Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/27/2019-27984/applications-for-new-awards-developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program
Timestamp: 2020-02-17 21:31:57
Document Index: 393437821

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 75', 'art 180', 'art 3485', 'art 200', 'art 3474', 'art 606']

A Notice by the Education Department on 12/27/2019
Applications Available: December 27, 2019.
84 FR 71395
71395-71401 (7 pages)
2019-27984
Competitive Preference Priority 1—Fostering Flexible and Affordable Paths To Obtaining Knowledge and Skills (Up to 5 Additional Points)
Competitive Preference Priority 2—Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the Development of Skills That Prepare Students To Be Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens (Up to 5 Additional Points)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-27984 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-27984
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 10, 2020.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 10, 2020.
Purpose of Program: The DHSI Program provides grants to assist Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students. DHSI Program grants enable HSIs to expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, faculty quality, and institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and help large numbers of Hispanic students and other low-income individuals complete postsecondary degrees.
Background: Hispanic students are enrolling in postsecondary institutions at higher rates than ever before, yet their high enrollments are not translating to degree completion.[1] HSIs have an opportunity to both improve individual educational outcomes and support our Nation's economic growth and competitiveness by increasing the number of certificates and degrees attained by Hispanic and low-income students. HSIs' high enrollment of Hispanic and low-income students positions them to serve as models for how best to meet the needs of Hispanic and low-income students. The DHSI program supports HSIs that demonstrate a commitment to developing or enhancing a comprehensive plan that looks to identify and address the strengths and weaknesses of an institution's enrollment, retention, support, and graduation rates of Hispanic and low-income students.
HSIs interested in applying to this grant program can use the development of their comprehensive plan to examine Start Printed Page 71396the alignment of their mission and current strategic plan with the needs of the target population and surrounding community to develop, enhance, and implement leadership, practice, and policies that best promote student success. Moreover, HSIs can use their plans as road maps to help all students, especially those with the highest needs, find exciting pathways to employment and career advancement.
Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference priorities from the Secretary's Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096) (Supplemental Priorities).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2020 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an application up to 5 additional points, depending on how well the application meets one of these priorities. Applicants may respond to one or both priorities, for a total of up to 10 additional points.
Projects that are designed to address at least one of the following priority areas:
(a) Improving collaboration between education providers and employers to ensure student learning objectives are aligned with the skills or knowledge required for employment in in-demand industry sectors or occupations (as defined in section 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014).
(b) Providing work-based learning experiences (such as internships, apprenticeships, and fellowships) that align with in-demand industry sectors or occupations (as defined in section 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014).
(c) Creating or expanding opportunities for students to obtain recognized postsecondary credentials in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science (as defined in this notice).
Definitions: The following definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1 and the Supplemental Priorities and apply to the priorities and selection criteria in this notice:
Evidence-based means the proposed project component is supported by promising evidence or evidence that demonstrates a rationale.
Grantee means the legal entity to which a grant is awarded and that is accountable to the Federal Government for the use of the funds provided. The grantee is the entire legal entity even if only a particular component of the entity is designated in the grant award notice (GAN). For example, a GAN may name as the grantee one school or campus of a university. In this case, the granting agency usually intends, or actually intends, that the named component assume primary or sole responsibility for administering the grant-assisted project or program. Nevertheless, the naming of a component of a legal entity as the grantee in a grant award document shall not be construed as relieving the whole legal entity from accountability to the Federal Government for the use of the Start Printed Page 71397funds provided. (This definition is not intended to affect the eligibility provision of grant programs in which eligibility is limited to organizations that may be only components of a legal entity.) The term “grantee” does not include any secondary recipients, such as subgrantees and contractors, that may receive funds from a grantee pursuant to a subgrant or contract.
Note: In developing logic models, applicants may want to use resources such as the Pacific Education Laboratory's Logic Model Application (www.ies.ed.gov/​ncee/​edlabs/​regions/​pacific/​elm.asp).
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1101-1101d and 1103-1103g.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 606. (e) The Supplemental Priorities.
Type of Award: Discretionary grants. Five-year Individual Development Grants only. Cooperative Arrangement Grants and Planning Grants will not be awarded in FY 2020.
Estimated Available Funds: The Department estimates that $124,415,000 will be available for the DHSI program in FY 2020, of which approximately $52,800,000 will be available for new awards. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process before the end of the current fiscal year, if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Note: To demonstrate an enrollment of needy students and low average education and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate student, an IHE must be designated as an “eligible institution” in accordance with 34 CFR 606.3 through 606.5 and the notice Start Printed Page 71398inviting applications for designation as an eligible institution for the fiscal year for which the grant competition is being conducted.
Note: The notice announcing the FY 2020 process for designation of eligible institutions, and inviting applications for waiver of eligibility requirements, was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2019 (84 FR 68434). Only institutions that the Department determines are eligible, or are granted a waiver, may apply for a grant in this program.
(iv) Be legally authorized to provide, and provides within the State, an education program for which the institution awards a bachelor's degree (section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii)), or be a junior or community college (section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii));
(b) For this program, the “end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application” refers to the end of the fiscal year prior to the application due date. For purposes of this competition, the data that we will use to determine percent enrollment is for academic year 2018-2019.
