Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 242 / Tuesday, December 17, 2019 / Notices 68915 

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: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993, the following measure will 

be used by the Department to evaluate 

the success of the GPA short-term 

program: The percentage of GPA shortterm project participants who 

disseminated information about or 

materials from their group project 

abroad through more than one outreach 

activity within six months of returning 

to their home institution. The following 

measure will be used by the Department 

to evaluate the success of the GPA longterm program: The percentage of GPA 

long-term project participants who 

increased their reading, writing, and/or 

listening/speaking foreign language 

scores by one proficiency level. The 

efficiency of the GPA long-term program 

will be measured by considering the 

cost per GPA participant who increased 

his/her foreign language score in 

reading, writing, and/or listening/ 

speaking by at least one proficiency 

level. 

The information provided by grantees 

in their performance reports submitted 

via the International Resource 

Information System (IRIS) will be the 

source of data for this measure. 

Reporting screens for institutions can be 

viewed at: http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/ 

gpa_director.pdf and http://iris.ed.gov/ 

iris/pdfs/gpa_participant.pdf. 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

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. 

Robert L. King, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2019–27113 Filed 12–16–19; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; Student 

Support Services Program 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2020 for the Student Support 

Services (SSS) Program, Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 

number 84.042A. This notice relates to 

the approved information collection 

under OMB control number 1840–0017. 

DATES:

Applications Available: December 17, 

2019. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: January 27, 2020. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: March 26, 2020. 

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: 

Lavelle Wright, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 268–24, Washington, DC 20202– 

4260. Telephone: (202) 453–7739. 

Email: Lavelle.Wright@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 purpose of 

the SSS Program is to increase the 

number of disadvantaged, low-income 

college students, first-generation college 

students, and college students with 

disabilities in the United States who 

successfully complete a program of 

study at the postsecondary level. The 

support services that are provided 

should increase the retention and 

graduation rates for these categories of 

students and facilitate their transfer 

from two-year to four-year colleges and 

universities. The support services 

should also foster an institutional 

climate that supports the success of 

students who are limited English 

proficient, students from groups that are 

historically underrepresented in 

postsecondary education, students with 

disabilities, students who are homeless 

children and youths, students who are 

in foster care or are aging out of the 

foster care system, and other 

disconnected students. Student support 

services should also improve the 

financial and economic literacy of 

students. 

Priorities: This notice contains two 

competitive preference priorities. 

Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 


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2 are from the Secretary’s Notice of 

Final Supplemental Priorities and 

Definitions for Discretionary Grant 

Programs, published in the Federal 

Register on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096) 

(Supplemental Priorities). 

Note: Applicants must include, in the 

one-page abstract submitted with the 

application, a statement indicating 

which, if any, of the competitive 

preference priorities are addressed. If 

the applicant has addressed the 

competitive preference priorities, this 

information must also be listed on the 

SSS Program Profile Form. 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2020 and any subsequent year for 

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 up to 

an additional five points to an 

application, depending on how well the 

application meets these priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1— 

Fostering Flexible and Affordable Paths 

to Obtaining Knowledge and Skills (up 

to 3 points). 

Projects that are designed to address 

improving collaboration between 

education providers and employers to 

ensure student learning objectives are 

aligned with the skills or knowledge 

required for employment in in-demand 

industry sectors or occupations (as 

defined in section 3(23) of the 

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

Act of 2014). 

Competitive Preference Priority 2— 

Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the 

Development of Skills That Prepare 

Students To Be Informed, Thoughtful, 

and Productive Individuals and Citizens 

(up to 2 points). 

Projects that are designed to address 

supporting instruction in personal 

financial literacy, knowledge of markets 

and economics, knowledge of higher 

education financing and repayment 

(e.g., college savings and student loans), 

or other skills aimed at building 

personal financial understanding and 

responsibility. 

Note: For both priorities, the Department is 

sufficiently interested in these topics that we 

may later seek to partner with successful 

applicants to conduct research and 

evaluation. 

Definitions: The definitions below are 

from 34 CFR 77.1(c). 

Demonstrates a rationale means a key 

project component included in the 

project’s logic model is informed by 

research or evaluation findings that 

suggest the project component is likely 

to improve relevant outcomes. 

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. 

