FY 2025 FIPSE-SP Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinar Transcript.pdf

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the FY 2025 Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education Special Projects Pre Application Technical Assistance Webinar. You may also hear me refer to it as the FIPSE dash SP program or FIPSE SP.

My name is Kurrinn, and I am the Competition Manager for the FY 2025 competition, and I'll be providing applicants with technical assistance and support during this webinar.

The purpose of this webinar is to familiarize applicants with the FIPSE SP program and its requirements. Ensure applicants understand the competition and the application process. Familiarize applicants with the Grants.gov system and ensure applicants are fully equipped with the information needed to apply successfully during the webinar.

We will go over several questions we have received from applicants already.

Those will be our FAQ check-ins. However, I encourage you to also e-mail us at FIPSE-SP@ed.gov with additional questions and we're happy to help you.

Please note the recording and slides will be posted on our website as well as the Grants.gov website under the related documents tab.

As a disclaimer, please note the notice inviting applications, which I have linked here, in the Federal Register is the official application submission guide. This webinar provides additional technical assistance only.

To begin, we're going to look at some general information for the FY25 competition.

The notice inviting applications again linked here was published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2025, with a deadline of December 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. You can download the application package in Grants.gov by searching for the ALN number which is 84.116J or the funding opportunity number ED-GRANTS-111225-001. The application package contains a complete list of forms needed to submit an application. More information and frequently asked questions are posted on the FIPSE-SP website as well as Grants.gov under the related documents tab, applicants are reminded that the NIA published in the Federal Register is the official document. You should not rely on upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained in that document.

mailto:FIPSE-SP@ed.gov

All right, we're going to take a look at some of the components of the program in this competition.

So, the program purpose for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, Special Projects, or FIPSE-SP program is provide grants to institutions of higher education or IHEs, combinations of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies as the secretary deems necessary to support innovative projects concerning one or more areas of national need identified by the Secretary. This competition focuses on supporting 4 areas of national need.

Number one, advancing the understanding and use of artificial intelligence or AI technology in post-secondary education.

Number two promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses.

Number three promoting accreditation reform, and number 4 supporting capacity building for high-quality short-term programs.

In order to support these four crucial needs, this competition includes 7 absolute priorities and 2 competitive preference priorities under which applicants can apply, which we'll discuss further in later slides. Two of those priorities are located under the first area of national need, which is advancing the understanding and use of AI technology in post-secondary education. There is one priority listed under the second area of national need, promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, as well as two optional competitive preference priorities. That's absolute priority three. There are two priorities listed under promoting accreditation reform, that's absolute priorities four and five, and two priorities for capacity building for high-quality short-term programs. That's absolute priorities six and seven.

These are the applicable laws and regulations for the program, as you'll see here, the program authority is 20 U.S. code 1138 and 1138C.

And there's also the applicable regulations. There's the EDGAR regulations in 34 CFR part 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

There is also the Office of Management and Budget guidelines and the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200.

All right, so, we're going to take a look at some of the eligibility requirements and funding for the competition.

The eligibility requirements for the FY 2025 FIPSE-SP program competition are institutions of higher education as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act, consortia of such institutions and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, including state higher education agencies as defined in 20 U.S. code 1003(22).

Again, as noted in the NIA, the following entities are defined accordingly. So, IHEs are institutions of higher education as defined in section 101 of the HEA and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies and state higher education agencies are defined in that 20 US code 1003(22).

A state higher education agency means the officer agency primarily responsible for the state supervision of higher education.

And the term non-profit as applied to a school, agency, organization, or institution means a school, agency, organization, or institution owned and operated by one or more nonprofit corporations or associations. No part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder individual.

As an applicant that is applying for a nonprofit organization. If that applies to you, under 34 CFR 75.51, you must demonstrate your nonprofit status in your application by providing one of the four pieces of documentation

Number one, proof that the Internal Revenue Service currently recognizes the applicant as an organization to which contributions are tax deductible under section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Number 2, a statement from a state taxing body or the state attorney general, certifying that the organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the state and that no part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private shareholder individual.

A certified copy of the applicant's certificate of incorporation or similar document if it clearly establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant.

Or any item described above if that item applies to a state or national parent organization, together with the statement by the state or parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate.

