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[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13264-13268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5166]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Centers for Independent Living; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.132A.

    Dates: Applications Available: March 21, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 20, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 19, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to apply, an applicant must--
    (a) Be a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, 
nonresidential, private nonprofit agency;
    (b) Have the power and authority to--
    (1) carry out the purpose of part C of title VII of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act) and perform the 
functions listed in section 725(b) and (c) of the Act and subparts F 
and G of 34 CFR part 366 within a community located within a State or 
in a bordering State; and
    (2) Receive and administer--
    (i) Funds under 34 CFR part 366;
    (ii) Funds and contributions from private or public sources that 
may be used in support of a center for independent living (center); and
    (iii) Funds from other public and private programs;
    (c) Be able to plan, conduct, administer, and evaluate a center 
consistent with the standards and assurances in section 725(b) and (c) 
of the Act and subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366;

[[Page 13265]]

    (d) Either--
    (1) Not currently be receiving funds under part C of chapter 1 of 
title VII of the Act; or
    (2) Propose the expansion of an existing center through the 
establishment of a separate and complete center (except that the 
governing board of the existing center may serve as the governing board 
of the new center) at a different geographical location;
    (e) Propose to serve one or more of the geographic areas that are 
identified as unserved or underserved by the State and territories 
listed under Estimated Numbers of Awards; and
    (f) Submit appropriate documentation demonstrating that the 
establishment of a new center is consistent with the design for 
establishing a statewide network of centers in the State plan of the 
State or territory whose geographic area or areas the applicant 
proposes to serve.
    Estimated Available Funds: $154,046.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1, distributed in the following manner:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Estimated       Estimated
         States and territories              available       number of
                                               funds          awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Samoa..........................        $154,046               1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides support for planning, 
conducting, administering, and evaluating centers that comply with the 
standards and assurances in section 725 of the Act, consistent with the 
design included in the State plan for establishing a statewide network 
of centers.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f-1.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR 
parts 364 and 366.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian Tribes.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $154,046.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1, distributed in the following manner:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Estimated       Estimated
         States and territories              available       number of
                                               funds          awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Samoa..........................        $154,046               1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 eligible to apply, an applicant 
must--
    (a) Be a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, 
nonresidential, private nonprofit agency;
    (b) Have the power and authority to--
    (1) Carry out the purpose of part C of title VII of the Act and 
perform the functions listed in section 725(b) and (c) of the Act and 
subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366 within a community located within a 
State or in a bordering State; and
    (2) Receive and administer--
    (i) Funds under 34 CFR part 366;
    (ii) Funds and contributions from private or public sources that 
may be used in support of a center; and
    (iii) Funds from other public and private programs;
    (c) Be able to plan, conduct, administer, and evaluate a center 
consistent with the standards and assurances in section 725(b) and (c) 
of the Act and subparts F and G of 34 CFR part 366;
    (d) Either--
    (1) Not currently be receiving funds under part C of chapter 1 of 
title VII of the Act; or
    (2) Propose the expansion of an existing center through the 
establishment of a separate and complete center (except that the 
governing board of the existing center may serve as the governing board 
of the new center) at a different geographical location;
    (e) Propose to serve one or more of the geographic areas that are 
identified as unserved or underserved by the States and territories 
listed under Estimated Number of Awards; and
    (f) Submit appropriate documentation demonstrating that the 
establishment of a new center is consistent with the design for 
establishing a statewide network of centers in the State plan of the 
State or territory whose geographic area or areas the applicant 
proposes to serve.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 
1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.132A.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 245-7363.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 21, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 20, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Deadline for 
Intergovernmental Review: June 19, 2007.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal

[[Page 13266]]

Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for 
this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Centers for Independent Living 
program, CFDA Number 84.132A, must be submitted electronically using 
the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov 
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Centers for 
Independent Living program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search 
for the downloadable application package for this competition by the 
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.132, not 84.132A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your 
application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline 
date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify 
you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time 
stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support 
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER

[[Page 13267]]

INFORMATION CONTACT and provide an explanation of the technical problem 
you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department 
will contact you after a determination is made on whether your 
application will be accepted.

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

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Thomas Kelley, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5055, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7593.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.132A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
     or

    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.132A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.132A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix 
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this 
notification within 15 business days from the application deadline 
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application 
Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are in 34 CFR 366.27.
    2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider 
in selecting an application for an award is comments regarding the 
application, if any, by the State Independent Living Council in the 
State or territory in which the applicant is located.

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). We may also notify you informally.
    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. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results

[[Page 13268]]

Act of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve 
the effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals.
    The goal of the Centers for Independent Living program is to 
promote and practice the independent living philosophy of consumer 
control of the center regarding decisionmaking, service delivery, 
management, and establishment of the policy and direction of the 
center; self-help and self-advocacy; development of peer relationships 
and peer role models; and the equal access of individuals with 
significant disabilities to society and to all services, programs, 
activities, resources, and facilities, whether public or private and 
regardless of the funding source.
    In order to measure the success of one component of meeting this 
goal, each grantee is required to track the number of individuals who 
leave nursing homes and other institutions for community-based housing 
due to independent living services provided by the center. In annual 
performance reports, centers are required to provide information on the 
number of individuals requesting this service and the number of 
individuals who successfully relocated from institutionalized to 
community-based living.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Kelley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5055, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7404.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

    Dated: March 16, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E7-5166 Filed 3-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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