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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable)
**SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION** 

**A. Justification** 1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary . Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate th e collection. Attach a hard cop y of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information , or you may provide a valid URL link or paste the applicable section 1 . Specify the review t ype of the collect ion (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change) . If revised, briefl y specify the changes. If a rulemaking is involved, make note of the sections or changed sections, if applicable. **This is a request for extension**  **w ithout change**  **; t he collection of information (application**  **for grants) is necessary to ensure that potential applicants provide the information necessary for the Department of Education to ascertain the eligibility of the applicant and**  **determine the program ma**  **tic responsiveness and technical quality of the application. The Education Department General Administrative Regulations**  **(EDGAR) at Part.74.12(b)**  **stipulates that, in making competitive grant awards, applicants shall use the SF -**  **424 series and those form**  **s and instructions prescribed by the Secretary. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act**  **(IDEA) , which provides the programmatic authority for this**  **collection, requires that grant awards under these programs be made through competition. A copy of**  **the IDEA statute is included with this request.** 2. Indicate how, by

whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection , indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collect ion. **The information requested in the Grant Application Form will be used by the Department of Education program managers to determine the relative quality of grant applications.**  **Peer reviewers will assist in this process by evaluating applications. B ased on the peer**  **review, applications are ranked and a decision is made by the recommending official as to award.** 

1 Please limit pasted text to no longer than 3 paragraphs.2

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable) 3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or forms of information technology , e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision of adopting this means of collection. Also describe an y consideration given to using technology

to r educe b urden. **Applicants must submit applications electronically through Grants.gov.** 4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specificall y wh y an y similar information alread y available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes des cribed in Item 2 above. **Information requested in the application is not available from any other source. Applicants must provide substantial information that is uniquely responsive to the grant**  **announcement.** 5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe an y methods used to minimize burden. A small entit y may be (1) a small business which is deemed to be one that is independently owned and operated and that is not dominant in its field of operation; (2) a small organization that is any not - for - profit enterprise that is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field; or (3) a small government jurisdiction, which is a government of a city , count y, town, township, school district, or specia l district with a population of less than 50,000. **The collection of information does not significantly impact small business or other entities. In almost all grant programs included in this announcement, small businesses are not**  **among the eligible appli cants. In those few instances where they are eligible, the amount of**  **information requested is not excessive, but rather is essential to determine the quality of the application.**  6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequentl y, as well as an y technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden. **If the collection were not conducted, there would be no documentation for decisions to award grant funds. If the collection we**  **re conducted less frequently the Department would not have timely information on which to evaluate and rank applications. Technical and**  **legal obstacles to reducing burden would emanate from the resulting lack of sufficient**3

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable) **information upon which to base t he award of funds, which, by statute, must be awarded**  **through competition.** 7. Explain any

special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

 requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterl y;
 requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 day s after receipt of it;

 requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

 requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant - in - aid, or tax records for more than three y ears;
 in connection with a statistical survey , that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results than can be generalized to the uni verse of study ;
 requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved b y OMB;

 that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by

authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supporte d by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or that unnecessaril y i mpedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

 requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confi dential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information ’ s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law. **Applicants are required to submit applications electronically through Grants. Gov. Howeve**  **r, an applicant can request**  **an exception to the electronic submission requirement. Applicants are reminded that current Government**  **- wide policy requires that an original**  **and two copies be submitted, however, applicants are requested to submit an original an d**  **five (5) copies of the application. The additional copies are required to provide sufficient copies for peer reviewers, and for administrative purposes including data entry and a copy**  **for the project officer. If fewer copies were provided by the applic ant, the Department**  **would need to make additional copies of the application which would result not only in a delay of the peer review and grant award, but also in possible inequities in the review**  **caused by errors on copying or collating of application mat erials Experience has shown**  **that applicants prefer to send additional applications in order to benefit from earlier decisions and ensure**  **that all application materials reviewed by the Department are in**  **order.**4

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable)
8. As applicable, state that the Department has published the 60 and 30 Federal Register notices as required b y 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken b y the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability

of data, frequency

of collection, the clarity

of instruction and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if an y), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 y ears – even if the collection of information activity

is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained. **Consu ltation was not sought on the application package since it includes only necessary**  **information for applicants and standard forms that are required for all application packages issued by the Department.**  **A 30 -**  **day FRN was published.** 9. Explain any

decision to provide any

pay ment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees with meaningful justification . **Not applicable.** 10. Describe an y assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in st atute, regulation, or agency policy . If personally

identifiable information (PII) is being collected, a Privacy Act statement should be included on the instrument. Please provide a citation for the Sy stems of Record Notice and the date a Privacy I mpact Ass essment was completed as indicated on the I C Data Form . A confidentiality statement with a legal citation that authorizes the pledge of confidentiality should be provided. 2 If the collection is subject to the Privacy Act, the Privacy

Act statement is deeme d sufficient with respect to confidentiality . I f there is no expectation of confidentiality , simply state that the Department make s no pledge about the confidentiall y of the data.

