http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html). You will need to provide the following information:

• Legal name

• Tradestyle, doing business as (DBA), or other name by which your organization is commonly recognized

• Physical address, city, state and zip code

• Mailing address (if separate)

• Telephone number

• Contact name

• SIC code (Line of Business)

• Number of employees at your location

• Headquarters name and address (if there is a reporting relationship to a parent corporate entity)

• Is this a home-based business?

Obtaining a DUNS Number places your organization on D&B’s marketing list, which is sold to other companies. At the time you apply for your DUNS number, you may also request not to be added to this list.

Live help from D&B is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (EST) at 1-888-814-1435.

CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION (CCR) INSTRUCTIONS

The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is a web-enabled government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the Federal government’s trading partners in support of the contract award, grants, and electronic payment processes. Check to see if your organization is already registered at the CCR website (http://www.bpn.gov/ccrinq/scripts/search.asp).

If your organization is already registered, take note of who is listed as your E-Business Point of Contact (E-Business POC). This person will be responsible for authorizing who within your organization is able to submit applications using Grants.gov.

If your organization is not already registered, you can register using the CCR website (http://bpn.gov/ccr/scripts/indexnew.asp) or by phone (1-888-227-2423). When your organization registers with CCR, you will need to designate an E-Business Point of Contact (POC). This designee authorizes individuals to submit grant applications on behalf of the organization. A special Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN) is established as a password to verify the E-Business POC.

The E-Business POC will be notified by e-mail when individuals from their organization register with Grants.gov. This registration is a request to be designated as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). To assign AOR rights, E-Business POCs need to log into Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/e_biz.jsp) using the organization’s D-U-N-S Number and MPIN. Grants.gov will send the AOR a confirmation e-mail when this process has been completed.

Please note that your CCR registration must be renewed once a year. You can check your registration status using the CCR search page (http://www.bpn.gov/ccrinq/scripts/search.asp).

If you have further questions about creating, updating or renewing your CCR registration, please visit the CCR Frequently Asked Questions page (http://www.ccr.gov/FAQ.asp) or contact the CCR Help Desk at 1-888-227-2423.

Application Transmittal Instructions

ATTENTION ELECTRONIC APPLICANTS: Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant competition.

This program requires the electronic submission of applications. Specific requirements and waiver instructions can be found in the Federal Register notice.

According to the instructions found in the Federal Register notice, those requesting and qualifying for an exception to the electronic submission requirement may submit an application by mail, commercial carrier or by hand delivery.

If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you must meet the following deadline requirements:

Applications Submitted Electronically

You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided on the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the application deadline date.

If you submit your application through the Internet via the Grants.gov Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we receive your application.

For more information on using Grants.gov, please refer to the “Notice Inviting Applications” that was published in the Federal Register, or visit http://www.grants.gov.

Applications Delivered by Mail

You must mail the original and two copies of your application on or before the application deadline date to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.XXXX)

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20202 – 4260

You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:

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 U. S. Secretary of Education.

If you mail an 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 Services.

An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check with its local post office.

Special Note: Due to potential disruptions to normal mail delivery, the Department encourages you to consider using an alternative delivery method (for example, a commercial carrier, such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service; U. S. Postal Service Express Mail; or a courier service) to transmit your application for this competition to the Department. If you use an alternative delivery method, please obtain the appropriate proof of mailing under “Applications Delivered by Mail,” then follow the instructions for “Applications Delivered by Hand.”

Applications Delivered by Commercial Carrier:

If you use an alternative delivery method, please obtain the appropriate proof of mailing under “Applications Sent by Mail,” then follow the instructions under the appropriate delivery method.

You must mail the original and two copies of your application on or before the application deadline date to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center – Stop 4260

Attention: CDFA# (84.XXXX)

7100 Old Landover Road

Landover, MD 20785-1506

Applications Delivered by Hand

You or your courier must hand deliver the original and two copies of the application by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the deadline date to the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA Number - 84.XXXX

550 12^th Street, S.W.

Potomac Center Plaza – Room 7067

Washington, D.C. 20202 - 4260

Application Control Center Hours of Operation

The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time), except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays.

Grant Application Receipt from the Application Control Center

If you send your application by mail or if you or your courier delivers it by hand, the Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you.

If you do not receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from the mailing of the application, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

Late Applications

If your application is late, we will notify you that we will not consider the application.

DRAFT CDN

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Overview Information

College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2008.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.031C.

Dates:

Applications Available: [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: [INSERT DATE 45 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: [INSERT DATE 105 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The College Cost Reduction and Access Act Hispanic Serving Institutions (CCRAA-HSI) Program provides grants to assist Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to develop and carryout activities to improve and expand the HSI’s capacity to serve Hispanic and other low-income students.

Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105 (b)(2)(iv) and section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act, these priorities are from section 499A(b)(2)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2008, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an additional ten points to an applicant that addresses both priorities. Applicants must address both priorities to receive the additional points. Applicants that do not address both priorities will not receive any competitive preference priority points.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1

In accordance with Section 499A(b)(2)(B)(i) of the HEA, Individual Development or Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants that propose to increase the number of Hispanic and other low income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and

Competitive Preference Priority 2

In accordance with Section 499A(b)(2)(B)(i) of the HEA, Individual Development or Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants that propose to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year HSIs and four-year institutions in such fields.

Background: We are establishing these competitive preference priorities under the new section 499A(b)(2)(B) of the HEA, to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics; and to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions and four-year institutions in such fields.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on a competitive preference priority. Section 437(d)(1) of General Education Provisions Act, however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements, regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. To make timely grant awards in FY 2008, the Secretary has decided to issue this application notice without first publishing these competitive preference priorities for public comment. These competitive preference priorities will apply to the FY 2008 grant competition only.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1101-1101d, 1103-1103g, Section 499A (b)(2)(B) of the HEA.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR parts 606.2(a)(b), 606.3, 606.4, 606.5, 606.6, 606.7, 606.10(b)(c)(d), and 606.30.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grant.

Available Funds: $100,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $850,000-2,500,000.

Estimate Average Size of Awards: Individual Development Grant: $862,000. Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant: $1,200,000.

Maximum Awards: Individual Development Grant: $2,500,000. Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant: $2,500,000.

The Department of EducationWe will not fund any application at an amount exceeding these maximum amounts for a single budget period of 12 months. We may choose not to further consider or review applications with budgets that exceed the maximum amounts specified, if we conclude, during our initial review of the application, that the proposed goals and objectives cannot be obtained with the specified maximum amount.

Estimated Number of Awards: Individual Development Grants: 58. Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants: 42.

