World Language Advancement and Readiness Program BAA_FINAL.pdf

I. Overview of the Funding Opportunity

Department of Defense Education Activity

Broad Agency Announcement (known herein as Funding Opportunity Announcement) for the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program, Fiscal Year 2021

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: HE1254-21-R-0008

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 12.556

Competitive Grants: Promoting K-12 Student Achievement at Military-Connected Schools

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE:

Initial Announcement

KEY DATES & POINT OF CONTACTS

March 5, 2021 Applications Available (https://www.grants.gov/) April 1, 2021 Pre-recorded Technical Assistance Webinars

(https://dodeagrants.org/) May 7, 2021 Deadline for Transmittal of Applications, No Later than

11:59PM Eastern Standard Time No Later than September

30, 2021 Grants Awarded

Contact Information

DoDEA Grant Program Office:

DoDEAGrants@dodea.edu 571-372-6026

DoDEA Procurement Division:

1. Alim Koroma, Grant Officer, alim.koroma@dodea.edu , 571-372-1473

2. Hope Woods, Procurement Analyst hope.woods@dodea.edu, 571-372-1449

DESCRIPTION OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) seeks innovative applications for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language programs targeting elementary and secondary students in order to enable successful students, as they advance from elementary school through secondary school, to achieve advanced level of proficiency in those languages. In addition, any Local Education Agency (LEA) awarded a grant under mailto:hope.woods@dodea.edu this program must use the funds to support programs that show promise of being continued beyond the grant period and demonstrate approaches that could be disseminated to and duplicated in other LEAs. Awarded projects may also include a professional development component. DoDEA intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds.

Each individual grant award will be a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $3,000,000, for a period of up to five (5) years.

Anticipated Funding Type: Grant award(s).

Table of Contents I. Overview of the Funding Opportunity

II. Funding Opportunity Description A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity B. Background C. Program Description D. Deliverables E. Authorization

III. Award Information A. Funding Amount and Period of Performance B. Peer Reviews

IV. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Other

V. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. Required Forms

2. Project Narrative

3. Detail Budget – Cost Analysis

4. Letter(s) of Support & Supporting Documentation

5. References

C. Grants.gov Application Submission & Receipt Procedures

1. How to register to apply through Grants.gov

2. How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

D. Funding Restrictions E. Certifications and Assurance

VI. Application Review Criteria A. Evaluation Criteria B. Review and Selection Process

1. Review Process

2. Handling of Selection Information

3. Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information (FAPIIS) VII. Award Administration Information

A. Federal Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements C. Reporting

VIII. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) IX. Other Information—Optional

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY ISSUING ANNOUNCEMENT

II. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) seeks innovative applications for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language programs targeting elementary and secondary students. DoDEA intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds. Each individual award will be for a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $3,000,000, for a period of up to five (5) years.

B. Background

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are concerned about the lack of military personnel with advanced language skills and believes this could be addressed by promoting foreign language study programs targeting elementary and secondary students. As a result, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 authorized the development of a competitive grant program to provide support to eligible entities for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language study for students of public schools in a LEA that hosts a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).

C. Program Description

In response to a request from a Congressional bipartisan group, the Academy of Arts and Sciences created the Commission on Language Learning. In the Commission’s final report, America’s Languages: Investing in Language Learning for the 21st Century , they state the importance of “a national strategy to improve access to as many languages as possible for people of every region, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background—that is, to value language education as a persistent national need similar to education in math or English, and to ensure that a useful level of proficiency is within every student’s reach. As children prove especially receptive to language education—they spend much of their time in educational settings and can develop language skills gradually throughout their lives—the Commission believes that instruction should begin as early in life as possible.”

Challenges inherent to the current world environment require the military to be equipped with proficient world language skills. The National Defense Strategy (NDS) of the United States, Sharpening the American Military’s Competitive Edge states that “U.S. interest includes protecting the nation and our allies from attack or coercion. The NDS also recognizes that our nation’s security is “tightly bound with the security of the broader international system.”

