Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

**Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)**

# Application for New Grants

## A. Justification

1.  The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program
    provides grants to departments and programs of higher education to
    support graduate fellowships for students of superior ability who
    demonstrate financial need. The authorizing statute for GAANN (Title
    VII, Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended)
    requires the collection of specific data that are necessary for
    applicant institutions to receive an initial competitive grant and
    non-competing continuations grants for the second and third years.
    The current application (OMB #1840-0604) was discontinued on May
    31, 2007. The Department of Education is now reinstating this
    collection package to collect data under Sec. 648.20, 648.31, and
    648.66.

2.  The Department uses the data collected in the Application for New
    Grants to evaluate, score, and rank the quality of the projects
    proposed by the institutions of higher education applying for a
    grant. Data are also used to determine allowable multi-year project
    expenses based on statutory requirements, and to recommend funding
    levels for the proposed grants. If the data are not collected, the
    Department could not determine the quality of competing
    applications, which is the basis for making grant awards as required
    by the statute.

3.  The GAANN program participates in the Grants.gov application
    submission process. The GAANN application is available only through
    Grants.gov. Through Grants.gov, applicants are able to build and
    submit their proposals offline and then submit them electronically.

4.  Since the information submitted in the application is specific to
    the GAANN program, there is no duplication. There is no other
    collection instrument available to collect the information necessary
    to meet the purposes described in item 2 above.

5.  Institutions of higher education are the sole recipients of GAANN
    grants. There is no impact on small businesses or small entities.

6.  Grants awarded under this program are made annually and the data
    must be collected for each new competition cycle. Failure to collect
    this information would prohibit the Department from fulfilling its
    responsibility to award grants under this program.

7.  There are no special circumstances included in this information
    collection.

8.  Collection of this data will follow the guidelines under 5 CFR
    1320.8.

9.  The Department will not provide any payment or gifts to respondents.

10. Assurance of confidentiality is not provided to respondents except
    as provided by the Privacy Act. Successful applications may be
    distributed in response to requests from the public.

11. The application form does not include questions about sexual
    behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, or other items that are
    commonly considered sensitive and private.

12. The estimated total reporting burden for this data collection is
    13,432 hours. This includes a total of 325 respondents, each with an
    estimated response time of 41.33 hours.

> Estimated number of respondents 325
>
> Estimated response time 41.33 hours
>
> Frequency of collection 1 annually
>
> Total estimated burden hours 13,432
>
> The burden to each individual respondent, established at 41.33 hours,
> is based on feedback from respondents during previous competitions.
>
> The estimated annual cost to a single respondent is as follows:
>
> Professional staff
>
> (33 hrs x \$35 per hour) \$1,155
>
> Clerical staff
>
> (8.33 hrs x \$10 per hour) \$83.30
>
> Total estimated cost per respondent \$1,238.30
>
> Total estimated cost to all 325 respondents
>
> (325 respondents x \$1,238.30) \$402,447.50

13. There are no other costs to the respondent except those that would
    be customary and usual business practices.

14. Estimated cost to the Federal Government:

  ------------------------------ ---------- ----------- ---------- --------- ---------------
  **Task**                       **Cost**   **Hours**   **Number   **Hours   **Total Cost**
                                                        of Staff** Total**   

  Securing OMB approval once     \$42/hr    15          4          60        \$2,520
  every 3 years.                                                             

  Reports Design (every 3 years) \$42/hr    20          3          60        \$2,520

  Sorting applications, forming  \$42/hr    320         3          960       \$40,320
  review panels, assigning                                                   
  proposals                                                                  

  Conducting Reviews             \$42/hr    200         3          600       \$25,200

  Generate/Preparing Slates      \$42/hr    40          3          120       \$5,040

  Slate Review and Approval      \$55/hr    5           6          30        \$1,650

  Issuance of Awards             \$42       100         2          200       \$8,400

  Monitoring and Technical       \$42       500         2          1000      \$42,000
  Assistance                                                                 

  **Total Annual Cost**                                                      **\$127,650**
  ------------------------------ ---------- ----------- ---------- --------- ---------------

15. There are no changes in the total burden hours provided in item #12.
    The estimated cost to a single grantee is reflected in item #12, has
    increased due to a rise in the hourly rate for each of the services.
    The total cost to all respondents has been adjusted to reflect a
    more accurate number. The costs to the federal government, reflected
    in item #14, have been adjusted to reflect more accurate values in
    the increase in the hourly rate for each service from \$32 per hour
    to \$42 - \$55 per hour.

16. The Department has no plans to publish any information from this
    collection.

17. The expiration date will be displayed.

18. No exceptions are being requested.

    B.  **Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods**

This collection does not employ statistical methods.