PKG00264570-instructions.pdf

U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition Washington, DC 20202 www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html

FY 2021

Application for Grants

Under the Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program

CFDA Number: 84.365C Form Approved OMB No. 1894-0006 Expiration Date: January 31, 2021 Closing Date: March 3, 2021 http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html

Table of Contents

Letter from the Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director 4

Ready to Apply 6

I. Program Background Information 7 Program Overview 7

II. Basic Application Information 8

Important Dates 8 FY 2021 NAM Notice Inviting Applications 8

FY 2021 NAM Application Package 8

Notification of Intent to Apply 9

Apply! 9

FY 2021 NAM Grant Competition Design Elements 9

Absolute Priority 9 Programmatic Requirements Established in the NIA 11

Competitive Priorities 10

Statutory Application Requirements (ESEA section 2212(c)) 11 III. Application Submission Procedures 13

Submission Procedures 13

Submission Problems – What Should You Do? 16

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov 16

Dial-up Internet Connections 16

Attaching Files – Additional Tips 16 DUNS Number 17

Application Tips 18

IV. Application Instructions 19

Completing and Submitting Your Application 20

A. Required Forms 21 Standard Forms Instructions 21

B. Application Narrative Instructions 21

ED Abstract Narrative 21

Project Narrative 22

Table of Contents 23 Page Guidelines 23

Identifying Contractors or Vendors in the Project Application 23 FY 2021 NAM Application Grant Selection Criteria 25

C. Budget Narratives 26

Budget Narrative Guidelines 27

Instructions for the Budget Narratives 29

D. Other Attachment Forms 36 Instructions for Appendices 36

FY 2021 Application Checklist 37

E. Additional Information 38

Addressing Your Questions 38

Transparency 38

Executive Order 12372 – Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs 38

Paperwork Burden Statement 39

Dear Applicant:

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Thank you for your interest in the Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) program, administered by the Office of English Language Acquisition of the U.S.

Department of Education (Department). The purpose of the NAM program is to award grants to eligible entities to develop and enhance capacity to provide effective instruction and support to Native American students, including Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Native American Pacific Islander children, who are identified as English learners (ELs). The goal of this program is to support the teaching, learning, and studying of Native American languages while also increasing the English language proficiency and academic achievement of students served. In addition, under this fiscal year 2021 competition, the Department includes invitational priorities on promoting literacy by providing families with evidence-based strategies for promoting literacy, including family literacy activities and projects designed to promote seamless integration of in-person and remote learning needs through digital learning.

Please take the time to review the applicable priorities, requirements, definitions, selection criteria, and all the application instructions thoroughly. An application will not be evaluated for funding if the applicant does not comply with all of the procedural rules that govern the submission of the application or the application does not contain the information required under the program (EDGAR §75.216 (b) and (c)).

In the FY 2021 competition, the NAM program has one absolute priority, and two invitational priorities. For additional information about the priorities refer to the Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2021 in this package.

For this competition it is mandatory for applicants to use the government-wide website, Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), to apply. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with Grants.gov and strongly recommend that you register and submit early.

Using FY 2021 funds, the Department expects to award $2,300,000 for new grants under this competition. We will award discretionary grants on a competitive basis for a project period of up to 60 months. Grants are expected to be awarded in July 2021.

Please visit our program website at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/index.html for further information. If you have any questions about the program after reviewing the application package, please send email to NAM2021@ed.gov.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/index.html http://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/index.html mailto:NAM2018@ed.gov

Sincerely, Lorena McElwain Lorena McElwain

Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director

Office of English Language Acquisition

U. S. Department of Education

READY to APPLY?

Before you begin preparing your FY 2021 NAM application, please make sure that you can answer YES to the following questions:

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the FY 2021 NAM NIA from the Federal Register?

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the FY 2021 NAM Application Package documents and forms?

• Have you downloaded the NAM program statute?

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the NAM FAQ document? (Please note that the NAM FAQs have not yet been released and will be made available shortly at https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html.

• Have you reviewed the instructions for electronic submission of your application in the NIA, the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (Common Instructions), and Section III of the Application Package well before the application due date?

