80 FR 8855 - Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program-Short-Term Projects

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 33 (February 19, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8855-8860]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03453]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad 
Program--Short-Term Projects

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Overview Information:

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program--Short-Term Projects

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.021A.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: February 19, 2015.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 23, 2015.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad 
(Fulbright-Hays GPA) Program supports overseas projects in training, 
research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and 
area studies for groups of teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a 
common endeavor. Short-term projects may include seminars, curriculum 
development, or group research or study.
    Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority, three 
competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority. In 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priority is from 
the regulations for this program (34 CFR 664.32). Competitive 
Preference Priorities 1 and 2 are from the regulations for this program 
(34 CFR 664.32), and Competitive Preference Priority 3 is from the 
notice of final priorities published in the Federal Register on 
September 24, 2010 (75 FR 59050).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, 
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we 
consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Specific Geographic Regions of the World.
    A group project that focuses on one or more of the following 
geographic regions of the world: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, 
Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and 
South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and 
Eurasia, and the Near East.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: Within this absolute priority, 
we give competitive preference to applications that address one or more 
of the following three priorities.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), for FY 2015, we award an additional 
two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 
1; up to an additional three points to an application that meets 
Competitive Preference Priority 2; and up to an additional five points 
to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 3. An 
applicant can address one, two, or all three of the competitive 
preference priorities. We can therefore award up to an additional 10 
total points to an application, depending on how well the application 
meets competitive preference priorities 1, 2, and 3.

    Note:  In order to receive preference under these competitive 
preference priorities, the applicant must identify the priority or 
priorities that it believes it meets and provide documentation 
supporting its claims.

    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1: Specific Geographic Regions of 
the World (2 Points).
    Applications that focus on one or more of the following geographic 
regions of the world: sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Benin, Botswana, 
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, 
Chad, Comoros, C[ocirc]te d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 
Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, 
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, 
Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, 
Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, R[eacute]union, Rwanda, 
S[atilde]o Tom[eacute] and Pr[iacute]ncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra 
Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, 
Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe); South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, 
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka); and Southeast 
Asia (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, 
Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam).
    Competitive Preference Priority 2: Substantive Training and 
Thematic Focus on Priority Languages (Up to 3 Points).
    Applications that propose short-term projects abroad that provide 
substantive training and thematic focus on any of the 78 priority 
languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less 
Commonly Taught Languages: Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic,

[[Page 8856]]

Arabic (all dialects), Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, 
Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), 
Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), Berber (all languages), Bosnian, 
Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), 
Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), 
Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), 
Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, 
Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kurdish 
(Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), Malayalam, Marathi, 
Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish, 
Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, 
Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, 
Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur/
Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    Competitive Preference Priority 3: Inclusion of K-12 Educators (Up 
to 5 Points).
    Applications that propose short-term projects abroad that develop 
and improve foreign language studies, area studies, or both at 
elementary and secondary schools by including K-12 teachers or K-12 
administrators as at least 50 percent of the project participants.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which 
we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets this 
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.
    This priority is:
    Applications from any one of the following:
    (a) Minority-Serving Institutions (as defined in this notice).
    (b) Community colleges (as defined in this notice).
    (c) New applicants (as defined in this notice).
    Definitions:
    Minority-Serving Institution means an institution that is eligible 
to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title 
III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).
    Community college means an institution that meets the definition in 
section 312(f) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)); or an institution of 
higher education (as defined in section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 
1001)) that awards degrees and certificates, more than 50 percent of 
which are not bachelor's degrees (or an equivalent).
    New applicant means any applicant who has not received a 
discretionary grant from the Department of Education under a program 
authorized by title VI of the HEA or the Fulbright-Hays Act for five 
years prior to the deadline date for applications under this program.
    Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 
86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on 
Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 
180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
3485. (c) 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. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 664. (e) The notice of final priorities for this program, 
published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2010 (75 FR 59050).

