PKG00252150-instructions.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education Washington, DC 20202

Fiscal Year 2019

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS

UNDER THE

STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS

PROGRAM

CFDA # 84.031A

Form Approved OMB No. 1840-0114, Expiration Date: 06/30/2022 CLOSING DATE: July 19, 2019 i

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a new grant under the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Title III Part A, Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant competition (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance [CFDA] number 84.031A). This letter highlights specific elements in the SIP competition application package. As you formulate your application, please review these requirements and carefully and thoroughly review the entire application package.

In order to receive a grant under the Title III, Part A program, an institution of higher education (IHE) must have been deemed an “eligible institution.” The Notice Inviting Applications (Notice) announcing the FY 2019 process for designation of eligible institutions, and inviting applications for a waiver of eligibility requirements, was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2019.

The FY 2019 grant competition under the standard CFDA number, 84.031A, has two Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) and an Invitational Priority (IP). Applicants need not address these priorities; however, there are additional points associated with the CPPs.

In FY 2019, SIP will award both Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants.

Applications for FY 2019 grants under the SIP Program must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov at: http://www.grants.gov. At least two weeks before the deadline date an applicant who is unable to submit using Grants.gov must submit a written request to waive the electronic submission requirement. In order to submit a paper application, an applicant must have received approval for a non-electronic submission. Additional information about Grants.gov submission requirements can be found in the Competition Highlights, the Notice published in the Federal Register, and the transmittal instructions which are included in this application package.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Nalini Lamba-Nieves at nalini.lamba-nieves@ed.gov or by telephone at 202-453-7953 or contact Jymece Seward at jymece.seward@ed.gov or by telephone at 202-453-6138.

The Notice published in the Federal Register is the official document. You should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained within the official document.

For an overview of significant competition elements, we encourage applicants to review the application package “Competition Highlights” section.

We appreciate your interest in the Strengthening Institutions Program and look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely, Diane Auer Jones Principal Deputy Under Secretary Delegated to Perform the Duties of Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary for the Office of Postsecondary Education

Competition Highlights

New in 2019:

· One competition, 84.031A.

· Both Individual Development Grants (Individual) and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants (Coops) will be awarded in this competition.

· The language in the Quality of the Project Design (logic model) criterion has been updated. The criterion is again included in the selection criteria, worth 10 points.

· There are two Competitive Preference Priorities (CPPs):

1 -- Fostering Flexible and Affordable Paths to Obtaining Knowledge and Skills (4 points).

2 -- Fostering Knowledge and Promoting the Development of Skills that Prepare Students to be Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Individuals and Citizens (2 points).

· There is an Invitational Priority (IP):

1. Spurring Investment in Opportunity Zones (0 points).

· Maximum total possible points: 106.

· You may single space text in titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

· Application Submission Instructions are now in a separate Federal Register Notice, Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, which can be accessed here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf.

· The deadline to submit applications in Grants.gov is now 11:59:59 pm, Eastern Time on the closing date.

Grants.gov:

1. Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant applications for FY 2019 must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov at: http://www.grants.gov.

2. Please note that the Grants.gov site is different from the Department’s e-Application system used in past competitions.

3. We urge you to consider the following three important administrative factors when applying for this grant program:

i. Register at the Grants.gov website early. The registration procedures may require anywhere from one week to several weeks, since Grants.gov registration includes having a System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

ii. Consider submitting your application 2-3 days prior to the closing date. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on your application and the speed of your Internet connection. The application submission process must be complete prior to the deadline for transmittal of applications.

iii. Remember to provide the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with SAM, formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). Applicants who are unable to submit an application via Grants.gov by the application deadline, because their SAM registration is not active, will not be considered for funding.

4. Grants.gov does not allow applicants to “un-submit” or delete applications. Therefore, if you discover that changes or additions are needed once your application has been accepted and validated by the Department, you must “re-submit” the application. If the Department receives duplicate applications, we will accept and process the application with the latest “date/time received” validation.