All right, a little bit more information about eligibility. So eligible entities may apply to all four areas of national need as a lead applicant, but you must submit a separate grant application for each area of national need. So, if you would like to apply to all four areas of national need, you have to submit four different grant applications.

The eligible entity may submit only one grant application under an area of national need as the lead applicant and must clearly identify which absolute priority the application is addressing.

For areas of national need with more than one absolute priority, the applicant must select one of the two absolute priorities that will be addressed in the application narrative. We do understand that a particular project may include elements that connect to both absolute priorities within an area of national need. Therefore, applicants are not precluded from incorporating elements from both absolute priorities.

And just to give you a little bit more guidance and a visual of what that looks like. So again, we have 4 areas of national need. We have in the second column the absolute priorities and/or competitive preference priorities that are aligned to each of those areas of national need. And then in the third column, you will see how many applications you can submit per area of national need. So again, you can only submit one application per area of national need, and if you would like to apply to all four areas, that would be a separate application for each area of national need.

In the fourth column, you will see the estimated funding which is broken down by absolute priority as well as the maximum budget, which is also broken down by absolute priority.

Again, all of this information is included in the notice inviting applications which I linked earlier, but please note the department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

The estimated number of awards is also broken down by absolute priority, so for absolute priorities one and two, the estimated number of awards will be 25 awards.

For absolute priority three, the estimated number of awards we will make is 30. For absolute priorities four and five the estimated number of awards we will make is 9.

And for absolute priority six and seven the estimated number of awards we will make is 25.

The project period for this grant competition is up to 48 months or four years.

Funding under this competition is frontloaded, meaning you will receive your award funds for all four years up front. To clarify, that means the estimated funding information in the NIA is for all four years in total.

Again, note the department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the webinar, we're going to do some FAQ check-ins based on frequently asked questions that we've already received.

So, the eligibility FAQ check-in here is how should an applicant demonstrate the type of entity a lead application or partner is? Applicants should provide ample documentation regarding their entity type. For example, as we noted on a previous slide, a nonprofit organization has four documentation options with which to demonstrate its nonprofit status. Please note if it is not clear that an applicant meets the eligibility criteria, the application may be flagged as ineligible.

Another eligibility FAQ check-in, is a public K-12 School district eligible to apply for funding as the lead applicant and/or be a subgrantee or partner? Yes, as long as the applicant demonstrates that it meets the eligibility requirements for public or private nonprofit institutions or agencies. And again, nonprofit organizations do have to demonstrate with one of those four options that they meet the nonprofit status.

Can system offices apply on behalf of their institutions? If the system is a state higher education agency, then they could serve as a lead applicant. If system is not a state higher education agency, then one of their eligible IHEs should be designated as a lead applicant. Again, an IHE is an institution of higher education.

Can a university or a college system, and all the affiliated colleges in the system, be considered a single IHE? If the system is a state higher education agency, then they could serve as the lead applicant. But if the system is not a state higher education agency but rather is a group of multiple affiliated colleges and universities that are managed by a single governing body, such as a Board of Regents or trustees, then one of their eligible IHEs should be designated as the lead.

Another eligibility FAQ check-in here can an institution or organization apply to subaward or partner with a for profit organization? No, under 34 CFR 75.127 only eligible parties may apply in partnership under particular competition. Because for-profit organizations are not eligible entities under 20 US Code 1138(a), institutions may not apply to partner with them.

Another question, can a lead applicant be designated as a subgrantee/partner on another application? So, an entity can be included as a subgrantee partner in multiple applications. So, if you submitted an application as the lead applicant, you are able to also partner on another application, but you cannot serve as a lead applicant for multiple applications under an area of a national need.

Again, remember you can submit up to four applications if it's for each area of national need. So, one for area of national need number one, that's the AI, one for area of national need number two, one for national need area number three, and one for need of an area of national need number four. So, one for each of those areas of national need as the lead applicant. However, you can also be a subgrantee or partner in multiple applications.

All right, so we're going to go ahead and take a look at the absolute and competitive preference priorities under the competition.

As I mentioned in an earlier slide, this notice contains 7 absolute priorities under 4 areas of national need to which applicants can apply. Again, there are two priorities under the first area of national need, advancing the understanding and use of artificial intelligence in post-secondary education. Absolute priority two under that area of national need, sorry, absolute priority one under that area of national need is advancing artificial intelligence to improve educational outcomes of post-secondary.

