GEPA STATEMENT INFORMATION AND SAMPLE (for US Dept. of Education)

What is GEPA?

The US Department of Education's General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) applies to applicants for new grant awards under the Department’s programs. This provision is Section 427 of GEPA, enacted as part of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-382). All applicants for new awards must include information in their applications to address this provision in order to receive funding.
What does the Provision Require? Section 427 requires each applicant for funds (other than an individual person) to include in the application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to and participation in its Federally-assisted program for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. The statute highlights six types of barriers that can impede equitable access or participation: gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. Based on local circumstances, it is necessary to determine whether these or other barriers may prevent your students, teachers, etc. from access to or participation in the proposed Federally-funded project or activity. The description in the application of steps to be taken to overcome these barriers need not be lengthy.


To assist UOP faculty and staff, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies has prepared the following general material to meet this US Dept. of Education requirement which is to be followed by project specific information:

University of the Pacific

Department of Education’s General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

Section 427 Statement

The University of the Pacific community - including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni - believes that diversity and inclusion are essential to the fulfillment of our institutional mission. We value inclusiveness in learning, curricular and co-curricular programming, campus climate, recruitment, admissions, hiring and retention.

We remain deeply committed to promoting and maintaining a civil community that facilitates opportunities for shared understanding and expression of individual and collective truths. Moreover, we resolve to maintain a community that is respectful of all persons despite differences in age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, geographic origin, language, marital status, nationality, philosophical beliefs, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

In carrying out its educational mission, The University of the Pacific (Pacific) will ensure to the fullest extent possible equitable access to, participation in, and appropriate educational opportunities for individuals served. Federally funded activities, programs and services will be accessible to all teachers, students, and other program beneficiaries with special needs allowing them to participate fully in the projects. The University does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, national origin, race, gender or sexual orientation in its education and research programs, or its services and activities. It provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations to meet the learning and evaluation needs of a diverse group of students, faculty, community members and other participants. The steps taken in this project to illustrate how UOP will ensure equitable access will include …..…

(PI provides project specific examples here such as printing brochures in languages other than English, conducting outreach efforts or targeted marketing to encourage those not likely to participate in the project to become active, making the program materials available in braille and/or via audiotapes, pre-program gender bias and cultural awareness training for participants, use of transportation services that include handicapped accommodations, etc.)