5. Please note that you must submit your application by 11:59:59 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the application deadline date. Late applications will not be accepted. We suggest that you submit your application several days before the deadline. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline to ensure fairness to all applicants. No changes or additions to an application will be accepted after the deadline date.

6. It is recommended that Grants.gov attachments be in PDF format. PDFs cannot be password protected. Word documents will be accepted; however, consider uploading PDFs, as opening Word documents in the Department’s G5 grant system may be difficult.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants who are not deemed eligible institutions will not have their applications reviewed.

2. The Department has recently instituted the Eligibility Matrix (EM) process. With the EM, the Department now uses applicants’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data to determine eligibility. Applicants who are deemed not eligible may submit waiver requests to have their eligibility re-reviewed. The Federal Register Notice announcing the opening of the eligibility and waiver request period was published January 29, 2019. Waiver decisions were posted on April 1, 2019.

3. Your institution's application for a FY 2019 Title III, SIP grant MUST be in the same name that appears in the FY 2019 Eligibility Matrix, or it will be deemed not eligible to be read.

SIP, Other Title III, Part A Programs, and Title V:

1. There is a statutory limitation that prohibits institutions from having simultaneous Title V and Title III Part A grants (Section 505 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended). If your institution has a 84.031S, Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI) or a 84.031M, Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program (PPOHA) Title V grant, it is not eligible to receive a Title III Part A grant.

2. Similarly, if your institution has another Title III, Part A grant, it cannot receive a Title III, Part A SIP grant. Other Title III, Part A programs are:

Alaska Native – Native Hawaiian Program

(ANNH)

84.031N & 84.031W

Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program

(AANAPISI)

84.031L

Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions Program

(NASNTI)

84.031X

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Program

(TCCU)

84.031T

Logic Models:

1. Once again, this year there is an additional criterion where applicants demonstrate a rationale in a logic model, worth 10 points. The criterion has been recently updated, so please review the revised language carefully.

2. Think of a logic model as a visual representation of the assumptions and theory of actions of your program. When logical relationships are built on theory and evidence, you can explore outputs, outcomes, and impact. These logical relationships are built into the program or service and you can more effectively evaluate the program and assess the outcomes and impact.

3. You can find information on logic models at:

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/elm.asp, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014025.pdf, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2015057.pdf or, https://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2006/02/wk-kellogg-foundation-logic-model-development-guide.

Allowable Activities & Program Regulations:

1. Authorized grant activities for SIP are listed in Title III, Part A, Section 311 of the Higher Education Act, as amended (HEA); however, Section 301 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) modified the authorized grant activities for SIP. Please review the original grant activities and these modifications prior to preparing your SIP application.

2. Applicants should also review the program regulations (34 CFR 607.10 and 607.30) for guidance on which activities and costs are allowable. For example, you may not use your grant funds to:

· Recruit students;

· Provide scholarships (or any kind of aid) for students;

· Carry out activities that are operational rather than developmental;

· Carry out student activities such as entertainment, cultural or social enrichment programs, student publications, social clubs or associations;

· Pay for organized fund raising; and

· Cover indirect costs.

3. For further guidance, applicants should also review the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200—Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards).

Recommended Page Limits & Points:

Individual Development Grants:

Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants:

1. Please do not include resumes, letters of support and/or any other items not specifically requested in the application. For key personnel, describe the experience and qualifications of the candidates in the narrative.

Program Profile and Abstract:

1. All applicants must submit a SIP Profile Form, which contains the tie-breaker information. If you do not submit this form and there is a tie-breaker situation, your institution will not be considered in the tie-breaker.

2. Applicants are asked to carefully read question #4 on the Program Profile Form and, if applicable, to check the box or place an X next to the box certifying that they will comply with the statutory requirement and program assurances regarding endowments cited in the program regulations.

3. All applicants must provide an abstract limited to one single-spaced page. The abstract should be uploaded as a PDF file. Complete instructions for submitting the abstract are included in the Instructions for Completing the Application Package.