Absolute priority two under this area of national need is ensuring future educators and students have foundational exposure to AI and computer science.

In the second area of national need, promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, we have absolute priority three, which is promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, as well as two competitive preference priorities. Competitive preference priority one for which you can receive 0 or 10 points is civic institutes at institutions of higher education, and competitive preference priority two which you can receive 0 or 10 points is a non-IHE nonprofit organization that educates students to promote freedom and engage in civil discourse.

Under the third area of national need, promoting accreditation reform, there are two absolute priorities. Absolute priority four is supporting institutions in changing accreditation agencies. Absolute priority five is supporting the creation of new accrediting agencies.

And then in the 4th and final area of national need capacity building for high-quality short-term programs. There are two absolute priorities. Absolute priority six is the creation of new high-quality short-term programs and absolute priority seven is the expansion of existing high-quality short-term programs.

Only applications that at least address at least one of the absolute priorities under an area of national need will be considered for funding. While the competitive preference priorities are optional to respond to, only applications that address one of the absolute priorities will be considered for funding.

For the competitive preference priorities under absolute priority three, promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, applications that successfully address one or both of the CPPS may receive an additional 10 points for each of these CPPS. Applicants may receive competitive preference priority points for both CPP one and CPP 2. Please refer to the notice of finding applications for more details.

The recommended page limit for your project narrative is 35 pages. Applicants are reminded that you should outline your response to priorities within your project narrative, as well as the required abstract. Additionally, for those responding to competitive preference priorities under absolute priority three, the responses should be clearly marked as competitive preference priority two and competitive preference priority one.

All right, so now we're going to look at a breakdown of each area of national need, as well as the absolute priorities and or competitive preference priorities under these categories.

So the first area of national need is advancing the understanding and use of artificial intelligence or AI and post-secondary education under this area. Again, there are two absolute priorities, absolute priorities one and two.

Absolute priority one is advancing artificial intelligence to improve educational outcomes of post-secondary students. This is projects or proposals to improve academic instruction and student learning, including efforts designed to assess the learning gains made by post-secondary students through one or more of the following:

A, supporting the integration of AI, literacy skills and concepts into teaching and learning practices to improve educational outcomes for students, including instruction about how to use AI responsibly and how to detect AI generated disinformation or misinformation online.

And B partnering with state educational agencies, or SEAs, or local educational agencies, or LEAs, to do one or more of the following:

#1 use AI technology to provide high quality instructional resources, high impact tutoring and collage and career pathway exploration advising, and navigation to improve educational outcomes.

B, integrate AI driven solutions and tools into classrooms to personalize learning, improve student outcomes and support differentiated instruction. This integration may include, but is not limited to adaptive learning technologies, virtual teaching assistance, tutoring and data analytics tools to support student progress.

Or three, utilize AI in the classroom and/or for school operation efficiency, including but not limited to improving teacher training and evaluation, reducing time sensitive administrative tasks, or improving instruction or services for students with disabilities, Please note an applicant applying under absolute priority, one can successfully address this priority by writing either to 1A, 1B only, or both. So, you can respond to just letter A, just letter B or both. And with regard to the sub criteria under letter B, you can address one or more of the following of those. So, for priorities that state one or more of the following and include subparts, you must address at least one of the subparts, but you may also opt to address a combination of them or all of them.

Absolute priority two is ensuring future educators and students have foundational exposure to AI and computer science. So, this is projects, their proposals to leverage AI to improve teacher preparation by doing one or more of the following.

Deliver AI and computer science credentials in rural communities.

Embed AI in computer science into an institution of higher education's general pre-service or in-service teacher professional development or teacher preparation program.

Provide additional support for teacher preparation programs that are preparing future computer science educators in K through 12 education.

Expand offerings of AI and computer science courses as part of an institution of higher education's general education and or core curriculum.

Provide resources and support for the use of AI and teacher preparation programs.

Partner with SEAs and/or LEAs to provide resources to K through 12 students in foundational computer science and AI including through professional development for educators.

And partner with SEAs and/or LEAs to encourage the provision of dual enrollment courses opportunities so that students can earn post-secondary credentials and industry recognized credentials in AI course work concurrent with their high school education.