To be successful in national security efforts and effectively collaborate with global populations, world language skills are a critical defense competency. Experts indicate that students learning languages starting at the K-12 levels develop higher language proficiency than those starting in college – therefore, exposing elementary and secondary students to world languages is critical to developing and sustaining the pipeline of individuals with skills needed to address national security and economic competitiveness needs. As a result, the Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to increasing world language skills and cultural https://www.amacad.org/publication/americas-languages https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm knowledge capability and capacity by identifying and training students who could become potential service members with high aptitude to learn world languages. The goal of any proposed effort under this announcement must provide solutions that will establish, improve, or expand world language study for Pre K-12 public school students in an LEA that hosts a unit of the JROTC. For this effort, world language is defined as American Sign Language (ASL) and/or any of the languages included on the DoD Strategic Language List (SLL) as defined in DoD Directive 5160.41E, Defense Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture Program, and can be found at Appendix C of this announcement.

Applicants’ project narrative must focus on one or more of the following scope areas:

• Establish and implement programs that showcase a meaningful integration of world language(s) across subject areas. Projects under this scope would include world language immersion or partial world language immersion of any of the languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix C) and/or ASL.

• Establish and implement an exploratory pilot program that seeks to create new world language experiences for students. For example, this type of project may link native speakers of languages other than English within the LEA with the target schools in order to promote two-way language learning. The language used for this scope must be included on the DoD SLL (Appendix C) and/or ASL.

• Improve or expand content-based instruction in the target school’s current world language program of one or more of the languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix C) and/or ASL.

• Effectively use technology, such as computer-assisted instruction or distance (virtual) learning, to establish or expand course offerings of one or more world languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix C) and/or ASL.

Applications should:

• Address the program description,

• Demonstrate potential to make a substantial impact as related to the scope focus areas as described above,

• Create meaningful content and participant experiences that meet the intent of this program including an awareness of one or more languages included on the Department of Defense SLL and/or ASL,

• Collect a set of program-specific measures of performance to include capture of participation rates and measures of effectiveness appropriate to the goals of the project and

• Contain a strategy for program sustainability, such that following the end of the period of performance of this award, the effort will have a clear financial path and leave enduring program capability.

D. Deliverables

Reports – The applicant must acknowledge that the following reports are required under this announcement and if awarded agree to submit the following:

• Quarterly Financial Reports –This report requirement is fulfilled with the completion of https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/516041Ep.pdf?ver=2020-08-25-152344-143 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/516041Ep.pdf?ver=2020-08-25-152344-143 the Standard Form (SF) 270 which is to be accompanied by any grant advance payment or reimbursement request via an attachment on the Wide Area Workflow system. The SF 270 will include information on current expenses and invoices for the submitted time period.

• Performance Progress Reports – A template will be provided to each awarded grantee.

This report will include information on programmatic goals to include major successes or major problems that warrant DoDEA attention. This report will be submitted through our DoDEA grants online reporting system for each fall and spring school year semesters.

• Annual Report – A template will be provided to each awarded grantee. A complete annual Performance Progress Report is mandated by DoDEA. This report will be due each year on October 31St and will include a cover sheet, written narrative as well as the annual financial report.

• Final Performance Report – This report details the full programmatic accomplishments summarized from prior annual reports and a forecast for ongoing program sustainability after the end of the period of performance. Include, as feasible, examples of educational materials produced, success stories, accomplishments, links to digital materials, and other resultant material from the award.

The below table outlines the deliverables timeline as stated above.

Table 1 – Reporting/Deliverable Timeline Due Date Report Type

QUARTERLY • Standard Form 270

JANUARY 31 • Fall Semester Report

JULY 31 • Spring Semester Report

OCTOBER 31 • Annual Performance Report

• Annual Financial Report

NO LATER THAN 120 DAYS

AFTER END OF PERIOD OF

PERFORMANCE DATE

• Final Performance Report

Grants under this announcement do not include the delivery of hardware deliverables.

E. Authorization

Authority for this competitive grant is provided by the following: Section 574 (d) of P.L. 109- 364; Title 10 U.S.C. Section 2192(b) and Title 10 U.S.C. Section 1751 of P.L. 116–92.

Additionally, this publication constitutes a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements Regulations (DoDGARS) 32 CFR 22.315(a). DoDEA will not issue paper copies of this announcement. DoDEA reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the applications in response to this announcement. DoDEA provides no funding for direct reimbursement of application development costs. Application packages to include project narratives and budgets (or any other material) submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned. It is the policy of DoDEA to treat all applications as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of DoDEA’s evaluation of the grant applications.

The applicant must meet the minimum standards for receiving federal funds, as defined in 32 CFR 22.415, which state that to be qualified, a potential recipient must:

• Have the management capability and adequate financial and technical resources, given those that would be made available through the grant or cooperative agreement, to execute the program of activities envisioned under the grant or cooperative agreement.

