Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 62 / Wednesday, April 1, 2015 / Notices 17415 

informed decisions about 

homeownership. The Bureau is 

currently developing a Spanishlanguage version of the Booklet and will 

publish a Notice of availability in the 

Federal Register when that Booklet is 

released. Pursuant to section 

1026.19(g)(2), creditors may not make 

changes to, deletions from, or additions 

to the Booklet other than certain types 

of changes to the cover page. 

Distribution and Use of the Updated 

Booklet 

Under 12 U.S.C. 2604(a), lenders are 

required to provide the Booklet to each 

person from whom it receives an 

application for a mortgage loan and 

must deliver the Booklet or place it in 

the mail not later than 3 business days 

after the lender receives an application. 

As the Booklet has been redesigned to 

help consumers more effectively shop 

for a mortgage, all market participants 

are also encouraged to provide the 

Booklet to consumers at any other time, 

preferably as early in the home or 

mortgage shopping process as possible. 

Those who provide the Booklet 

should be aware that this update 

includes information on the new Loan 

Estimate and Closing Disclosure 

required to be provided to consumers 

for applications for federally related 

mortgage loans that are received on or 

after August 1, 2015. Because previous 

versions of the Booklet do not reference 

or explain the new integrated 

disclosures, the Bureau believes that 

providing consumers with the updated 

Booklet in conjunction with the 

integrated disclosures is important to 

facilitating consumers’ understanding of 

the transaction. 

Dated: March 12, 2015. 

Richard Cordray, 

Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial 

Protection. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06568 Filed 3–31–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–AM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; Minority 

Science and Engineering Improvement 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: 

Minority Science and Engineering 

Improvement Program (MSEIP) 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.120A. 

DATES: Applications Available: April 1, 

2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: June 1, 2015. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 30, 2015. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The MSEIP is 

designed to effect long-range 

improvement in science and 

engineering education at predominantly 

minority institutions and to increase the 

flow of underrepresented ethnic 

minorities, particularly minority 

women, into scientific and 

technological careers. 

Priorities: This notice contains one 

competitive preference priority and one 

invitational priority. The competitive 

preference priority is from the 

Department’s notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425). 

Competitive Preference Priority: For 

FY 2015 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition, this priority is a 

competitive preference priority. Under 

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

additional two points to an application 

that meets this priority. 

The competitive preference priority 

is: 

Competitive Preference Priority— 

Promoting Science, Technology, 

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

Education (2 additional points). 

Priority: Projects that are designed to 

improve Student Achievement (as 

defined in this notice) or other related 

outcomes by identifying and 

implementing instructional strategies, 

systems, and structures that improve 

postsecondary learning and retention, 

resulting in completion of a degree in a 

STEM field. 

Note: Applicants must indicate in the onepage abstract and on the MSEIP Eligibility 

Certification Form in the application package 

whether they intend to address the 

competitive preference priority. 

Note: Through the competitive preference 

priority, the Department encourages 

applicants to implement strategies to 

improve student outcomes, such as 

increasing the number of students, including 

High-need Students (as defined in this 

notice), who persist and graduate in a STEM 

field. For example, an institution could 

implement pedagogies of engagement, such 

as problem-based learning, or provide 

Authentic STEM experiences (as defined in 

this notice), for students in science and 

engineering programs. Applicants addressing 

this priority should demonstrate how their 

proposal will improve STEM education and 

student outcomes. 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2015 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an invitational priority. 

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

give an application that meets this 

invitational priority a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

The invitational priority is: 

Invitational Priority—Improving 

STEM Education in the First Two Years 

of College. 

Priority: Projects designed to improve 

retention and other student outcomes in 

the first two years of college through 

strategies including, but not limited to, 

one or more of the following: 

(a) Obtaining institutional support 

and support from accrediting agencies 

for changes in curricular, pedagogical, 

and graduation requirements that are 

necessary to improve the first two years 

of STEM coursework. 

(b) Developing early intervention 

tutorial programs to help students 

academically deficient in STEM reach 

college level proficiency. 

Note: Through the invitational priority, the 

Department encourages applicants to address 

systemic barriers that result in high failure 

and dropout rates during the introductory 

years of science and engineering programs. 

Applicants addressing this priority should 

demonstrate how their proposal will improve 

STEM education in the first two years of 

college. 