So again, you only need to address 1 or more of the following of those components and again SEA is state education agencies and LEAs is local education agencies.

Alrighty, so for assistance with identifying rural communities, this competition does not include a definition for rural community. Therefore, applicants do have the flexibility to define rural community in their application. Applicants should clearly demonstrate how they are defining rural community and the target population to be served specifically as it relates to absolute priority to ensuring future educators.

Incidents have foundational exposure to AI and computer science.

So, we have identified some assistance for applicants to identify those rural communities. Applicants may retrieve locale codes from the following NCE search tools. This is included as a resource to assist you. However, it is not required for applicants to provide the NCES locale codes in order to meet the requirements of absolute priority two.

The first tool that you can use is the NCES school district search tool, and this is where you can look up local education agencies to individually retrieve their locale codes.

There is also the public school search tool where you can look up individual schools and retrieve their locale codes.

There is also the NCES College navigator search tool, where institutions of higher education can be looked up individually to determine their campus setting.

Again, this is just a tool and resource for applicants to identify rural communities if they would like, but it is not required to provide the NCES locale codes in order to meet the requirements of absolute priority two.

All right, so we went through a lot of information and absolute priorities one and two under that first area of national need. So, we're going to do an absolute priority check-in. For absolute priority one FAQ check in, under absolute priority one that language requests, projects or proposals to improve academic instruction and student learning, including efforts designed to assess learning gains made by post-secondary students. Then Section B describes how projects partner with state or local education agencies. Does this mean a project focused on middle school students and their teachers would qualify for this call? If so, do we need to specify how improving middle school literacy is related to later post-secondary success? The answer to that question is absolute priority one must include efforts designed to assess the learning gains made by post-secondary students, but a proposal does not need to be only focused on post-secondary students. It is the applicant's responsibility to adequately address how their project will meet the absolute priority through its services, activities and target audience.

Under absolute priority two, we're going to do an absolute priority FAQ check in.

So, can an applicant address absolute priority two by partnering with a school instead of a local education agency or state education agency? An applicant under absolute priority two and their application must leverage AI to improve teacher preparation by doing one of the subparts A through G. While the language and subpart or more of the following that address subparts F&G explicitly mentions LEAs/SEAs not an individual school, a proposed project that includes a partnership with a single school could still meet the requirements of absolute priority two by addressing one or more of the other subparts.

Another question that came in would a focus on developing and delivering a Master of Science program in computer science be considered an appropriate response to absolute priority 2A? Under absolute Priority 2A, an applicant may propose a project that leads to an AI and computer science credential in rural communities. Credentials can include master or professional degrees.

Alrighty. So, we're going to go into that second area of national need promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses and under this area of national need, we have absolute priority three as well as the two competitive preference priorities one and two. And again, those are optional to respond to, but absolute priority three is required if you are responding to this area of national need.

All right, so absolute priority three is promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, and these are projects that are designed to promote civil discourse on college and university campuses through activities such as seminars, speaker series, conferences, debates, workshops, training events, and other focused learning opportunities that include a range of views and embrace dialogue and understanding. These projects may include visiting faculty, specifically supporting the development and delivery of these activities and contributing to the viewpoint diversity of the broader campus intellectual environment.

Again, there are two competitive preference priorities that are optional within absolute priority three and we give competitive preference to applications that address those give following priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(i), we award an additional 10 points to an application that meets each of these priorities.

Competitive preference priority one is civic institutes at institutions of higher education, and as I mentioned earlier, you can have zero or ten points for this one.

And this is projects implemented by or in partnership with institutions of higher education that have established independent academic units dedicated to civic thought, constitutional studies, American history and economic liberty. These institutes should demonstrate a sustained commitment to robust civil discourse, the liberal arts and the study of American history and politics through primary documents.

The term academic unit under competitive preference priority one means colleges, schools, and departments of civics, history, ethics, government, etc. at university and colleges, or independent centers or offices at colleges and universities primarily focused on these topics, and/or social studies, history, government programs, etc.

within a university, school, college or Department of Education.

Competitive preference priority two is non IAG nonprofit organizations that educate students to promote freedom and engage in civil discourse. And again, you can receive 0 or 10 points.