• Have a satisfactory record of executing such programs or activities (if a prior recipient of an award).

• Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.

• Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive a grant or cooperative agreement under applicable laws and regulations (see § 22.420(c)).

The applicant must agree to abide by all federal rules and regulations regarding performance and financial management, including, but not limited to:

• 2 CFR 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards”.

Any inconsistencies in the requirements of this award will be resolved in the following order of precedence:

• Federal statutes

• Federal regulations

• 2 CFR part 200, as modified and supplemented by DoD's interim implementation found in 2 CFR part 1103

• Award-specific terms and conditions

In case of disagreement with any requirements of this award, the recipient shall contact the appropriate DoDEA Grants Officer in order to resolve the issue. The recipient shall not assess any costs to the award or accept any payments until the issue is resolved.

Applicants should be aware of the following:

• Information regarding application packages can be found at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

• Grant applications will be reviewed only if they (1) meet the criteria specified by this announcement and (2) are submitted through Grants.gov at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html

III. Award Information

A. Funding Amount and Period of Performance

Under this FOA, DoDEA intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds. Each individual award will be for a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $3,000,000, for a period of up to five (5) years. DoDEA expects projects to be completed within the performance period. All projects awarded under this FOA will have a Period of Performance end date of May 31, 2026. Proposed project costs must be no more than $3,000,000 for all years of the project, including direct and indirect costs. Please note that applicants are required to use the first year of their award as a planning year. During this year, such activities as refining project and evaluation plans, providing professional learning, securing necessary resources, and hiring or revising staff positions should occur. Any project requesting total federal support from DoDEA of more than $3,000,000 total for all years will not be considered for funding. It is anticipated that awards funded under this announcement and selected this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2021.

The amount available through this announcement will be dependent upon final FY 2021 budgetary decisions. Publication of this notice does not obligate DoDEA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funding. If any applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement from the authorized DoDEA Grants Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager, the applicant does so solely at the LEA’s own risk of such costs not being included under an award if an award is made to the applicant. Pre-award cost are not allowed under this award, unless prior approval has been given by the DoDEA Grants Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager in accordance with 2 CFR §200.308(d) and §200.407.

B. Peer Merit Reviews

DoDEA will utilize peer reviewers to assist in the evaluation of applications and periodic appraisal of performance under the awards. Such periodic program reviews monitor the cost, schedule, and technical performances of funded efforts. The reviews are used in part to determine which world language grantees will receive funding. Peer reviewers who are not U.S. Government employees will sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving full or partial copies of applications and reports submitted by the applicants.

IV. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to PK-12 LEAs including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions and individuals are not eligible to apply. Likewise, federal agencies or current federal employees are not eligible to receive federal assistance under this announcement but may be project partners. Current DoDEA grant awards recipients are eligible to apply.

Awards under this announcement will be made to LEAs on behalf of their eligible school(s). Eligible schools must meet the following two criteria:

1. Eligible school(s) must have a 10 percent or greater military-connected student enrollment for school year (SY) 2019-20. The enrollment numbers may be verifiable from the district’s U.S. Department of Education Impact Aid totals and/or the State Military Student Identifier data. For the purposes of this announcement, a military-connected student is defined as an elementary or secondary school student who is: (i) a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces; (ii) a dependent of a civilian employee of the Department of Defense; or (iii) a dependent of a person who is not a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense but who is employed on Federal property.

2. Eligible school(s) must be a part of a LEA which currently hosts a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) in one of their local high schools.

JROTC programs, run through the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, are taught as elective courses at more than 3,000 high schools nationwide. To find out if a LEA has an eligible JROTC program, please visit the following respective service JROTC websites:

o U.S. Army JROTC Program Headquarters – Select “School Locator” http://www.usarmyjrotc.com/ o U.S. Air Force JROTC Program Headquarters – Select “AFJROTC Unit Locator” https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article- Display/Article/950637/ o Naval Service Training Command – Select “Find An NJROTC Unit” https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training- Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what o U.S. Marine Corps https://www.mcjrotc.marines.mil/Schools/List/

