4012 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

business days. Information about SAM 

is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 

assist you with obtaining and registering 

your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 

updating your existing SAM account, 

we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, 

which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html. 

V. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If you receive a 

grant award under this program, we will 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN), or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. 

2. Reporting: Specified in each 

program’s Certification and Agreement 

or Supplemental Agreement. 

VI. Other Information 

Accessible Format: On request to the 

program contact person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 

individuals with disabilities can obtain 

this document in an accessible format. 

The Department will provide the 

requestor with an accessible format that 

may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or 

text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 

file, braille, large print, audiotape, or 

compact disc, or other accessible format. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations at 

www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can 

view this document, as well as all other 

documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Portable Document Format 

(PDF). To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Christopher J. McCaghren, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00936 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Assistance for Arts Education Program 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

is issuing a notice inviting applications 

for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2021 

for the Assistance for Arts Education 

(AAE) Program, Assistance Listing 

Number 84.351A. This notice relates to 

the approved information collection 

under OMB control number 1894–0006. 

DATES: Applications Available: January 

15, 2021. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

February 16, 2021. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 16, 2021. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 17, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 13, 2019 

(84 FR 3768) and available at 

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019- 

02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bonnie Carter, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 3E308, Washington, DC 20202– 

6450. Telephone: (202) 401–3576. 

Email: Bonnie.Carter@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: 

The Department will hold a preapplication meeting via webinar for 

prospective applicants. For information 

about the pre-application webinar, visit 

the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) 

programs’ websites at: https://

oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/ 

well-rounded-education-programs/artsin-education-national-program/; https:// 

oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/ 

well-rounded-education-programs/artsin-education-model-development-anddissemination-grants-program/; and 

https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/ 

well-rounded-education-programs/artsin-education-professional-developmentfor-arts-educators/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The AAE 

program promotes arts education for 

students, including disadvantaged 

students and students who are children 

with disabilities, through activities such 

as (a) professional development for arts 

educators, teachers, and principals; (b) 

development and dissemination of 

accessible instructional materials and 

arts-based educational programming, 

including online resources, in multiple 

arts disciplines; and (c) community and 

national outreach activities that 

strengthen and expand partnerships 

among schools, local educational 

agencies (LEAs), communities, or 

centers for the arts, including national 

centers for the arts. 

Background: The Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA), authorizes activities 

under the Assistance for Arts Education 

(AAE) program that enrich the academic 

experience of students by promoting art 

education. Under the Arts in Education 

(AIE) program, now AAE, the 

Department implemented three different 

grant competitions in alignment with 

the statutory requirements: Arts in 

Education Development and 

Dissemination (AAEDD), Professional 

Development for Arts Educators (PDAE), 

and the Arts in Education National 

Program (AENP). The AAEDD program 

was designed to focus on the 

development and dissemination of artsbased educational programming, 

including online resources, in all arts 

disciplines, such as music, dance, 

theater, and visual arts, including folk 

arts. The PDAE program provided 

professional development opportunities 

for thousands of teachers, with an 

emphasis on both providing sustained 

and intensive professional development 

and building capacity for continuation 

and expansion of professional 

development efforts beyond the Federal 

grant period. Most recently, the Arts in 

Education National Program (AENP) 

emphasized projects that supported 

community and national outreach 

activities that strengthened and 

expanded partnerships among schools, 

LEAs, communities, or centers for the 

arts, including national centers for the 

arts. 

After reviewing the implementation of 

the three programs offered under AAE, 

the Department found a large overlap in 

the applicant and grantee pool, and in 

the services provided across the various 

programs. At the same time, given how 

the three programs differ, applicants 

have been required to design narrower 

projects to fit each program’s specific 

requirements and to submit separate 

applications to each of the three grant 

competitions. In an effort to recognize 

and encourage different, creative, and 

innovative approaches that districts, 

schools, national arts organizations, and 

other entities use to increase student 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4013 

access to the arts and integrate arts into 

the learning process, the Department is 

now offering the AAE program as one, 

single competition. 

Under one competition, applicants 

can focus on a more holistic approach 

to learning that is based on the 

development and dissemination of artsbased educational programmingand the 

delivery of sustained and intensive 

professional development for arts 

educators, teachers, and principals, 

while creating new partnerships and 

strengthening existing partnerships 

between LEAs and arts organizations. 

We believe that this change from three 

competitions to one AAE competition 

will provide greater flexibility for 

applicants to design comprehensive 

arts-focused projects that are based on 

data and student and community needs. 

