Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Annual Performance Report

AGENCY:

Department of Education (ED), Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 12, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-0067. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E-103, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Stacey Slijepcevic, 202-453-6150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Annual Performance Report.

OMB Control Number: 1840-0793.

Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 100.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,000.

Abstract: The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) works to improve postsecondary education through grants to postsecondary educational institutions and agencies. Such grants are awarded to non-profit organizations on the basis of competitively reviewed applications submitted to FIPSE under the First in the World (FITW) Program. This collection includes a performance report for use with FITW programs 84.116F and 84.116X. We request clearance of one annual performance report for FITW programs 84.116F and 84.116X that will serve the dual purpose of an annual and final performance report. In this collection there is one (1) form, the annual performance report for FITW programs that includes a FITW program burden statement. The collection of the requested data in the performance report is necessary for the evaluation and assessment of FITW-funded programs and for assessment of continuation funding for each grantee.