Archive Information – For Historic Purposes Only

1. Introduction of FAQs

These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are comprised of questions and answers generated by U.S. Department of Education (Department) staff based primarily on questions submitted to the Department by prospective applicants for funds (and other interested parties) under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education (Javits) program (CFDA Number 84.206A).  The Department will update these FAQs with questions and answers from the applicants’ teleconference scheduled for Monday, June 9, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), and periodically through June 24, 2014, the deadline date for the transmittal of applications under the FY 2014 Javits grant competition.  The Javits program is authorized under Title V, Part D, Subpart 6 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7253-7253e).

2. How does an eligible entity apply for a Javits grant? Are we required to apply electronically?

As a general matter, applications for grants under the Javits program must be submitted electronically using the Government wide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov.  Through this site, an eligible entity can download a copy of the application package, complete the application offline, and then upload and submit the completed application.  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 84.206, not 84.206A).  Please note that you must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as well as a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in order to submit an application through the Grants.gov website.  For information about how to obtain a DUNS number and TIN, as well as additional information about the FY 2014 Javits competition, including exceptions to the electronic filing requirement, please refer to Applications for New Awards; Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program ( 79 Fed. Reg. 24695), published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2014 (<!–>

a>–>>https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/05/01/2014-10004/applications-for-new-awards-jacob-k-javits-gifted-and-talented-students-education-program).

3. Is an eligible entity that does not submit a “notice of intent to apply” for an FY 2014 Javits grant still eligible to apply?

Yes, an eligible entity that does not submit a “notice of intent to apply” for an FY 2014 Javits grant by the deadline date is still eligible to apply.  Submitting a notice of intent to apply is not mandatory, but it helps the Department for planning purposes to have an idea of how many applicants plan to apply.

4. Does the estimated range of awards refer to the amount of grant funds per year or the total amount of grant funds for all years of the project (up to five years)?

The estimated range of awards refers to the approximate amount of funds we expect to award each grantee on an annual basis.  Grants may be awarded for a period of up to five years, or 60 months.

5. Are charter schools eligible to apply for Javits grants?

As a general matter, charter schools are public schools and, therefore, are eligible to apply for Javits grants as public entities.  Some charter schools are also considered to be LEAs under their States’ charter school laws – these charter schools are eligible to apply for Javits grants as public entities or as LEAs.

6. Are individuals eligible to apply for Javits grants?

No, individuals are not eligible to apply for Javits grants.

7. Are private schools, including Catholic and other religious schools, eligible to apply directly to the Department for these grants?

Yes, private schools are eligible to apply directly to the Department for Javits grants as private agencies or organizations to the extent they meet the eligibility and all other applicable requirements.  If a private school is awarded a Javits grant, it then becomes a recipient of Federal financial assistance and is subject to the laws and regulations that apply to recipients of Federal funds as well as the specific requirements of the Javits program. This is a factor for all prospective applicants, particularlyprivate and religious entities, to consider prior to applying for a grant.

8. Are grant recipients required to provide for the equitable participation of private school students and teachers?

Yes, under section 5466(a) of the ESEA, Javits grantees must provide for the “equitable participation of students and teachers in private nonprofit elementary and secondary schools, including the participation of teachers and other personnel in professional development programs serving such students.”

To meet this requirement, each eligible entity applying for a grant under the Javits program must reach out to private school officials in the geographic area to be served by the grant program and inquire as to their interest in having their students and teachers participate in the proposed project. If private school officials express an interest in having their students and teachers participate in the proposed Javits project, the applicant should begin consultation with those private school officials regarding how to provide for the equitable participation of those private school students and teachers in the proposed project.

The eligible entity should engage in consultation with private school officials and provide them with information related to the program, including the allowable activities available to private school students and teachers, the roles of public and private school officials, and how the specific needs of private school students and teachers would be addressed within the parameters of the program. The eligible entity also should provide opportunities for the private school officials to ask questions and offer suggestions about the proposed project. Then, in developing the grant proposal, the eligible entity takes the information provided by the private school officials into consideration in order to provide for the equitable participation of those private school students and teachers.

The consultation between the applicant and private school officials should occur before the applicant makes any decision that affects the opportunities of private school children and teachers to participate in the project and should be ongoing throughout the design and development of the program. If prior to, or following consultation, the private school officials express that they are not interested in having their students and teachers participate in the program, the eligible entity has no further obligation to those private schools, assuming that the eligible entity has provided clear and sufficient notice of the deadline for responding and given adequate time for private school officials to respond.