• Have you allocated sufficient time for necessary steps, such as obtaining a DUNS number and registering on the System for Award Management (SAM). Please note that these registration processes could take weeks and trying to submit your application immediately prior to the deadline may not work. Many people may be attempting to submit applications through grants.gov and it is possible that yours may not be processed in time. If this happens a second past the application deadline, and you have not been granted an extension according to the Common Instructions, your application will not be accepted.

If you answered “YES” to each of the above questions, you’re ready to begin working on your application.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section6822&num=0&edition=prelim https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206

I. Program Background Information

Program Overview

Program Office: Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)

Grant Name: Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) Program

CFDA Number: 84.365C Grant Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grant

Program Statute: Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title III, Part A, Subpart 1, Sec. 3112; 20 U.S.C. 6821(c)(1)(A), 3111(c)(1)(A), and 20 U.S.C. 6822.

Regulations: EDGAR: 34 CFR 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended in 2 CFR part 3474 and the Supplemental Priorities.

Anticipated Appropriations: FY 2021 - $2,300,000

Estimated range of awards: $275,000-$325,000 per year, for each year of the grant.

Estimated average size of awards: $300,000

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

Anticipated Number of Awards: 8

Project Period: Up to 60 months

Program Purpose: Authorized in section 3112 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), NAM

The purpose of the Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) program is to award eligible entities grants to develop and enhance capacity in order to provide effective instruction and support to Native American including Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Native American Pacific Islander, students who are identified as English learners (ELs). The goal is to develop English proficiency, proficiency in Native American languages and academic achievement for students served.

Program Design: Grantees have flexibility in designing programs to meet local needs to improve academic attainment of ELs. Project funded under this program may be used for teacher training, curriculum development, and evaluation and assessment to support the core program of student instruction and family-community participation. Student instruction may comprise preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels or combinations of these levels.

Eligible Applicants: The following entities that carry out programs for individuals served by elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools primarily for Native American (including Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Native American Pacific Islander) children are eligible applicants under this program:

• Indian tribes

• Tribally sanctioned educational authorities

• Native Hawaiian or Native American Pacific Islander native language educational organizations

• Elementary schools or secondary schools that are operated or funded by the Bureau of

Indian Education (BIE), or a consortium of such schools

• Elementary schools or secondary schools operated under a contract with or grant from the

BIE in consortium with another such school or a tribal or community organization

• Elementary schools or secondary schools operated by the BIE and an institution of higher education (IHE), in consortium with elementary schools or secondary schools operated under a contract with or a grant from the BIE or a tribal or community organization

Note:

Under section 3112(a) of the ESEA, as amended by ESSA, EL students served under NAM grants must not be included in the child count submitted by a school district under section 3114(a) for purposes of receiving funding under the English Acquisition State Grants program.

Program Elements Summary: This competition has one absolute priority, two invitational preference priorities, and several application requirements, as described in the NIA and included below. They are:

• Absolute Priority:

o Absolute Priority: Supporting the teaching, learning, and studying of Native American languages while also increasing the English language proficiency of the children served under such a project.

• Invitational Priorities:

o Invitational Preference Priority 1:

Promoting Literacy by providing families with evidence-based (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) strategies for promoting literacy. This may include providing families with access to books or other physical or digital materials or content about how to support their child’s reading development, or providing family literacy activities (as defined in section 203(9) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).

o Invitational Preference Priority 2:

Remote Learning: Under this invitational priority, an applicant must propose a project that is designed to address one or both of the following priority areas:

(a) Adopting and supporting models that leverage technology (e.g., universal design for learning, competency-based education, or hybrid/blended learning) and provide high-quality digital learning content, applications, and tools.

(b) Providing personalized and job-embedded professional learning to build the capacity of educators to effectively use technology to create remote learning experiences that advance student engagement and learning (e.g., synchronous and asynchronous professional learning, professional learning networks or communities, and coaching).

The Absolute Priority, and Application Requirements are addressed in in the NIA.

Project Period: Under this competition, applicants may apply for a five-year grant. In order to help the Department with its budgetary planning, Section IV of this application package contains instructions for applicants to submit budgets and budget narratives now for a period of up to five years.

