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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

84.252:  Urban Community Service

Objectives:  To encourage urban academic institutions of higher education to work with private and civic organizations and provide faculty, student and institutional resources to devise and implement solutions to pressing and severe problems in their communities.

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

84.252 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Only an accredited institution of higher education that has been designated as an urban grant institution or a consortium of such institutions may apply. To be designated as an urban institution the following requirements must either (A) be a nonprofit municipal university, etc., or (b) meet each of the six following criteria: (1) Be located in an urban area; (2) draw at least 40 percent of its undergraduate students from the urban area in which it is located or from contiguous areas; (3) carry out programs to make postsecondary education opportunities more accessible to residents of that urban area; (4) have the capacity to provide resources to the needs and priorities of that urban area; (5) offer a range of professional, technical, or graduate programs; and (6) demonstrate and sustain a sense of responsibility to the urban area.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Benefiting are individuals and communities within the urban area.

Credentials/Documentation:  None.

84.252 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:  In any fiscal year in which funds are available for new awards, the Department of Education publishes a notice in the Federal Register inviting applications from designated urban grant institutions and establishing a deadline date. Copies will be mailed to all institutions designated as urban grant institutions and will also be mailed to other interested parties upon request. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:  Peer review panels composed of representatives from public and private higher education, and community based organizations review applications.

Deadlines:  The deadline date is published in the Federal Register.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  Notification usually is made within 2 months of the deadline for submission of applications.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  Applications for renewal of multi-year projects are processed and funded before those for new projects. Renewals are subject to the availability of funds.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Determination of need for the project (10 points); quality of the applicant's organization for operation (20 points); quality of project objectives (10 points); quality of implementation strategy (20 points); quality of evaluation plan (15 points); quality of key personnel (10 points); budget and cost-effectiveness (5 points); and institutional commitment (10 points).

Examples of Funded Projects:  Crime prevention; youth safety; neighborhood revitalization; and improving student retention and performance.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  In fiscal year 1999, the average award was $196,000.

84.252 RELATED PROGRAMS:

84.252 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

84.252 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

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

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants (Discretionary).

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $4,637,000; FY 00 est $0; and FY 01 est $0. No new awards are expected to be made under this program.

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

Authorization:  Higher Education Act of 1965, Title XI, Part C, as amended, Public Law 105-244, 20 U.S.C. 1136-1136a-h.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  34 CFR 636 (Program Regulations) published in the Federal Register on August 11, 1993.

84.252 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Education Services Programs, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20202-5335. Contact: Marion Steward. Phone: (202) 260-3281. Use the same number for FTS.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

84.252 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  This program has no statutory formula to determine the amount of a grant. The grantee is required to contribute to the project an amount from nonfederal sources equal to at least one-fourth the amount of the grant. The nonfederal contribution may be in cash or in-kind.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Grants may be made on a multi-year basis, except that no institution, individually or as a participant in a consortium of institutions, may receive a grant for more than 5 years.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Awards may be used to support projects that provide urban areas with applied research, planning services, specialized training, resource exchanges or technology transfers, delivery of services, or other activities to address high priority needs as identified by the community. Program planning is done in consultation with community organizations, such as community colleges, school systems, local governments, businesses, labor, or nonprofit organizations.

84.252 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  A final performance report is required.

Audits:  Audits will be conducted under applicable single audit requirements.

Records:  Records supporting claims under a grant must be maintained for 3 years after termination of the award.