Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities Center on Dispute Resolution CFDA Number 84.326X | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is under the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), within the program titled "Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities." The specific competition described is the "Center on Dispute Resolution."

2) What is the CFDA number for this competition?

The competition is listed under CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number 84.326X.

3) What type of award is this?

This was offered as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement.

4) What does a cooperative agreement generally mean for applicants and awardees?

In practical terms, a cooperative agreement usually signals that the federal program office expects to be substantially involved in the project beyond typical grant oversight. This can include collaboration on major decisions, deliverables, and ongoing direction during the project.

5) What is the overall purpose of the broader Technical Assistance and Dissemination program?

The overall purpose is to improve academic achievement and outcomes for children with disabilities by funding efforts that provide technical assistance, support model demonstration projects, share and spread useful resources, and carry out activities grounded in scientifically based research.

6) What is the goal of the Center on Dispute Resolution competition?

The Center on Dispute Resolution competition is aimed at strengthening how disputes are prevented and resolved in special education and related disability services contexts.

7) What kinds of activities or deliverables are expected under this Center?

The synopsis does not list detailed required activities. However, based on the title and program structure, the competition indicates a focus on helping systems use effective dispute resolution approaches to improve services and results for children with disabilities, likely including training, guidance, tools, and dissemination of best practices.

8) Where are the authoritative requirements for this competition described?

The synopsis repeatedly directs applicants to consult the official Federal Register application notice. That notice would be the authoritative source for specific priorities, application formatting and content rules, performance measures, reporting expectations, any pre-application requirements, and what OSERS expected the Center to produce and how success would be measured.

9) When was this opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on April 18, 2013.

10) When were applications made available?

Applications were made available on April 18, 2013 (the same day the opportunity was posted).

11) What was the application deadline?

The deadline to submit applications was June 3, 2013.

12) When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was later archived on July 3, 2013.

13) How many awards did the Department expect to make?

The Department anticipated making a single award (Expected Awards: 1).

14) What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $650,000.

15) What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling was $650,000.

16) Does the ceiling indicate whether this competition was designed to fund one project?

Yes. The estimated total funding amount and the award ceiling were both $650,000, which indicates the competition was essentially designed to fund one project at or up to that amount.

17) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching was required.

18) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included: State educational agencies (SEAs); local educational agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools treated as LEAs under state law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.

19) Does the eligibility listing include specific government and organizational types?

Yes. The listing in the source data reflects a wide range of entity types, including city, county, and special district governments; small businesses; federally recognized tribal governments; and both nonprofit and for-profit entities.

20) Where should applicants confirm any competition-specific eligibility constraints or definitions?

The official Federal Register notice would be the place to confirm any competition-specific constraints, definitions, or documentation requirements tied to the listed eligibility categories.

21) How were applications required to be submitted?

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. The notice is explicit that this was the required submission method.

22) Could applicants submit by emailing an electronic copy to the Department?

No. The notice clarifies that applications could not be submitted by emailing an electronic copy to the Department. Grants.gov was the mandatory submission channel for this competition.

23) How should applicants find the application package on Grants.gov?

Applicants were instructed to locate and download the application package from Grants.gov and to search by the numeric CFDA number without the alpha suffix (search for 84.326 rather than 84.326X).

24) What kinds of information would the Federal Register notice typically include for an OSERS competition like this?

According to the synopsis, the official notice would include items such as the specific priorities being competed, application formatting and content rules, performance measures, reporting expectations, any pre-application requirements, what OSERS expected the Center to produce (for example, technical assistance products, national outreach, training or coaching supports, data collection, evaluation, and dissemination plans), and how success would be measured during the project period.

25) Who should be contacted for technical difficulties accessing the announcement electronically?

For technical difficulties, the contact listed was Julius Cotton, ED Grants.gov/FIND Systems Administrator. Phone: 202-245-6140. Email: julius.cotton@ed.gov.

26) Who should be contacted for program-related questions?

For program-related questions, the program manager listed was Tina Diamond at the U.S. Department of Education. Phone: 202-245-6674. Address: 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 4094, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2600.

27) Which Department office is associated with this opportunity?

This opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).