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

The primary basis for selecting applications for award will be technical merit, relevance to the subject of the solicitation, proposed cost allowability, reasonableness, and the availability of funding. No cost sharing or matching is required. If offered, voluntary cost sharing may be considered as a demonstration of an offeror's commitment to their proposed project. Any proposed cost sharing becomes a binding term of any award. DoDEA reserves the right to request and require additional supporting information and documentation after it makes the selection determination. DoDEA reserves the right to remove applicants from award consideration if the applicant fails to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, or cost/price within a reasonable time; or if the applicant fails to provide requested or required additional information in a timely manner.

http://www.usarmyjrotc.com/ https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article-Display/Article/950637/ https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article-Display/Article/950637/ https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what https://www.mcjrotc.marines.mil/Schools/List/

C. Other

Registration in System of Award Management

To apply for grants and other funding opportunities, the proposing LEA must be registered in the System of Award Management (SAM). Applications will not be accepted unless through Grants.gov and unless the proposing LEA is registered in SAM. Registration in SAM is now included in the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. SAM may be accessed at: https://sam.gov. SAM registration must be current at the time of award.

V. Application and Submission Information

The Government seeks only applications that are relevant and responsive to the Funding Opportunity Description in Section II. Applications that fail to address the areas listed in the Funding Opportunity Description will be rejected and not considered further.

Applications will only be received electronically through https://www.grants.gov/ no later than May 07, 2021 (Friday) no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications are NOT to be submitted via email. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

Award Notification: It is anticipated that final selections for award will be made no later than September 30, 2021.

A. Address to Request Application Package

All relevant materials are available with this announcement on Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications submitted under this FOA must seek to address unclassified efforts. As a corollary, no classified applications shall be submitted. Application submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable laws and DoD regulations.

An application must include all elements (1) through (3) below; elements (4) and (5) are optional, but recommended. Failure to provide this information in the required format and within prescribed page limits may result in the application being excluded from further review. Any non-requested elements submitted as part of a full application package will be removed from the application prior to merit review.

(1) Required Federal Forms

Prospective applicants must complete the mandatory forms in accordance with the https://sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html instructions provided on the forms and the additional instructions below. Files that are attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) unless otherwise specified in this announcement.

At the time of application submission, applicants must complete and submit the following federal forms with signatures of the Authorized Representative of the submitting LEA:

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• SF-424-A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs

• CD-511, Certifications Regarding Lobbying

(2) Project Narrative

Submit Project Narrative using the following format:

• Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – single spaced

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

• Page limit - The projective narrative shall not exceed 20 pages. Excluded in this page limit are elements (4) and (5) which are optional, but recommended.

• The project narrative components should include the following:

Cover Page Abstract Table of Contents Needs Assessment and Rationale for the Project Project Goals and Design Project Planning Year Project Implementation Years Key Personnel Qualifications Project Evaluation Budget Narrative Sustainability Plan

Cover Page – must include all contact information (including mailing address), names of military installations served, project focus (scope) area(s), enrollment data for eligible schools, JROTC unit located within school district and an authorized signature. A sample cover page can be found in Appendix A.

Abstract - of no longer than 250 words is required. The abstract should be a concise overview of the objectives of the project, project activities, location of the project, expected outcome(s), and the proposed rationale/impact for the work. NOTE: Project abstracts of applications that receive funding may be posted on program-related websites and/or included in notices that DoDEA may send to members of Congress.

Table of Contents – lists the sections within the narrative, including corresponding page numbers as prescribed above.

Needs Assessment and Rationale for the Project - describes the world language program(s) currently offered, including gaps or weaknesses in the current world language program(s), while also identifying the specific needs for the proposed project.

Additionally, this section describes how the proposed project will address gaps or weaknesses in world language instruction by conducting effective activities, such as increasing enrollment in languages identified on the DoD SLL or ASL during the course of the grant by adding languages, adding grades or course levels, recruiting students, or expanding to additional schools.

Project Goals and Design – The application must consist of a clear description of the technical approach being proposed to address the applicants’ chosen focus area. The relevance of the establishment, improvement, or expansion of a world language program of study in relation to the eligible school(s) must be made clear. This section of the narrative should address the following:

1. Identify goals of project. Each goal should be written as a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal. Additionally, state how the project outcomes to be achieved are clearly specified and measurable.

2. Discuss the LEAs potential to achieve one or more of the focus areas as described in the Program Description section of this announcement, including the extent to which the proposed project will result in information to guide possible replication of project activities or strategies, including information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the project.

3. Identify proposed efforts for increasing or maintaining the eligible school’s world language program and the potential of the proposed program to educate a future workforce with proficient language skills critical to the DoD mission.