Priorities: This notice contains two 

competitive preference priorities and 

one invitational priority. Competitive 

Preference Priority 1 is from the 

Administrative Priorities for 

Discretionary Grant Programs published 

in the Federal Register on March 3, 

2020 (85 FR 13640) (Administrative 

Priorities) and Competitive Preference 

Priority 2 is from section 4642 of the 

ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7292). 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2021 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition, these priorities are 

competitive preference priorities. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an 

additional five points to an application 

that meets Competitive Preference 

Priority 1 and an additional five points 

to an application that meets Competitive 

Preference Priority 2, for a possible 

maximum 10 points. 

These priorities are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1— 

Applications From New Potential 

Grantees (0 or 5 points) 

Under this priority, an applicant must 

demonstrate the following: 

(a) The applicant has not had an 

active discretionary grant under the 

program from which it seeks funds, 

including through membership in a 

group application submitted in 

accordance with 34 CFR 75.127 through 

75.129, in the five years before the 

deadline date for submission of 

applications under the program. 

(b) For the purpose of this priority, a 

grant or contract is active until the end 

of the grant’s or contract’s project or 

funding period, including any 

extensions of those periods that extend 

the grantee’s or contractor’s authority to 

obligate funds. 

Note: For purposes of this priority, 

‘‘the program’’ includes the AENP, 

AAEDD, and PDAE programs because 

they are all authorized under AAE. 

For new potential grantees unfamiliar 

with grantmaking at the Department, 

please consult our funding basics 

resource at https://www2.ed.gov/ 

documents/funding-101/funding-101- 

basics.pdf or a more detailed resource at 

https://www2.ed.gov/documents/ 

funding-101/funding-101.pdf. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2— 

Applicants That Are National Nonprofit 

Organizations (0 or 5 points) 

Under this priority, the Secretary 

gives priority to eligible entities that are 

eligible national nonprofit 

organizations. The term ‘‘eligible 

national nonprofit organization’’ means 

an organization of national scope that— 

(a) Is supported by staff, which may 

include volunteers, or affiliates at the 

State and local levels; and 

(b) Demonstrates effectiveness or 

high-quality plans for addressing arts 

education activities for disadvantaged 

students or students who are children 

with disabilities. 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2021 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an invitational priority. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not 

give an application that meets this 

invitational priority a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

This priority is: 

Art Therapy 

Under this priority, an applicant must 

describe how it will include art therapy 

in their project to improve cognitive and 

sensory-motor functions, foster selfesteem and self-awareness, cultivate 

emotional resilience, promote insight, 

enhance social skills, or reduce and 

resolve conflicts and distress. 

Requirements: For FY 2021 and any 

subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, the 

following application and program 

requirements from section 4642 of the 

ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7292) apply. 

Application Requirement. Applicants 

that are LEAs must provide, in the 

application, data from the most recent 

U.S. Census as evidence that the LEAs 

meet the statutory requirement that 20 

percent or more of the students served 

by the LEA (or for each LEA within a 

consortium of LEAs) are from families 

with an income below the Federal 

poverty line. 

Note: Other applicants that are 

eligible under the definition of an LEA, 

such as County Offices of Education, 

Education Service Districts, and 

Regional Service Education Agencies, 

must provide the most recent U.S. 

Census data for each of the individual 

LEAs served. For charter schools for 

which U.S. Census data is not available, 

eligibility will be based on a 

determination by the State educational 

agency (SEA), consistent with the 

manner in which the SEA determines 

the charter school LEA’s eligibility for 

the Title I allocations, that 20 percent of 

the students aged 5–17 in the LEA are 

from families with incomes below the 

poverty line. Applicants must submit 

documentation from the State certifying 

official verifying that the SEA has 

determined this eligibility requirement 

is met for each LEA not listed in the 

Small Area Income Poverty Estimates 

(SAIPE) data. 

Program Requirements. Projects 

funded under this program must 

include— 

(1) Professional development for arts 

educators, teachers, and principals; 

(2) Development and dissemination of 

accessible instructional materials and 

arts-based educational programming, 

including online resources, in multiple 

arts disciplines; and 

(3) Community and national outreach 

activities that strengthen and expand 

partnerships among schools, LEAs, 

communities, or centers for the arts, 

including national centers for the arts. 

Definitions: The definitions of 

‘‘demonstrates a rationale,’’ ‘‘logic 

model,’’ ‘‘project component,’’ and 

‘‘relevant outcome,’’ are from 34 CFR 

77.1. The definitions of ‘‘child with a 

disability,’’ ‘‘local educational agency,’’ 

and ‘‘State educational agency’’ are from 

section 8101 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 

7801). The definition for ‘‘national 

nonprofit’’ is from section 4642 of the 

ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7292). 

