Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity in the United States, 30418-30423 [E7-10475]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 104 (Thursday, May 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30418-30423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10475]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5820]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals: Survey of International Educational Exchange Activity 
in the United States

    Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/A/S/A-08-01.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
    Key Dates: October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2009.
    Key Dates: Application Deadline: Friday, July 13, 2007.
    Executive Summary: The Educational Information and Resources 
Branch, Office of Global Educational Programs, Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs (the Bureau) announces an open competition for a 
survey of International Educational Exchange Activity in the United 
States. 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 conduct a statistical survey (census) 
of foreign nationals enrolled in institutions of higher learning in the 
United States. The survey must provide detailed individual student 
profile data and country-specific aggregate data that enumerate the 
numbers of foreign students and scholars from a given country 
affiliated with individual U.S. institutions. In addition, the report 
should include information about first-time enrollments to facilitate 
the analysis of enrollment trends. The survey, which should be 
conducted in the most cost-effective way possible, should identify the 
number of foreign students and scholars studying, conducting research, 
or teaching at all accredited universities and colleges in the United 
States during the 2007/2008 academic year (fall 2007 through summer 
2008). Finally, the report should also include data about the number of 
American students studying abroad in credit-bearing programs of all 
types (year-long, semester, short-term and summer). Proposals should 
describe the methodology that will be used to collect the data and how 
the material will be analyzed and presented to the public. To the 
extent possible, cooperation is encouraged with the Department of 
Homeland Security on data comparison and sharing. Proposals must also 
include plans to establish an advisory board to provide assistance in 
identifying and framing policy issues that may need to be addressed by 
policy makers.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Authority

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 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.

Purpose

    Since 1974, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, with its mandate under the Fulbright-Hays Act to 
promote mutual understanding through international educational 
exchange, has supported an annual survey of foreign students in the 
United States in order to gain an accurate and up-to-date picture of 
international educational exchange activity in the United States. 
Recent reports have expanded on the original survey's parameters to 
include foreign scholars and U.S. students studying overseas. Proposals 
to conduct this project should describe plans for a statistical survey 
that would offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the number and 
academic characteristics (major fields of study or program, level of 
study, etc.) of non-immigrant foreign nationals (that is, excluding 
permanent residents and refugees) affiliated with (i.e., enrolled at, 
employed by, etc.) American institutions of higher learning, as well 
the number of U.S. students studying abroad. Topics that should be 
covered in the survey include the number of foreign students and 
scholars, their gender and countries of origin. Information about 
students' academic level (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctorate), 
fields of study, primary source of financial support, financial 
contributions they make while in the United States, and location of 
study should be included. Proposals may request Bureau funding of a 
publication, Web site, database, newsletter, or another medium that is 
presented as a viable vehicle for making this data widely available to 
the public in a timely manner and in a clear and concise format. The 
Bureau reserves the right to reproduce, publish or otherwise use any 
work developed under this grant for U.S. Government purposes.

Guidelines

    Proposals should include a precise description of the methodology 
to be used to obtain the data called for in this solicitation. 
Applicants are reminded of the need to find the most efficient and 
economical approach to gathering the data and are encouraged to explore 
electronic data collection. Applicants should also seek ways of making 
the information available to the public within the academic year that 
it is collected. Data collected should be published and made available 
in coordination with the Bureau.
    Applicants are also encouraged to include information about their 
capacity to carry out electronic surveys and to report on findings at 
the request of the Bureau that would focus on one or more critical 
issues related to international educational exchange that may arise 
during the period in which census data is being gathered.
    To provide for a more detailed analysis and cross tabulation of the

[[Page 30419]]