These are projects implemented by or in partnership with private nonprofit organizations that do not meet the Higher Education Act definition of institution of higher education, and that educate students to promote freedom and engage in civil discourse. These entities must demonstrate experience working with higher education institutions on matters of civil discourse. Please note the term civil discourse, freedom, civic thought, constitutional studies, American history and economic liberty are not defined in the NIA. However, the department encourages applicants to refer to the text of the absolute priority and the background section for additional guidance on the types of projects the department is seeking to support.

All right, so I know that was a lot of information, so we're going to do another FAQ check-in. And this is an FAQ check-in for absolute priority three as well as competitive preference priorities one and two.

So, in competitive preference priority one in absolute priority three, how can an applicant show that independent academic units demonstrated a sustained commitment to robust civil discourse, the liberal arts and the study of American history and politics through primary documents? The answer to that question is an applicant may provide this evidence through the IHE offerings in degree programs, (including interdisciplinary studies, interdisciplinary degrees, excuse me, with related departments), courses addressing relevant content areas, research and expertise of related faculty, and educational and research events, which are (seminars, symposia, workshops, etc.) pertaining to the relevant areas of the priorities.

The next question that came in in competitive preference, priority two and absolute priority three, can the non IHG nonprofit organization be part of the lead applicants

IHE? No, the non-IHE nonprofit organization must be independent of the IHE as a reminder to meet the requirements of CPP 2, non-IHE nonprofit organizations are private, nonprofit organizations that do not meet the Higher Education Act definition of an institution of higher education, and that educate students to promote freedom and engage in civil discourse. Furthermore, these entities must demonstrate experience working with higher education institutions on matters of civil discourse.

All right, another FAQ check in for absolute priority three in CPP 2. How can an applicant show that a non-IHE organization has demonstrated experience working with higher education institutions on matters of civil discourse? The answer to that question is a nonprofit organization may provide to the applicant evidence of demonstrated experience by providing documentation related to services, events, and products provided to or in partnership with colleges and universities relative to the exchange of information or debate of ideas on matters related to the public good or civic governance.

All right, we're going to go and move over to the next area of national need. The third area, which is promoting accreditation reform, and this area has two absolute priorities. As I mentioned earlier, absolute priorities 4 and 5.

All right, looking at absolute priority four, this is supporting institutions and changing accreditation agencies, activities that directly support college and university efforts to change their current accrediting agency. These activities may include, but are not limited to, staffing costs necessary to support a change in accreditors, document preparation costs, site visit costs and direct accreditation fees limited to the initial term of accreditation up to five years.

The next absolute priority, absolute priority five, is supporting the creation of new accrediting agencies. These are projects that support the development and launch of new accrediting agencies seeking or intending to seek recognition from the department under 20 U.S. Code 1099b. Eligible activities may include convenings development of accreditation standards and review processes, stakeholder and expert consultations, meeting and travel costs, technology and data system development, personnel costs, administrative expenses and other costs directly related to establishing and operating a recognized accrediting agency.

All right. We have a few questions and answers that came in for absolute priority four and five, starting with absolute priority for our FAQ, check-in for absolute priority four, can IHEs propose projects to change or add accrediting agencies that are not yet recognized by the department, the? Answer to that question is absolute priority four and the NIA do not define or limit the term accrediting agency to a nationally recognized accrediting agency under 34 CFR 600.1 because this term is undefined, the department will accept projects under absolute priority four, that proposed to change or add accrediting agencies that are not yet recognized by the department.

However, the department is aware that adding or changing accrediting agencies may may impact institutional eligibility under Title 4, and recommends that institutions of higher education contact aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov for questions of institutional eligibility.

Our next question that came in for absolute priority four are what are the requirements and or process for notifying the department if an applicant proposes changing accrediting agencies? Please review the changes to the approval process for changing accrediting agencies and the dear colleague letter published on May 1, 2025, which we have linked here for additional questions about the dear colleague letter, please e-mail us at FIPSE-SP@ed.gov.

All right, so we have a question that did come in for absolute priority five. Our FAQ check-in for that is in terms of absolute priority five supporting the creation of new accrediting agencies, our new programmatic accreditors eligible to apply in addition to new institutional accrediting agencies? Yes, new programmatic accreditors are eligible to apply as long as the lead applicant meets the eligibility criteria for this competition. And again, that's institutions of Higher education consortia of such institutions, or other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, including state higher education agencies.