For a list of private schools in your geographic area, non-LEA applicants may want to contact the LEA in which the Javits program will be implemented to inquire about private schools (located within the geographic area of the LEA) that have previously expressed to the LEA an interest in participating in Federal education programs, or use the Department’s private school locator at <!–>–>>http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/.

9. May a university partner with another eligible entity, such as a local educational agency (LEA) or State educational agency (SEA), to submit an application under the FY 2014 Javits grant competition?

Universities generally qualify as institutions of higher education and, therefore, are eligible to apply for Javits grants on their own.  An eligible entity, such as an institution of higher education, also may partner with one or more other eligible entities (i.e., LEAs, SEAs, other public agencies, or other private agencies or organizations) to apply for a grant as a group, or partnership.  Partnerships are not required but, if a partnership application is submitted, it must meet the requirements for group applications in sections 75.127-75.129 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. 75.127-75.129).  Group applicants must, among other things, designate one entity to serve as lead applicant and submit with the application an agreement that details the activities that each member of the group plans to perform and binds each member of the group to every statement and assurance made in the application.

10. What is the ESEA definition of LEA?

Section 9101(26) of the ESEA defines a local educational agency, or LEA, in pertinent part, as a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a state for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or of or for a combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.  For the full definition of LEA, please refer to section 9101(26) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7801(26)).

11. What does the term “absolute priority” mean with respect to applications for new awards under the Javits program?

For FY 2014 (and any year in which the Department makes awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition), the Secretary has established an absolute priority under the Javits program for “Javits demonstration programs.”  This means that we will consider for funding only applications that meet the absolute priority (see 34 C.F.R. 75.105(c)(3)).  In order to meet the absolute priority, grantees must “scale up” and evaluate models designed to increase the number of gifted and talented students from underrepresented groups who, through gifted and talented education programs, perform at high levels of academic achievement.  For this priority, “scaling up” means selecting a model designed to increase the number of gifted and talented students from underrepresented groups who, through gifted and talented education programs, perform at high levels of academic achievement that has demonstrated effectiveness on a small scale and expanding the model for use with gifted and talented students in broader settings (such as in multiple schools, grade levels, or districts, or in other educational settings) or with different populations of gifted and talented students (i.e., different populations of these students based on differences such as the socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, geographic, and linguistic backgrounds of the students and their families).  With regard to this priority, the term “underrepresented groups” includes economically disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with disabilities.  For a description of the specific information applications must include in order to meet the absolute priority, prospective applicants should refer to the notice inviting applications for new awards under the Javits program, published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 24695) (<!–>

a>–>>https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/05/01/2014-10004/applications-for-new-awards-jacob-k-javits-gifted-and-talented-students-education-program).

12. Within the context of formatting the application, should charts be single- or double-spaced?

Charts should be single-spaced.

13. Who should prospective applicants contact for questions regarding the Grants.gov system if we have problems when trying to submit applications electronically?

Prospective applicants who are having problems submitting their applications electronically should call the Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726.  The technician should provide you with a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number.  Please keep a record of your case number, since you will need it in the event that you are unable to submit your application due to technical issues with the Grants.gov website.  Please follow the instructions in the notice inviting applications for new awards, published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2014(79 Fed. Reg. 24695, 24698), for submitting a paper application if you are prevented from submitting your application electronically on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system. The May 1, 2014 Federal Register notice is also available online at <!–>–>>https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/05/01/2014-10004/applications-for-new-awards-jacob-k-javits-gifted-and-talented-students-education-program.

14. Is there a minimum number of students who must participate in a Javits project in order for the project to be funded?

No, there is no minimum number of students who must participate in a Javits project in order for the project to be funded.

15. What if a grantee, such as an LEA, does not have a set indirect cost rate (established by its SEA or other cognizant agency) or doesn’t know what it is?

A grantee must have obtained a current indirect cost rate agreement from its cognizant agency in order to charge indirect costs to a grant.  Therefore, the grantee should contact its cognizant agency (or, in the case of an LEA, its SEA) to find out what its indirect cost rate is, or  to have an indirect cost rate calculated and approved.  For more information regarding indirect cost rates, please see 34 C.F.R. 75.560-75.580 (indirect cost rates) or visit the Department’s website at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html.

16. Can an LEA use its SEA’s indirect cost rate?

No, an LEA must use its own indirect cost rate.

17. Where can we access more information regarding the FY 2014 Javits grant competition?

For additional information regarding the FY 2014 Javits grant competition, please refer to the Javits Web site at www.ed.gov/programs/javits.