Definitions: The following definitions 

are from the notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425), and 

apply to the priorities in this notice: 

Authentic STEM experiences means 

laboratory, research-based, or 

experiential learning opportunities in a 

STEM (science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics) subject in informal or 

formal settings. 

High-minority school means a school 

as that term is defined by a local 

educational agency (LEA), which must 

define the term in a manner consistent 

with its State’s Teacher Equity Plan, as 

required by section 1111(b)(8)(C) of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The 

applicant must provide the definition(s) 

of high-minority schools used in its 

application. 

High-need students means students 

who are at risk of educational failure or 

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otherwise in need of special assistance 

and support, such as students who are 

living in poverty, who attend Highminority schools, who are far below 

grade level, who have left school before 

receiving a regular high school diploma, 

who are at risk of not graduating with 

a diploma on time, who are homeless, 

who are in foster care, who have been 

incarcerated, who have disabilities, or 

who are English learners. 

Regular high school diploma means 

the standard high school diploma that is 

awarded to students in the State and 

that is fully aligned with the State’s 

academic content standards or a higher 

diploma and does not include a General 

Education Development (GED) 

credential, certificate of attendance, or 

any alternative award. 

Student achievement means— 

For grades and subjects in which 

assessments are required under section 

1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA): (1) A student’s score on such 

assessments; and, as appropriate (2) 

other measures of student learning, such 

as those described in the subsequent 

paragraph, provided that they are 

rigorous and comparable across schools 

within a local educational agency (LEA). 

For grades and subjects in which 

assessments are not required under 

section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA: (1) 

Alternative measures of student learning 

and performance, such as student 

results on pre-tests, end-of-course tests, 

and objective performance-based 

assessments; (2) student learning 

objectives; (3) student performance on 

English language proficiency 

assessments; and (4) other measures of 

student achievement that are rigorous 

and comparable across schools within 

an LEA. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1067– 

1067k. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 

97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education 

Department debarment and suspension 

regulations as adopted in 2 CFR part 

3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

as adopted in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The 

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 646. (e) The notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425). 

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 

only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$2,800,918. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2016 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

Institutional Project Grants: $150,000– 

$250,000. Special Project Grants: 

$100,000–$250,000. Cooperative Project 

Grants: $250,000–$300,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

Institutional Project Grants: $200,000. 

Special Project Grants: $175,000. 

Cooperative Project Grants: $275,000. 

Maximum Awards: Institutional 

Project Grants: $250,000. Special Project 

Grants: $250,000. Cooperative Project 

Grants: $300,000. We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding the maximum award amount 

listed for a single budget period of 12 

months. The Assistant Secretary for 

Postsecondary Education may change 

the maximum amount through a notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 

Institutional Project Grants: 10; Special 

Project Grants: 1; Cooperative Project 

Grants: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 36 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: The eligibility 

of an applicant is dependent on the type 

of MSEIP grant the applicant seeks. 

There are four types of MSEIP grants: 

Institutional project, special project, 

cooperative project, and design project. 

Institutional project grants are grants 

that support the implementation of a 

comprehensive science improvement 

plan, which may include any 

combination of activities for improving 

the preparation of minority students for 

careers in science. 

There are two types of special project 

grants. First, there are special project 

grants for which only minority 

institutions are eligible. These special 

project grants support activities that: (1) 

Improve quality training in science and 

engineering at minority institutions; or 

(2) enhance the minority institutions’ 

general scientific research capabilities. 

There also are special project grants for 

which all applicants are eligible. These 

special project grants support activities 

that: (1) Provide a needed service to a 

group of eligible minority institutions; 

or (2) provide in-service training for 

project directors, scientists, and 

engineers from eligible minority 

institutions. 

Cooperative project grants assist 

groups of nonprofit accredited colleges 

and universities to work together to 

conduct a science improvement 

program. 

Design project grants assist minority 

institutions that do not have their own 

appropriate resources or personnel to 

plan and develop long-range science 

improvement programs. We will not 

award design project grants in the FY 

2015 competition. 

(a) For institutional project grants, 

eligible applicants are limited to: 

(1) Public and private nonprofit 

institutions of higher education that (i) 

Award baccalaureate degrees; and (ii) 

are minority institutions; 

(2) Public or private nonprofit 

institutions of higher education that (i) 

award associate degrees; and (ii) are 

minority institutions that (A) have a 

curriculum that includes science or 

engineering subjects; and (B) enter into 

a partnership with public or private 

nonprofit institutions of higher 

education that award baccalaureate 

degrees in science and engineering. 