4. Discuss increased or enhanced opportunities to provide world language opportunities to elementary and/or secondary students.

5. Discuss the potential and extent to which the proposed program can provide professional learning opportunities.

Project Planning Year - Discuss how the project director will use the planning year (Year 1) to:

1. Build strong communication systems so all stakeholders understand the purpose of the project and know how to get involved.

• Short example: If the new or pilot program intends to increase the number of minutes or hours per week in foreign language instruction at an elementary school, what are the target minutes/hours?

Enrollment or attendance numbers and percentages of students participating in foreign language instruction?

• Longer example: For example, applicants may indicate improved teacher capacity to instruct in world language curriculum as a goal that can be shown through changes in teacher practices based on project-supported professional development activities. Applicants may also indicate expanded world language programming by using enrollment, participation, and retention of students across grade levels in the proposed program or world language. If applicable, applicants may want to incorporate student participation and performance in language proficiency assessments (e.g., ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency for Grades 6 and below (STAMP4Se) when formulating goals that also align with the applicant’s state standards for world languages.

2. Involve appropriate personnel in planning-specifically project school staff, leadership, and budget/finance staff.

3. Research the proposed grant strategies and develop specific plans with timelines, milestones, and responsible people for implementation.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how curricular alignments, program pipelines, and strategic partnerships across the LEA community and within the PK-12 and post-secondary education systems can contribute to an educated, world-language proficient future workforce.

4. Identify key activities to prepare for project implementation.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how online tools and applications, and inclusion of native speakers of languages other than English can enhance or increase world language opportunities to elementary and/or secondary students.

5. Provide professional learning and develop a plan for ongoing professional learning to support staff practice in applying grant strategies with fidelity and integrity.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how a dual language immersion program can impact teachers’ instructional practices and needs for support in lesson planning, differentiating instruction by student proficiency level, and use of assessment results to inform instruction.

6. Collaborate with the evaluator to plan for an evaluation design and approach with the appropriate evaluation design, tools and measures, and feasible data collection timetable using both qualitative and quantitative data collection sources.

7. Identify military installation and business partners and institutions of higher education and other collaborators.

8. Identify ongoing technical assistance needs and sources for providing those services (e.g. DoDEA ETAC, school or district, third-party vendor).

In addition, applicants are required to complete the template at Appendix D of this announcement to detail planning year activities and timelines. Applicants may add as many rows to the template as they need to address their expected activities.

Project Implementation Years - Discuss how the project director will manage the project during Year 2 (the first year of implementation) through Year 5 (final year of implementation and close out) to ensure that:

1. Project school staff continue to be supported when implementing strategies.

2. Proposed focus areas are implemented, monitored, and redirected as data dictates.

3. The evaluator receives necessary data to analyze project implementation and outcomes.

4. The barriers to implementation are addressed in a timely manner

5. Project activities and outcomes are communicated to key stakeholders.

Additionally, the narrative should explain the capacity for data management to include the applicant’s capacity to identify, track, and disaggregate data for the engagement of military-connected students, professional learning efforts, and technology (if applicable).

Applicants are required to complete the template at Appendix D of this announcement to detail implementation years activities and timelines. Applicants may add as many rows to the template as they need to address their expected activities.

Key Personnel Qualifications – Describe all key personnel involved in the grant to include expectations for the project director and evaluator. Qualifications, including relevant education, training and experience of the project director and key personnel, should be discussed. This section should detail the time commitments of the project director and other key project personnel as they are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project. Support staff positions (names, if known) should be included and noted whether they are compensated through the grant. If so, state what percentage of their compensation will be provided through this project. Please note that the project director position is required to be from .5 to 1.0 FTE. Applicants should also include a statement explaining how the project director and outside evaluator will collaborate to perform evaluation tasks included below.

Project Evaluation – Discuss the metrics and evaluation plans for this project. This section should ensure the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project. Metrics and evaluation components must include but not be limited to:

• Logic models and/or program operating guidelines.

• Anticipated data collection and results.

• Data instruments as feasible. This should include the methods of evaluation to include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and that will produce quantitative and/or qualitative data to the greatest extent possible.

• Describe planned assessments to be selected or developed, how they are standards-based, and/or performance-based, and how they are appropriate for measuring student world language proficiency in the planned project activities.

This section should also include benchmarks to monitor progress toward specific project objectives, including student world language proficiency objectives and outcome measures to assess the impact on teaching and learning or other important outcomes for students.