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

notice. Applicants should periodically check the HSI Program Web site, for further information. The address is: http://www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/index.html

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants: IHEs that qualify as eligible HSIs are eligible to apply for new Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants under the HSI Program. To be an eligible HSI, an IHE must--

(1) Be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training offered;

(2) Be legally authorized by the State in which it is located to be a junior college or to provide an educational program for which it awards a bachelor's degree;

(3) Be designated as an “eligible institution” by demonstrating that it: A) has an enrollment of needy students as described in 34 CFR 606.3; and B) has low average educational and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate student as described in 34 CFR 606.4;

(4) Have an enrollment of undergraduate FTE students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

Effective September 30, 2006, the Third Higher Education Extension Act of 2006, amended section 502(a) of the HEA by requiring that institutions report their undergraduate Hispanic FTE percentage at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application. Funds for the HSI Program are awarded each fiscal year, thus, for this program, the end of the award year refers to the end of the fiscal year prior to the application due date. The end of the fiscal year occurs on September 30 for any given year. Therefore, for purposes of making the determination described in paragraph (4) IHEs must report their undergraduate Hispanic FTE percent based on the student enrollment count closest to, but not after, September 30, 2007.

The Third Higher Education Extension Act of 2006 also amended section 502(a) of the HEA by eliminating the requirement in the HSI Program that an IHE applying for a grant provide an assurance that not less than 50 percent of the institution’s Hispanic students are low-income individuals.

The Notice Inviting Applications for Designation as Eligible Institutions for FY 2008 was published in the Federal Register on March X, 2008 (XX FR XXX). The HSI eligibility requirements are in 34 CFR 606.2 through 606.5 and can be accessed from the following Web site: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_01/34cfr606_01.html. These regulations do not reflect the changes made to the HSI program requirements by the Third Higher Education Extension Act of 2006.

Note 1: An eligible HSI that submits more than one application may be awarded both an Individual Development Grant and a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant, for the CCRAA grant only, providing that the proposed activities are not the same and are different from the institution’s current Title V, HSI grant.

Note 2: The Department will cross-reference for verification, data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the IHE’s State-reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If there are any differences in the percentages reported in the IPEDS and the percentages reported in the grant application, the IHE should justify the differences as a part of its eligibility documentation.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: There are no cost sharing or matching requirements unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match those grant funds with non-Federal funds. (20 U.S.C. 1101b(c)(2)).

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7606 or by e-mail: [email protected].

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 program.

Page Limits: The application narrative (Part III) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We have established mandatory page limits for both the Individual Development Grant and the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant applications. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses the selection criteria to no more than 35 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 55 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application, using the following standards:

• A page is 8.5' x 11', on one side only, with 1 inch

margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical

inch) all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, captions and all text in charts, tables, and graphs.

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman,

Courier, Courier New or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.

• Use font size 12.

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the Supplemental Information Form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the Budget Information Summary Form (ED Form 524); Part III, the Project Abstract, and the Activity Detail Budget; and Part IV, the Assurances and Certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a Table of Contents. If you include any attachments or appendices, these items will be counted as part of the Program Narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection criteria in the program narrative.

We will reject your application if—

• You apply these standards and exceed the page

limit; or

• You apply other standards and exceed the

equivalent of the page limit.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: (INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER).

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: (INSERT DATE 45 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER).

Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). 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, Other Submission Requirements in this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: (INSERT DATE 90 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER).

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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 program.

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference the regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

Applicability of Executive Order 13202.

Applicants that apply for construction funds under the HSI Program must comply with Executive Order 13202 signed by President Bush on February 17, 2001, and amended on

April 6, 2001. This Executive order provides that recipients of Federal construction funds may not “require or prohibit bidders, offerors, contractors, or subcontractors to enter into or adhere to agreements with one or more labor organizations, on the same or other construction project(s)” or “otherwise discriminate against bidders, offerors, contractors, or subcontractors for becoming or refusing to become or remain signatories or otherwise adhere to agreements with one or more labor organizations, on the same or other construction project(s).” However, the Executive order does not prohibit contractors or subcontractors from voluntarily entering into these agreements. Projects funded under this program that include construction activity will be provided a copy of this Executive order and will be asked to certify that they will adhere to it.

6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this program competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the CCRAA HSI Program (CFDA Number 84.XXXX) must be submitted electronically using the Government-wide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

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.

You may access the electronic grant application for the HSI Program at: http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g. search for 84.031, not 84.031S).

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this program competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at

http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

• To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In addition, you will need to update for CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.

• 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 all information you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Education Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note that two of these forms –the SF 424 and the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424—have replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).

• You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified above or submit a password protected file, we will not review that material.

• Your electronic application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For Further Information Contact and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov 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 Grants.gov system because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov 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 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: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 6^th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513 FAX: (202) 502-7861.

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.XXXX)

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.XXXX)

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.XXXX)

550 12th Street, SW.

Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza

Washington, DC 20202-4260

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, D.C. 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application.

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification 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: The selection criteria for this

program are from 34 CFR 75.209 (a) and 75.210, and are as follows:

Need for the project (20 points);

Quality of the project design (15 points);

Quality of project services (15 points);

Quality of project personnel (10 points);

Adequacy of resources (5 points);

Quality of the management plan (20 points); and

Quality of project evaluation (15 points).

Additional information regarding these criteria is in the application package for this competition.

2. Review and Selection Process:

Applicants must provide, as an attachment to the application, the documentation the institution relied upon in determining that at least 25 percent of the institution’s undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic.

Note: The 25 percent requirement applies only to undergraduate Hispanic students and is calculated based upon FTE students. Instructions for formatting and submitting the verification documentation to Grants.gov are in the application package for this competition.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we will 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 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 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 expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118, 34 CFR 75.720 and in 34 CFR 606.31.

4. Performance Measures:

CCRAA Special Analyses

The grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 includes two priorities: (1) To increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); and (2) To develop articulation agreements between two-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions and four-year institutions in such fields. To assess the impact of the adoption of these priorities on program outcomes, the Department will be conducting special analyses, as follows: (1) The percentage of students receiving STEM related degrees from grantee institutions selecting this priority; and (2) The percentage of students transferring from two-year grantee institutions selecting this priority. Both assessments will occur before and after the end of the grant period.

VIII. Agency Contacts

For Further Information Contact: Carnisia M. Proctor, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 6^th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513. Telephone: 202) 502-7606 or by e-mail: [email protected].

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.

IX. 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: 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:

________________________________

Diane Auer Jones,

Assistant Secretary

for Postsecondary Education.

AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION

Title IV, Part J, Section 499A(b)(2)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by section 802 of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-84 and Title V, Sections 502 and 503 of the HEA).

INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs was issued to foster an intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on state and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State’s process under Executive Order 12372. A listing of the Single Point of Contact for each State may be viewed at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

Instructions for Completing the Application

The CCRAA HSI application consists of the following four parts. These parts are organized in the same manner that the submitted application should be organized. The parts are as follows:

Part I: 424 Forms:

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424)

• Department of Education Supplemental Information form for SF 424

Note: Applicants must complete the SF 424 form first because the information you provide here is automatically inserted into other sections of the Grants.gov application package.

Part II: U. S. Department of Education Budget Summary Forms:

• ED 524 (Section A and Section B)

The “U. S. Department of Education Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs” (found in the Grants.gov application package) is where applicants provide budget information for Section A – Budget Summary U.S. Department of Education Funds and Section B – Budget Summary Non-Federal Funds Applicants should include costs for all project years. Note: Section C – Budget Narrative should be included in the “Program Narrative Attachment Form,” located in Part III.