All right, so our 4th and final area of national need is capacity building for high-quality short-term programs and again under this absolute under this area of national need, there are two absolute priorities absolute priority six and seven.

Absolute priority six is the creation of new high-quality short-term programs and these are activities that directly support the development of new high-quality short-mailto:aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov term programs at institutions of higher education including engaging employers, developing talent marketplaces and integrating work-based learning components into short-term post-secondary programs. High quality short-term programs are defined as programs that meet the eligibility requirements of the workforce. Pell Grants program in section 83002(b) of the One big Beautiful Bill Act, including program length requirements and alignment with high skill, high wage or in demand industry sectors or occupations as determined by the governor in the state in which the institution is located.

This funding opportunity may be used to cover institutional costs associated with hiring program, faculty and staff, purchasing equipment, machinery, production supplies and technology, coordinating with employers, state workforce development boards and other stakeholders, including convening meetings and travel costs impro.

Classrooms, laboratories and other instructional facilities developing or enhancing partnerships with employers to facilitate industry alignment, improving data collection and reporting capabilities to support workforce Pell eligibility determinations and meeting administrative expenses related to the design and development of new programs, including expenses related to data collection and validation.

Activities must be designed and executed in close collaboration with employers to ensure that the resulting programs are responsive to industry demand.

For absolute priority seven this is the expansion of existing high quality short-term programs, and these are activities that directly support the expansion of existing high-quality short-term programs, including reforms to existing programs to meet the workforce development, Pell Grants, eligibility requirements in the One big Beautiful Bill Act. Such activities should also include engaging employers, developing talent marketplaces and integrating work-based learning components into short-term post-secondary programs.

This funding opportunity may be used to cover institutional costs associated with hiring additional faculty and staff to increase program capacity, purchasing additional equipment, machinery, production supplies and technology enhancing partnerships with employers to facilitate industry alignment, improving data collection and reporting capabilities to support workforce pelt eligibility determinations, expanding the frequency of new student cohorts or programmatic reforms needed to meet the program requirements under the one big Beautiful Bill Act.

I know that was a lot of information, so we do have some helpful FAQ check-ins that came in. Our first one is it possible to focus the grant on specific job sectors and absolute priorities six and seven under national need Area 4? Yes, it is possible to focus the project on specific job sectors, assuming they meet and align with the definition of high-quality short-term programs as defined by the one big Beautiful Bill Act and are in-depth industry sectors as defined by WIOA, which is the workforce, Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Please note high-quality short-term programs are as defined in the eligibility requirements in the workforce Pell Grants program. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act include program length requirements in alignment with high skill, high wage or in demand, industry sectors or occupations.

Please also note that in demand, industry sectors or occupations as defined in the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act means an industry sector that has substantial current or potential impact, including through jobs that lead to economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for advancement on the state, regional or local economy as appropriate, and that contributes to the growth or stability of other supporting businesses or the growth of other industry sectors. Or an occupation that currently has or is projected to have a number of positions, including positions that lead to economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for advancement in an industry sector, so as to have significant impact on the state, regional or local economy as appropriate.

Another question that came in in absolute priority six and seven, what are the program eligibility requirements for workforce Pell grants in the one big, beautiful Bill Act, section 83002(b) of the OBBBA list the program eligibility requirements for workforce Pell grants and we have linked that here.

According to that section, an eligible workforce Pell Grant program is a program that must be at least 150 clock hours of instruction, but less than six clock hours of instruction (or an equivalent number of credit hours) offered during a minimum of eight weeks, but less than 15 weeks and is not offered as a correspondence course.

In addition, an eligible program must be approved by the state government in accordance with the requirements in that section of the OBBBA.

Another question that came in is who qualifies as an eligible student for a workforce Pell Grant under the one beautiful big one big, beautiful bill act? To receive a workforce Pell Grant, a student must meet normal Pell eligibility that is financial need or undergrad level. Be enrolled in an eligible workforce program, that is short-term, non-degree and accredited, and not simultaneously receiving a traditional Pell Grant or a teach grant.