4. Information on SIP is accessible at the Department’s Web site at:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html.

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

***Updated 02/21/2019***

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

U.S. Department of Education Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Department of Education.

Browser Support

The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. However, these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, so we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues.

For additional information or updates, please see the Grants.gov Browser information in the Applicant FAQs: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#browser.

ATTENTION – Workspace, Adobe Forms and PDF Files

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

1) Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2) Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

a. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out web forms, you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

b. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

c. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and DUNS Number. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

3) Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through Workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

4) Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Helpful Reminders

1) REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on SAM (www.sam.gov) which may take approximately one week to complete, but could take upwards of several weeks to complete, depending upon the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an applicant. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the registration steps are complete. Please note that once your SAM registration is active, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov, and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. For detailed information on the registration steps, please go to: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. [Note: Your organization will need to update its SAM registration annually.]

Primary information about SAM is available at www.sam.gov. However, to further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, the Department of Education has prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

2) SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on a number of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully to Grants.gov before 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.

Note: To submit successfully, you must provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when you registered as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) on Grants.gov. This DUNS number is typically the same number used when your organization registered with the SAM. If you do not enter the same DUNS number on your application as the DUNS you registered with, Grants.gov will reject your application.

3) VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov received your application submission on time and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, log in to Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned. Once the Department of Education receives your application from Grants.gov, an Agency Tracking Number (PR/award number) will be assigned to your application and will be available for viewing on Grants.gov’s Track My Application link.

If the date/time received is later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html. For more detailed information on troubleshooting Adobe errors, you can review the Adobe Reader Software Tip Sheet at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html. If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

Submission Problems – What should you do?

If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov or access the Grants.gov Self-Service Knowledge Base web portal at: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants.

If electronic submission is required, you must submit an electronic application before 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time, unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register notice and 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. If electronic submission is optional and you have problems that you are unable to resolve before the deadline date and time for electronic applications, please follow the transmittal instructions for hard copy applications in the Federal Register notice and get a hard copy application postmarked by midnight on the deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Applicant FAQs found at this Grants.gov link: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html, as well as additional information on Workspace at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#workspace.

Dial-Up Internet Connections

When using a dial up connection to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g. cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. If you do not have access to a high-speed connection and electronic submission is required, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Attaching Files – Additional Tips

Please note the following tips related to attaching files to your application:

· When you submit your application electronically, you must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in either Portable Document Format (PDF) or Microsoft Word. Although applicants have the option of uploading any narrative sections and all other attachments to their application in either PDF or Microsoft Word, we recommend applicants submit all documents as read-only flattened PDFs, meaning any fillable PDF files must be saved and submitted as non-fillable PDF files and not as interactive or fillable PDF files, to better ensure applications are processed in a more timely, accurate, and efficient manner.

· Grants.gov cannot process an application that includes two or more files that have the same name within a grant submission. Therefore, each file uploaded to your application package should have a unique file name.

· When attaching files, applicants should follow the guidelines established by Grants.gov on the size and content of file names. Uploaded file names must be fewer than 50 characters, and, in general, applicants should not use any special characters. However, Grants.gov does allow for the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Applications submitted that do not comply with the Grants.gov guidelines will be rejected at Grants.gov and not forwarded to the Department.

· Applicants should limit the size of their file attachments. Documents submitted that contain graphics and/or scanned material often greatly increase the size of the file attachments and can result in difficulties opening the files. For reference, the average discretionary grant application package with all attachments is less than 5 MB. Therefore, you may want to check the total size of your package before submission.

Notice Inviting Applications

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Strengthening Institutions Program AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2019 for the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.031A. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1840-0114.

DATES:

Applications Available: June 19, 2019.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 19, 2019.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and available at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nalini Lamba-Nieves, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 250-34, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone: (202) 453-7953. Email: Nalini.Lamba.Nieves@ed.gov.