Child with a disability means a child 

(i) with intellectual disabilities, hearing 

impairments (including deafness), 

speech or language impairments, visual 

impairments (including blindness), 

serious emotional disturbance 

(hereinafter referred to as ‘‘emotional 

disturbance’’), orthopedic impairments, 

autism, traumatic brain injury, other 

health impairments, or specific learning 

disabilities; and (ii) who, by reason 

thereof, needs special education and 

related services. 

Demonstrates a rationale means a key 

project component included in the 

project’s logic model that is informed by 

research or evaluation findings that 

suggest the project component is likely 

to improve relevant outcomes. 

4014 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

1An LEA must show that at least 20 percent of 

children ages five to 17 that reside within the LEA’s 

boundaries are from low-income families based on 

the most recent LEA poverty estimates provided by 

the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census LEA poverty 

estimates are available at: www.census.gov/ 

programs-surveys/saipe.html. 

Local educational agency means: (A) 

In general—The term ’’local educational 

agency’’ means a public board of 

education or other public authority 

legally constituted within a State for 

either administrative control or 

direction of, or to perform a service 

function for, public elementary schools 

or secondary schools in a city, county, 

township, school district, or other 

political subdivision of a State, or of or 

for a combination of school districts or 

counties that is recognized in a State as 

an administrative agency for its public 

elementary schools or secondary 

schools. 

(B) Administrative Control and 

Direction—The term includes any other 

public institution or agency having 

administrative control and direction of 

a public elementary school or secondary 

school. 

(C) Bureau of Indian Education 

Schools—The term includes an 

elementary school or secondary school 

funded by the Bureau of Indian 

Education but only to the extent that 

including the school makes the school 

eligible for programs for which specific 

eligibility is not provided to the school 

in another provision of law and the 

school does not have a student 

population that is smaller than the 

student population of the local 

educational agency receiving assistance 

under this Act with the smallest student 

population, except that the school shall 

not be subject to the jurisdiction of any 

State educational agency other than the 

Bureau of Indian Education. 

(D) Educational Service Agencies— 

The term includes educational service 

agencies and consortia of those 

agencies. 

(E) State Educational Agency—The 

term includes the State educational 

agency in a State in which the State 

educational agency is the sole 

educational agency for all public 

schools. 

Logic model (also referred to as a 

theory of action) means a framework 

that identifies key project components 

of the proposed project (i.e., the active 

‘‘ingredients’’ that are hypothesized to 

be critical to achieving the relevant 

outcomes) and describes the theoretical 

and operational relationships among the 

key project components and relevant 

outcomes. 

National nonprofit means an 

organization of national scope that— 

(A) Is supported by staff, which may 

include volunteers, or affiliates at the 

State and local levels; and 

(B) Demonstrates effectiveness or 

high-quality plans for addressing arts 

education activities for disadvantaged 

students or students who are children 

with disabilities. 

Project component means an activity, 

strategy, intervention, process, product, 

practice, or policy included in a project. 

Evidence may pertain to an individual 

project component or to a combination 

of project components (e.g., training 

teachers on instructional practices for 

English learners and follow-on coaching 

for these teachers). 

Relevant outcome means the student 

outcome(s) or other outcome(s) the key 

project component is designed to 

improve, consistent with the specific 

goals of the program. 

State educational agency means the 

agency primarily responsible for the 

State supervision of public elementary 

schools and secondary schools. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7292. 

Note: Projects must be awarded and 

operated in a manner consistent with 

the nondiscrimination requirements 

contained in the U.S. Constitution and 

the Federal civil rights laws. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR 

part 180, as adopted and amended as 

regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 

part 3485. (c) The Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) 

The regulations for this program in 34 

CFR part 299. (e) Administrative 

Priorities. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

79 apply to all applicants except 

federally recognized Indian Tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

86 apply to institutions of higher 

education (IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$16,500,000. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$375,000–$2,000,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$675,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 20–25. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: To be 

considered for an award under this 

competition, an applicant must— 

(a) Be one of the following: 

(1) An LEA in which 20 percent or 

more of the students served by the local 

educational agency are from families 

with an income below the poverty line; 1

(2) A consortium of such LEAs; 

(3) An SEA; 

(4) An IHE; 

(5) A museum or cultural institution; 

(6) The Bureau of Indian Education; 

(7) An eligible national nonprofit 

organization; or 

(8) Another private agency, 

institution, or organization. 