The department will provide active communication and technical assistance for grantees selected for funding under this program to ensure that such grantees are made aware of any updates to workforce Pell grants student eligibility as a result of negotiated rulemaking.

All right, now that we have gone through all of our absolute and competitive preference priorities for the competition, we're going to look at some application components and some competition highlights.

As a disclaimer for the application components, the Federal Register is the official application submission guide, and this webinar provides technical assistance only.

You can view additional information and guidance on grants.gov. By searching for the ALN #84.116J or the funding opportunity number, ED-GRANTS-111225-001.

More information, including the application book and frequently asked questions, is posted on the FIPSE-SP website if you have any questions or concerns, especially after this webinar. Please don't hesitate to e-mail us at FIPSE-SP@ed.gov and we are more than happy to help you.

Please know if all required documents are not submitted with your application.

It may be deemed ineligible.

All right. So first we're going to take a look at the abstract.

The abstract is something that you should submit with your application. It is one of the forms you'll be able to access through grants.gov and it should serve as a quick reference guide to your application. It should include the items listed below and use the same number format to complete the information accurately. You'll need to provide the following details:

#1 the lead applicant institutions you want to name the institution, that is the primary applicant and ensure that institution or organization is eligible.

You want to list the number to the partner entities, so list partner entities involved in the project mentioning their type, whether that's an institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization, an LEA, an SEA, etc. And this is also where you can list your sub grantees.

#3 the project title.

#4 which area of national need that you're responding to. So, you want to specify which of the four areas the application addresses.

The absolute priority or priorities addressed. So, you want to identify those absolute priorities by number. For example, absolute priority three and briefly describe how it is/they are addressed.

Number six, if you're responding to the competitive preference priorities under absolute priority three, you want to identify the competitive preference priority or priorities addressed by numbers. So, for example, CPP 1 and/or CPP 2 and briefly describe how they are addressed.

#7 the target population. So, you want to define the target population and who you're serving, for example faculty, staff, students, etc.

#8 you want to talk about the proposed activities, so outline the activities that you are proposing in your project.

And finally, 9 anticipated results. So, describe the anticipated results such as learning outcomes.

The next component of the application that we wanted to highlight is the project narrative. So before preparing that project narrative, applicants should review the program statute and regulations that we talked about earlier. But again, please refer to the NIA For more information, the common instructions and the Federal Register notice inviting applications for specific guidance and requirements. Again, that is the official application submission guide, and this webinar provides technical assistance only.

As far as structuring the project narrative, the secretary evaluates an application according to the program specific criteria in 34 CFR 75.210.

The project narrative is where the applicant provides detailed responses to each selection criteria as the project pertains to the area of national need and the absolute priority or priorities the applicant is responding to and, if applicable, the responses to one or both competitive preference priorities in absolute priority three.

Responses to the competitive preference priorities under absolute priority three, again, should be clearly marked as competitive preference. Priority one and/or competitive preference priority two.

Applicants should respond to the selection in the same order as presented in the NIA when developing the project narrative.

The project narrative should be written in a concise and clear manner and be consecutively ordered as reflected in the NIA and clearly label each selection criteria and separately address each of the criteria and we will go into the selection criteria in further detail in later slides.

As far as the format of the project narrative, again, you want to refer to the common instructions. We recommend you limit the application narrative to no more than 35 pages and use the standards outlined in the common instructions, and we have linked that here for your reference.

The recommended 35-page limit applies to only the application narrative and does not apply to the cover sheet, the table of contents, the budget section including the narrative budget justification, the assurances and certifications, abstract, the resume, the bibliography or the letters of support.

Another part of the competition that we wanted to highlight is budget information and planning.

So, you will need to fill out the ED 524 budget summary form as well as the budget narrative form and instructions for completing those forms is linked here for your reference.

A budget narrative is an opportunity for applicants to prepare a detailed and comprehensive narrative for all proposed line items that are listed in that ED Form 524 section A & B. The detailed budget narrative is for each year of the budget over the four-year performance period.

This program does not require cost sharing or matching. However, you may include nonfederal funds that may be supplied by the lead applicant or sub awardees and/or partner if applicable in section B.

Additionally, with budget information, this program allows a restricted indirect cost rate of 8%. This program, using a waiver authority of section 437(d)(1) of GEPA to limit a grantees indirect cost reimbursement to 8% of a modified total direct cost base. For more information, we have linked the indirect cost division here.