2 Requests for this information are in accordance with the following ED and OMB policies: Privacy Act of 1974, OMB Circular A - 108

– Privacy Act Implementation

– Guidelines and Responsibilities, OMB Circular A - 130 Appendix I

– Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals, OMB M - 03 - 22

– OMB Guidance for Im

plem enting the Privacy Provisions of the E - Government Act of 2002, OMB M - 06 - 15

– Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information, OM : 6 - 104

– Privacy Act of 1974 (Collection, Use and Protection of Personally Identifiable Information)5

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable) **No assurance of confidentiality is provided to applicants. After awards ar e made,**  **applications may be made available to all interested parties .**  11. Provide additional justification for an y questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered p rivate. The justification should include the reasons wh y the agency considers the questions necessary , the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and an y steps to be take n to obtain their consent. **Not applicable.** 12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:

 Indicate the number of respondents by affected public ty

pe (federal government, individuals or households, private sector

– businesses or other for - profit, private sector

– not - for - profit institutions, farms, state, local or tribal governments) , frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated, including identification of burden t ype: recordkeeping, reporting or third party disclosure. All narrative should be included in item 12. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special survey s to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultatio n with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widel y because of differences in activity , size, or complexity , show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons f or the variance. Generall y, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

 If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in the ROCI S IC Burden Analy sis Table . (The table should at minimum include Respondent types, IC activity , Respondent and Responses, Hours/Response, and Total Hours)

 Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents of the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be included in Item 14. **Number of respondents: Estimated 800.**  **Frequency of response: Once per year. Annual hour burden: Average 25 hours per respondent; range from 20 to 50. The**  **application package includes other OMB -**  **approved forms that have their own data burden associated with them.**  **The estimate of data burden provided above does NOT include the burden associated with**  **the standard forms used under EDGAR. How the burden was estimated: Estimates provided by agency staff who have previous** 6

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable) **work experience in State and local education ag encies and universities, the primary eligible**  **applicants under these programs.**
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)

 The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start - up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services comp onent. The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including s ys tem and technology acquisition, exp ected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. Capital and start - up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and acquiring and maintaining record storage facilities.

 If cost estimates are expected to vary widel y, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cos t of contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60 - day

pre - OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory

impact anal ys is associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.

 Generally , estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices. Also, these estimates should not include the hourly costs (i.e., the monetization of the hours) captured above in Item 12 Total Annualized Capital/Startup Cost : **None .**  Total Annual Costs (O&M) : **None.**

____________________ Total Annualized Costs Requested : **None .**  **Annualized cost to respondents: Average 25 hours x $40 per hour + $ 1,000 per respondent. (Assume**  **average salary plus overhead and fringe benefit of $80,000) Total for all respondents: 800 applications x $1,000 per respondent = $800,000.** 7

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) 1820 - 0028 Revised: 05 / 01 /2013 RIN Number: XXXX - XXXX (if applicable) 14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a description of the method u sed to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information. Agencies a lso may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 in a single table. **Federal staff costs: $135,000. (Assumes 1.5 FTE at GS 12) Contractor support costs: $350,000**  **Peer review costs: $1,380,000.**  **(Assumes 600 at $ 2,300 each) Supplies: $4**  **,000** 15. Explain the reasons for an y program changes or adjustments. Generally, adjustments in burden result from re - estimating burden and/or from economic phenomenon outside of an agency ’ s control (e.g., correcting a burden estimate or an organic increa se in the size of the reporting universe). Program changes result from a deliberate action that materiall y changes a collection of information and generally are result of new statute or an agency action (e.g., changing a form, revising regulations, redefin ing the respondent universe, etc.). Burden changes should be disaggregated by t ype of change (i.e., adjustment, program change due to new statute, and/or program change due to agency discretion) , ty

pe of collection (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change) and include totals for changes in burden hours , responses and cost s (if applicable) . **Not applicable. Reinstatement without changes.** 16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline pl ans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analy

tical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions. **None.** 17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate. **Expiration date will be displayed .**  18. Explain each except ion to the certification statement identified in the Certification of Paperwork Reduction Act. **No exceptions requested.**