Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Serbia and Montenegro High School Exchange Program, 17749-17753 [05-6937]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 66 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17749-17753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6937]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5040]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals: Serbia and Montenegro High School Exchange Program

    Announcement Type: New Grant.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-05-57.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
    Key Dates: Application Deadline: June 2, 2005.
    Executive Summary: The Office of Citizen Exchanges' Youth Programs 
Division announces an open competition for a new program for high 
school students from Serbia and Montenegro. Public and private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal 
Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to 
recruit and select high school students aged 15-17 from Serbia and 
Montenegro, place them with host families and schools for an academic 
semester or year of study in the United States, provide activities that 
will enable the students to learn about civic responsibility, community 
activism, democracy, and American society, as well as to educate 
Americans about their country and culture, and to support alumni in 
projects at home.

I. Funding Opportunity Description:

Authority

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 87-256, 
as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the 
Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the 
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us 
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural 
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United 
States and other nations* * *and thus to assist in the development of 
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States 
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the 
program above is provided through legislation. The funding authority 
for the Serbia and Southeast Europe projects is provided through 
Support for East European Democracy (SEED) legislation.

Purpose

    The goals of the program are to develop a sense of civic 
responsibility and commitment to community development among youth; to 
foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and 
national groups; to assist the successor generation of Serbia and 
Montenegro in developing the qualities it will need to lead in their 
aspirations for transformation in the 21st century; and to promote 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States

[[Page 17750]]

and the people of Serbia and Montenegro.
    With these goals in mind, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs (ECA) is sponsoring this program to provide scholarships for 
secondary school students from Serbia and Montenegro to spend up to one 
academic year in the United States, living with U.S. host families and 
attending high school. Programmatic activities will introduce students 
to the principles of civic education, civil society, rule of law, 
community service, and youth leadership as they are practiced in the 
United States. Upon the students' return to Serbia and Montenegro, the 
program will continue to support the students with follow-on and alumni 
activities as they apply their experiences in the United States to 
their lives at home.
    Applicants should identify specific objectives that will 
demonstrate progress toward the goals stated above through the program. 
These will be the basis of an evaluation designed to measure the 
program's success. Please see Section IV.3d.3. on program monitoring 
and evaluation.

Guidelines

    Applicants should be able to implement the program components both 
in the United States and in Serbia and Montenegro (SAM). The 
organization must have an established office in Serbia and Montenegro 
and must be able to dedicate to this program key staff who possess a 
thorough understanding of the secondary school student J Exchange 
Visitor Program regulations.
    Most student participants will arrive in their host communities 
during the month of August and remain for 10 or 11 months until their 
departure during the period of mid-May to early July. A modest start-up 
semester program will be offered the first year.
    Proposed funding would support approximately 15 participants for a 
semester program in 2006 (January-June), and between 85 and 110 for 
each of the following two academic years (2006-07 and 2007-08). 
Approximately 25% of the total number should be recruited from the 
Republic of Montenegro; the rest should be recruited from all regions 
of the Republic of Serbia, excluding Kosovo.
    Given the small number of participants in the semester program and 
the abbreviated timeframe, recruitment for this component should be 
focused on a few cities, to be determined in consultation with the 
embassy, rather than nationwide. Applicants should provide a Fall 2005 
recruitment planning schedule for both the 2006 semester program and 
the 2006-07 academic year program.
    The students will enroll in a U.S. high school and live with an 
American family, in many ways living like a typical American teenager 
and developing an understanding of U.S. life and culture. In addition 
to these firsthand experiences, students will participate in activities 
specifically designed to teach them about community life, citizen 
participation in a democracy, and U.S. culture during the exchange 
period. The focus of many of the students' enhancement activities while 
in the United States will include principles of civil society, 
community service, and leadership through focused training and 
facilitation. Participants will have the opportunity to give 
presentations on their country and culture in community forums.
    Upon the students' return to Serbia and Montenegro, the program 
will continue to support them as they apply their experiences in the 
United States to their lives at home. The ability of the grant 
recipient to track and engage alumni is a critical factor in the 
success of the program. Appropriate financial and organizational 
support for the follow-on component for alumni is as important as the 
U.S. exchange.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
    Fiscal Year Funds: 2005.
    Approximate Total Funding: $2,543,750.
    Approximate Number of Awards: One.
    Approximate Average Award: $2,543,750.
    Anticipated Award Date: Proposed start date is August 2005.
    Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 2008 (flexible).
    Additional Information: Pending successful implementation of this 
program and the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, it is 
ECA's intent to renew this grant for two additional fiscal years, 
before openly competing it again.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code 
section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds

    There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this 
competition. However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide 
maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
    When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the 
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its 
proposal and later included in an approved grant agreement. Cost 
sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For 
accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs 
which are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by 
the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis 
for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in 
accordance with OMB Circular A-110, (Revised), Subpart C.23--Cost 
Sharing and Matching. In the event you do not provide the minimum 
amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's 
contribution will be reduced in like proportion.

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements

    Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than 
four years experience in conducting international exchanges be limited 
to $60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates awarding one grant, in an 
amount up to $2,543,750 to support program and administrative costs 
required to implement this exchange program. Therefore, organizations 
with less than four years experience in conducting international 
exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition. The Bureau 
encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and 
funding in support of its programs.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    Note: Please read the complete Federal Register announcement 
before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 
deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition 
with applicants until the proposal review process has been 
completed.

IV.1. Contact Information To Request an Application Package

    Please contact the Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen 
Exchanges (ECA/PE/C/PY), U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Room 568, Washington, DC 20547, telephone: (202) 203-7505, 
fax: (202) 203-7529; e-mail: LantzCS@state.gov to request a 
Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number 
ECA/PE/C/PY-05-57 located at the top of this announcement when making 
your request.

[[Page 17751]]

    The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission 
Instruction (PSI) document which consists of required application 
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. It also 
contains the Project Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) 
document, which provides specific information, award criteria and 
budget instructions tailored to this competition.
    Please specify Program Officer Carolyn Lantz and refer to the 
Funding Opportunity Number located at the top of this announcement on 
all other inquiries and correspondence. Contact information is at the 
end of this announcement.

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

    The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's 
Web site at https://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/menu.htm. Please 
read all information before downloading.