Part III: Other Forms

• ED Abstract Form

• Project Narrative Attachment Form

• Other Attachments Form

The “ED Abstract Form” (found in the Grants.gov system) is where applicants will attach their one-page project abstract that will provide an overview of the proposed project.

The “Project Narrative Attachment Form” (found in the Grants.gov system) includes the narrative responses to the selection criteria that will be used to evaluate applications submitted for this competition. Please include a Table of Contents as the first page of the project narrative. You must limit the project narrative to no more than 35 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 55 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application. The Project Narrative should be consecutively numbered.

The “Budget Narrative” is part of the selection criteria and should be included in the “Project Narrative Attachment Form.”

The “Other Attachments Form” (found in Grants.gov) is where applicants will attach the CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form and the Activity Budget Detail Form.

Part IV: Assurances, Certifications, and Survey Forms

• GEPA Section 427 requirement

• Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)

• Grants.gov Lobbying Form (formerly ED Form 80.0013)

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

• Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

NOTE: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although the form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will only review materials/files attached to the attachment forms listed above. All attachments must be in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf format. Other types of files will not be accepted.

Program Narrative Instructions

The program narrative shall be attached to the “Project Narrative Attachment Form” in the Application Package, downloaded from Grants.gov.

Before preparing the Program Narrative, applicants should review the program statute, the Federal Register Notice, the Dear Applicant Letter, and Competition Highlights for specific guidance and requirements.

The Secretary evaluates an application according to the broad criteria in 34 CFR 75.210. The Program Narrative should provide in detail the information that addresses each selection criterion. The maximum possible score for each category of selection criterion is indicated in parenthesis. For ease of reading by the reviewers, applicants should follow the sequence of the criteria as provided below. Applications should be written in a concise and clear manner. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses the selection criteria to no more than 35 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 55 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application.

Applicants MUST address each of the following CCRAA HSI selection criteria:

1. Need for the Project (20 points)

2. Quality of the Project Design (15 points)

3. Quality of Project Services (15 points)

4. Quality of Project Personnel (10 points)

5. Adequacy of Resources ( 5 points)

6. Quality of the Management Plan (20 points)

7. Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 points)

_________

Total Maximum Score for Selection Criteria 100 points

The following guidance may assist you in addressing the questions that will be used to evaluate your responses to the selection criteria:

1. Need for the project. (20 Points) In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers:

1. The magnitude of the needs for the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (10 points)

2. The extent to which the proposed project will focus on serving or otherwise addressing the needs of disadvantaged individuals. (5 points)

3. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses. (5 points)

2. Quality of the project design. (15 Points) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers:

1. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 points)

2. 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. (5 points)

3. Quality of project services. (15 Points) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary considers:

1. The extent to which the services provided by the proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or beneficiaries of those services. (10 points)

2. The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (5 points)

4. Quality of project personnel. (10 Points) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary considers 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. In addition, the Secretary considers:

1. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the project director or principal investigator. (5 points)

2. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

(5 points)

5. Adequacy of resources. (5 Points) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers:

1. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project. (3 points)

2. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project. (2 points)

6. Quality of the management plan. (20 Points) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary considers:

1. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (10 points)

2. The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project. (5 points)

3. The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products and services from the proposed project. (5 points)

7. Quality of the project evaluation. (15 Points) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers:

1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible and appropriate to the goals, objectives and outcomes of the proposed project. (5 points)

2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)

3. 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. (5 points)

THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE MAY ASSIST YOU IN ADDRESSING EACH OF THE WEIGHTED SELECTION CRITERIA:

Need: When addressing this criterion, applicants should provide detailed information that not only identifies a need for their proposed project but they should also provide data that supports their claim for a need for the proposed project. Supporting documentation may consist of recent statistics from State, local and Federal sources; mission statement; comparison data from similar institutions, etc.

Project Design: When addressing this criterion, applicants should clearly and succinctly identify the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved. A mere listing of the goals, objectives, and outcomes is not sufficient. The identified goals, objectives and outcomes should not only address the identified need for the project but should also be measurable and support the purpose of the HSI program.

Project Services: When addressing this criterion, applicants should clearly spell out the activities and services it is proposing and the intended recipients or beneficiaries of each service or activity. A mere listing of the services and beneficiaries is not enough. Provide details as to the types of activities and services to be provided and the extent to which the activities and services reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. In other words, will the proposed activities and services meet the need of the project?

Key Personnel: The minimum qualifications must be identified for all project personnel positions. The minimum educational qualifications should include the type of degree required and the acceptable field(s) of study. The type and minimum amount of work-related experience should also be described for each position.

Resources: This section should provide information that shows that the proposed budget will provide adequate resources necessary to successfully carry out the proposed project. Applicants should demonstrate here how the proposed costs would enable them to carry out the project and that the proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design and significance of the proposed project.

Management Plan: Describe the plan of management. Who will be responsible for which tasks? What are the expected timelines and proposed budgets for each activity or service? What are the expected milestones for accomplishing the proposed activities or services? Have you included procedures that will ensure feedback and the opportunity for continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project? Be sure that the management plans are clearly and concisely defined.

Evaluation: A strong evaluation plan should be included and should be used, as appropriate, to shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant period. The evaluation plan should include process and outcome performance measures and benchmarks to monitor progress toward meeting specific project objectives and goals. Specifically, the plan should identify the individual or organization that has agreed to serve as evaluator for the project and describe the qualifications of the evaluator. The plan should describe the evaluation design, indicating: (1) what types of data will be collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) what methods will be used; (4) what instruments will be developed and when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) when reports and outcomes will be available; and (7) how the applicant will use the information collected through evaluation to monitor progress of the funded project. Applicants are encouraged to devote an appropriate level of resources to project evaluation and should explain the measures and strategies that will be used to ensure that the evaluation is appropriately rigorous and independent.

Budget: In response to this criterion, applicants must provide a detailed, itemized budget (ED Form 524) and a detailed budget narrative for each 12-month budget period. The budget narrative is to be included in the Program Narrative to be attached to the Project Narrative Attachment Form in the application package downloaded from Grants.gov.

Instructions for Standard Forms:

● APPLICATION FACE SHEET - (SF 424)

● DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUPPLEMENTAL FORM

● DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BUDGET SUMMARY FORM (ED 524)

● DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES (SF-LLL)

● SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS

Other Information and Guidance:

● SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

● ACTIVITY BUDGET DETAIL FORM INSTRUCTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SF-424

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0043), Washington, DC 20503.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.

This is a standard form (including the continuation sheet) required for use as a cover sheet for submission of pre-applications and applications and related information under discretionary programs. Some of the items are required and some are optional at the discretion of the applicant or the Federal agency (agency). Required items are identified with an asterisk on the form and are specified in the instructions below. In addition to the instructions provided below, applicants must consult agency instructions to determine specific requirements.

