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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

84.185:  Byrd Honors Scholarships

Objectives:  To provide scholarships to support postsecondary education to outstanding high school seniors who show promise of continued academic achievement in an effort to recognize and promote student excellence and achievement.

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

84.185 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  The State educational agencies (SEA), which supervise public elementary and secondary schools in the States, are responsible for administering the program. For the purposes of this program, the States include the 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  A student must meet residency and citizenship requirements, be a graduate of a public or private secondary school or have been accepted for enrollment at an institution of higher education, have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, and show promise of continued academic achievement to be eligible to receive a scholarship.

Credentials/Documentation:  To receive allotments for scholarships, a State must submit a participation agreement to the Department of Education as required by Section 419E of the program statute. A State is not required to provide further application information for funding unless the State wants to modify an approved agreement. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

84.185 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:  Annual allotments are provided through grant awards to the State educational agencies for making scholarships to qualifying students. Students apply to their State of legal residence for a scholarship under this program. Student applicants must follow the application procedures as directed by each State. Each participating State awards scholarships to eligible students in accordance with selection procedures approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Deadlines:  Grant awards to States for scholarships are made in time for the States to make scholarship payments before the end of the secondary school academic year. Students must submit an application according to the deadlines established by each participating State.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  Not applicable.

Appeals:  Not applicable.

Renewals:  To be eligible for allotments for any year, States must enter into an agreement with the Department of Education in accordance with Section 419E of the program statute and the program requirements for the year as published in the Federal Register by the Secretary. To be eligible for renewal of scholarships, students must continue to meet residency and citizenship requirements, be enrolled as a full-time student, and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Not applicable.

Examples of Funded Projects:  None.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  Awards to States in fiscal year 1999 ranged from $60,000 to $4,680,000. Scholarships to individuals were $1,500.

84.185 RELATED PROGRAMS:

None.

84.185 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

All 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands are eligible to participate in this program. In fiscal year 1999, 26,192 students received $1,500 Scholarships.

84.185 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Type of Assistance:  Formula Grants.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $39,288,000; FY 00 est $39,859,000; and FY 01 est $41,001,000.

Budget Account Number:  91-0201-0-1-502.

Authorization:  Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 6, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1070d-31-1070d-41.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  34 CFR 654 (Program Regulations) published in the Federal Register on August 11, 1993, fact sheet, program description, and Directory of State Agency Official Contacts (current). Contact the program office for more information.

84.185 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Division of Higher Education Incentive Programs, 400 Maryland Ave., Washington, DC 20024-5251. Contact: Darlene B. Collins. Phone: (202) 260-3394.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

84.185 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  Each participating State is allotted scholarships (amounting to $1,500 each) based on the ratio of the State's population ages five through 17 years to the population ages five through 17 in all participating States, except that no State shall receive less than 10 scholarships.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  A State must expend its allotment for scholarships during the award year specified by the Secretary with regard to those funds.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Scholarships of $1,500 are awarded to support a maximum of 4 years of study at any eligible institution of higher education.

84.185 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  An annual performance report of the expenditure of Scholarship funds and other reports as required by the Secretary.

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:  Records must be maintained for 5 years after the activity for which the funds were awarded or until completion of the Department Audit, whichever is later.