Note: In developing logic models, 

applicants may want to use resources such as 

the Regional Educational Laboratory 

Program’s (REL Pacific) Education Logic 

Model Application, available at https://

ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/ 

elm.asp, to help design their logic models. 

Other sources include: https://ies.ed.gov/ 

ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_

2014025.pdf, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/ 

regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014007.pdf, and 

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/ 

northeast/pdf/REL_2015057.pdf. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a– 

11 and 20 U.S.C. 1070a–14. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 75 (except for 75.215 

through 75.221), 77, 79, 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 646. (e) The Supplemental 

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: We 

intend to use an estimated $313,849,000 

for new SSS awards under this 

competition. Note: The President’s 

Budget for FY 2020 requested 

$950,000,000 for the Administration’s 

proposal to reform the Federal TRIO 

programs. The actual level of funding 

and changes to the program, if any, 

depend on final congressional action. 

However, we are inviting applications to 

allow enough time to complete the grant 

process if Congress appropriates funds 

for the Federal TRIO Programs. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in 

subsequent years from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$149,482–$1,595,544. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$311,977. 

Maximum Award: The maximum 

award varies based on whether the 

applicant is currently receiving an SSS 

grant, as well as the type of project and 

number of students served. 

For applicants not currently receiving 

an SSS Program grant, the maximum 

awards are as follows: 

Type of Proposal Maximum 

Amount * 

Regular SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 140 Student Participants ........................................................................................... $253,032 

Regular SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 100 Student Participants who are Students with Disabilities .................................... 253,032 

English as a Second Language (ESL) SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 140 Student Participants ........................................... 253,032 

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Health Science SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 120 Student Participants .............................................................................................................................................................................. 253,032 

Teacher Preparation SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 140 Student Participants ....................................................................... 253,032 

Veterans SSS Proposal Serving a Minimum of 120 Student Participants ......................................................................................... 253,032 

For applicants proposing to serve fewer 

than the minimum number of student 

participants specified in the above table, 

the maximum award is an amount equal 

to: $1,807 per student participant for 

Regular, ESL, and Teacher Preparation 

proposals; $2,530 per student 

participant for projects serving Students 

with Disabilities (SWD proposals); and 

$2,109 per student participant for STEM 

(including Health Science) and Veterans 

proposals. 


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For applicants currently receiving an 

SSS program grant, the maximum award 

amount is the greater of (a) $253,032 or 

(b) 100 percent of the applicant’s base 

award amount for FY 2019. 

For any currently funded applicant 

that proposes to serve fewer students 

than it served in FY 2019, the maximum 

award is the amount that corresponds 

with the cost per participant previously 

established for the project in FY 2019. 

Estimated Number of New Awards: 

1,069. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs or 

combinations of IHEs. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Section 

402D(d)(4) of the HEA requires that all 

successful applicants that use SSS 

Program funds to provide grant aid to 

students pursuant to section 402D(d)(1) 

of the HEA must provide matching 

funds, in cash, from non-Federal funds, 

in an amount that is not less than 33 

percent of the total amount of the SSS 

Program funds used for this aid. This 

matching requirement does not apply to 

a grant recipient that is an IHE eligible 

to receive funds under part A or part B 

of title III or under title V of the HEA. 

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this 

competition may not award subgrants to 

entities to directly carry out project 

activities described in its application. 

4. Other: An applicant may submit 

multiple applications if each separate 

application describes a project that will 

serve a different campus or a different 

population (section 402A(c)(5) of the 

HEA). 

Under section 402A(h)(1) of the HEA, 

the term ‘‘different campus’’ means a 

site of an IHE that—(a) is geographically 

apart from the main campus of the 

institution; (b) is permanent in nature; 

and (c) offers courses in educational 

programs leading to a degree, certificate, 

or other recognized educational 

credential. 

Under section 402A(h)(2) of the HEA, 

the term ‘‘different population’’ means a 

group of individuals that an eligible 

entity desires to serve through an SSS 

grant that is separate and distinct from 

any other population that the entity has 

applied to serve using Federal TRIO 

Program funds, or, while sharing some 

of the same needs as another population 

that the eligible entity has applied to 

serve using Federal TRIO Program 

funds, has distinct needs for specialized 

services. To implement the requirement 

in section 402A(h)(2) of the HEA for this 

competition, the Secretary is 

designating the populations to be served 

as: Participants who meet the specific 

requirements for SSS services, 

participants who are students with 

disabilities, participants who need ESL 

services, participants receiving services 

in the STEM fields, participants 

receiving Teacher Preparation Services, 

and participants who have served in the 

armed forces. These different 

populations need different types of 

services. Accordingly, the Secretary has 

determined that projects serving these 

different populations should be subject 

to different standards for the minimum 

number of participants. An applicant 

may submit more than one application 

as long as each application proposes to 

serve a different population. For project 

types other than a regular SSS project, 

an applicant must propose to serve 100 

percent of the students in the specific 

project type. 

