Solicitation - Native Language Immersion Grant - BIE-NLI Fuded Schools Only.docx

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Native Language Immersion Grants – BIE Funded Schools Only Solicitation

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Education Native Language Immersion Grants - Solicitation of Proposals AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Education.

ACTION: Notice.

Funding Opportunity Notice: BIE-NALI-2020 Bureau of Indian Education: Native American Language Immersion Funding Opportunity Title: Bureau of Indian Education: Native American Language Immersion Opportunity Category: Discretionary Funding Instrument Type: Grant Expected Number of Awards: 5-20 Closing Date for Applications: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Friday, October 30, 2020

Multiple awards will be given to Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded schools. The Bureau of Indian Education oversees183 BIE elementary, secondary, residential and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations across 23 states.

Award Ceiling: 500,000 Award Floor: 50,000 CFDA Numbers: 15.151 Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No Number of Awards: 5-20 Category: Education

DATE: The closing date and time for the receipt of proposal submissions is 11: 59 P.M. EASTERN TIME ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 in order to be considered for funding. Proposals received after this time and date stamp will not be considered by the Awarding Official.

Number of Projects Funded: The BIE anticipates award of approximately five (5) to twenty (20) grants under this announcement ranging in value from approximately $50,000 to $500,000. The program can only fund projects one year at a time, though it is possible to continue funding subject to the availability of Congressional funds, quality of evaluated proposals, and other applicable considerations. We will use a competitive evaluation process based on criteria stated in the Review and Selection Process section located on Page Three (3).

Background: The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) supports efforts to revitalize and maintain Native languages and expand the use of language immersion programs in its schools. The BIE is providing $4,000,000 for grants to BIE-funded schools to expand existing language immersion programs or create new programs that will lead to Native language oral proficiency. This opportunity is offered under the authority of the FY 2020 Interior Appropriations Bill, Congressionally Directed Capacity Building Grant for Native Language Immersion Programs, Public Law 115-31.

Eligibility Eligible Applicants: BIE-funded schools

Agency Name: Bureau of Indian Education

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Spike Bighorn, Supervisory Program Manager Office of Sovereignty in Indian Education (SIE) Bureau of Indian Education 200 NW 4th Street, Suite 4049 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Cell Phone: 202-499-0482 Email: spike.bighorn1@bie.edu

DATES:

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Email applications to NativeLanguage@bie.edu Attention: Spike Bighorn.

The preferred method of submitting proposals is to email proposals to NativeLanguage@bie.edu, Attention: Spike Bighorn.

Or, proposals may be sent by registered U.S. mail, but must be received by the deadline established – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 AT 11:59 P.M. EASTERN TIME to:

Spike Bighorn, Supervisory Program Manager Office of Sovereignty in Indian Education (SIE) Bureau of Indian Education 200 NW 4th Street, Suite 4049 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Cell Phone: 202-499-0482 Email: spike.bighorn1@bie.edu

MANDATORY COMPONENTS:

A complete proposal must contain the following mandatory components as described below:

1. Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

Within the Application for Federal Assistance SF-424, please complete the following sections:

· Item 8a. Applicant Information – Legal Name (of School)

· Item 8d. Address

· Item 8f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application

· Item 15. Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project

· Item 21. Certification Statement

· Project Narrative Attachment (You may use a separate document or file if you are unable to open the document due to not having the correct Adobe version.)

· Budget Narrative Attachment (You may use a separate document or file if you are unable to open the document due to not having the correct Adobe version.)

2. Budget Narrative Attachment (if you do not have Adobe software, you may use a separate document/file, such as Word)

3. Project Narrative Attachment (if you do not have Adobe software, you may use a separate document/file, such as Word)

Review and Selection Process. A Committee comprised of BIE members will evaluate the proposals against the ranking criteria. Only those proposals which meet all of the factors will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed below. Each proposal will be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered according to the numerical score. Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the Approving Official based on this ranking. Any solicitation that is received after 11:59 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 will not be reviewed.

