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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE

15.027: Assistance to Tribally Controlled Community Colleges and Universities

Objectives: To provide grants for the operation and improvement of tribally controlled community colleges to insure continued and expanded educational opportunities for Indian students, and to allow for the improvement and expansion of the physical resources of such institutions.

PROGRAM AND AWARD FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS INFORMATION CONTACTS

RELATED PROGRAMS ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

15.027 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility: Colleges sponsored by Federally Recognized Indian Tribes or tribal organizations which are governed by a board of directors, are in operation more than one year, admit students with a certificate of graduation from a secondary institution or equivalent, provide certificates, associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees, are nonprofit and nonsectarian.

Beneficiary Eligibility: Indian students who are a member of or are at least a one-fourth degree Indian blood descendant of a member of an Indian tribe which is eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to Indians because of their status as Indians.

Credentials/Documentation: Written evidence of approval of the application by the governing body of one or more Indian tribes of the students served by or to be served by the college. "Tribal governing body" means the tribal governing body or tribal governing bodies that represent at least 90 percent of the students served by such school.

15.027 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination: An applicant should consult the Branch Chief of Post-Secondary Education. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure: The organization should submit written evidence of approval of the application by the governing body of one or more Indian tribes of the students served by or to be served by the college to the Director, Office of Indian Education.

Award Procedure: After receiving approval of the application by the governing body or governing bodies, the Director will designate a study team to determine whether there is justification to encourage maintaining a college.

Deadlines: Colleges must submit the tribe's approval of the application by March 1 of the fiscal year preceding the year in which they wish to be eligible for funding. Evidence that all administrative systems are in place such as accounting, personnel and property must be submitted by July 1 of the preceding year in which they wish to be eligible for funding.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: The study team will be designated within 30 days. Within 60 days the team must complete its eligibility study. The tribe will be notified of approval within 60 days of completion of the study.

Appeals: A negative determination may be appealed to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. Within 30 days of receiving a notice of appeal the Assistant Secretary must conduct a hearing at which the applicant may present evidence and offer arguments in support of the appeal. Within 30 days after the hearing the Assistant Secretary must issue a written ruling on the appeal. Specifics relative to the appeals process are found in 25 CFR 41.7.

Renewals: Colleges must file an annual application to receive continued funding.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals: Applicants which the study team determines as eligible will be funded.

Examples of Funded Projects: Twenty-five Tribally Controlled Community Colleges received financial assistance.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance: The range is $154,000 to $6,967,000. The average is $1,222,000. The amount of the award is determined by the number of Indian students enrolled in the college. Indian Tribes may choose to supplement the funding provided by the grant program by identifying additional amounts in the Tribal Priority Allocations portion of the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget.

15.027 RELATED PROGRAMS:

15.114 Indian Education: Higher Education Grant Program;
15.026 Indian Adult Education.

15.027 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Annually, over 20,000 Indian students receive an education above the secondary level, and about 1,000 Indian students receive an associate, bachelors or masters degree or a vocational certificate.

15.027 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Type of Assistance: Project Grants.

Obligations: (Grants) FY 99 $31,381,000; FY 00 est $38,515,000; and FY 01 est $38,339,000.

Budget Account Number: 14-2100-0-1-501.

Authorization: Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act, Public Law 95-471, 25 U.S.C. 640c - 1(c); 25 U.S.C. 1815.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature: 25 CFR, Part 41; 25 CFR, Part 276.

15.027 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office: See Education Line Officers' addresses in Catalog Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Headquarters Office: Office of Indian Education Programs, Bureau of Indian Affairs, MS-3512 MIB, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240. Contact: Garry Martin. Phone: (202) 208-3478. Use this same number for FTS.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

15.027 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements: None.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Awards are made on an annual basis and the funds remain available without fiscal year limitation until expended by the contractor/grantee.

Uses and Use Restrictions: Funds may be used for the general operating costs of the Tribally Controlled Community College to defray, at the determination of the College, expenditures for academic, educational and administrative purposes and for the operation and maintenance of the College. Funds must not be used in connection with religious worship or sectarian instruction.

15.027 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports: OMB 1076-0105, Annual Report.

Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records: Financial records must be retained for three years from the date of submission of the single audit report. Procurement records must be retained for three years from the date of final payment. Property records must be retained for three years from the date of disposition, replacement, or transfer. Records pertaining to any litigation, audit exceptions or claims must be retained until the dispute has been resolved.