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. 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. 

3. Funding Restrictions: We specify 

unallowable costs in 34 CFR 646.31. We 

reference additional regulations 

outlining funding restrictions in the 

Applicable Regulations section of this 

notice. 

Requirements concerning the content 

of an application, together with the 

forms you must submit, are in the 

application package for this program. 

4. Recommended Page Limit: The 

application narrative, Part III of the 

application, is where you, the applicant, 

address the selection criteria that 

reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative, which 

includes the budget narrative, to no 

more than 65 pages and (2) use the 

following standards: 

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

only, with 1’’ margins. 

• Double space all text in the 

application narrative, and single space 

titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a 12-point font. 

• Use an easily readable font such as 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended 65-page limit does 

not apply to Part I, the Application for 

Federal Assistance cover sheet (SF 424); 

Part II, the Budget Information 

Summary form (ED Form 524); Part III– 

A, the SSS Program Profile form; Part 

III–B, the one-page Project Abstract 

form; or Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications. The recommended page 

limit also does not apply to a table of 

contents, which you should include in 

the application narrative. You must 

include your complete response to the 

selection criteria in the application 

narrative. 

We recommend that any application 

addressing the competitive preference 

priorities include no more than three 

additional pages each for priorities 1 

and 2, if addressed. 

Applications that do not follow the 

page limit and formatting 

recommendations will not be penalized. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 646.21 and 34 CFR 75.210. 

We will award up to 105 points to an 

application under the selection criteria 

and up to 5 additional points to an 

application under the competitive 

preference priorities, for a total score of 

up to 110 points. The maximum number 

of points available for each criterion is 

indicated in parentheses. 

(a) Need for the project (24 points). 

The Secretary evaluates the need for an 

SSS project proposed at the applicant 

institution on the basis of the extent to 

which the application contains clear 

evidence of— 

(1) A high number or percentage, or 

both, of students enrolled or accepted 

for enrollment at the applicant 

institution who meet the eligibility 

requirements of 34 CFR 646.3 (8 points); 

(2) The academic and other problems 

that eligible students encounter at the 

applicant institution (8 points); and 

(3) The differences between eligible 

SSS students compared to an 

appropriate group, based on the 

following indicators: 

(i) Retention and graduation rates. 

(ii) Grade point averages. 

(iii) Graduate and professional school 

enrollment rates (four-year colleges 

only). 


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(iv) Transfer rates from two-year to 

four-year institutions (two-year colleges 

only) (8 points). 

(b) Objectives (8 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

applicant’s proposed objectives in the 

following areas on the basis of the 

extent to which they are both ambitious, 

as related to the need data provided 

under paragraph (a) of this section, and 

attainable, given the project’s plan of 

operation, budget, and other resources. 

(1) Retention in postsecondary 

education (3 points). 

(2) In good academic standing at 

grantee institution (2 points). 

(3) Two-year institutions only. (i) 

Certificate or degree completion (1 

point); and (ii) Certificate or degree 

completion and transfer to a four-year 

institution (2 points). 

(4) Four-year institutions only. 

Completion of a baccalaureate degree (3 

points). 

(c) Plan of operation (30 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

applicant’s plan of operation on the 

basis of the following: 

(1) The plan to inform the 

institutional community (students, 

faculty, and staff) of the goals, 

objectives, and services of the project 

and the eligibility requirements for 

participation in the project (3 points). 

(2) The plan to identify, select, and 

retain project participants with 

academic need (3 points). 

(3) The plan for assessing each 

individual participant’s need for 

specific services and monitoring his or 

her academic progress at the institution 

to ensure satisfactory academic progress 

(4 points). 

(4) The plan to provide services that 

address the goals and objectives of the 

project (10 points). 