(b) For special project grants for 

which only minority institutions are 

eligible, eligible applicants are 

described in paragraph (a). 

(c) For special project grants for 

which all applicants are eligible, eligible 

applicants include those described in 

paragraph (a), and 

(1) Nonprofit science-oriented 

organizations, professional scientific 

societies, and institutions of higher 

education that award baccalaureate 

degrees that: (i) Provide a needed 

service to a group of minority 

institutions; or (ii) provide in-service 

training to project directors, scientists, 

and engineers from minority 

institutions; or 

(2) A consortium of organizations that 

provide needed services to one or more 

minority institutions, the membership 

of which may include (i) institutions of 

higher education which have a 

curriculum in science or engineering; 

(ii) institutions of higher education that 

have a graduate or professional program 

in science or engineering; (iii) research 

laboratories of, or under contract with, 

the Department of Energy, the 

Department of Defense or the National 

Institutes of Health; (iv) relevant offices 

of the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, National 

Science Foundation and National 

Institute of Standards and Technology; 

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(v) quasi-governmental entities that 

have a significant scientific or 

engineering mission; or (vi) institutions 

of higher education that have Statesponsored centers for research in 

science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics. 

(d) For cooperative project grants, 

eligible applicants are groups of 

nonprofit accredited colleges and 

universities whose primary fiscal agent 

is an eligible minority institution as 

defined in 34 CFR 637.4(b). 

Note: As defined in 34 CFR 637.4(b), 

‘‘minority institution’’ means an accredited 

college or university whose enrollment of a 

single minority group or a combination of 

minority groups exceeds 50 percent of the 

total enrollment. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

via the Internet at Grants.gov. If you do 

not have access to the Internet, please 

contact Dr. Stacey Slijepcevic, U.S. 

Department of Education, 1990 K Street 

NW., Washington, DC 20006–8517. 

Telephone: (202) 219–7124 or Dr. 

Bernadette Hence, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street NW., 

Washington, DC 20006–8517. 

Telephone: (202) 219–7038. 

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. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

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

large print, audiotape, or computer disc) 

by contacting the program contact 

persons listed in this section. 

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 application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. We have established a 

mandatory page limit for the application 

narrative of each type of MSEIP grant 

project application as follows: 

Institutional project grant: 40 pages; 

Special project grant: 35 pages; 

Cooperative project grant: 50 pages. 

You must limit the application 

narrative (Part III) to these established 

page limits, using the following 

standards: 

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

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

and both sides. Page numbers and a 

document identifier may be within the 

1′′ margin. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, except titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, captions, and all text in 

charts, tables, and graphs. These items 

may be single spaced; however, they 

will count toward the page limit. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger, or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). However, you may 

use a 10 point font in charts, tables, 

figures, and graphs. 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

If you use some but not all of the 

allowable space on a page, it will be 

counted as a full page in determining 

compliance with the page limit. 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the budget 

justification; Part III, the one-page 

abstract, the table of contents, the 

MSEIP Eligibility Certification Form, 

required letter(s) of commitment, 

evidence of partnerships; and Part IV, 

the assurances and certifications. If you 

include any attachments or appendices 

not specifically requested, these items 

will be counted as part of the program 

narrative (Part III) for purposes of the 

page limit requirement. You must 

include your complete responses to the 

selection criteria in the program 

narrative. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit, or if you apply 

other standards and exceed the 

equivalent of the page limit. We will 

also reject your application if you fail to 

provide the MSEIP Eligibility 

Certification Form. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: April 1, 2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: June 1, 2015. 

Applications for grants under this 

program 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 in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of 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. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 30, 2015. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to E.O. 12372 and the 

regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 

Information about Intergovernmental 

Review of Federal Programs under E.O. 

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. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and System for Award 

Management: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the System for Award 

Management (SAM) (formerly the 

Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 

Government’s primary registrant 

database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information 

while your application is under review 

by the Department and, if you are 

awarded a grant, during the project 

period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one-to-two 

business days. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The SAM registration process can take 

approximately seven business days, but 

may take upwards of several weeks, 

depending on the completeness and 

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accuracy of the data entered into the 

SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you 

think you might want to apply for 

Federal financial assistance under a 

program administered by the 

Department, please allow sufficient time 

to obtain and register your DUNS 

number and TIN. We strongly 

recommend that you register early. 

