Application Form Instructions

Electronic Application Checklist

Review your electronic application to ensure you have completed the following forms and attachments. Details of each section are provided in the Description of Forms section.

Part 1: Preliminary Documents

• Application for Federal Assistance (form SF 424)

• ED Supplemental Information for SF 424

Part 2: Budget Information

• ED Budget Information Non-Construction Programs (ED Form 524)

Part 3: Project Abstract Attachment

• Project Abstract

Part 4: Project Narrative Attachment

• Application Narrative including a Table of Contents

Part 5: Budget Narrative Attachment

• Budget Narrative

Part 6: Other Attachments Forms

• Resumes for Project Directors & Key Personnel

• Commitment letters or surveys demonstrating Union, teacher & principal support

• High-Need Schools Documentation, per the requirement listed in this application

• Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or Letter (if applicable)

Part 7: Assurances and Certifications

• Assurances – Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B Form)

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if applicable)

• Certification Regarding Lobbying (ED 80-0013 Form)

• General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirements – Section 427 (ED GEPA 427 Form)

Part 8: Intergovernmental Review (Executive Order 12372)

• State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

Description of Forms

Part 1: Preliminary Documents

Application for Federal Assistance (Form SF 424)ED Supplemental Information for SF 424

These forms require basic identifying information about the applicant and the application. Please provide all requested applicant information (including name, address, e-mail address and DUNS number).

Note: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although this form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will only review materials/files attached in accordance with the instructions provided within this application.

Part 2: Budget Information

ED Budget Information Non-Construction Programs (ED Form 524)

This section contains information about the Federal funding you are requesting. Remember that you must provide all requested budget information for each year of the project and the total column in order to be considered for Federal funding.

Instructions for completing ED Form 524 Section A: (Please also see the Suggested Guidelines for the Budget Narrative section p. X)

Note about how to document the differentiated compensation in your budget 524 Section A form: There are two options, for how an applicant treats additional compensation provided to teachers, principals, and other personnel. If a fringe benefits rate will be applied to the added compensation or incentives for teachers, principals, and other personnel, an applicant should include the differentiated compensation in the “personnel” line item, and the costs generated by applying the fringe benefit rate included in the “fringe benefits” line item.

If you do not plan to apply a fringe rate to the added compensation or incentives you would provide to teachers, principals, and other personnel (in those sites that wish to expand its PBCS to additional staff in its schools) you should include the differentiated compensation in the “other” line item.

Differentiated compensation should not be listed in the “training stipends” line item. An applicant must clearly explain in the budget narrative why it has chosen to list differentiated compensation in the “personnel” and “fringe benefits” line items, or the “other” line item. See section below for more information.

Name of Institution/Organization: Enter the name of the eligible applicant in the space provided.

Personnel (line 1):

• Enter project personnel salaries and wages only.

• Only project staff members that are employees of the applicant should be included in this category. Staff members who are working on the project but are being paid with an in-kind contribution should be included in this category under Section B. Include fees and expenses for consultants on line 6.

Fringe Benefits (line 2):

• The institution’s normal fringe benefits contribution may be charged to the program.

• Leave this line blank if fringe benefits applicable to direct salaries and wages are treated as part of the indirect cost.

Travel (line 3):

• Indicate the travel costs of employees and participants only.

• Include travel of persons such as consultants on line 6.

• Travel costs include expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence and related items incurred by employees who are in travel status on official business of the organization.

• All travel must be justified and clearly linked to the goals and objectives of your project.

Equipment (line 4):

• Indicate the cost of tangible, non-expendable personal property that has a useful life greater than one year and an acquisition cost that is the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant entity for financial statement purposes or $5,000 per article.

• Lower limits may be established to maintain consistency with the applicant’s policy.

Supplies (line 5):

• Indicate the costs of all tangible, expendable personal property. Direct supplies and materials differ from equipment in that they are consumable, expendable, and of a relatively low unit cost.

• Supplies purchased with grant funds should directly benefit the grant project and be necessary for achieving the goals of the project.

Contractual (line 6):

• Indicate all costs specifically incurred with actions that the applicant takes in conjunction with an established internal procurement system.

• Include consultant fees, expenses, and travel costs in this category if the consultant’s services are obtained through a written binding agreement or contract.

Construction (line 7): New construction is not allowed under this competition. No costs should be listed under this category.

Other (line 8):

• Indicate all direct costs not covered on lines 1-6.

• For example, include costs such as space rental, required fees, honoraria and travel (where a contract is not in place for services), training, and communication and printing costs. Release time for teachers to attend training or substitute teacher compensation should be put in this category, not “Personnel”

• If you are applying for grant funds under the TIF Evaluation Competition, include your $1-2 million incentive for participating in the evaluation under this “other” line item.