II. Basic Application Information

Important Dates

Event Date

Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program (84.365C) Application available

December 18, 2020

Pre-Application Information Webinars for potential applicants

January 28, 2021 at 2:30p.m.-3:30p.m. EST https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html

Intent to Apply Email to NAM2021@ed.gov

Jan. 4, 2021

Deadline for transmitting Applications

March 3, 2021, 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time

Estimated Award Announcement: July 16, 2021

FY 2021 NAM Notice Inviting Applications

The full text of the NIA for the FY 2021 NAM grant competition can be found:

• https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-12-18/pdf/2020-27882.pdf

• Additional information regarding the NAM competition will be posted on the Department’s website: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html

All NAM applications must be received on or before 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time, on March 3, 2021. Please note that U.S. Department of Education grant application deadline is 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time, on March 3, 2021, the application deadline date. Late applications, without an exception granted according to the Common Instructions, will not be accepted.

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 and time.

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html mailto:NAM2021@ed.gov https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/08/18/2014-19426/applications-for-new-awards-preschool-development-grants-development-grants https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-12-18/pdf/2020-27882.pdf https://www2.ed.gov/programs/naancs/applicant.html

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 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206, which contain requirements and information on how to submit an application.

Notification of Intent to Apply

The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants who intend to apply. Therefore, we strongly encourage, but do not require, each potential applicant to notify us of the applicant’s intent to submit an application. To do so, please email NAM2021@ed.gov with the subject line “Intent to Apply,” and include the applicant’s name and contact person’s name and email address by January 4, 2021. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding;

applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided.

FY 2021 NAM Grant Competition Design Elements

Priorities and Requirements:

The FY 2021 NAM competition includes one absolute priority. Applicants are required to apply for the Absolute Priority. Clear headings should be provided to indicate an applicant's response to the absolute priority under which they are submitting their proposal and to the invitational priorities under which they are submitting their proposal, as applicable.

To read a list of the Absolute Priority and Invitational Priorities for this grant competition, please reference the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for this competition on the Federal Register.

III. Application Submission Procedures

Submission Procedures

GRANTS.GOV SUBMISSION PROCEDURES & TIPS for APPLICANTS

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

http://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206 mailto:NAM2021@ed.gov

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.

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 the application 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:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#browser https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

b. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields markedwith 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 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 has prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet:

http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.sam.gov/ http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html

2) SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it only 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. Washington, D.C. 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, login 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. Washington, DC Time, on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned.

Once the Department 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. Washington, DC 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 bout 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 email at: support@grants.gov or http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html mailto:support@grants.gov 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. Washington, DC 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 visit 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 at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html. Additional information is available 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.

https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#workspace

• 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.

Grants.gov System Maintenance Please be reminded that the Grants.gov system will not be available for use during the times listed below.

Date Scope Details

January 16-18, 2021

February 20-22, Server Maintenance

Scheduled Maintenance Outage:

Production System will go Offline Saturday January 16, 2021 at 12:01 AM ET.

Production System will go Online Monday January 18, 2021 at 6:00 AM ET.

Scheduled Maintenance Outage:

Production System will go Offline Saturday February 20, 2021 at 12:01 AM ET.

Production System will go Online Monday February 22, 2021 at 6:00 AM ET.

D-U-N-S Number Instructions All applicants must have a D-U-N-S number in order to apply for Federal funds.

NOTE: Check with your fiscal office to see if your institution has an assigned DUNS number before contacting Dun & Bradstreet to obtain a D-U-N-S number.

Please provide the applicant’s DUNS number. You can obtain your DUNS number at no charge by calling 1-800-333-0505 or by completing a D-U-N-S Number Request Form. The form can be obtained via the internet at the following URL:

http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html.

The DUNS number is a unique nine-digit number that does not convey any information about the recipient. A built-in check digit helps assure the accuracy of the DUNS number. The ninth digit of each number is the check digit, which is mathematically related to the other digits. It lets computer systems determine if a DUNS number has been entered correctly. Dun & Bradstreet, a global information services provider, has assigned DUNS numbers to over 43 million companies worldwide. For live help Monday-Friday 9am-6pm (EST), dial 1-888-814- 1435.

NOTE: Electronic submission via Grants.gov must use the DUNS number your organization used when it registered in the Central Contractor Registry.

Application Tips I. Register or maintain registration on SAM.gov. The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an entity.

Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to update in the system.

II. Register early on Grants.gov. The registration process may take up to two weeks to complete. For additional information on the registration and submission process please review the resources available on the Grants.gov Website.