(d) A grantee under the DHSI Program, which is authorized by title V of the HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, title III, part A or part B program (section 505 of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101d). The title III, part A programs include: The Strengthening Institutions Program; the American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Program; the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Programs; the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program; the Predominantly Black Institutions program; and the Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions Program. Furthermore, a current DHSI Program grantee may not give up its HSI grant in order to receive a grant under any title III, part A program (34 CFR 606.2(c)(1)).
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match or exceed those grant funds with non-Federal funds (section 503(c)(2) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101b(c)(2)).
3. Supplement-Not Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-supplant funding requirements. Grant funds shall be used so that they supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the funds that would otherwise be available for the activities to be carried out under the grant and in no case supplant those funds. (34 CFR 606.30(b)).
4. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c), a grantee under this competition may award subgrants—to directly carry out project activities described in its application—to the following types of entities: Local educational agencies; State educational agencies; IHEs; nonprofit organizations. The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified in an approved application or that it selects through a competition under procedures established by the grantee.
2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of projects that may be proposed in applications for the DHSI Program, your application may include business information that you consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define “business information” and describe the process we use in determining whether any of that information is proprietary and, thus, protected from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended).
4. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 606.10(c). We reference additional regulations Start Printed Page 71399outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
5. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the application narrative to no more than 55 pages and (2) use the following standards:
The recommended page limit applies to the Project Narrative, which is your complete response to the selection criteria, and any response to the competitive preference priorities, if applicable. However, the page limit does not apply to the Application for Federal Assistance form (SF-424); the ED SF-424 Supplement form; the Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs form (ED 524); the assurances and certifications; or the one-page project abstract, the program profile form, and supporting budget narrative.
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210, 606.8, and 606.22 and are as follows:
(a) Quality of the applicant's comprehensive development plan. (up to 25 points)
(1) The strengths, weaknesses, and significant problems of the institution's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are clearly and comprehensively analyzed and result from a process that involved major constituencies of the institution (up to 5 points);
(2) The goals for the institution's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are realistic and based on comprehensive analysis (up to 5 points);
(3) The objectives stated in the plan are measurable, related to institutional goals, and, if achieved, will contribute to the growth and self-sufficiency of the institution (up to 5 points);
(4) The plan clearly and comprehensively describes the methods and resources the institution will use to institutionalize practice and improvements developed under the proposed project, including, in particular, how operational costs for personnel, maintenance, and upgrades of equipment will be paid with institutional resources (up to 5 points); and
(5) The plan clearly and comprehensively describes the five-year plan to improve its services to Hispanic and other low-income students (up to 5 points).
Note: A comprehensive development plan is an institution's strategy for achieving growth and self-sufficiency by strengthening its—
(1) The extent to which the proposed project demonstrates a rationale (as defined in this notice) (up to 10 points); and
(2) The extent to which the proposed project is supported by promising evidence (as defined in this notice) (up to 5 points).
Note: To establish that their projects “demonstrate a rationale,” applicants must use a logic model (as defined in this notice). To establish that their projects are supported by “promising evidence,” applicants should cite the supporting study or studies that meets the conditions in the definition of “promising evidence” and attach the studies as part of the application attachments. In addressing “promising evidence,” applicants are encouraged to align the direct student services proposed in this application to evidence-based practices identified in the selected studies.
(1) Realistic and defined in terms of measurable results (up to 5 points); and
(2) Directly related to the problems to be solved and to the goals of the comprehensive development plan (up to 5 points).
(d) Quality of implementation strategy. (up to 20 points)
(1) The implementation strategy for each activity is comprehensive (up to 10 points);
(2) The rationale for the implementation strategy for each activity is clearly described and is supported by the results of relevant studies or projects (up to 5 points); and
(3) The timetable for each activity is realistic and likely to be attained (up to 5 points).
(1) Procedures for managing the project are likely to ensure efficient and effective project implementation (up to 5 points); and
(2) The project coordinator and activity directors have sufficient authority to conduct the project effectively, including access to the president or chief executive officer (up to 5 points).
(1) The past experience and training of key professional personnel are directly related to the stated activity objectives (up to 2 points); and
(2) The time commitment of key personnel is realistic (up to 3 points).
(g) Quality of evaluation plan. (up to 10 points)
(1) The data elements and the data collection procedures are clearly described and appropriate to measure the attainment of activity objectives and to measure the success of the project in achieving the goals of the comprehensive development plan (up to 5 points); and
(2) The data analysis procedures are clearly described and are likely to produce formative and summative results on attaining activity objectives and measuring the success of the project on achieving the goals of the comprehensive development plan (up to 5 points).Start Printed Page 71400
If a tie still remains after applying the additional point(s) and the relevant statutory priority, we will determine the ranking of applicants based on the applicant that scores the highest under the selection criteria, quality of the applicant's comprehensive development plan, followed by quality of implementation strategy.
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary Start Printed Page 71401under 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.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site, you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.
[FR Doc. 2019-27984 Filed 12-26-19; 8:45 am]