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Each federal agency, including the
U.S. Department of Education (ED), awards discretionary
grants to carry out its programs and activities. What
are these discretionary grants?
Discretionary grants are funds awarded on the basis
of a competitive process. Applications are reviewed
in light of the legislative and regulatory requirements
established for each program. This review process gives
the Department discretion to determine which applications
best address the program requirements and therefore
are most worthy of funding.
How Does the Process Work?
Within each ED Office, including
the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), grant
teams administer the discretionary grant programs. The
grant teams publish program announcements, coordinate
the review of applications that are received, make funding
recommendations, and award grants to successful applicants.
How Can I Find Out About
Grant Opportunities?
There are several ways to get information
about OSDFS discretionary grant programs:
- The OSDFS Web site offers a list of the discretionary
grant programs it administers at www.ed.gov/about/
offices/list/osdfs/
programs.html.
- The Grants and Contracts section of the U.S. Department
of Education Web site offers a database of programs
administered by ED and a forecast of future funding
opportunities. Application packages for grant competitions
also are available. To find out more, visit www.ed.gov/fund.
- The Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs
describes the various discretionary grant programs
sponsored by the Department. It includes information
about eligibility, types of assistance available,
funding levels for the last three fiscal years, and
awards information. To order, call 1-877-4-ED-PUBS
or view the document online at www.ed.gov/fund.
- The Department publishes application notices in
the Federal Register to inform potential applicants
of each new discretionary grant competition. An application
notice invites applications for one or more competitions,
gives basic program and funding information on each
competition, and informs potential applicants when
and where they may obtain applications. To view the
Federal Register online, visit www.ed.gov/news/
fedregister/index.html.
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The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS)
has developed a new Web resource to assist potential applicants
who are interested in applying for discretionary grant funding from
OSDFS. This technical assistance resource, located at www.ed.gov/admins/grants/
apply/techassist, provides basic grant
application information, helpful tips, and suggestions, in a clear,
user-friendly manner.
“We’ve seen many competitions in
which small mistakes have made a big impact on the grant application
process, or even disqualified an applicant,” said Bryan Williams,
a program analyst with OSDFS since 1995. “We developed this
new resource to help potential applicants submit the most solid
proposals possible.”
To this end, OSDFS’s online technical
assistance resource offers the following information:
- Commonly used definitions in grant application
packages;
- Information on completing the forms for
a discretionary grant;
- Frequently asked questions on discretionary
grants;
- Grant writing tips;
- Information on organizing a grant application;
- A list of publications and resources; and
- A sample budget narrative.
Advice for Applicants
What steps can applicants take to submit a high
quality application and improve their chances of receiving a grant?
According to Williams, the most important thing an applicant can
do is to read the application package and follow directions, including
the absolute priority. Simply complying with the absolute priority
is not enough. Applicants also must adhere to the formatting requirements,
such as page limitations, set forth in the application package.
“The absolute priority is the area that a grant
is required to address in order to be considered for funding. For
example, an absolute priority to fund only projects that develop
or enhance strategies to prevent violent behavior among college
students would mean that only those projects that are designed to
achieve this result could potentially receive funding,” Williams
said.
“For every grant program, you need to know
what the absolute priority is and what
it means. If your application does not meet the absolute priority,
it simply will not be reviewed,” he stated.
Williams also advised that grant applicants allow
plenty of time to prepare their proposals. “You should read
the application package carefully, follow all directions exactly,
and seek clarification if you're uncertain about anything in the
application,” he explained. “Oftentimes applicants tell
us that they don’t want to ‘bother’ the program
managers of a specific competition. But, that’s what those
managers are there for. If you have a question, make use of the
available resources.”
“You should also structure your narrative according
to the selection criteria,” he counseled. “If the selection
criteria addresses the need for a program first, you should address
that first in your narrative. If significance is second, you should
address that second. Let your application flow the way the selection
criteria flows so that the reviewers will be able to follow it.”
He also cautioned applicants to proofread their proposals
and check all facts and figures for accuracy and consistency. “This
may sound obvious,” said Williams, “but if there are
facts and figures that are inconsistent from one part
of the application to another, that can have a negative impact on
the reviewer.”
<continued
on the next page: New Support for Grant Applicants>
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