Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): First in The World (FITW) Program: DEVELOPMENT Grants CFDA Number 84.116F

performance measures, priorities and program contact information.Purpose of Program: The FITW program is designed to support the development, replication, and dissemination of innovative solutions and evidence for what works in addressing persistent and widespread challenges in postsecondary education for students who are at risk for not persisting in and completing postsecondary programs, including, but not limited to, adult learners, working students, part-time students, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and first-generation students. The focus of the FITW program is to build evidence for what works in postsecondary education by testing the effectiveness of these strategies in improving student persistence and completion outcomes. For FY 2015, the Department will award two types of grants under this program: ``Development'' grants and ``Validation'' grants. These grants differ in terms of the level of evidence of effectiveness required for consideration of funding, the level of scale the funded project should reach, and, consequently, the amount of funding available to support the project. This notice invites applications for Development grants only. Development grants will support new or substantially more effective practices for addressing widely shared challenges. Applications for Development grants must be based on Strong Theory (as defined in this notice). The Department has published a separate notice inviting applications for Validation grants elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.116F.Applications for grants under the First in the World Program, CFDA number 84.116F, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.You may access the electronic grant application for the First in the World Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.116, not 84.116F).