Item	Entry:		Item	Entry:
1.	Type of Submission: (Required): Select one type of submission in accordance with agency instructions. Pre-application Application Changed/Corrected Application – If requested by the agency, check if this submission is to change or correct a previously submitted application. Unless requested by the agency, applicants may not use this to submit changes after the closing date.		10.	Name Of Federal Agency: (Required) Enter the name of the Federal agency from which assistance is being requested with this application.
			11.	Catalog Of Federal Domestic Assistance Number/Title: Enter the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number and title of the program under which assistance is requested, as found in the program announcement, if applicable.
2.	Type of Application: (Required) Select one type of application in accordance with agency instructions. New – An application that is being submitted to an agency for the first time. Continuation - An extension for an additional funding/budget period for a project with a projected completion date. This can include renewals. Revision - Any change in the Federal Government’s financial obligation or contingent liability from an existing obligation. If a revision, enter the appropriate letter(s). More than one may be selected. If "Other" is selected, please specify in text box provided. A. Increase Award B. Decrease Award C. Increase Duration D. Decrease Duration E. Other (specify)		12.	Funding Opportunity Number/Title: (Required) Enter the Funding Opportunity Number and title of the opportunity under which assistance is requested, as found in the program announcement.
			13.	Competition Identification Number/Title: Enter the Competition Identification Number and title of the competition under which assistance is requested, if applicable.
			14.	Areas Affected By Project: List the areas or entities using the categories (e.g., cities, counties, states, etc.) specified in agency instructions. Use the continuation sheet to enter additional areas, if needed.
3.	Date Received: Leave this field blank. This date will be assigned by the Federal agency.		15.	Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: (Required) Enter a brief descriptive title of the project. If appropriate, attach a map showing project location (e.g., construction or real property projects). For pre-applications, attach a summary description of the project.
4.	Applicant Identifier: Enter the entity identifier assigned by the Federal agency, if any, or applicant’s control number, if applicable.
5a	Federal Entity Identifier: Enter the number assigned to your organization by the Federal Agency, if any.		16.	Congressional Districts Of: (Required) 16a. Enter the applicant’s Congressional District, and 16b. Enter all District(s) affected by the program or project. Enter in the format: 2 characters State Abbreviation – 3 characters District Number, e.g., CA-005 for California 5thth district, CA-012 for California 12th district, NC-103 for North Carolina’s 103rd district. If all congressional districts in a state are affected, enter “all” for the district number, e.g., MD-all for all congressional districts in Maryland. If nationwide, i.e. all districts within all states are affected, enter US-all. If the program/project is outside the US, enter 00-000.
5b.	Federal Award Identifier: For new applications leave blank. For a continuation or revision to an existing award, enter the previously assigned Federal award identifier number. If a changed/corrected application, enter the Federal Identifier in accordance with agency instructions.
6.	Date Received by State: Leave this field blank. This date will be assigned by the State, if applicable.
7.	State Application Identifier: Leave this field blank. This identifier will be assigned by the State, if applicable.
8.	Applicant Information: Enter the following in accordance with agency instructions: a. Legal Name: (Required): Enter the legal name of applicant that will undertake the assistance activity. This is the name that the organization has registered with the Central Contractor Registry. Information on registering with CCR may be obtained by visiting the Grants.gov website.
			17.	Proposed Project Start and End Dates: (Required) Enter the proposed start date and end date of the project.
	b. Employer/Taxpayer Number (EIN/TIN): (Required): Enter the Employer or Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN or TIN) as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. If your organization is not in the US, enter 44-4444444.
			18.	Estimated Funding: (Required) Enter the amount requested or to be contributed during the first funding/budget period by each contributor. Value of in-kind contributions should be included on appropriate lines, as applicable. If the action will result in a dollar change to an existing award, indicate only the amount of the change. For decreases, enclose the amounts in parentheses.
	c. Organizational DUNS: (Required) Enter the organization’s DUNS or DUNS+4 number received from Dun and Bradstreet. Information on obtaining a DUNS number may be obtained by visiting the Grants.gov website.
	d. Address: Enter the complete address as follows: Street address (Line 1 required), City (Required), County, State (Required, if country is US), Province, Country (Required), Zip/Postal Code (Required, if country is US).
			19.	Is Application Subject to Review by State Under Executive Order 12372 Process? Applicants should contact the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Federal Executive Order 12372 to determine whether the application is subject to the State intergovernmental review process. Select the appropriate box. If “a.” is selected, enter the date the application was submitted to the State
	e. Organizational Unit: Enter the name of the primary organizational unit (and department or division, if applicable) that will undertake the assistance activity, if applicable.
	f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application: Enter the name (First and last name required), organizational affiliation (if affiliated with an organization other than the applicant organization), telephone number (Required), fax number, and email address (Required) of the person to contact on matters related to this application.
			20.	Is the Applicant Delinquent on any Federal Debt? (Required) Select the appropriate box. This question applies to the applicant organization, not the person who signs as the authorized representative. Categories of debt include delinquent audit disallowances, loans and taxes. If yes, include an explanation on the continuation sheet.
9.	Type of Applicant: (Required) Select up to three applicant type(s) in accordance with agency instructions.		21.	Authorized Representative: (Required) To be signed and dated by the authorized representative of the applicant organization. Enter the name (First and last name required) title (Required), telephone number (Required), fax number, and email address (Required) of the person authorized to sign for the applicant. A copy of the governing body’s authorization for you to sign this application as the official representative must be on file in the applicant’s office. (Certain Federal agencies may require that this authorization be submitted as part of the application.)
	State Government County Government City or Township Government Special District Government Regional Organization U.S. Territory or Possession Independent School District Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization Public/Indian Housing Authority	Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education) Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education) Private Institution of Higher Education Individual For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business) Small Business Hispanic-serving Institution Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Non-domestic (non-US) Entity Other (specify)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR SF 424

1. Project Director . Name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the person to be contacted on matters involving this application.

2. Novice Applicant. Check “Yes” or “No” only if assistance is being requested under a program that gives special consideration to novice applicants. Otherwise, leave blank.

Check “Yes” if you meet the requirements for novice applicants specified in the regulations in 34 CFR 75.225 and included on the attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424.” By checking “Yes” the applicant certifies that it meets these novice applicant requirements. Check “No” if you do not meet the requirements for novice applicants.

3. Human Subjects Research. (See I. A. “Definitions” in attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424.”)

If Not Human Subjects Research. Check “No” if research activities involving human subjects are not planned at any time during the proposed project period. The remaining parts of Item 3 are then not applicable.

If Human Subjects Research. Check “Yes” if research activities involving human subjects are planned at any time during the proposed project period, either at the applicant organization or at any other performance site or collaborating institution. Check “Yes” even if the research is exempt from the regulations for the protection of human subjects. (See I. B. “Exemptions” in attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424.”)

3a . If Human Subjects Research is Exempt from the Human Subjects Regulations . Check “Yes” if all the research activities proposed are designated to be exempt from the regulations. Insert the exemption number(s) corresponding to one or more of the six exemption categories listed in I. B. “Exemptions.” In addition, follow the instructions in II. A. “Exempt Research Narrative” in the attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424.”