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,361,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000--$125,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: 80,059.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $125,000 for a single budget period of 18 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
award through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 17.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (1) IHEs, (2) State departments of 
education, (3) Private nonprofit educational organizations, and (4) 
Consortia of these entities.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: www.Grants.gov. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or 
call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 
22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: 
(703) 605-6794. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at 
its email address: [email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program as follows: CFDA number 84.021A.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to no 
more than 40 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. Charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs in the application narrative may be single spaced 
and will count toward the page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
     The 40-page limit does not apply to Part I, the 
Application for Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the

[[Page 8857]]

supplemental information form required by the Department of Education; 
Part II, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524); Part 
IV, assurances, certifications, and the response to section 427 of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA); the table of contents; the 
one-page project abstract; the appendices; or the line-item budget. 
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative 
(Part III). If you include any attachments or appendices not 
specifically requested, these items will be counted as part of the 
application narrative for purposes of the page-limit requirement.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 19, 2015.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 23, 2015.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission 
Requirements of this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 
664.33. We reference additional regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must--
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award 
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 
Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one to two business days.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
    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. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to 
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in 
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through 
Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make 
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with 
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update 
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, 
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with 
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the 
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an 
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Fulbright-Hays GPA Program, CFDA 
number 84.021A, must be submitted electronically using the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this 
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you 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. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Fulbright-
Hays GPA Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. 
Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., 
search for 84.021, not 84.021A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if 
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline

[[Page 8858]]

date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from 
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application 
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 system home 
page at www.G5.gov.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     You must upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) 
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or 
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 
non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not 
review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by email. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this 
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The 
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether 
your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement for Fulbright-Hays GPA 
Short-Term Projects (CFDA 84.021A) to: Reha Mallory, Fulbright-Hays 
Group Projects Abroad Program, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street NW., room 6100, Washington, DC 20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7675.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center,Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.021A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.

[[Page 8859]]

    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note:  The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a 
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with 
your local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.021A), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. General Information: For FY 2015, short-term project 
applications will be reviewed by separate panels according to world 
area. Each panel reviews, scores, and ranks its applications separately 
from the applications assigned to the other world area panels. However, 
all applications will be ranked against each other from the highest to 
the lowest score for funding purposes. A rank order from highest to 
lowest score will be developed and will be used for funding purposes.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from 34 CFR 664.31 and are as follows: (a) Plan of operation (20 
points); (b) Quality of key personnel (10 points); (c) Budget and cost 
effectiveness (10 points); (d) Evaluation plan (20 points); (e) 
Adequacy of resources (5 points); (f) Potential impact of the project 
on the development of the study of modern foreign languages and area 
studies in American education (15 points); (g) The project's relevance 
to the applicant's educational goals and its relationship to its 
program development in modern foreign languages and area studies (5 
points); and (h) The extent to which direct experience abroad is 
necessary to achieve the project's objectives and the effectiveness 
with which relevant host country resources will be utilized (10 
points). Additional information about these criteria is in the 
application package for this program.
    3. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    4. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may 
impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk 
conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially 
stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or 
other management system that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 
200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or 
is otherwise not responsible.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, 
also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply 
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final 
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the 
Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual 
performance report that provides the most current performance and 
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data instrument 
International Resource Information System (IRIS) to complete the final 
report. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993, the following measures will be used by the 
Department to evaluate the success of the GPA short-term program: 
percentage of GPA participants who disseminated information about or 
materials from their group project abroad through more than one 
outreach activity within six months of returning to their home 
institution.
    The information provided by grantees in their performance reports 
submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. 
Reporting screens for institutions can be viewed at: http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/gpa_director.pdf and http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/gpa_participant.pdf.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reha Mallory, Fulbright-Hays Group 
Projects Abroad Program, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street 
NW., Room 6100, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7605 or 
by email: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

[[Page 8860]]

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.thefederalregister.org/fdsys. At this site, you can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: February 13, 2015.
Ted Mitchell,
Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-03453 Filed 2-18-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P