Note: If you are a nonprofit 

organization, under 34 CFR 75.51, you 

may demonstrate your nonprofit status 

by providing: (1) Proof that the Internal 

Revenue Service currently recognizes 

the applicant as an organization to 

which contributions are tax deductible 

under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 

Revenue Code; (2) a statement from a 

State taxing body or the State attorney 

general certifying that the organization 

is a nonprofit organization operating 

within the State and that no part of its 

net earnings may lawfully benefit any 

private shareholder or individual; (3) a 

certified copy of the applicant’s 

certificate of incorporation or similar 

document if it clearly establishes the 

nonprofit status of the applicant; or (4) 

any item described above if that item 

applies to a State or national parent 

organization, together with a statement 

by the State or parent organization that 

the applicant is a local nonprofit 

affiliate. 

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This 

competition involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements. Under 

section 4642(b)(2) of the ESEA, funds 

must be used to supplement, and not 

supplant, non-Federal funds that would 

otherwise be used for activities 

authorized under this program (20 

U.S.C. 1221e–3, 3474, and 6511(a)). 

Accordingly, grantees must comply with 

34 CFR 76.564 through 76.569, which 

apply to agencies of State and local 

governments that are grantees under 

programs with a statutory requirement 

prohibiting the use of Federal funds to 

supplant non-Federal funds. 

c. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This 

competition uses a restricted indirect 

cost rate. For more information 

regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4015 

negotiated indirect cost rate, please see 

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/ 

intro.html. 

d. Administrative Cost Limitation: 

This competition does not include any 

program-specific limitation on 

administrative expenses. All 

administrative expenses must be 

reasonable and necessary and conform 

to Cost Principles described in 2 CFR 

part 200, subpart E, of the Uniform 

Guidance. 

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this 

competition may not award subgrants to 

entities to directly carry out project 

activities described in its application. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application Submission 

Instructions: Applicants are required to 

follow the Common Instructions for 

Applicants to Department of Education 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768) and 

available at www.govinfo.gov/content/ 

pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf, 

which contain requirements and 

information on how to submit an 

application. 

2. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the AAE program, your application may 

include business information that you 

consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we 

define ‘‘business information’’ and 

describe the process we use in 

determining whether any of that 

information is proprietary and, thus, 

protected from disclosure under 

Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as 

amended). 

Because we plan to make successful 

applications available to the public, you 

may wish to request confidentiality of 

business information. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600, please designate in your 

application any information that you 

believe is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4. In the appropriate 

Appendix section of your application, 

under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ 

please list the page number or numbers 

on which we can find this information. 

For additional information please see 34 

CFR 5.11(c). 

3. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

4. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

5. Recommended Page Limit: The 

application narrative is where you, the 

applicant, address the selection criteria 

that reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to no 

more than 25 pages and (2) use the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended page limit does not 

apply to the cover sheet; the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; the assurances and 

certifications; the one-page abstract, 

resumes, bibliography, logic model, or 

letters of support. However, the 

recommended page limit does apply to 

all of the application narrative. 

Note: The applicant should include, 

as an attachment, the logic model used 

to address selection criterion (a)(5). 

6. Notice of Intent to Apply: The 

Department will be able to review grant 

applications more efficiently if we know 

the approximate number of applicants 

that intend to apply. Therefore, we 

strongly encourage each potential 

applicant to notify us of their intent to 

submit an application. To do so, please 

email the program contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT with the subject line ‘‘Intent to 

Apply,’’ and include the applicant’s 

name and a contact person’s name and 

email address. Applicants that do not 

submit a notice of intent to apply may 

still apply for funding; applicants that 

do submit a notice of intent to apply are 

not bound to apply or bound by the 

information provided. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are as follows: 

(a) Quality of the project design (up to 

30 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the design of the proposed project. In 

determining the quality of the design of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(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. 

(3) The extent to which the design for 

implementing and evaluating the 

proposed project will result in 

information to guide possible 

replication of project activities or 

strategies, including information about 

the effectiveness of the approach or 

strategies employed by the project. 

(4) The extent to which the proposed 

project represents an exceptional 

approach for meeting statutory purposes 

and requirements. 

(5) The extent to which the proposed 

project demonstrates a rationale (as 

defined in 34 CFR 77.1(c)). 

(b) Quality of project services (up to 

25 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the services to be provided by the 

proposed project. 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 have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are of 

sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services. 

(2) The likelihood that the services to 

be provided by the proposed project 

will lead to improvements in the 

achievement of students as measured 

against rigorous academic standards. 

(3) The likely impact of the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

on the intended recipients of those 

services. 