characteristics of foreign students studying in the United States, 
individual student profile data should also be collected. This 
individual student profile data should be provided to the Bureau in a 
format that is country-specific and should show the number of students 
from a specific country attending selected institutions of higher 
education in each state of the U.S.
    The Bureau seeks a clear presentation and rigorous analysis of the 
data collected that will draw conclusions about trends in foreign 
student enrollments, numbers of foreign scholars on U.S. campuses and 
American students studying abroad that can be used to guide policy 
discussions for both government and the educational community.
    Proposals should describe the establishment of an advisory board to 
provide assistance in identifying and framing policy issues to be 
addressed in the survey; the board should meet at least once a year. 
Board members would likely be drawn from a broad range of educational 
associations and organizations and will be appointed in consultation 
with the Bureau. Members would be expected to provide perspectives on 
topics that are related to the internationalization of higher 
education.
    Scholarly analyses of survey data addressing pertinent policy 
issues should be included in the final report, which will be read by 
policy-makers in government, the educational community, and business, 
as well as practitioners in international educational exchange. The 
report will also be covered by national and educational media 
organizations. The report should also include a narrative on the 
mechanics and uses of data analysis, highlighting how conclusions can 
be drawn from the data collected, some of the limitations of that 
analysis, and how the data can benefit the educational institutions 
supplying it, for example, as a campus advocacy or recruiting tool. 
Applicants should include with the proposal a complete list of proposed 
chapter headings and sample analyses.
    The Bureau welcomes innovative approaches to the presentation of 
material, including possible breakdowns for minority-serving 
institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities and 
the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. The Bureau also 
encourages applicants to consider including reporting on other topics 
of current interest in the final report, such as:

(1) How the international exchange population is affected by U.S. visa 
policies;
(2) How student flows to the U.S. may have been affected by efforts of 
other countries to attract foreign students, by the expansion of the 
European Union and its efforts to build an academic market via the 
Bologna Agreement, etc.
(3) How political and economic trends in other countries are reflected 
in student flows to the U.S.;
(4) How economic trends in the U.S., including the rise in tuition 
levels and the cost of living, may have affected student flows to the 
U.S.;
(5) As an element of global trade, how international student flows may 
have commercial significance for the development of foreign markets for 
U.S. education and training;
(6) The impact of international students and scholars on U.S. academic 
institutions and departments;
(7) Demonstrated benefits of study abroad (for example, as seen by 
employers);
(8) U.S. institutions' activities to educate foreign students in their 
home countries, through, for example, overseas campuses or distance 
education programs, to complement the data collected on the education 
of foreign students in the United States;
(9) The numbers of foreign students studying in intensive English 
language programs in the United States.

    In addition to the above, proposals should explain how the 
following activities might be undertaken:
     Use SEVIS data (if available) to conduct policy-relevant 
analysis of emerging issues in consultation with the Bureau and to 
provide trend data pertaining to international students in the U.S. 
(for example, key places of origin, including countries in Central 
Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East).
     Conduct surveys of international students' attitudes 
toward U.S. higher education in cooperation with the Department of 
State's network of EducationUSA centers. These centers promote U.S. 
higher education in 170 countries around the world. Centers exist in a 
variety of locations including: U.S. embassies and consulates, Fubright 
commissions, binational centers, non-governmental organizations, 
universities and libraries. A complete list of centers is located at 
https://www.educationusa.state.gov. These surveys might include a study 
of international students from key places of origin to determine their 
attitudes toward the U.S. and their perceptions of study in the U.S., 
or an overseas survey of the attitudes and perceptions of international 
students enrolled in U.S. branch campuses in selected countries.
     Conduct overseas surveys to collect contextual information 
on international students' decision making process in choosing to study 
abroad
     Report on higher education trends in key regions
     Conduct detailed analyses of the foreign student 
population. Analyses could include profiles of foreign students which 
contain comparative and cross-tabulated data that provide a deeper 
understanding of student flows, detailed information about sub-groups, 
i.e. the proportions of students in various fields of study, what 
proportion are female or male, what proportion of foreign students 
studying engineering is from Asia, etc.
     Conduct surveys through a web-based data collection 
system.

In a cooperative agreement, the Educational Information and Resources 
Branch (ECA/A/S/A) is substantially involved in program activities 
above and beyond routine grant monitoring. ECA/A/S/A activities and 
responsibilities for this program are as follows:

    ECA/A/S/A will provide guidance on the types of issues and 
information to gather. Additionally, ECA/A/S/A may request the analysis 
of policy-relevant issues and trend data pertaining to international 
students in the U.S.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement.
    ECA's level of involvement in this program is listed under number I 
above.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2008.
    Approximate Total Funding: $400,000.
    Approximate Number of Awards: 1.
    Approximate Average Award: $400,000, pending availability of funds.
    Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, October 1, 
2007.
    Anticipated Project Completion Date: September 30, 2009. 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 the next 
competition. Future support will be contingent upon accurate data 
collection, quality of presentation of that data, and prompt 
publication of the census.