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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description Purpose of Program: The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help them become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution’s academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.

Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference priorities and one invitational priority. The competitive preference priorities are from the Secretary’s Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs (83 FR 9096) (Supplemental Priorities), which were published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2018.

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2019 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 up to an additional six points to an application that meets these priorities.

These priorities are:

Invitational Priority: For FY 2019 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications 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.

This priority is:

Invitational Priority -- Spurring Investment in Opportunity Zones.

Under this priority, an applicant may address one or both of the following priority areas:

(1) Propose to serve children or students who reside, or attend elementary or secondary schools or institutions of higher education, in a qualified opportunity zone as designated by the Secretary of the Treasury under section 1400Z-1 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 115-97). In addressing this priority, an applicant must provide the census tract number of the qualified opportunity zone for which it proposes to serve children or students. A list of qualified opportunity zones, with census tract numbers, is available at www.cdfifund.gov/Pages/Opportunity-Zones.aspx.

(2) Provide evidence in its application that it has received or will receive financial assistance from a qualified opportunity fund under section 1400Z-2 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for a purpose directly related to its proposed project. In addressing this priority, an applicant must identify the qualified opportunity fund from which it has received or will receive financial assistance.

Definitions: These definitions apply to the priorities and the selection criteria for this competition and are from section 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and from 34 CFR 77.1.

Demonstrates a rationale means a key project component included in the project's logic model is informed by research or evaluation findings that suggest the project component is likely to improve relevant outcomes.

(ii) 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 a significant impact on the State, regional, or local economy, as appropriate.

(B) Determination. The determination of whether an industry sector or occupation is in-demand under this paragraph shall be made by the State board or local board, as appropriate, using State and regional business and labor market projections, including the use of labor market information.

Logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a framework that identifies key project components of the proposed project (i.e., the active “ingredients” that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the theoretical and operational relationships among the key project components and relevant outcomes.

Note: In developing logic models, applicants may want to use resources such as the Regional Educational Laboratory Program’s (REL Pacific) Education Logic Model Application, available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/elm.asp, to help design their logic models. Other sources include: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014025.pdf, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014007.pdf, and https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2015057.pdf.

Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention, process, product, practice, or policy included in a project. Evidence may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).

Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s) the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the specific goals of the program.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059d (title III, part A, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)).

Note: In 2008, the HEA was amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), Pub. L. 110-315. The HEOA made a number of technical and substantive revisions to SIP. Please note that the regulations for SIP in 34 CFR part 607 have not been updated to reflect these statutory changes.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget 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 607. (e) The Supplemental Priorities.

II. Award Information Type of Award: Discretionary grants. Five-year Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants will be awarded in FY 2019.

Estimated Available Funds: Approximately $26,300,000 is available for new awards in the program competition.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in subsequent years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Individual Development Grants:

Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000-$450,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $425,000 per year.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $450,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 31.

Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants:

Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$550,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $525,000 per year.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $550,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: This program is authorized by title III, part A, of the HEA. To qualify as an eligible institution under any title III, part A program, an institution must--

(a) Be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training offered;

Note: The notice announcing the FY 2019 process for designation of eligible institutions, and inviting applications for waiver of eligibility requirements, was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2019 (84 FR 451). Only institutions that the Department determines are eligible, or are granted a waiver under the process described in that notice, may apply for a grant in this program.

Relationship between the Title III, Part A Programs and the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program A grantee under the HSI program, which is authorized under title V of the HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, title III, part A program. The title III, part A programs are: SIP; the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities program; the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions program; the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions program; and the Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions program. Furthermore, a current HSI program grantee may not give up its HSI grant to receive a grant under SIP or any title III, Part A program as described in 34 CFR 607.2(g)(1).

An eligible HSI that is not a current grantee under the HSI program may apply for a FY 2019 grant under all title III, part A programs for which it is eligible, as well as receive consideration for a grant under the HSI program. However, a successful applicant may receive only one grant as described in 34 CFR 607.2(g)(1).

