A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

   ATTENTION:  EDUCATION EDITOR                        June 17, 1994                A review of current programs and projects at the            U.S. Department of Education.  Use upon receipt.        CONTACT:  Jim Bradshaw  (202) 401-2310

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PUBLISHES EARLIEST-EVER COMBINED GRANT APPLICATION NOTICE

In an effort to better serve America's educators, the U.S. Department of Education published in the June 10 Federal Register a combined application notice for more than 65 grant programs for fiscal year 1995, which begins Oct. 1.

For the past five years, a combined application notice has been printed in September, with competitions held, reviews conducted, and some grants awarded up to a year later.

However, educators have urged that awards be made much earlier so that schools can better plan their budgets and project directors can begin hiring staff and making other arrangements before the school year begins in the autumn.

Next year, the secretary of education expects to publish in the spring a combined notice that includes almost all department grant competitions. Meanwhile, during this transition year a second combined application notice will be published in September that includes many competitions not in this month's announcement.

The combined notice gives information on the purpose and priorities of each program, eligible applicants, pertinent regulations, and a contact person for more details.

Also included are dates when application packages will be available and deadlines for submitting applications. Estimates are provided on the size and number of the awards.

The entries are arranged by the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (a government-wide identification system) and by the office administering the program. Included are some of the direct grants and fellowships to be awarded by the offices of:

• Postsecondary Education;
• Special Education and Rehabilitative Services;
• Educational Research and Improvement; and
• Vocational and Adult Education.

As with previous notices, the document refers readers to earlier issues of the Federal Register for grant programs already announced.

Further information about department funding opportunities, including copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions already announced, can be viewed electronically. For instance, the department operates a computer bulletin board (ED BOARD) that can be reached with a modem at (202) 260-9950. The same board is available on Internet through the Telnet, "fedworld.gov." Once in, choose "Gateway Systems" and BBS #110. Also on Internet, grant information can be obtained on the department's gopher server at "gopher.ed.gov" (under Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases).

However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant competition is the one published in the Federal Register.

Copies of the June 10 issue of the Federal Register are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. The public may also call (202) 783-3238 and charge the purchase to Visa, MasterCard or a GPO Deposit Account. The cost is $4.50 for paper, $1.50 for microfiche or $175 for magnetic tape.