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, 

you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the 

information to be available in Grants.gov, and 

before you can submit an application through 

Grants.gov. 

If you are currently registered with 

SAM, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your registration 

annually. This may take three or more 

business days. 

Information about SAM is available at 

www.SAM.gov. To further assist you 

with obtaining and registering your 

DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 

updating your existing SAM account, 

we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, 

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

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

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined at the following 

Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/

web/grants/register.html. 

7. 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 

MSEIP, CFDA Number 84.120A, must 

be submitted electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at 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 email 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 the MSEIP at 

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 84.120, not 84.120A). 

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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 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 

4:30:00 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 under News 

and Events on the Department’s G5 

system home page at www.G5.gov. 

• 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: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a PDF 

(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF or submit a 

password-protected file, we will not 

review that material. Additional, 

detailed information on how to attach 

files is in the application instructions. 

• 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 email. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified 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, 

toll free, 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 4:30:00 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 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

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the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice 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 4:30:00 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 prevents 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: Dr. Stacey Slijepcevic, U.S. 

Department of Education, 1990 K Street 

NW., Room 6014, Washington, DC 

20006–8517. Fax: (202) 502–7861 or Dr. 

Bernadette Hence, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 

6152. Fax: (202) 502–7861. 

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 following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.120A), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

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 84.120A), 550 12th 

Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 program are from 34 CFR 

637.32(a) through (j). Applicants should 

address each of the selection criteria. 

The total weight of the selection criteria 

is 100 points; the weight of each 

criterion is noted in parentheses. Please 

see the application package for a 

detailed explanation of these criteria. 

The selection criteria are as follows: 

(a) Identification of need for the 

project (Total 5 points). 

(b) Plan of operation (Total 20 points). 

(c) Quality of key personnel (Total 5 

points). 

(d) Budget and cost effectiveness 

(Total 10 points). 

(e) Evaluation plan (Total 15 points). 

(f) Adequacy of resources (Total 5 

points). 

(g) Potential institutional impact of 

the project (Total 15 points). 

(h) Institutional commitment to the 

project (Total 5 points). 

(i) Expected outcomes (Total 10 

points). 

(j) Scientific and educational value of 

the proposed project (Total 10 points). 

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 also 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 of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

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17420 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 62 / Wednesday, April 1, 2015 / Notices 

Tiebreaker for Institutional, Special 

Project, and Cooperative Grants. If there 

are insufficient funds for all 

applications with the same total scores, 

applications will receive preference in 

the following manner. The Secretary 

gives priority to applicants which have 

not previously received funding from 

the program and to previous grantees 

with a proven record of success, as well 

as to applications that contribute to 

achieving balance among funded 

projects with respect to: (1) Geographic 

region; (2) Academic discipline; and (3) 

Project type. 

3. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 

3474.10, the Secretary may impose 

special conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

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. 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 multi-year 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. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Secretary has established the following 

key performance measures for assessing 

the effectiveness of the MSEIP: (1) The 

percentage of change in the number of 

full-time, degree-seeking minority 

undergraduate students at the grantee’s 

institution enrolled in the fields of 

engineering or physical or biological 

sciences, compared to the average 

minority enrollment in the same fields 

in the three-year period immediately 

prior to the beginning of the current 

grant; (2) the percentage of minority 

students enrolled at four-year minorityserving institutions in the fields of 

engineering or physical or biological 

sciences who graduate within six years 

of enrollment. Please see the application 

package for details of data collection 

and reporting requirements for these 

measures. 

5. 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 grant, 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. Agency Contacts 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Stacey Slijepcevic, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 

6014, Washington, DC 20006–8517. 

Telephone: (202) 219–7124, or by email: 

stacey.slijepcevic@ed.gov or Dr. 

Bernadette Hence, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 

6152. Telephone: (202) 219–7038 or by 

email: Bernadette.hence@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. 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 persons 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 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 Adobe 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. 

Delegation of Authority: The Secretary 

of Education has delegated authority to 

Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under 

Secretary, to perform the functions and 

duties of the Assistant Secretary for 

Postsecondary Education. 

Dated: March 27, 2015. 

Jamienne S. Studley, 

Deputy Under Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07484 Filed 3–31–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Graduate Assistance in Areas of 

National Need 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: 

Graduate Assistance in Areas of 

National Need (GAANN) Program 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.200A. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: April 1, 2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 29, 2015. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 28, 2015. 

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