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and available at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf, which contain requirements and information on how to submit an application.

2. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, under 34 CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to make awards by the end of FY 2019.

3. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 607.10(c). We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

4. Recommended 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 recommend that you limit the application narrative to no more than 50 pages for Individual Development Grants and no more than 65 pages for Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. If you are addressing the invitational priority and/or either or both competitive preference priorities, you will have an additional seven pages total to respond to all three priorities. To address the invitational priority, you will have an additional two pages; for competitive preference priority one, you will have three additional pages; and for competitive preference priority two, you will have two additional pages. If you address all three priorities, you should limit the application narrative (Part III) to no more than 57 pages for the Individual Development Grant application and 72 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant application. Please include a separate heading when responding to the invitational priority and one or both competitive preference priorities. You may only use the additional seven pages to address the invitational or the competitive preference priorities. The additional seven pages are not for an extended response to the selection criteria. If you are not addressing the invitational priority or the competitive preference priorities, you should limit your application narrative to no more than 50 pages for the Individual Development Grant or 65 pages for the Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant. We also recommend that you use the following standards:

· A “page” is 8.5" x 11", on one side only, with 1" margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

· Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, excluding titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

· Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, and no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

· Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract and the bibliography. However, the recommended page limit does apply to all of the application narrative.

Note: The Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs Form (ED 524) Sections A-C are not the same as the narrative response to the Budget section of the selection criteria.

V. Application Review Information

(2) The goals for the institution’s academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are realistic and based on comprehensive analysis;

(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; and

(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.

(b) Quality of the Project Design. (Maximum 10 Points) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project demonstrates a rationale (as defined in this notice).

(2) Directly related to the problems to be solved and to the goals of the comprehensive development plan.

(d) Quality of Implementation Strategy. (Maximum 15 Points) The extent to which--

(1) The implementation strategy for each activity is comprehensive;

(2) The rationale for the implementation strategy for each activity is clearly described and is supported by the results of relevant studies or projects; and

(3) The timetable for each activity is realistic and likely to be attained.

(e) Quality of Key Personnel. (Maximum 8 Points) The extent to which--

(1) The past experience and training of key professional personnel are directly related to the stated activity objectives; and

(2) The time commitment of key personnel is realistic.

(f) Quality of Project Management Plan. (Maximum 10 Points) The extent to which--

(1) Procedures for managing the project are likely to ensure efficient and effective project implementation; 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.

(g) Quality of Evaluation Plan. (Maximum 15 Points) The extent to which--

(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; 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.

In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 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 (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

A panel of three non-Federal reviewers will review and score each application in accordance with the selection criteria listed in this notice from 34 CFR 607.22(a) through (g) and 34 CFR 75.210. A rank order funding slate will be made from this review. Awards will be made in rank order according to the average score received from the peer review and from the two competitive preference priorities.

Tie-breaker for Development Grants. In tie-breaking situations for development grants, in accordance with 20 U.S.C. 1057(b), we award one additional point to an application from an IHE that has an endowment fund of which the current market value, per FTE enrolled student, is less than the average current market value of the endowment funds, per FTE enrolled student, at comparable type institutions that offer similar instruction. We award one additional point to an application from an IHE that has expenditures for library materials per FTE enrolled student that are less than the average expenditure for library materials per FTE enrolled student at similar type institutions. We also add one additional point to an application from an IHE that proposes to carry out one or more of the following activities--

(1) Faculty development;

(2) Funds and administrative management;

(3) Development and improvement of academic programs;

(4) Acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening management and academic programs;

For the purpose of these funding considerations, we use 2017-2018 data.

If a tie remains after applying the tie-breaker mechanism above, priority will be given to applicants that have the lowest endowment values per FTE enrolled student.

3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 200.205, before awarding grants under this program the Department conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may impose specific 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.

4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this competition to receive an award that over the course of the project period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management.