• Do not include costs that are included in the indirect cost rate.

Total Direct Costs (line 9): The sum of lines 1-8.

Indirect Costs (line 10):

• Indicate the applicant’s approved indirect cost rate, per sections 75.560 – 75.564 of EDGAR.

• If an applicant does not have an approved indirect cost rate agreement with a cognizant Federal agency, the applicant must apply to the Department for a temporary indirect cost rate if it wishes to charge indirect costs to the grant. For more information, go to the Department's website at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/fipao/icgindex.html.

• If the applicant does not have an indirect cost rate, it must apply for funding based on a rate of 8% to receive any funding for indirect costs. Once the grantee receives an approved rate, it will then shift funds around in its budget to reflect the expenditure of the actual rate approved.

Important Information Regarding Indirect Cost Rates

The Department of Education (ED) reimburses a grantee for part of its indirect costs incurred in projects funded by the Teacher Incentive Fund program (CFDA 84.374) These kinds of costs generally are recovered through an indirect cost rate (ICR) that the grantee negotiates with its cognizant agency, i.e., either the Federal agency from which it has received the most direct funding, subject to indirect cost support, the particular agency specifically assigned cognizance by the Office of Management and Budget or the State agency that provides the most subgrant funds to the grantee.

Note: Applicants should pay special attention to specific questions on the application budget form (ED 524) about their cognizant agency and the ICR they are using in their budget.

Applicants for discretionary grants that are not a state or a local government and that do not have a negotiated restricted rate may use the eight percent rate described at EDGAR § 76.564(c)(2). The eight percent rate must be multiplied by the modified total direct cost base described in EDGAR § 76.569.

If an applicant selected for funding under this competition has not already established a current indirect cost rate with its cognizant agency as a result of current or previous funding, ED requires the grantee to propose a restricted rate to its cognizant agency within 90 days after the beginning date of the grant award. Applicants should be aware that ED is very often not the cognizant agency for its own grantees.

Also, an applicant that has not previously established a restricted indirect cost rate with its cognizant agency and that is selected for funding will not be allowed to charge its grant for indirect costs until it has negotiated a current indirect cost rate agreement with its cognizant agency.

Applicants with questions about charging indirect costs on this competition should contact the competition contact person noted elsewhere in this application package.

Training Stipends (line 11):

• Not applicable for the Teacher Incentive Fund program.

Total Cost (line 12):

• This should equal to sum of lines 9-11 (total direct costs + indirect + stipends).

• The sum for column one, labeled Project Year 1 (a), should also be equal to item 15a on the application cover sheet (SF Form 424).

Part 3: Project Abstract Attachment

Project Abstract

The Project Abstract should be attached in accordance with the instructions found on http://e-grants.ed.gov and should be organized in the following manner and include the following parts in order to expedite the review process.

The project abstract should not exceed one page. Please identify whether the application is for the Main competition or Evaluation competition at the beginning of the abstract.

Part 4: Project Narrative Attachment

• Table of Contents

• Application Narrative

The Project Narrative should be attached in accordance with the instructions found on http://e-grants.ed.gov and should be organized in the following manner and include the following parts in order to expedite the review process.

The Department recommends a page limit of 60 pages using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5" x 11", on one side only, with 1" margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, and quotations.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.

The page recommendation does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances and certifications; the one-page abstract; or the appendices. However, the recommended page limit does apply to all of the application narrative section.

Part 7: Assurances and Certifications

Be certain to complete all required assurances and certifications in http://e-grants.ed.gov, and include all required information in the appropriate place on each form. The assurances and certifications required for this application are:

• Assurances – Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B Form)

The purpose of this form is to certify that the applying organization and its authorized representative are aware of the legal requirements of the grant and are willing to comply with them.

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF LLL Form) (if applicable)

The purpose of this form is to disclose any lobbying activities that use any non-Federal funds to influence Congress in the grant-making progress. If this does not apply to you do not need to include this form in your submission.

• Certification Regarding Lobbying (ED 80-0013 Form)

The purpose of this form is to certify that the applying organization has not and will not lobby Congress in connection with the grant, and that if any non-Federal funds have been used to lobby, this information will be disclosed on Standard Form LLL.

• General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirements – Section 427

This purpose GEPA is to require the applicant, as a condition of receiving a grant, to identify barriers to equitable participation in its federally assisted program and to provide a description of the steps it will take to overcome the barriers. Barriers might include gender, race, national origin, disability, age, language background, or other unique factors in the setting in which the program will be carried out. A general statement of the applicant’s nondiscrimination policy is not sufficient to meet this requirement