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission

    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and seven copies of the application should be 
sent per the instructions under IV.3e. ``Submission Dates and Times'' 
section below.
    IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative 
agreement from the U.S. Government. This number is a nine-digit 
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities. 
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a 
DUNS number, access https://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711. Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the 
appropriate box of the SF-424 which is part of the formal application 
package.
    IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal 
narrative and budget.
    Please Refer to the Solicitation Package. It contains the mandatory 
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document and the Project 
Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) document for additional 
formatting and technical requirements.
    IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of 
application. If your organization is a private nonprofit which has not 
received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three 
years, or if your organization received nonprofit status from the IRS 
within the past four years, you must submit the necessary documentation 
to verify nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document. Failure to 
do so will cause your proposal to be declared technically ineligible.
    IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information 
when preparing your proposal narrative:
    IV.3d.1 Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa. The 
Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs is the official program sponsor of the exchange program covered 
by this RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau will be the ``Responsible 
Officer'' for the program under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, which 
covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 
program). Under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, organizations receiving 
grants under this RFGP will be third parties ``cooperating with or 
assisting the sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor's program.'' The 
actions of grantee program organizations shall be ``imputed to the 
sponsor in evaluating the sponsor's compliance with'' 22 CFR part 62. 
Therefore, the Bureau expects that any organization receiving a grant 
under this competition will render all assistance necessary to enable 
the Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR part 62 et seq.
    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs places great 
emphasis on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J 
visa) Programs and adherence by grantee program organizations and 
program participants to all regulations governing the J visa program 
status. Therefore, proposals should explicitly state in writing that 
the applicant is prepared to assist the Bureau in meeting all 
requirements governing the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs 
as set forth in 22 CFR part 62. If your organization has experience as 
a designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should 
discuss their record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq., 
including the oversight of their Responsible Officers and Alternate 
Responsible Officers, screening and selection of program participants, 
provision of pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, 
monitoring of participants, proper maintenance and security of forms, 
record-keeping, reporting and other requirements.
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for 
issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
    A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of 
Exchange Visitor (J visa) programs is available at https://
exchanges.state.gov or from:
    United States Department of State, Office of Exchange Coordination 
and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD--SA-44, Room 734, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: (202) 401-9810, FAX: (202) 401-9809.
    IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines. Pursuant to 
the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must maintain a non-
political character and should be balanced and representative of the 
diversity of American political, social, and cultural life. 
``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass 
differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, 
religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and disabilities. 
Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this 
principle both in program administration and in program content. Please 
refer to the review criteria under the 'Support for Diversity' section 
for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into your proposal. 
Public Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of 
educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people do not 
fully enjoy freedom and democracy,'' the Bureau ``shall take 
appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such 
programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.'' 
Public Law 106-113 requires that the governments of the countries 
described above do not have inappropriate influence in the selection 
process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals in their 
program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
    IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and Evaluation. Proposals must include 
a plan to monitor and evaluate the project's success, both as the 
activities unfold and at the end of the program. The Bureau recommends 
that your proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or other 
technique plus a description of a methodology to use to link outcomes 
to original project objectives. The Bureau expects that the grantee 
will track participants or partners and be able to respond to key 
evaluation questions, including satisfaction with the program, learning 
as a result of the program, changes in behavior as a result of the 
program, and effects of the program on institutions (institutions in 
which participants work or partner institutions). The evaluation plan 
should include indicators that measure gains in mutual understanding as 
well as substantive knowledge.
    Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting 
clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation 
plan should include a

[[Page 17752]]

description of your project's objectives, your anticipated project 
outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure these outcomes 
(performance indicators). The more that outcomes are ``smart'' 
(specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and placed in a 
reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct the 
evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link to 
the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
    Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish 
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services 
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important 
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot 
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the 
results achieved.
    Examples of outputs include the number of people trained or the 
number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast, represent specific 
results a project is intended to achieve and is usually measured as an 
extent of change. Findings on outputs and outcomes should both be 
reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.
    We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes, 
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in 
increasing order of importance):
    1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange 
experience.
    2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, 
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both 
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
    3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in 
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic 
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new 
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community 
members, and others.
    4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and 
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational 
improvements.

    Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate 
timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example, 
satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas 
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.

    Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be 
judged on how well it (1) Specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when 
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear 
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e., 
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation 
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction] 
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
    Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their 
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports. All 
data collected, including survey responses and contact information, 
must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the 
Bureau upon request.
    IV.3e. Budget. Please take the following information into 
consideration when preparing your budget:
    IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the 
entire program. Awards may not exceed $2,543,750. There must be a 
summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and 
program budgets. Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each 
program component, phase, location, or activity to provide 
clarification.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package (both the POGI and the 
PSI) for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
    IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times: Application Deadline Date: 
Thursday, June 2, 2005.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Due to heightened security measures, 
proposal submissions must be sent via a nationally recognized overnight 
delivery service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or 
U.S. Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.) and be shipped no 
later than the above deadline. The delivery services used by applicants 
must have in-place, centralized shipping identification and tracking 
systems that may be accessed via the Internet and delivery people who 
are identifiable by commonly recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles. 
Proposals shipped on or before the above deadline but received at ECA 
more than seven days after the deadline will be ineligible for further 
consideration under this competition. Proposals shipped after the 
established deadlines are ineligible for consideration under this 
competition. It is each applicant's responsibility to ensure that each 
package is marked with a legible tracking number and to monitor/confirm 
delivery to ECA via the Internet. ECA will not notify you upon receipt 
of application. Delivery of proposal packages may not be made via local 
courier service or in person for this competition. Faxed documents will 
not be accepted at any time. Only proposals submitted as stated above 
will be considered. Applications may not be submitted electronically at 
this time.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package.