(5) The applicant’s plan to ensure 

proper and efficient administration of 

the project, including the organizational 

placement of the project; the time 

commitment of key project staff; the 

specific plans for financial management, 

student records management, and 

personnel management; and, where 

appropriate, its plan for coordination 

with other programs for disadvantaged 

students (10 points). 

(d) Institutional commitment (16 

points). The Secretary evaluates the 

institutional commitment to the 

proposed project on the basis of the 

extent to which the applicant has— 

(1) Committed facilities, equipment, 

supplies, personnel, and other resources 

to supplement the grant and enhance 

project services (6 points); 

(2) Established administrative and 

academic policies that enhance 

participants’ retention at the institution 

and improve their chances of graduating 

from the institution (6 points); 

(3) Demonstrated a commitment to 

minimize the dependence on student 

loans in developing financial aid 

packages for project participants by 

committing institutional resources to 

the extent possible (2 points); and 

(4) Assured the full cooperation and 

support of the Admissions, Student Aid, 

Registrar and data collection and 

analysis components of the institution 

(2 points). 

(e) Quality of personnel (9 points). To 

determine the quality of personnel the 

applicant plans to use, the Secretary 

looks for information that shows— 

(1) The qualifications required of the 

project director, including formal 

education and training in fields related 

to the objectives of the project, and 

experience in designing, managing, or 

implementing SSS or similar projects (3 

points); 

(2) The qualifications required of 

other personnel to be used in the 

project, including formal education, 

training, and work experience in fields 

related to the objectives of the project (3 

points); and 

(3) The quality of the applicant’s plan 

for employing personnel who have 

succeeded in overcoming barriers 

similar to those confronting the project’s 

target population (3 points). 

(f) Budget (5 points). The Secretary 

evaluates the extent to which the project 

budget is reasonable, cost-effective, and 

adequate to support the project. 

(g) Evaluation plan (8 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

evaluation plan for the project on the 

basis of the extent to which— 

(1) The applicant’s methods for 

evaluation— 

(i) Are appropriate to the project and 

include both quantitative and 

qualitative evaluation measures (2 

points); and 

(ii) Examine in specific and 

measurable ways, using appropriate 

baseline data, the success of the project 

in improving academic achievement, 

retention and graduation of project 

participants (2 points); and 

(2) The applicant intends to use the 

results of an evaluation to make 

programmatic changes based upon the 

results of project evaluation (4 points). 

(h) Quality of the project design (5 

points). In determining the quality of 

the design of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the extent to which 

the proposed project demonstrates a 

rationale (as defined in this notice). 

Note: Under the ‘‘Objectives’’ selection 

criterion in paragraph (b) above, applicants 

must address the standardized objectives in 

34 CFR 646.21(b)(1) through (4) related to the 

participants’ academic achievements, 

including retention, good academic standing, 

graduation, and transfer rates. The graduation 

objective should be measured by cohorts of 

students who become SSS Program 

participants in each year of the project and 

should be compared to a relevant and valid 

comparison group. The graduation, 

certificate, and transfer rates for two-year 

institutions should be measured over a fouryear period and that of four-year institutions 

should be measured over a six-year period. 

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). 

For this competition, a panel of nonFederal reviewers will review each 

application in accordance with the 

selection criteria in 34 CFR 646.21, 34 

CFR 75.210, and the competitive 

preference priorities. The individual 

scores of the reviewers will be added 

and the sum divided by the number of 

reviewers to determine the peer review 

score received in the review process. 

Additionally, in accordance with 34 

CFR 646.22, the Secretary will award 

prior experience points to applicants 

that have conducted an SSS Program 

project within the last three Federal 

government fiscal years, based on their 

documented experience. Prior 

experience points, if any, will be added 

to the application’s averaged reader 

score to determine the total score for 

each application. If there are insufficient 

funds for all applications with the same 

total scores, the Secretary will choose 

among the tied applications so as to 

serve geographical areas that have been 

underserved by the SSS Program. 

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 


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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 200.205(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. 

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. 

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. 

(c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the 

Secretary may provide a grantee with 

additional funding for data collection 

analysis and reporting. In this case the 

Secretary establishes a data collection 

period. 