Budget Narrative – The application must include a cost proposal detailing direct labor, fringe benefits, travel, contracts, supplies, and indirect costs. The cost proposal is a narrative explaining and justifying budget figures in enough detail so the government can determine reasonableness. The budget narrative must include all figures, calculations, and supporting documentation for determining cost allowability, allocability and reasonableness. Justifications for costs must be explicitly stated.

Additional information may be requested by DoDEA, if needed. NOTE: In accordance with 2 CFR §200.414(f), any non-Federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, except for those non-Federal entities described in Appendix VII to 2 CFR §200, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. Failure to adequately provide detailed cost data for entire grant period of performance will require the Grants Officer to contact the proposing organization for the requisite information. All Offerors are required to submit a thoroughly detailed cost breakdown. The Grants Officer must be able to determine that all proposed costs are allowable and reasonable. A detailed budget will facilitate this cost analysis.

Sustainability Plan – Describe how the LEA will identify other sources of funding including community and philanthropic organizations, higher education institutions, other federal and state agencies to sustain the effective grant activities. Additionally, discuss how project data will be used to sustain the project after the funding cycle. The resulting sustainability plan will be a roadmap for how the grant project will continue and achieve its intended impact in the school(s) or district during and beyond the grant funding period. An effective sustainability plan will anticipate obstacles such as personnel changes, strengthen buy-in among stakeholders, and inform changes in policy and institutional practices that would contribute to greater sustained fidelity of the project’s most promising and effective strategies.

(3) Detail Budget – Cost Analysis

Provide a detailed budget table (either excel or .pdf) that clearly identifies and justifies the cost of separable elements of the proposed work and correlates with the budget narrative and sustainability section written in the project narrative. The detailed budget table must include a detailed year-by-year breakdown by category of cost separated into federal and non-federal categories (if applicable). The detailed budget should be sufficiently detailed to enable a clear understanding of the cost breakdown and calculations used to derive the line item subtotals in each object class of the SF-424A budget. The budget should be written with enough detail to allow DoDEA staff and the review panel the ability to evaluate the level of effort proposed by the project. The budget must include all anticipated expenses in order to realistically describe for reviewers what resources will be necessary to carry out the project. DoDEA staff will review budget information in recommended applications to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable. (See Appendix B for a sample Detail Budget Table). Food and beverage costs, with the exception of subsistence costs associated with authorized travel (per diem), are not allowable under this FOA. The following funding requirements apply to all awarded grants under this announcement:

• Direct Labor – Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years. Salaries of administrative and clerical staff are normally indirect costs (and included in an indirect cost rate). Direct charging of these costs may be appropriate when a major project requires an extensive amount of administrative or clerical support significantly greater than normal and routine levels of support. Budgets proposing direct charging of administrative or clerical salaries must be supported with a budget justification which adequately describes the major project and the administrative and/or clerical work to be performed.

• Fringe Benefits– The application should show the rates and calculation of the costs for each rate category. Fringe benefits are defined as costs in the form of employer contributions or expenses for social security, employee life, health, unemployment, and worker’s compensation insurance, as well as other similar benefits for employees who are expected to work solely on this grant. The overall cost of each type of benefit to include the percentage rate at which it is paid must be listed in the applicant’s detailed budget.

• Travel – The proposed travel costs must include the following for each trip: the purpose of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, the number of travelers, and the estimated cost per trip must be justified based on the organization’s historical average cost per trip or other reasonable basis for estimation. Such estimates and the resultant costs claimed must conform to the applicable Federal cost principals. If the actual trip details are unknown, applicants should state the basis for the proposed travel costs. Applicant should refer to their written travel policy for guidance regarding acceptable travel cost. In the absence of an acceptable, written non-federal entity policy regarding travel costs, the rates and amounts established under 5 U.S.C. 5701-11 (“Travel and Subsistence Expenses; Mileage Allowances”), or by the General Services Administration federal travel per diem rates at https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources. As a condition of accepting this grant award, the LEA is required to attend the DoDEA Post Award Community of Practice meeting. The project director is required to attend this meeting, and up to two other project staff may attend the meeting, which is expected to occur in November 2021. Applicants may allocate a $5,000.00 line item in their travel budget to attend this meeting. Any remaining funds not expended for the post-award meeting may be reallocated to other grant expenditures.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources

• Equipment - Equipment is defined by the 2 CFR §200.313 as tangible, nonexpendable, personal property, and/or information technology systems having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000.00 or more per unit. An applicant is expected to be familiar with the management requirements and disposition of equipment as listed in the 2 CFR §200.313, if the LEA chooses to acquire equipment for grant implementation. All equipment, if procured, will be tracked annually through the completion of the Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428). This is a standard federal form for awarding agencies to collect information on tangible property (i.e. equipment). The form consists of cover sheet (SF-428) and three attachments to be used as required: Annual Report, SF-428-A;

Final (Award Closeout) Report, SF-428-B; and a Disposition Request/Report, SF- 428-C. A Supplemental Sheet, SF-428-S, may be used to provide details on individual items.