    Important note: When preparing your submission please make sure 
to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it 
in an envelope addressed to ``ECA/EX/PM''.

    The original, one fully-tabbed copy, and six copies of the 
application with Tabs A-E (for a total of eight copies) should be sent 
to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY-05-57, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above 
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory 
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.
    IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order 
12372 does not apply to this program.
    IV.3h. With the submission of the proposal package, please also 
submit the Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, and Budget sections 
of the proposal as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word and/or Excel to 
the program officer at LantzCS@state.gov. The Bureau will provide these 
files electronically to the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. 
Embassy in Belgrade for its review.

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Review Process

    The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility. 
Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the 
guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible 
proposals will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public 
Diplomacy section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will 
be subject to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and 
guidelines and forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review. 
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by 
other Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the 
discretion of the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for 
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for 
assistance awards (grants) resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.

[[Page 17753]]

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated in the Project Objectives, Goals, and 
Implementation (POGI) document.

VI. Award Administration Information

VI.1a. Award Notices

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures. 
Successful applicants will receive an Assistance Award Document (AAD) 
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The AAD and the original grant 
proposal with subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the 
only binding authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. 
Government. The AAD will be signed by an authorized Grants Officer, and 
mailed to the recipient's responsible officer identified in the 
application.
    Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of 
the application review from the ECA program office coordinating this 
competition.

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Terms and Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements 
include the following:
    Office of Management and Budget Circular A-122, ``Cost Principles 
for Nonprofit Organizations.''
    Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21, ``Cost Principles 
for Educational Institutions.''
    OMB Circular A-87, ``Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian 
Governments''.
    OMB Circular No. A-110 (Revised), Uniform Administrative 
Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher 
Education, Hospitals, and other Nonprofit Organizations.
    OMB Circular No. A-102, Uniform Administrative Requirements for 
Grants-in-Aid to State and Local Governments.
    OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Government, and 
Non-profit Organizations
    Please reference the following Web sites for additional 
information: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants, https://
exchanges.state.gov/education/grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI.

VI.3. Reporting Requirements

    You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus two copies of 
the following reports:
    (1) Quarterly program and financial reports;
    (2) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after 
the expiration of the award.
    Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their 
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports. 
Please refer to Application and Submission Instructions (IV.3.d.3) 
above for Program Monitoring and Evaluation information.
    All data collected, including survey responses and contact 
information, must be maintained for a minimum of three years and 
provided to the Bureau upon request.
    All reports must be sent to the ECA Grants Officer and ECA Program 
Officer listed in the final assistance award document.

VI.4. Program Data Requirements

    Organizations awarded grants will be required to maintain specific 
data on program participants and activities in an electronically 
accessible database format that can be shared with the Bureau as 
required. As a minimum, the data must include the following:
    (1) Name, address, contact information and biographic sketch of all 
persons who travel internationally on funds provided by the grant or 
who benefit from the grant funding but do not travel.
    (2) Itineraries of international and domestic travel, providing 
dates of travel and cities in which any exchange experiences take 
place. Final schedules for in-country and U.S. activities must be 
received by the ECA Program Officer at least three work days prior to 
the official opening of the activity.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For questions about this announcement, contact: Carolyn Lantz, 
Program Officer, Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges 
(ECA/PE/C/PY), U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Room 568, Washington, DC 20547, telephone: (202) 203-7505, fax: (202) 
203-7529, e-mail: LantzCS@state.gov.
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C/PY-05-57.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has 
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants 
until the proposal review process has been completed.

VIII. Other Information

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment 
on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject 
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements per section VI.3 
above.

    Dated: March 31, 2005.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 05-6937 Filed 4-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P