We have also included some helpful reference regulations for indirect costs. You may see that in the Uniform Guide 2 CFR 200 either subpart E, 200.414, Appendix 3, Appendix 4 and Appendix 6.

The Education Department General Administrative Regulations also has a helpful regulation in 34 CFR 75.560 - 580.

We do also have some budget tips that might be helpful when preparing your ED 524 form and your budget narrative, so budgets should reflect the scale and scope of the project.

Budgets may not exceed the following amounts for each of the priorities for an entire project period of 48 months. Again, remember, these are front loaded so this is for all four years of the grant, so budgets may not exceed the maximum amounts listed here for absolute priorities one and two, that is 4 million. For absolute priority three, that is 4 million. For absolute priorities four and five, that is 1,000,000. For absolute priority six and seven that is 4 million.

Please note that budgets will be evaluated by peer reviewers for relevance and will also be reviewed by program staff to ensure that the costs are justifiable, reasonable and allowable. And we do have a few allowable costs and activities located in our FAQs on our website.

For more questions on allowable costs, please don't hesitate to e-mail us at FIPSE- SP@ed.gov. You can also review the uniform guidance in two CFR 200, particularly the cost principles and subpart E for additional guidance. Again, we do have some additional costs and allowable activities underneath the FAQs, but you can always e-mail us for more information or more questions about allowable costs.

All right, another part of the competition that we want to highlight is subgrantees and partners. So, 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. That's institution of higher education and public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, including state higher education agencies.

Subgrantees do not need to be the same entity type as the lead applicant. However, a subgrantee must meet the eligibility requirements for this competition.

Meaning a lead applicant can only provide subgrants to the following types of entities, that is IHEs and public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, including state higher education agencies.

Please note if a subgrantee is a nonprofit organization, they must demonstrate its nonprofit status according to the requirements in the eligibility criteria that I mentioned in an earlier slide as well as listed in the NIA.

While a lead applicant cannot subaward to a private for profit organization, as they don't meet the eligibility requirements, you may contract with a private for-profit organization for the purpose of obtaining goods and services for the recipient’s use and creates a procurement relationship with a contractor.

As far as subgrantees and partners, we do recommend that applicants clearly identify all contractors, sub awardees and partners in the project narrative as well as in the budget narrative. The justification should include services to be performed and products to be provided, along with corresponding costs. Here are some regulations that you can review or contract provisions.

Applicants are strongly advised to provide formal signed support or commitment letters from each partner, institution or organization, including sub award institutions and organizations. Commitment letter should briefly describe what services and resources partners will be contributing to the project. Please note, applicants should include these attachments in the other attachments form. All attachments must be uploaded as a PDF.

We also again recommend that you list each partner or sub award entity in the abstract, as well as the type of institution organization, for example, an IHE, nonprofit organization, a local education agency, a state education agency, etc.

With regard to the budget for a subgrant to your partner in the ED 524 budget summary form, you will include this in the contractual line item of the lead applicants ED524 budget summary form.

With regard to the budget narrative, the specific details of each subaward must be provided in a separate, detailed budget narrative for each year of the project period.

And remember, the project period is for four years so you would want to provide a separate detailed budget narrative for each year for the subawards as well as the lead applicant.

With indirect costs when it comes to sub awardees, they must comply with the administrative requirements of the award, including the indirect cost limitations outlined in 2 CFR 200.332, particularly the requirements for pass through entities.

This includes indirect cost rate identification and the review and approval process for indirect cost rates. So, for this competition, if a sub recipient has an indirect cost rate that exceeds 8% of modified total direct costs. Their rate must be capped at 8% of modified total direct costs, like the awardee, which is also known as the pass-through entity.

Another part of the competition that we wanted to highlight that is also included in the NIA are open licensing requirements. So, unless an exception applies, if you're awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole or In part with department grant funds and that constitute a new, copyrightable work when the deliverable consists of modifications to pre-existing works. The license extends only to the modifications.

That can be separately identified and only to the extent that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or other legal restrictions on the use of preexisting works. Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables.

The dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after application has been reviewed and selected for funding.

If you're responding to this notice for the open grant competition and have any questions about Any aspect of the open licensing requirement We do have…