3a . If Human Subjects Research is Not Exempt from Human Subjects Regulations. Check “No” if some or all of the planned research activities are covered (not exempt). In addition, follow the instructions in II. B. “Nonexempt Research Narrative” in the page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424

3a . Human Subjects Assurance Number . If the applicant has an approved Federal Wide (FWA) on file with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that covers the specific activity, insert the number in the space provided. If the applicant does not have an approved assurance on file with OHRP, enter “None.” In this case, the applicant, by signature on the SF-424, is declaring that it will comply with 34 CFR 97 and proceed to obtain the human subjects assurance upon request by the designated ED official. If the application is recommended/selected for funding, the designated ED official will request that the applicant obtain the assurance within 30 days after the specific formal request.

Note about Institutional Review Board Approval. ED does not require certification of Institutional Review Board approval with the application. However, if an application that involves non-exempt human subjects research is recommended/selected for funding, the designated ED official will request that the applicant obtain and send the certification to ED within 30 days after the formal request.

Paperwork Burden Statement. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0017. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average between 15 and 45 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4700. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form write directly to: Joyce I. Mays, Application Control Center, U.S. Department of Education, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12^th Street, S.W. Room 7076, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

DEFINITIONS FOR

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR SF 424

(Attachment to Instructions for Supplemental Information for SF 424)

Definitions:

Novice Applicant (See 34 CFR 75.225). For discretionary grant programs under which the Secretary gives special consideration to novice applications, a novice applicant means any applicant for a grant from ED that—

• Has never received a grant or sub-grant under the program from which it seeks funding;

• Has never been a member of a group application, submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, that received a grant under the program from which it seeks funding; and

• Has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal government in the five years before the deadline date for applications under the program. For the purposes of this requirement, a grant is active until the end of the grant’s project or funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee’s authority to obligate funds.

In the case of a group application submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, a group includes only parties that meet the requirements listed above.

PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH

I . Definitions and Exemptions

A . Definitions.

A research activity involves human subjects if the activity is research, as defined in the Department’s regulations, and the research activity will involve use of human subjects, as defined in the regulations.

—Research

The ED Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects, Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 97, define research as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” If an activity follows a deliberate plan whose purpose is to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge it is research. Activities which meet this definition constitute research whether or not they are conducted or supported under a program that is considered research for other purposes. For example, some demonstration and service programs may include research activities.

—Human Subject

The regulations define human subject as “a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information.” (1) If an activity involves obtaining information about a living person by manipulating that person or that person’s environment, as might occur when a new instructional technique is tested, or by communicating or interacting with the individual, as occurs with surveys and interviews, the definition of human subject is met. (2) If an activity involves obtaining private information about a living person in such a way that the information can be linked to that individual (the identity of the subject is or may be readily determined by the investigator or associated with the information), the definition of human subject is met. [Private information includes information about behavior that occurs in a context in which an individual can reasonably expect that no observation or recording is taking place, and information which has been provided for specific purposes by an individual and which the individual can reasonably expect will not be made public (for example, a school health record).]

B. Exemptions.

Research activities in which the only involvement of human subjects will be in one or more of the following six categories of exemptions are not covered by the regulations:

(1) Research conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal educational practices, such as (a) research on regular and special education instructional strategies, or (b) research on the effectiveness of or the comparison among instructional techniques, curricula, or classroom management methods.

(2) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior, unless: (a) information obtained is recorded in such a manner that human subjects can be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects; and (b) any disclosure of the human subjects’ responses outside the research could reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects’ financial standing, employability, or reputation. If the subjects are children, exemption 2 applies only to

research involving educational tests and observations of public behavior when the investigator(s) do not participate in the activities being observed . Exemption 2 does not apply if children are surveyed or interviewed or if the research involves observation of public behavior and the investigator(s) participate in the activities being observed. [Children are defined as persons who have not attained the legal age for consent to treatments or procedures involved in the research, under the applicable law or jurisdiction in which the research will be conducted.]

(3) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior that is not exempt under section (2) above, if the human subjects are elected or appointed public officials or candidates for public office; or federal statute(s) require(s) without exception that the confidentiality of the personally identifiable information will be maintained throughout the research and thereafter.

(4) Research involving the collection or study of existing data, documents, records, pathological specimens, or diagnostic specimens, if these sources are publicly available or if the information is recorded by the investigator in a manner that subjects cannot be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects.

(5) Research and demonstration projects which are conducted by or subject to the approval of department or agency heads, and which are designed to study, evaluate, or otherwise examine: (a) public benefit or service programs; (b) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs; (c) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures; or (d) possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs.

(6) Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies, (a) if wholesome foods without additives are consumed or (b) if a food is consumed that contains a food ingredient at or below the level and for a use found to be safe, or agricultural chemical or environmental contaminant at or below the level found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration or approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

II . Instructions for Exempt and Nonexempt Human Subjects Research Narratives

If the applicant marked “Yes” for Item 3 of Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, the applicant must provide a human subjects “exempt research” or “nonexempt research” narrative. Insert the narrative(s) in the space provided. If you have multiple projects and need to provide more than one narrative, be sure to label each set of responses as to the project they address.

A . Exempt Research Narrative.

If you marked “Yes” for item 3 a. and designated exemption numbers(s), provide the “exempt research” narrative . The narrative must contain sufficient information about the involvement of human subjects in the proposed research to allow a determination by ED that the designated exemption(s) are appropriate . The narrative must be succinct.

B . Nonexempt Research Narrative.

If you marked “No” for item 3 a. you must provide the “nonexempt research” narrative . The narrative must address the following seven points. Although no specific page limitation applies to this section of the application, be succinct.

(1) Human Subjects Involvement and Characteristics: Provide a detailed description of the proposed involvement of human subjects. Describe the characteristics of the subject population, including their anticipated number, age range, and health status. Identify the criteria for inclusion or exclusion of any subpopulation. Explain the rationale for the involvement of special classes of subjects, such as children, children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, persons with mental disabilities, pregnant women, prisoners, institutionalized individuals, or others who are likely to be vulnerable

(2) Sources of Materials: Identify the sources of research material obtained from individually identifiable living human subjects in the form of specimens, records, or data. Indicate whether the material or data will be obtained specifically for research purposes or whether use will be made of existing specimens, records, or data.

(3) Recruitment and Informed Consent: Describe plans for the recruitment of subjects and the consent procedures to be followed. Include the circumstances under which consent will be sought and obtained, who will seek it, the nature of the information to be provided to prospective subjects, and the method of documenting consent . State if the Institutional Review Board (IRB) has authorized a modification or waiver of the elements of consent or the requirement for documentation of consent.

(4) Potential Risks: Describe potential risks (physical, psychological, social, legal, or other) and assess their likelihood and seriousness. Where appropriate, describe alternative treatments and procedures that might be advantageous to the subjects.

(5) Protection Against Risk: Describe the procedures for protecting against or minimizing potential risks, including risks to confidentiality, and assess their likely effectiveness. Where appropriate, discuss provisions for ensuring necessary medical or professional intervention in the event of adverse effects to the subjects. Also, where appropriate, describe the provisions for monitoring the data collected to ensure the safety of the subjects.