III. Verify that the person assigned to submit the application has been designated as an

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). You must be “active” in order to submit an application on behalf of the organization.

IV. Carefully review the FY 2021 NIA for eligibility requirements. Be sure to address the absolute priority in your application.

V. Review the submission for clarity. Applications will be read by multiple peer reviewers;

therefore, it is important to ensure that the application can be understood by someone who is unfamiliar with your project.

VI. Submit early on Grants.gov. Applications must be finished uploading, and be validated by the Grants.gov system, by 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time on March 3, 2021 or it will be considered late. Validation indicates if the submission was successful and may take up to two days. If the submitted application is deemed invalid due to an error, applicants may correct the error and resubmit only if the 11:59:59 p.m. Washington, D.C. time deadline has not passed. Applicants are encouraged to review the submission to be sure that the files transmitted correctly. Grants.gov may not catch all errors. Late submissions or http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html modifications to the submitted application will not be accepted after the deadline.

VII. Each application will be reviewed under the competition for which it was submitted in the Grants.gov system, and only applications that are successfully submitted by the established closing date will be reviewed.

NOTE: Applicants will receive multiple emails to confirm submission in Grants.gov, validation, and transmission to the Department. Once the application is transmitted to the Department, applicants will receive a final email with a unique identifier called a PR Award Number. Use this number when making inquiries about the submitted application. Please review the email carefully to ensure that you submitted the application under the intended competition.

IV. Application Instructions

All applicants interested in completing a NAM application should first thoroughly review the FY 2021 NIA. The NIA will orient applicants to the NAM program by providing the following information:

• Background information and purpose of the program;

• Eligibility requirements;

• Absolute Priority;

• Invitational Priorities (optional);

• Programmatic and application requirements;

• Selection Criteria and assigned points;

• Definition of terms used in the NIA;

• Procedural and substantive requirements of the application process; and

• Instructions on how to electronically submit the application.

Completing and Submitting Your Application

A complete application consists of the following components:

Required Forms:

• ED Standard Forms; and

• Assurances and Certifications

Application Narrative:

The NAM application will use the following Grants.gov Narrative Forms:

• ED Abstract Narrative Form;

o The ED Abstract Narrative Form is where you will attach your one-page project abstract. Specific instructions for how to compose the abstract narrative are included later in this section.

• Project Narrative Form;

o The Project Narrative Form is where you will attach a detailed description of how your proposed project meets the Absolute Priority and one or both of the optional Invitational Priorities. This section is where you discuss the proposed project in a way that best responds to the Selection Criteria.

Applicants should include a Table of Contents. Specific instructions for how to compose the project narrative are included later in this section. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to limit the project narrative to 35 pages. The Table of Contents does not count towards this desired limit.

• Budget Narrative Form; and o The Budget Narrative Form is where you will provide a line item budget (ED

524) and a budget narrative for the proposed NAM project. This budget should reflect a 5-year proposed project period. Specific instructions for how to compose the budget narrative are included later in this section.

• Other Attachments Form (upload appendices here) o The Other Attachments Form is where you will attach the application appendices. Specific Appendix instructions are included later in this section.

NOTE: If you have multiple documents to be attached to one of the above narrative sections (except for Other Attachments), we recommend that you merge them into one .PDF file and upload them to the appropriate narrative.

A. Required Forms

Standard Forms Instructions

Applicants must submit along with their project narratives the required standard forms, assurances, and certifications included in the list below.

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424);

NOTE: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although this form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will review only materials/files attached to the section labeled “Other Attachments Form.”

• Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424;

• Department of Education Budget Summary Form (ED 524) Sections A & B;

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL);

• General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirements - Section 427;

• Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B); and

• Grants.gov Lobbying form (formerly ED 80-0013 form).

Electronic copies and instructions for the required forms can be found in the Grants.gov submission package.

B. Application Narrative Instructions

Project Abstract

Eligible applicants must submit an abstract. The abstract should be attached to the ED Abstract Narrative Form, and include the following items:

1) Institution: state the official name of the applicant’s Institution or Entity

2) Eligibility: state the eligibility criteria the applicant meets

3) Native Language(s): name all the native language(s) of the project participants

4) Partners: identify all the participating BIEs, LEAs or IHEs if apply as a consortium

5) Project Title: state the title of the proposed project

6) Priorities: Indicate which, if any, of the invitational priorities your project is addressing

7) Project Goals: state proposed project goals, objectives, and performance outcomes

8) Project Description: state a brief description of major project activities

9) School Data: provide key school information including participating schools, grades, total number of students to be served, total number of participating Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaii and Pacific Islander students, baseline and annual targets for performance measures.

