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[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18219-18223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6863]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Overview Information; 
Mentoring Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.184B.
    Dates: Applications Available: April 11, 2007. Deadline for 
Transmittal of Applications: May 23, 2007. Deadline for 
Intergovernmental Review: July 23, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) Local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) 
Nonprofit, community-based organizations (CBOs), which may include 
faith-based organizations; and (3) A partnership between an LEA and a 
non-profit CBO.

    Note: The Secretary is limiting eligibility under the Mentoring 
Programs grant competition (CFDA Number 84.184B) to applicants that 
do not currently have an active grant under this program. For the 
purpose of this eligibility requirement, a grant is considered 
active until the end of the grant's project or funding period, 
including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee's 
authority to obligate funds (71 FR 70369).

    Estimated Available Funds: $29,347,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make 
additional awards later in FY 2007 and in subsequent years from the 
rank-ordered list of unfunded applications from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 198.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides assistance to promote 
mentoring programs for children with greatest need that: (1) Assist 
these children in receiving support and guidance from a mentor; (2) 
improve the academic performance of the children; (3) improve 
interpersonal relationships between the children and their peers, 
teachers, other adults, and family members; (4) reduce the dropout rate 
of the children; and (5) reduce juvenile delinquency and involvement in 
gangs by the children.
    Priorities: The following absolute and competitive preference 
priorities are from the notice of final priorities, requirements, and 
selection criteria for this program published in the Federal Register 
on May 28, 2004 (69 FR 30794).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards on the basis of the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    This priority supports projects that address the academic and 
social needs of children with the greatest need through school-based 
mentoring programs and activities and provide these students with 
mentors. These programs and activities must serve children with the 
greatest need in one or more grades 4 through 8 living in rural areas, 
high-crime areas, or troubled home environments, or who attend schools 
with violence problems.
    Competitive Preference Priority: Within this absolute priority, we 
give competitive preference to applications that address the following 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we will award an additional five 
points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    We will award five additional points to a consortium of eligible 
applicants that includes either: (a) At least one local educational 
agency (LEA) and at least one community-based organization (CBO) that 
is not a school and that provides services to youth and families in the 
community; or (b) at least one private school that qualifies as a 
nonprofit CBO and at least one other CBO that is not a school and that 
provides services to youth and families in the community.
    The consortium must designate one member of the group to apply for 
the grant, unless the consortium is itself eligible as a partnership 
between a LEA and a nonprofit CBO.
    To receive this competitive preference, the applicant must clearly 
identify the agencies that comprise the consortium and must include a 
detailed plan of their working relationship and of the activities that 
each member will perform, including a project budget that reflects the 
contractual disbursements to the members of the consortium. For the 
purpose of this priority, a ``consortium'' means a group application in 
accordance with the provisions of 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7140.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, 99 and 299. (b) The notice of final 
priorities, requirements, and selection criteria published in the 
Federal Register on May 28, 2004 (69 FR 30794).
    (c) The notice of final eligibility requirement for the Office of 
Safe and Drug-Free Schools discretionary grant programs published in 
the Federal Register on December 4, 2006 (71 FR 70369).

    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 IHEs only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $29,347,000. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make 
additional awards later in FY 2007 and in subsequent years from the 
rank-ordered list of unfunded applications from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$200,000.

[[Page 18220]]

    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 198.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (1) LEAs; (2) Non-profit CBOs, which may 
include faith-based organizations; and (3) A partnership between an LEA 
and a non-profit CBO.

    Note:  The Secretary is limiting eligibility under the Mentoring 
Programs grant competition (CFDA Number 84.184B) to applicants that 
do not currently have an active grant under this program. For the 
purpose of this eligibility requirement, a grant is considered 
active until the end of the grant's project or funding period, 
including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee's 
authority to obligate funds (71 FR 70369).