• Contractual – A contract is a legal instrument by which a non-federal entity purchases good and services needed to carry out the project under the Federal award, per 2 CFR §200.22. Procurement standards are identified in 2 CFR §200.317-200.326. All procurement transactions under this award must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition consistent with the standards identified in 2 CFR §200.319. All grants are required to have a third-party evaluator. Up to 5% of the total federal funds may be allocated to this position. The third-party evaluator must not be a current employee of the LEA. To ensure objectiveness, creativity, and accountability in monitoring and evaluation, a returning grantee may not use the same third-party evaluator listed on any two active DoDEA grants for that LEA. In order to be inclusive, we highly recommend that the grantees select an evaluator competitively using outside avenues, such as local universities, research/evaluation organizations, and by posting jobs on professional websites to hire qualified evaluators. Consultants are allowable under this FOA. If consultants will be used, provide a breakdown of the consultant’s hours, the hourly rate proposed, any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed Consulting Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant rate/cost, and a copy of the consultant’s proposed statement of work if it is not already separately identified in the prime contractor’s application.

• Supplies – Provide an itemized list of all proposed materials and supplies including quantities, unit prices, and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists).

• Other Direct Costs – Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct costs such as professional development fees, report and publication costs, and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists).

• Indirect-cost – If the indirect rates have been approved/negotiated by a

Government agency, provide a copy of the memorandum/agreement. If the rates have not been approved/negotiated, provide enough detail to enable a determination of allowability, allocability and reasonableness of the allocation bases, and how the rates are calculated. Additional information may be requested, if needed. If composite rates are used, provide the calculations used in deriving the composite rates. Fee/profit is unallowable under assistance agreements at either the prime or subaward level but may be permitted on subcontracts issued by the prime awardee.

NOTE: Failure to adequately provide detailed cost data will require the Grants Program Manager and/or Grants Officer to contact the proposing organization for the requisite information. All Offerors are required to submit a thoroughly detailed cost breakdown. The Grants Officer must be able to determine that all proposed costs are allowable and reasonable. A detailed budget will facilitate this cost analysis.

(4) Letter(s) of Support and Supporting Documents

If substantive partnerships are described in the project narrative, letters of commitment should be provided There is no specified format or content required for the letter(s) of support other than being authored by the appropriate representative and supporting commitment to the applicant and his or her project. Commitment may include (but is not limited to) funding, related materials and/or computer investments, technical advisement, and organizational or infrastructure support. The letter(s) can include all commitments and investments made by the representative towards the applicant and the overall statement about the relevance of the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program project.

(5) References

If literature references are cited in the project narrative, then a References Cited section should be included. Each reference should include the names of all authors in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication, the article title, publication or publication title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. While there is no established page limit, this section must include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide substantive information outside the 20-page project narrative.

C. Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures

(1) How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Instructions: Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information. The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

• Obtain a DUNS Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Applicants must enter the DUNS number in the data entry field labeled "Organizational DUNS" on the SF-424 form. For more detailed instructions for obtaining a DUNS number, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain- duns-number.html

• Register with SAM: In addition to having a DUNS number, organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). All organizations must register with SAM in order to apply online. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

• Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step in the registration process is to create an account with Grants.gov. Applicants must know their organization's DUNS number to complete this process. Completing this process automatically triggers an email request for applicant roles to the organization's E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) for review. The EBiz POC is a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM. To apply for grants on behalf of your organization, you will need the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html

• Authorize Grants.gov Roles: After creating an account on Grants.gov, the EBiz POC receives an email notifying them of your registration and request for roles. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been approved as an AOR. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html

• When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization's

AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions. Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html.

(2) How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

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. For access to complete instructions on how to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-%20duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-%20duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-%20register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-%20register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-%20username-password.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-%20username-password.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-%20authorization.html…