5. Performance Measures: The success 

of the SSS Program is measured by the 

percentage of SSS participants that 

complete a program of postsecondary 

education. The following performance 

measures have been developed to track 

progress toward achieving program 

success: 

(a) The percentage of first-time, fulltime freshmen SSS Program participants 

who are still enrolled at the beginning 

of the next academic year or have 

earned a degree at a two-year grantee 

institution or transferred from a twoyear to a four-year institution. 

(b) The percentage of first-time, fulltime freshmen SSS participants at fouryear institutions who received a 

bachelor’s degree from the grantee 

institution (Note: The Department will 

calculate this measure based both on 

100 percent and 150 percent of normal 

completion time). 

(c) The percentage of first-time, fulltime SSS participants at two-year 

institutions who received an associate’s 

degree and/or transferred to a four-year 

institution (Note: The Department will 

calculate this measure based both on 

100 percent and 150 percent of normal 

completion time). 

(d) The cost per successful outcome. 

All SSS Program grantees are required 

to submit an annual performance report 

documenting the persistence and degree 

attainment of their participants. Since 

students take different amounts of time 

to complete their degrees, multiple 

years of performance report data are 

needed to determine the degree 

completion rates of SSS Program 

participants. The Department will 

aggregate the data provided in the 

annual performance reports from all 

grantees to determine the overall 

program accomplishment level. 

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: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
68920 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 242 / Tuesday, December 17, 2019 / Notices 

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. 

Robert L. King, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2019–27115 Filed 12–16–19; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation 

Research Abroad Fellowship Program 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 for 

the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation 

Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship 

Program, Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) number 84.022A. 

This notice relates to the approved 

information collection under OMB 

control number 1840–0005. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: December 17, 

2019. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: February 18, 2020. 

ADDRESSES: The addresses pertinent to 

this competition—including the 

addresses for obtaining and submitting 

an application—can be found under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Pamela J. Maimer, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 258–24, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 453–6891. Email: 

ddra@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 FulbrightHays DDRA Fellowship Program 

provides opportunities to doctoral 

candidates to engage in dissertation 

research abroad in modern foreign 

languages and area studies. The program 

is designed to contribute to the 

development and improvement of the 

study of modern foreign languages and 

area studies in the United States. 

Priorities: This notice contains one 

absolute priority and two competitive 

preference priorities. In accordance with 

34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute and 

competitive preference priorities are 

from the regulations for this program (34 

CFR 662.21(d)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2020, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Specific Geographic Regions of the 

World. 

A research project that focuses on one 

or more of the following geographic 

areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia 

and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the 

Near East, Central and Eastern Europe 

and Eurasia, and the Western 

Hemisphere (excluding the United 

States and its territories). 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2020, these priorities are competitive 

preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional 

two points to an application that meets 

Competitive Preference Priority 1 and 

three points to an application that meets 

Competitive Preference Priority 2 (up to 

5 additional points possible). 

These priorities are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1— 

Focus on Less Commonly Taught 

Languages (2 points). 

A research project that focuses on any 

modern foreign language except French, 

German, or Spanish. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2— 

Thematic Focus on Academic Fields (3 

points). 

A research project conducted in the 

field of science, technology, 

engineering, mathematics, computer 

science, education (comparative or 

international), international 

development, political science, public 

health, or economics. 

Note: Applicants that address 

Competitive Preference Priority 2 must 

intend to engage in dissertation research 

abroad in modern foreign languages and 

area studies with a thematic focus on 

any one of the academic fields 

referenced above. 

Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 

2452(b)(6). 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 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 662. 

Note: The open licensing requirement 

in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not apply to this 

program. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants 

redistributed as fellowships to 

individual beneficiaries. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration’s budget request for FY 

2020 does not include funds for this 

program. However, we are inviting 

applications to allow enough time to 

complete the grant process before the 

end of the current fiscal year, if 

Congress appropriates the funds for this 

program. 

Estimated Range of Awards: $15,000– 

60,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$35,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 100. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: The institutional 

project period is 18 months. Students 

may request funding for a period of no 

less than six months and no more than 

12 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of 

higher education (IHEs). As part of the 

application process, students submit 

individual applications to the IHE. The 

IHE then officially submits all eligible 

individual student applications with its 

grant application to the Department. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this 

competition may not award subgrants to 

entities to directly carry out project 

activities described in its application. 

4. Other: Under 34 CFR 662.22(b), no 

student applicant may receive a grant 


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