Other Factors. Final funding decision will be made by the Approving Official based on the rankings and preliminary recommendations for the BIE evaluation team. In making the final funding decisions, the Approving Official may also consider programmatic priorities.

Evaluation Criteria

Submission Dates and Times

The closing date and time for submission of proposals is FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 AT 11:59 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME. Proposals received after this time and date stamp will not be considered by the Awarding Official., Transfer of funds. Bureau Operated Schools will receive a Federal Financial Document (FDD) when awarded. For Tribally Controlled Schools, the transfer of funds will be through the Automated Standard Application of Payment (ASAP) system.

Reporting Requirements for Award Recipients:

Reporting Requirements for Award Recipients – Recipients must submit quarterly reports each quarter for both a narrative report and a financial assistance (SF425) report within 30 days following each quarter. In addition, a final annual narrative report and a final financial assistance report are due 90 days after the period of performance end date.

Project Directors from BIE-funded schools participate in scheduled calls, submit quarterly updates (Tribally-Controlled Schools SF 424/5), and ensure all reports are submitted per their signed agreement.

In addition, this funding opportunity and financial assistance award must adhere to the following provisions:

I. Conflicts of Interest

Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) and financial assistance awards must include the full text of the following Conflict of Interest Provisions (a)-(f).

(a) Applicability.

(1) This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

(2) In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

(b) Requirements.

(1) Non-Federal entities must avoid prohibited conflicts of interest, including any significant financial interests that could cause a reasonable person to question the recipient's ability to provide impartial, technically sound, and objective performance under or with respect to a Federal financial assistance agreement.

(2) In addition to any other prohibitions that may apply with respect to conflicts of interest, no key official of an actual or proposed recipient or subrecipient, who is substantially involved in the proposal or project, may have been a former Federal employee who, within the last one (1) year, participated personally and substantially in the evaluation, award, or administration of an award with respect to that recipient or subrecipient or in development of the requirement leading to the funding announcement.

(3) No actual or prospective recipient or subrecipient may solicit, obtain, or use non-public information regarding the evaluation, award, or administration of an award to that recipient or subrecipient or the development of a Federal financial assistance opportunity that may be of competitive interest to that recipient or subrecipient.

(c) Notification.

(1) Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112, Conflicts of Interest.

(2) Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients.

(d) Restrictions on Lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under this grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR Part 18 and 31 USC 1352.

(e) Review Procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement, and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

(f) Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338, Remedies for Noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR Part 180).

II. Data Availability

(a) Applicability. The Department of the Interior is committed to basing its decisions on the best available science and providing the American people with enough information to thoughtfully and substantively evaluate the data, methodology, and analysis used by the Department to inform its decisions.

(b) Use of Data. The regulations at 2 CFR 200.315 apply to data produced under a Federal award, including the provision that the Federal Government has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award as well as authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

(c) Availability of Data. The recipient shall make the data produced under this award and any subaward(s) available to the Government for public release, consistent with applicable law, to allow meaningful third party evaluation and reproduction of the following:

(i) The scientific data relied upon;

(ii) The analysis relied upon; and

(iii) The methodology, including models, used to gather and analyze data.

Request for BIE Assistance. BIE staff can provide technical assistance in the application process. Applicants may contact:

Spike Bighorn, Supervisory Program Manager Office of Sovereignty in Indian Education (SIE) Bureau of Indian Education 200 NW 4th Street, Suite 4049 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Cell Phone: 202-499-0482 Email: spike.bighorn1@bie.edu

Authority - This opportunity is offered under the authority of the FY 20202 Interior Appropriations Bill, Congressionally Directed Capacity Building Grant for Native Language Immersion Programs, Public Law 115-31.

Separate Document(s):

1. Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

2. Budget Narrative Attachment (if you do not have Adobe software, you may use a separate document/file, such as Word)

3. Project Narrative Attachment Form (if you do not have Adobe software, you may use a separate document/file, such as Word)