Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) State Grants CFDA Number 84.334S

For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.

     Purpose of Program: The GEAR UP program is a discretionary grant program that encourages eligible entities to provide support, and maintain a commitment to eligible low-income students, including students with disabilities, to assist the students in obtaining a secondary school diploma (or its recognized equivalent) and to prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education. Under the GEAR UP program, the Department awards grants to two types of entities: (1) States and (2) eligible partnerships.

    In this notice, the Department invites applications for State grants only. We will invite applications for partnership grants in another notice published in the Federal Register. Required services under the GEAR UP program are specified in sections 404D(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070a-24(a)), and permissible services under the GEAR UP Program are specified in section 404D(b) and (c) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1070a-24(b) and (c)). For State grantees, activities must include providing financial aid information for postsecondary education, encouraging enrollment in rigorous and challenging coursework in order to reduce the need for remediation at the postsecondary level, implementing activities to improve the number of participating students who obtain a secondary school diploma and who complete applications for and enroll in a program of postsecondary education, and provision of scholarships as specified in section 404E of the HEA. Activities may also include mentoring, tutoring, supporting dual or concurrent enrollment programs that support participating students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), academic and career counseling, financial and economic literacy education, and exposure to college campuses.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.334S.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 7, 2018, we published in the Federal Register the GEAR UP State NIA (83 FR 26445), inviting applications for new awards for the State Grants GEAR UP program. This notice revises: (a) The estimated funding available for new GEAR UP State awards; (b) the estimated range of awards; (c) the estimated average size of awards; (d) the maximum amount of funding a State applicant can receive for a single budget period of 12 months; and (e) the estimated number of awards. All other requirements and conditions stated in the GEAR UP State NIA remain the same. Correction In FR Doc. 2018-12291, in the Federal Register of June 7, 2018, we make the following revisions: (a) On page 26448, in the middle column, in the last sentence of the first paragraph in the section entitled ``Estimated Available Funds'', we remove the number ``$54,833,000'' and replace it with the number ``$64,833,000''. (b) On page 26448, in the middle column, after the words ``Estimated Range of Awards'', we remove the numbers ``$2,500,000-$3,500,000'' and replace them with the numbers ``$2,500,000-$5,000,000''. (c) On page 26448, in the middle column, after the words ``Estimated Average Size of Awards'', we remove the number ``$3,000,000'' and replace it with the number ``$4,250,000''. (d) On page 26448, in the middle column, in the first sentence of the section entitled ``Maximum Award'', we remove the number ``$3,500,000'' and replace it with the number ``$5,000,000''. (e) On page 26448, in the middle column, after the words ``Estimated Number of Awards'', we remove the number ``18'' and replace it with the number ``15''. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-21-1070a-28.