10) Contact: Project Director’s name, telephone and e-mail

Project Narrative

The Project Narrative should describe the project that an applicant would carry out as well as other required elements if its application is funded. It also should include the eligible applicant’s response to the Selection Criteria (provided in the last portion of this Section IV.B) since the application will be evaluated and scored against these criteria. The NIA identifies the maximum possible score for each criterion. The Project Narrative should, as a general matter, follow the order of the Selection Criteria. It should contain clear headings to help the Department staff and peer reviewers match the narrative with the Selection Criteria.

Finally, the Project Narrative also may include the eligible applicant’s response, if any, to one or both of the Invitational Priorities.

It is also important that applicants here clearly address (a) Absolute Priority (b) either or both of the optional Invitational Priorities for which they wish to apply.

This section, along with the Table of Contents, should be attached as a single document to the Project Narrative Attachment Form in accordance with the instructions found on Grants.gov, and should be organized in the manner described below in order to expedite the review process. Ensure that you only attach the U.S. Department of Education approved file types detailed in the Common Instructions. Also, do not upload any password-protected files to your application. When attaching files, applicants should limit the size of their file names. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend your file names be less than 50 characters.

Table of Contents

The Table of Contents shows where and how the important sections of your proposal are organized and should not exceed one double spaced page.

Page Guidelines

We encourage, but do not require, applicants to limit this section of the application to the equivalent of no more than 35 pages and adhere to the following guidelines:

• 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 http://e-grants.ed.gov/ application narrative, including 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 or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

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

NOTE: The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget section, including the Budget Narrative justification; the assurances and certifications; the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the recommended page limit does apply to the entire “Project Narrative” section except for the Table of Contents.

Identifying Contractors or Vendors in the Project Application

In August 2013, the Department issued §75.135 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.135). This regulation permits applicants for NAM and other Department invitational grants, under certain conditions, to identify in their project applications those entities with which they would contract for data collection, data analysis, evaluation services, or essential services, where these activities are required by the program – without the need to follow otherwise applicable Federal procurement requirements. If applicant proposes to select a contractor before receiving a NAM award, please see 34 CFR 75.135(a) - (c) (section 75.135(a) - (c) of EDGAR) on how the requirements for invitational procurements that normally apply may be avoided by naming the contractors in the application.

FY 2021 NAM Application Grant Selection Criteria

To read a list of Selection Criteria for this grant competition, please reference the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for this competition on the Federal Register.

C. Budget Narratives

This section should be attached as a single document to the Budget Narrative Attachment Form in accordance with the instructions found on Grants.gov. ). Also, do not upload any password-protected files to your application. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend your file names be less than 50 characters.

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.232, Department of Education staff perform a cost analysis of the each recommended project to ensure that costs relate to the activities and objectives of the project, are reasonable, allowable and allocable. The budget should only include costs that are allowable, reasonable and necessary for carrying out the objectives of the NAM project. Rules about allowable costs are set out in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, http://e-grants.ed.gov/

Cost Principles, And Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in Subpart E— Cost Principles. During the Department’s budget review that occurs as a part of the grant selection process, we may delete or reduce costs from the budget that are not reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the program, or are otherwise unallowable. The budget narratives in each application should be consistent with the content of Sections A and B of ED 524 Form and provide sufficient detail about the use of NAM and non-Federal matching funds to:

o Give an itemized budget breakdown for each year of the proposed project (up to 60 months);

o Provide the basis for estimating the costs of personnel salaries, benefits, project staff travel, materials and supplies, consultants and subcontracts, indirect costs and any other projected expenditures;

o Clarify the relationship between the requested funds and project activities and outcomes;

o Describe the total amount that will be expended as shown in the ED 524 Form;

o Enable reviewers and project staff to understand how the requested funds identified in the

ED 524 Form will be used.