(6) Importance of the Knowledge to be Gained: Discuss the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained as a result of the proposed research. Discuss why the risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits to subjects and in relation to the importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result.

(7) Collaborating Site(s): If research involving human subjects will take place at collaborating site(s) or other performance site(s), name the sites and briefly describe their involvement or role in the research.

Copies of the Department of Education’s Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects, 34 CFR Part 97 and other pertinent materials on the protection of human subjects in research are available from the Grants Policy and Oversight Staff, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4250, telephone: (202) 245-6120, and on the U.S. Department of Education’s Protection of Human Subjects in Research Web Site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/OCFO/humansub.html

NOTE: The State Applicant Identifier on the SF 424 is for State Use only. Please complete it on the OMB Standard 424 in the upper right corner of the form (if applicable).

Instructions for ED 524

General Instructions

This form is used to apply to individual U.S. Department of Education (ED) discretionary grant programs. Unless directed otherwise, provide the same budget information for each year of the multi-year funding request. Pay attention to applicable program specific instructions, if attached. Please consult with your Business Office prior to submitting this form.

Section A - Budget Summary

U.S. Department of Education Funds

All applicants must complete Section A and provide a breakdown by the applicable budget categories shown in lines 1-11.

Lines 1-11, columns (a)-(e): For each project year for which funding is requested, show the total amount requested for each applicable budget category.

Lines 1-11, column (f): Show the multi-year total for each budget category. If funding is requested for only one project year, leave this column blank.

Line 12, columns (a)-(e): Show the total budget request for each project year for which funding is requested.

Line 12, column (f): Show the total amount requested for all project years. If funding is requested for only one year, leave this space blank.

Indirect Cost Information:
If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, this information is to be completed by your Business Office. (1): Indicate whether or not your organization has an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement that was approved by the federal government. (2): If you checked “yes” in (1), indicate in (2) the beginning and ending dates covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. In addition, indicate whether ED or another federal agency (Other) issued the approved agreement. If you check “Other,” specify the name of the federal agency that issued the approved agreement. (3): If you are applying for a grant under a Restricted Rate Program (34 CFR 75.563 or 76.563), indicate whether you are using a restricted indirect cost rate that is included on your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or whether you are using a restricted indirect cost rate that complies with 34 CFR

76.564(c)(2). Note: State or local government agencies may not use the provision for a restricted indirect cost rate specified in 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2). Check only one response. Leave blank, if this item is not applicable.

Section B - Budget Summary

Non-Federal Funds

If you are required to provide or volunteer to provide matching funds or other non-federal resources to the project, these should be shown for each applicable budget category on lines 1‑11 of Section B.

Lines 1-11, columns (a)-(e): For each project year, for which matching funds or other contributions are provided, show the total contribution for each applicable budget category.

Lines 1-11, column (f): Show the multi-year total for each budget category . If non-federal contributions are provided for only one year, leave this column blank.

Line 12, columns (a)-(e): Show the total matching or other contribution for each project year.

Line 12, column (f): Show the total amount to be contributed for all years of the multi-year project. If non-Federal contributions are provided for only one year, leave

Section C - Budget Narrative [Attach separate sheet(s)]

Pay attention to applicable program specific instructions,
if attached.

1 . Provide an itemized budget breakdown, and justification by project year, for each budget category listed in Sections A and B . For grant projects that will be divided into two or more separately budgeted major activities or sub-projects, show for each budget category of a project year the breakdown of the specific expenses attributable to each sub-project or activity.

2 . If applicable to this program, provide the rate and base on which fringe benefits are calculated.

3 . If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, this information is to be completed by your Business Office. Specify the estimated amount of the base to which the indirect cost rate is applied and the total indirect expense. Depending on the grant program to which you are applying and/or your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, some direct cost budget categories in your grant application budget may not be included in the base and multiplied by your indirect cost rate. For example, you must multiply the indirect cost rates of “Training grants" (34 CFR 75.562) and grants under programs with “Supplement not Supplant” requirements ("Restricted Rate" programs) by a “modified total direct cost” (MTDC) base (34 CFR 75.563 or 76.563). Please indicate which costs are included and which costs are excluded from the base to which the indirect cost rate is applied.

When calculating indirect costs (line 10) for "Training grants" or grants under "Restricted Rate" programs, you must refer to the information and examples on ED’s website at: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

You may also contact (202) 377-3838 for additional information regarding calculating indirect cost rates or general indirect cost rate information.

4. Provide other explanations or comments you deem necessary.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0004. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to vary from 13 to 22 hours per response, with an average of 17.5 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to (insert program office), U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202.

Budget Summary Form (ED 524) and Budget Narrative Instructions:

NOTE: Applicants must submit (1) a budget information form to categorize requested funds (ED 524); AND (2) a budget narrative, as part of the program narrative, to be attached to the “Project Narrative Attachment Form” in the Application Package downloaded from Grants.gov;

For this competition, applicants may receive funding for two years. The Department is requesting that you complete the Budget Summary Form (ED Form 524) for the two years and provide a comprehensive budget narrative, as part of the program narrative, to be attached to the “Project Narrative Attachment Form” in the Application Package downloaded from Grants.gov.

Summary Budget

Using the Summary Budget Form (ED 524), prepare a summary budget for the entire project that totals all the costs by category for each year of the grant. Check for accuracy for all budget totals within an activity budget and between the activity budget(s) and the summary budget. If any inaccuracies occur, the Education Department may choose the lesser of two budget figures and you may lose money that you could have otherwise received.

Activity Budget Detail Form Instructions

Note: Applicants must submit a detailed budget narrative for each activity using the “Activity Budget Detail Form”, to be attached to the “Other Attachment Forms. Upon completion, attach the Activity Budget Detail Form as a .doc, .rtf or .pdf into Part III of the “Other Attachments Form” of the Grants.gov application package.

Activity Budgets

On the Activity Budget Detail Form, please provide detailed, itemized budgets for each activity for the two years for which grant funds are sought. If you fail to provide details, we may not be able to determine if the costs of the activities are necessary and reasonable and may disallow such costs. For all costs, demonstrate that they are reasonable in today’s market and necessary to accomplish activity objectives. In particular, you should justify any single cost exceeding $25,000 – excluding salaries and fringe benefits.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETION OF SF-LLL, DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

This disclosure form shall be completed by the reporting entity, whether sub-awardee or prime Federal recipient, at the initiation or receipt of a covered Federal action, or a material change to a previous filing, pursuant to Title 31 U.S.C. Section 1352. The filing of a form is required for each payment or agreement to make payment to any lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with a covered Federal action. Complete all items that apply for both the initial filing and material change report. Refer to the implementing guidance published by the Office of Management and Budget for additional information.

1. Identify the type of covered Federal action for which lobbying activity is and/or has been secured to influence the outcome of a covered Federal action.

2. Identify the status of the covered Federal action.

3. Identify the appropriate classification of this report. If this is a follow-up report caused by a material change to the information previously reported, enter the year and quarter in which the change occurred. Enter the date of the last previously submitted report by this reporting entity for this covered Federal action.

4. Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the reporting entity. Include Congressional District, if known. Check the appropriate classification of the reporting entity that designates if it is, or expects to be, a prime or sub-award recipient. Identify the tier of the sub-awardee, e.g., the first sub-awardee of the prime is the 1st tier. Sub-awards include but are not limited to subcontracts, subgrants and contract awards under grants.

5. If the organization filing the report in item 4 checks “Subawardee,” then enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the prime Federal recipient. Include Congressional District, if known.

6. Enter the name of the federal agency making the award or loan commitment. Include at least one organizational level below agency name, if known. For example, Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard.

7. Enter the Federal program name or description for the covered Federal action (item 1). If known, enter the full Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for grants, cooperative agreements, loans, and loan commitments.

8. Enter the most appropriate Federal identifying number available for the Federal action identified in item 1 (e.g., Request for Proposal (RFP) number; Invitations for Bid (IFB) number; grant announcement number; the contract, grant, or loan award number; the application/proposal control number assigned by the Federal agency). Included prefixes, e.g., “RFP-DE-90-001.”

9. For a covered Federal action where there has been an award or loan commitment by the Federal agency, enter the Federal amount of the award/loan commitment for the prime entity identified in item 4 or 5.

10. (a) Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the lobbying registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 engaged by the reporting entity identified in item 4 to influence the covered Federal action.

(b) Enter the full names of the individual(s) performing services, and include full address if different from 10(a) . Enter Last Name, First Name, and Middle Initial (MI).

11. The certifying official shall sign and date the form, print his/her name, title, and telephone number.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act, as amended, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control Number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is OMB No. 0348-0046. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0046), Washington, DC 20503.

College Cost Reduction and Access Act Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assurances

Additional instructions for applicants:

Applicants enter CCRAA HSI assurance data on the “CCRAA HSI Program Profile” page in Part III of the application. Applicants will attach the “CCRAA HSI Program Profile” page to the “Other Attachments Form” of the Grants.gov application package.

The statute governing the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, requires the applicant to provide an assurance to the following:

The applicant has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent (FTE) students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

For the purposes of the calculation, use your institution’s student enrollment count closest to, but not after, September 30, 2007.

Whatever the full-time course load is at your institution, count a full-time undergraduate degree student as one FTE.

To determine the FTE for part-time undergraduate students, total the number of credit hours of all part-time undergraduate students. Include both part-time degree students and part-time unclassified students. Divide the total number of credit hours for the part-time undergraduate students by twelve (12). The result is the FTE for part-time undergraduate students.

Note: An unclassified undergraduate student is one who is not a candidate for a degree or other formal award, but is taking courses for credit in regular classes with undergraduate degree students. However, both classified and unclassified undergraduate students enrolled must be in a program of at least two years in length that would result in the award of a certificate, associate degree or other educational credential.

To calculate the total undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Add the FTE of full-time undergraduate students and the FTE of part-time undergraduate students.

To calculate the Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Add the FTE of full-time undergraduate Hispanic students and the FTE of part-time undergraduate Hispanic students.

To calculate the Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent: Divide the Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count by the Total Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count and multiply by 100.

To calculate the Hispanic Enrollment Count: (Note: This calculation includes all Hispanic students regardless of enrollment status or graduate/undergraduate status). Determine the total number of Hispanic students.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

CCRAA HSI Program Profile: All applicants must complete the information requested on this page. Using the profile, the applicant will provide information on Assurances and Eligibility. Do not modify, amend or delete any of this document.

Applicants must copy and paste this page into a separate document, or recreate the page exactly as it appears. Then, complete the page, save it to your computer and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form,” in the Application Package downloaded from Grants.gov, as either a .doc, .rtf or .pdf document. Do not modify or amend the contents of the form in any way.

CCRAA HSI Program Assurances: All applicants must provide assurances regarding the percent of Hispanic students enrolled at an institution. By inserting a check mark in the box or an X in front of the box, for item #11, and by providing the required data for items #7 and #8 on the “CCRAA HSI Program Profile Form,” an applicant certifies that it will fully comply with the requirements.

Special Note: The Department will cross-reference, for verification, data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the institution’s state reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If there are any differences in the percentages reported to the above references, the institution should justify the differences as a part of their eligibility documentation. When providing eligibility documentation to support your HSI assurances, please note that the Department does not consider a replication of the instructions sufficient justification. If the Department receives a replica of the instructions and/or cannot validate assurances, the application will be deemed ineligible.

Page Limits: The program narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We have established mandatory page limits for both the Individual Development Grant and the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant applications. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses the selection criteria to no more than 35 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 55 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application.

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the Supplemental Information Form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the Budget Information Summary Form (ED Form 524); Part III, the Activity Detail Budget Form and Part IV, the Assurances and Certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of contents or the program abstract. If you include any attachments or appendices other than those specifically requested, these items will be counted as part of the project narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection criteria in the project narrative.

Formatting Requirements: A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1 inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, captions and all text in charts, tables, and graphs. Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. Use font size 12.

Special Note: No special accommodations or reformatting justifications will be given for any applications not meeting page limits and formatting requirements.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Program Profile

INSTRUCTIONS: ALL applicants must complete and submit this profile. You may copy or recreate this form, but do not amend or modify the required information or format. Please complete all sections of this form. Upon completion, attach this document as a .doc, .rtf or .pdf into Part III of the “Other Attachments Form” of the Grants.gov application package.

1. Name of Institution/Campus Requesting: (Use your institution’s complete name. If your institution is a branch campus, use the parent institution’s name but follow it with the name of the branch campus. For example, you would cite the State University of New York, Brockport Campus.) Institution/Campus OPE ID#: DUNS#:
2. Applicant Address: (All applicants must indicate the address where the project will be located) Project Address: City: State: Zip:
3. Participating Institutions in a Cooperative Arrangement: 3a. Name of Applicant Institution (Lead): 3b. Name of Participating Institutions DUNS Number Location (city/state) 1. 2. 3.
4. Tiebreaker Information: Enter the full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment for Fall 2005. See the Application Guide and Federal Register Notice for instructions on calculating FTE enrollment. Total Fall 2005 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) students = Total market value of endowment fund for 2005-06 Total expenditures for library material during 2005-06 Note: Failure to provide information requested in items a) and b) above may result in the Department not considering the application under a tie-breaker situation
5. Endowment Fund Assurance: The institution certifies that it proposes to use no more than twenty percent (20%) of the CCRAA Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program development grant, made under the authority of Title V, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended to establish or increase the institution’s endowment fund. The institution agrees to abide by the Department of Education’s regulations governing the Endowment Challenge Grant Program, 34 CFR Part 628, the program statute, and the program regulations, 34 CFR Part 606. The institution further agrees to raise the required matching funds.
6. Institutional Assurance Statistics: See the Application Guide and the Federal Register Notice for CCRAA HSI Assurance Instructions. Please provide us with the data your institution reported to the following: IPEDS and State Reported Enrollment. Enter information for all areas below for Fall 2007 (up to September 30, 2007). NOTE: If you are a four-year HSI applicant submitting a grant under the competitive preference priorities, the two-year HSI must also submit its CCRAA HSI assurances.
7a. CCRAA HSI Assurance: Total Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Total Hispanic Enrollment Count: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent: Two-year CCRAA HSI Assurance: Total Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment Count: Total Hispanic Enrollment Count: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent:	7b. State Enrollment Reported Data: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent: Two-year HSI State Enrollment Data: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent:		7c. IPEDS Reported Data: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent: Two-year HSI IPEDS Reported Data: Hispanic Undergraduate FTE Enrollment: Undergraduate FTE Hispanic Percent:
Eligibility Documentation: Please provide us with the documentation the institution relied upon in determining that at least 25 percent of the institution’s undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic. NOTE: The Department will cross-reference for verification, data reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the institution’s state reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If there are any differences in the percentages reported to the above reference, the institution should justify the differences as a part of their eligibility documentation. When providing eligibility documentation to support your HSI assurance, please note that the Department does not consider a replication of the instructions sufficient justification. If the Department receives a replica of the instructions and/or cannot validate assurance, the application will be deemed ineligible.
9. Priorities: The Department has established competitive priorities for the FY 2008 grant competition only. These priorities are in accordance with section 437 (d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act and the new section 499A(b) (2)(B) of the Higher Education Act, College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. Please check all that apply. Competitive Preference Priorities: By checking this box, the applicant certifies that it meets the requirement of the FY 2008 Competitive Priorities as announced in the Federal Register Notice.
10. Certifying Representative: Name: Title: Contact Number: Fax Number:		11. By checking this box, the applicant and President of the institution certify that the IHE will comply with the statutory requirements, program standards, and program assurance cited in the HSI program regulations 34 CFR Part 606.