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other:
    (a) To be eligible for funding, an applicant must include in its 
application an assurance that it will: (1) Establish clear, measurable 
performance goals; and (2) collect and report to the Department data 
related to the established Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) performance indicators for the Mentoring Programs grant 
competition. We will reject any application that does not contain this 
assurance.
    (b) To be eligible for funding, each CBO must include in its 
application an assurance that: (a) It is an eligible applicant under 
the definitions provided in the application package; (b) timely and 
meaningful consultation with an LEA or private school has taken place 
during the design and/or development of the proposed program; (c) LEA 
or private school staff will participate in the identification and 
referral of students to the CBO's proposed program; and (d) the LEA or 
private school will participate in the collection of data related to 
the established GPRA performance measures for the Mentoring Programs 
grant competition.
    4. Equitable Participation by Private School Children and Teachers: 
LEAs are required to provide for the equitable participation of private 
school children, their teachers, and other educational personnel in 
private schools located in areas served by the grant recipient.
    In order to ensure that grant program activities address the needs 
of private school children, the LEA must engage in timely and 
meaningful consultation with private school officials during the design 
and development of the program. This consultation must take place 
before any decision is made that affects the opportunities of eligible 
private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel to 
participate.
    In order to ensure equitable participation of private school 
children, teachers, and other educational personnel, the LEA must 
consult with private school officials on issues such as: How children's 
needs will be identified; what services will be offered; how and where 
the services will be provided; who will provide the services; how the 
services will be assessed and how the results of assessment will be 
used to improve those services; the amount of funds available for 
services; the size and scope of the services to be provided; how and 
when decisions about the delivery of services will be made; and the 
provision of contract services through potential third-party providers.
    See Section 9501 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA).
    5. Maintenance of Effort: Under section 9521 of the ESEA, an LEA 
may receive a grant under the Mentoring Programs grant competition only 
if the State educational agency finds that the combined fiscal effort 
per student or the aggregate expenditures of the agency and the State 
with respect to the provision of free public education by the LEA for 
the preceding fiscal year was not less than 90 percent of the combined 
fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures for the second preceding fiscal 
year.

IV. Application 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].
    You may also access the electronic version of the application at 
the following Web sites: http://www.grants.gov or http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/index.html.
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.184B.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person 
listed in Section VII of this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    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.
    Page Limit: The program narrative section should not exceed 25 
double-spaced pages using a standard font no smaller than 12-point, 
with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The narrative 
should follow the format and sequence of the selection criteria.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 11, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 23, 2007.
    Applications for grants under the Mentoring Program may be 
submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), 
or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including 
dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, 
or by mail or hand delivery, 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 in Section VII 
of this notice. Deadline for Intergovernmental review: July 23, 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 Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: Grant funds may not be used to (1) 
Directly compensate mentors; (2) obtain educational or other materials 
or equipment that would otherwise be used in the ordinary course of the 
grantee's operations; or (3) support litigation of any kind. We 
reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions in the 
Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

[[Page 18221]]

    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. 
The Mentoring Program, CFDA Number 84.184B, is included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Mentoring 
Programs 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 
84.184, not 84.184B).
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     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 submit your application in paper format.
     If you submit your application electronically, 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).
     If you submit your application electronically, 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 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.

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    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.

    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 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 
84.184B), 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 
84.184B), 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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) 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 
84.184B), 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

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from the notice of final priorities, requirements, and selection 
criteria published in the Federal Register on May 28, 2004 (69 FR 
30794) and are in the application package for this competition.

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: If funded, you are expected to collect data on the 
key GPRA performance measures for this program and report those data to 
the Department in your annual performance report and final performance 
report. 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. We also may require more frequent performance reports in 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.720(c).
    4. Performance Measures: We have identified the following key GPRA 
performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of this program: 
(1) The percentage of student/mentor matches that are sustained for a 
period of twelve months; (2) The percentage of mentored students who 
demonstrate improvement in core academic subjects as measured by grade 
point average after 12 months; and (3) The percentage of mentored 
students whose number of unexcused absences from school decreases.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Bryan Williams, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E226, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2391 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    Earl Myers, Jr., U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., room 3E254, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 708-8846 
or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
    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.
    You may also view this document in text or PDF at the following 
site:http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/applicant.html.

    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

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Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

    Dated: April 6, 2007.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
 [FR Doc. E7-6863 Filed 4-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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