(4) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services. 

(c) Quality of project personnel (up to 

10 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the personnel who will carry out the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of project personnel, the 

4016 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

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 

the qualifications, including relevant 

training and experience, of key project 

personnel. 

(d) Quality of the management plan 

(up to 20 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the management plan for the proposed 

project. In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers: 

(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. 

(2) The adequacy of procedures for 

ensuring feedback and continuous 

improvement in the operation of the 

proposed project. 

(3) The adequacy of mechanisms for 

ensuring high-quality products and 

services from the proposed project. 

(4) How the applicant will ensure that 

a diversity of perspectives are brought to 

bear in the operation of the proposed 

project, including those of parents, 

teachers, the business community, a 

variety of disciplinary and professional 

fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 

services, or others, as appropriate. 

(e) Quality of the project evaluation 

(up to 15 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the evaluation to be conducted of the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project. 

(2) 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. 

(3) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide valid and 

reliable performance data on relevant 

outcomes. 

Note: This selection factor for project 

evaluation relates only to performance 

measure (1) under the Performance 

Measures section of this notice. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary requires 

various assurances, including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department (34 CFR 

100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.205, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

4. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 

CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a 

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through the System for 

Award Management. You may review 

and comment on any information about 

yourself that a Federal agency 

previously entered and that is currently 

in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal Government exceeds 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, appendix XII, require 

you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, appendix XII, if this grant plus 

all the other Federal funds you receive 

exceed $10,000,000. 

5. In General: In accordance with the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all 

applicable Federal laws, and relevant 

Executive guidance, the Department 

will review and consider applications 

for funding pursuant to this notice 

inviting applications in accordance 

with— 

(a) Selecting recipients most likely to 

be successful in delivering results based 

on the program objectives through an 

objective process of evaluating Federal 

award applications (2 CFR 200.205); 

(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain 

telecommunication and video 

surveillance services or equipment in 

alignment with section 889 of the 

National Defense Authorization Act of 

2019 (Pub. L. 115–232) (2 CFR 200.216); 

(c) Promoting the freedom of speech 

and religious liberty in alignment with 

Promoting Free Speech and Religious 

Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving Free 

Inquiry, Transparency, and 

Accountability at Colleges and 

Universities (E.O. 13864) (2 CFR 

200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 

200.341); 

(d) Providing a preference, to the 

extent permitted by law, to maximize 

use of goods, products, and materials 

produced in the United States (2 CFR 

200.322); and 

(e) Terminating agreements in whole 

or in part to the greatest extent 

authorized by law if an award no longer 

effectuates the program goals or agency 

priorities (2 CFR 200.340). 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4017 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: The 

Department has established the 

following Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 performance 

measures for the AAE program: (1) The 

number of grantees that attain or exceed 

the targets for a majority of the outcome 

indicators for their projects; (2) The 

percentage of AAE participants (e.g., 

arts educators, teachers, principals, and 

other support staff) who complete 75 

percent or more of the total hours of 

professional development offered; and 

(3) The number of accessible, arts-based 

instructional materials that are 

developed. 

All grantees will be expected to 

submit an annual performance report 

that includes data addressing these 

performance measures to the extent that 

they apply to the grantee’s project. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: Whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, the performance targets in 

the grantee’s approved application. 

In making a continuation award, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: On request to the 

program contact person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 

individuals with disabilities can obtain 

this document and a copy of the 

application package in an accessible 

format. The Department will provide the 

requestor with an accessible format that 

may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or 

text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 

file, braille, large print, audiotape, or 

compact disc, or other accessible format. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations at 

www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can 

view this document, as well as all other 

documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Portable Document Format 

(PDF). To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Frank T. Brogan, 

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00705 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; FullService Community Schools Program 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 for 

the Full-Service Community Schools 

(FSCS) program, Assistance Listing 

Number 84.215J. This notice relates to 

the approved information collection 

under OMB control number 1894–0006. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: January 15, 

2021. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

February 1, 2021. 

Date of Pre-Application Meetings: The 

Department will hold pre-application 

meetings via webinars for prospective 

applicants. Detailed information 

regarding these webinars will be 

provided on the FSCS website at https:// 

oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/ 

school-choice-improvement-programs/ 

full-service-community-schoolsprograms/. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 1, 2021. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: April 30, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 13, 2019 

(84 FR 3768) and available at 

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR–2019– 

02-13/pdf/2019–02206.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elson Nash, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 4E246, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 260–2655. Email: 

FSCS@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The FSCS 

program is authorized by sections 4621– 

4623 and 4625 of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA). This program