Application Checklist

Use This Checklist While Preparing Your Application Package: All items listed on this checklist are required.

 Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424) – Completed in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424 – Completed in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 Department of Education Budget Information Non-Construction Programs Form (ED 524) – Completed in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 One-Page Program Abstract – Attached to the “ED Abstract Form” in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 Program Narrative – Attached to the “Project Narrative Attachment Form” in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 College Cost Reduction and Access Act Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program Profile – Attached to the “Other Attachments Form” in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 Assurances and Certifications – Completed in the Application Package found in Grants.gov

 Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

 Grants.gov Lobbying Form (formerly Certification Regarding Lobbying

ED 80-0013)

 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

 Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

 ED GEPA427 Form

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

Section 427

Section 427 requires each applicant to include in its application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and participation in, its federally-assisted program for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs.

This section allows applicants discretion in developing the required description. The statute highlights six barriers that can impede equitable access or participation that you may address: gender, race, national origin, color disability, or age.

A general statement of an applicant’s nondiscriminatory hiring policy is not sufficient to meet this requirement. Applicants must identify potential barriers and explain steps they will take to overcome these barriers.

*Notes:

• Applicants are required to address this provision by attaching a statement to the ED GEPA 427 Form that must be downloaded from Grants.gov.

• All applicants must include information in their applications to address this provision in order to receive funding under this program.

Government Performance

and Results Act (GPRA)

What is GPRA?

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) is a straightforward statute that requires all federal agencies to manage their activities with attention to the consequences of those activities. Each agency is to clearly state what it intends to accomplish, identify the resources required, and periodically report their progress to the Congress. In so doing, it is expected that the GPRA will contribute to improvements in accountability for the expenditures of public funds, improve Congressional decision-making through more objective information on the effectiveness of federal programs, and promote a new government focus on results, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.

How has the Department of Education Responded to the GPRA Requirements?

As required by GPRA, the Department of Education has prepared a strategic plan for 2007-2012. This plan reflects the Department’s priorities and integrates them with its mission and program authorities and describes how the Department will work to improve education for all children and adults in the U.S. The Department’s goals, as listed in the plan, are:

Goal 1: Increase student achievement, reward qualified teachers, and renew troubled schools so that every student can read and do math at grade level by 2014, as called for by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Goal 2: Encourage more rigorous and advanced coursework to improve the academic performance of our middle and high school students.

Goal 3: Work with colleges and universities to improve access, affordability, and accountability, so that our higher education system remains the world’s finest.

The performance indicators for the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program are part of the Department’s plan for meeting Goal 3. The Department’s specific goal for this program is “to strengthen Hispanic-Serving Institutions.”

What are the Performance Indicators for the CCRAA HSI Program?

The Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program’s overarching goal is: To improve the capacity of minority-serving institutions, which traditionally have limited resources and serve large numbers of low-income and minority students, to improve student success and to provide high-quality educational opportunities for their students.

The specific performance indicators for the CCRAA HSI Program are as follows:

The effectiveness of the CCRAA HSI Program is assessed by: 1) The percentage of full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled at HSIs. 2) The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year at the same institution. 3) The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at four-year HSIs graduating within six years of enrollment. 4) The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at two-year HSIs graduating within three years of enrollment. 5) Federal cost for undergraduate and graduate degrees at institutions in the CCRAA HSIs program.

CCRAA HSI Program Special Analyses

The grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions under the CCRAA includes two priorities: (1) To increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); and (2) To develop articulation agreements between two-year HSIs and four-year institutions in such fields. To assess the impact of the adoption of these priorities on program outcomes, the Department will be conducting special analyses, as follows:

1. The percentage of students receiving STEM related degrees from grantee institutions selecting this priority.

2. The percentage of students transferring from two-year grantee institutions selecting this priority.

These assessments will take place before and after the end of the grant period.

How does the Department of Education determine whether performance goals have been met?

An applicant that receives a grant award will be required to submit annual progress reports and a final report as a condition of the award. The reports will document the extent to which project goals and objectives are met.

Paperwork Burden Statement

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1840-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 35 hours for the project director per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-8513. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: College Cost Reduction and Access Act Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, N.W., 6^th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20202-8513.

FORM

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program Activity Budget Detail Form

INSTRUCTIONS: ALL applicants must complete and submit this form. You may copy or recreate this form, but do not amend or modify the required information or format. Upon completion, attach this document as a .doc, .rtf or .pdf into Part III of the “Other Attachments Form” in the Grants.gov application system.

Activity Budget (To be completed for every activity for which funding is requested)
1. Name of Institution:					2. Activity Title:
3. Budget Categories By Year	First Year		Second Year		Third Year		Fourth Year		Fifth Year		Total Funds Requested
Object Class	% 0f Time	Funds Requested	% Of Time	Funds Requested	% Of Time	Funds Requested	% Of Time	Funds Requested	% Of Time	Funds Requested
a. Personnel (Position Title)		$		$		$		$		$	$
SUB-TOTAL		$		$		$		$		$	$
b. Fringe Benefits ___%		$		$		$		$		$	$
c. Travel		$		$		$		$		$	$
d. Equipment		$		$		$		$		$	$
e. Supplies		$		$		$		$		$	$
f. Contractual		$		$		$		$		$	$
g. Construction		$		$		$		$		$	$
h. Other (endowment)		$		$		$		$		$	$
i. TOTAL DIRECT CHARGES		$		$		$		$		$	$
Explain in detail how you arrived at the total amount requested in each object class in each year of the activity. If you fail to provide sufficient details, we may disallow costs.

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