A grant application is what an entity submits in response to a Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) that is published in the Federal Register. If an entity receives an award for that application, it is considered a binding, legal agreement.
The links to the FY 2020 and FY 2024 NIAs for the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) program are included here for your reference. It is important for all individuals working on a grant to familiarize themselves with this regulatory document. Note that different NIAs may have different priorities or selection criteria. For example, the FY 2024 NIA included a selection criterion related to evaluation that was not included in the FY 2020 NIA. Grantees will be monitored based on how they respond to the selection criteria and competitive preference priorities. Because the discretionary grant process is competitive, the approved application should guide all activities throughout the life of the grant.
Each application includes goals and objectives for the project. A grantee is responsible for establishing performance measures and annual targets to demonstrate that it has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of its grant within the scope of its approved grant application (see EDGAR § 75.253(a)(i)).
U.S. Department of Education (Department) program officials have the authority in accordance with 2 C.F.R. §200.308 to review and approve requests from grantees to change the scope or objectives of their discretionary grants; however, to ensure the integrity of the Department's competitive review process, the Department does not permit changes to the scope or objectives of a grant except in rare cases with highly unusual circumstances.
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