Budget Narrative Guidelines

Remember that you must provide all requested budget information for each year of the project (up to 60 months) and the total amount identified in Sections A and B of the ED 524 Form in order to be considered for Federal funding.

In a single document attached to the Budget Narrative Attachment Form, each application must provide the following two budget narratives:

1. NAM Grant Funds Budget Narrative The first budget narrative must align with and break down the costs budgeted in Section A of ED Form 524. Section A relates to costs to be supported by the requested NAM grant.

The applicant should provide sufficient detail to enable reviewers and project staff to understand how requested funds will be used, how much will be expended, and the relationship between the requested funds and project activities and outcomes. The following section, “Instructions for the Budget Narratives,” illustrates the expected format and level of detail. (This budget narrative will serve to meet the requirements of Section C of ED Form 524.)

Instructions for the Budget Narratives

To facilitate the review of your Budget Narratives, we encourage each applicant to include the following information for each year of the project.

1. Personnel: Include fees and expenses for consultants under contractual.

• Provide the title and duties of each position to be compensated under this project.

• Provide the salary for each position under this project.

• Provide the amounts of time, such as hours or percentage of time to be expended by each position under this project.

• Explain the importance of each position to the success of the project.

• Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations.

Example: The following scenario assumes that there is 1 .8 FTE project director, 8 1.0 FTE teachers in the school, 8 FTE career ladder positions and 10 part-time teachers will be paid with NAM funds.

Personnel: The following requested personnel will all be hired as employees of the project.

% FTE Base Salary

Total

Project Director (1): John Doe will be responsible for the overall NAM project.

His qualifications are described in detail in the project on page 24 of the application.

.8 FTE (or 80%)

$65,000

$52,000

Our NAM project will fill 8 FTE career ladder positions. Each position is budgeted at a $45,000 salary per year.

8 x 1.0 FTE

$45,000 x 8

$360,000

Salary for part-time teachers: 10 teachers.

Each teacher will earn $8,000 per year.

$80,000

2. Fringe Benefits

• Give the fringe benefit percentages of all personnel included under Personnel.

• Include fringe benefits applied to incentive awards if such expenditures are included under Personnel.

• Provide the rate and base on which fringe benefits are calculated.

• Do not include fringe benefits for salaries and wages that are treated as part of the indirect cost.

3. Travel

• Explain the purpose of the travel, how it relates to project success, how it aligns with the project goals and objectives and which program participants or staff will participate.

• Submit an estimate for the number of trips, points of origin and destination, and purpose of travel.

• Submit an itemized estimate of transportation and/or subsistence costs for each trip.

• Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations.

• Applicants must budget for attendance at one required annual meeting. For planning purposes, applicants should include funds for transportation, lodging, and per diem costs for the following meetings:

o Required Meeting: Project Director Meeting this 2 day meeting will provide participants with key information needed to manage and implement a discretionary grant awarded by ED and technical assistance from experts. Grantee meetings will be held annually in a major U.S. city, usually Washington, D.C..

Include travel of persons such as the project director and evaluator on the 524 budget form and budget narrative.

Required Participants: Please budget for two participants including the project director.

Expenses for this meeting include:

• Round-trip airfare for two participants to a major U.S. city

• Lodging expenses for two participants for up to three nights in a major U.S.

city

• Per diem expenses for two participants for up to five days in a major U.S.

city

• Funds for local ground transportation

Example:

Travel: Travel expenses include the average airfare of $400 each, in addition to a hotel room at $150/night for two nights, local transportation of $50, and per diem of $40

# Trips $ per Trip Total

NAM Annual Project Director Meeting:

This meeting will provide technical assistance for our grant site and provide collaboration among all NAM grantees. The total trip will last 2 full days.

(1 Project Dir. & 1 other key personnel)

$528

$1,580

4. Equipment

• Indicate the cost of tangible, non-expendable personal property that has a usefulness greater than one year and acquisition costs that are the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant entity for financial statement purposes or $5,000 per article. Lower limits may be established to maintain consistency with the applicant’s policy.

• Indicate the estimated unit cost for each item to be purchased.

• Identify each type of equipment.

• Provide adequate justification of the need for items of equipment to be purchased.

• Explain the purpose of the equipment, and how it relates to project success.

• Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations.

Equipment: Consistent with our organization’s policy, equipment is defined…