[[Page 30420]]

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 $400,000 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 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 Educational Information and Resources Branch, 
ECA/A/S/A, Room 349, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, 
SW., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: 202-453-8868, fax: 202-453-
8890, e-mail: MoraDD@state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. 
Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/S/A-08-05 located 
at the top of this announcement when making your request. 
Alternatively, an electronic application package may be obtained from 
grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f for further information.
    The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission 
Instruction (PSI) document which consists of required application 
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.
    Please specify Bureau Program Officer Dorothy Mora and refer to the 
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/S/A-08-05 located at the top of this 
announcement on all other inquiries and correspondence.

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, or 
from the Grants.gov Web site at https://www.grants.gov.
    Please read all information before downloading.

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission

    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The application should be submitted per the instructions under 
IV.3f. ``Application Deadline and Methods of Submission'' 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 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:
    The following is included for informational purposes only:
    IV.3d.1 Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa.
    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs places critically 
important emphases on the security and proper administration of the 
Exchange Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence by grantees and 
sponsors to all regulations governing the J visa. Therefore, proposals 
should demonstrate the applicant's capacity to meet all requirements 
governing the administration of the Exchange Visitor Programs as set 
forth in 22 CFR part 62, including the oversight of 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. 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) 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) 203-5029, 
FAX: (202) 453-8640.
    Please refer to Solicitation Package for further information.
    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,

[[Page 30421]]

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 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 timeframe), 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.3d. Describe your plans for: Sustainability, overall program 
management, staffing, and coordination with ECA.
    IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration 
when preparing your budget:
    IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the 
entire program. 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.
    IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    (1) Salaries and fringe benefits; travel and per diem;
    (2) Other direct costs, inclusive of rent, utilities, etc.;
    (3) Overhead expenses and auditing costs.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
    IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission:
    Application Deadline Date: Friday, July 13, 2007.
    Reference Number: ECA/A/S/A-01.
    Methods of Submission: Applications may be submitted in one of two 
ways:
    (1) In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery 
service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. 
Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
    (2) electronically through https://www.grants.gov.
    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.3f.1. Submitting Printed Applications.
    Applications must be shipped no later than the above deadline. 
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. ECA will not 
notify you upon receipt of

[[Page 30422]]

application. 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. 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.

    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 and eight copies of the application should be sent to: 
U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/A-08-01, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants submitting hard-copy applications must also submit the 
``Executive Summary'' and ``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the 
proposal in text (.txt) or Microsoft Word format on a PC-formatted 
disk. The Bureau will provide these files electronically to the 
appropriate Public Affairs Sections at U.S. embassies for their review.
    IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic Applications.
    Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically 
through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation 
packages are available at Grants.gov in the ``Find'' portion of the 
system. Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started' 
portion of the site (https://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).
    Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could 
take several weeks. Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate 
staff within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP 
to confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov. Once 
registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to 
begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
    Direct all questions regarding Grants.gov registration and 
submission to: Grants.gov Customer Support; Contact Center Phone: 800-
518-4726. Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Eastern Time. E-
mail: support@grants.gov.
    Applicants have until midnight (12 a.m.), Washington, DC time of 
the closing date to ensure that their entire application has been 
uploaded to the Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions to the above 
deadline. Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of the 
application deadline date will be automatically rejected by the 
grants.gov system, and will be technically ineligible.
    Applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail from grants.gov upon 
the successful submission of an application. ECA will not notify you 
upon receipt of electronic applications.
    It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via 
the Grants.gov web portal to ensure that proposals have been received 
by Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for 
data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
    IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order 
12372 does not apply to this program.

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 
cooperative agreements resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity.
    5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    6. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by Bureau Grants 
Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior 
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    7. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended.
    8. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    9. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

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.

[[Page 30423]]

    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 report: 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 IV. 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.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For questions about this announcement, contact: Dorothy Mora, 
Educational Information and Resources Branch, ECA/A/S/A, Room 349, ECA/
A/S/A-08-01, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, phone: 202-453-8868, fax: 202-453-8890, e-mail: 
MoraDD@state.gov.
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/A/S/A-08-01.
    Please read the complete 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: May 23, 2007.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. E7-10475 Filed 5-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P