Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students Programs CFDA Number 84.938S | ED GRANTS 050318 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 050318 001

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students Program (DCEDS), cataloged as CFDA 84.938S, is a discretionary U.S. Department of Education grant competition created to help colleges and universities absorb sudden, unplanned costs that arise when they take in students displaced by major disasters. The central aim is to reimburse or offset the unexpected institutional expenses tied directly to enrolling and supporting students whose original institutions could not continue normal operations because of a federally declared disaster or emergency. In this particular notice, the covered events are Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, along with the calendar year 2017 wildfires that received a Presidential major disaster or emergency declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (sections 401 or 501). In other words, the program is designed to stabilize students academic paths after a crisis while preventing the receiving institutions from shouldering unreimbursed costs simply for providing an educational lifeline.

Funding is awarded to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs). The eligible applicant categories listed include public and state-controlled IHEs, private IHEs, and potentially other entities as clarified in the official Federal Register application notice under the additional eligibility guidance. The opportunity anticipates a relatively large number of awards (expected awards: 250), with an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000 per grant, indicating that institutions of different sizes and levels of disaster-related enrollment impact could potentially participate, from modest claims to substantial reimbursement needs depending on the number of displaced students served and the intensity of related costs.

The opportunity is authorized by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123), specifically within provisions connected to Hurricane Education Recovery. The notice also states that the program is exempt from certain federal rulemaking requirements under the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Practically speaking, that exemption signals the program was intended to move quickly and operate under the terms laid out in the governing statute and the published notice, rather than undergoing a longer regulatory rulemaking process that could delay relief.

Applications were made available on May 3, 2018, with a deadline for transmittal of June 4, 2018. Applicants were allowed to submit in one of two ways: by emailing a PDF version of the full application to DCEDSProgram@ed.gov, or by mailing a hard-copy package consisting of the original and two copies via express mail through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier. Paper submissions were directed to James Davis at the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 268-02, Washington, DC 20202-6200. The notice also flags a practical submission risk: email delivery time can vary based on file size and internet speed, so applicants were strongly encouraged not to wait until the last minute to transmit materials.

Because the posted summary is only a synopsis, the Department emphasizes that the controlling requirements are in the official Federal Register application notice. That official notice is where applicants would find the detailed eligibility rules, definitions (including what qualifies a student as a displaced student for this program), documentation expectations, pre-application and application instructions, required forms and assurances, performance measures, any competitive priorities, and program contact information. The notice points applicants to the Department of Educations Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published February 12, 2018, 83 FR 6003) for standard federal discretionary grant submission requirements, particularly for paper application formatting and handling. The Federal Register and CFR are available online through the Government Publishing Office, which is provided as the official reference source for the complete and legally operative text.

• The Department of Education in the disaster prevention and relief, education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students Programs CFDA Number 84.938S" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.938.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 04, 2018 Applications Available May 3, 2018. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 4, 2018.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 250 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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