Culturally significant objects imported for exhibition: Study of United States Institutes for Western Hemisphere student leaders, 34333-34338 [E7-12029]

Agencies

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register: June 21, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 34333-34338]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jn07-78]

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5840]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals: Study of the United States Institutes for Student
Leaders From the Western Hemisphere

Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/A/E/USS-08-02.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
Key Dates: January-February, June-August 2008.
Application Deadline: August 16, 2007.
Executive Summary: The Branch for the Study of the United States,
Office of Academic Exchange Programs, announces an open competition for
six Study of the United States Institutes for Student Leaders from
selected countries of the Western Hemisphere, a series of five-week
academic programs, three of which will take place at three distinct
host institutions during January and February 2008, while the remaining
three will take place at three distinct host institutions during June,
July, and August 2008. Each Institute should be similar in structure
and content, take place at accredited post-secondary education
institutions, and provide a group of up to 20 highly motivated
undergraduate students from the Western Hemisphere with an integrated
academic and educational travel program that will give them a deeper
understanding of U.S. society and culture, while enhancing their
leadership skills.
Three programs will take place in January and February of 2008. The
first winter program will target undergraduate students of indigenous
backgrounds from Bolivia and Peru, and will be conducted in Spanish as
the primary language of instruction. The second winter program will be
conducted in English for undergraduate students from Argentina, Chile,
and Uruguay. The third will be a program for undergraduates from Brazil
and will also be conducted in English.
Three programs will take place in June, July, and August of 2008.
The first summer program will target undergraduate students of
indigenous backgrounds from Guatemala and Mexico, and will be conducted
in Spanish as the primary language of instruction. The second of these
summer programs will also be conducted in Spanish for undergraduate
students from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The third summer program for
undergraduates will invite students from Colombia, Ecuador, and
Venezuela, and will be conducted in English.
ECA plans to award a single grant for the administration of this
program. The award will be contingent upon the availability of FY-2008
funds.

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

In March 2007, President Bush traveled to Brazil, Uruguay,
Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico to highlight the Administration's
commitment to advance the cause of social justice in the Western
Hemisphere. This region has made great strides toward freedom and
prosperity--strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law
and bringing stability to their economic structures. Yet despite these
advances, tens of millions in the Western Hemisphere remain deep in
poverty. The President has pledged to help these democracies advance
further economically and politically and has announced a new
partnership for Latin American youth to help thousands more young
people improve their English and have the opportunity to study in the
United States.
As part of this new initiative, the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, Branch for the Study of the U.S., will administer a
series of Study of the U.S. Institutes for up to 120 undergraduate
student leaders from the Western Hemisphere during the winter and
summer of 2008. Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders are
intensive academic programs whose purpose is to provide groups of
undergraduate student leaders with a deeper understanding of the United
States, while concurrently enhancing their leadership skills.
The principal objective of the Institutes is to heighten the
participants' awareness of the history and evolution of U.S. society,
culture, and values. All campus programs should include cultural
enrichment activities and should actively engage American undergraduate
or graduate student peers as mentors or escorts for the participants.
In addition to promoting a better understanding of the United
States, an important objective of the Institutes is to develop the
participants' leadership and collective problem-solving skills. In this
context, the academic program should include group discussions,
training, and exercises that focus on such topics as leadership,
teambuilding, collective problem-solving skills, effective
communication, and management skills for diverse organizational
settings. There should also be a community service component, in which
the students experience firsthand how not-for-profit organizations and
volunteerism play a key role in American civil society.
Local site visits and educational travel should provide
opportunities to observe varied aspects of American life and to discuss
lessons learned in the academic program. The program should also
include opportunities for participants to meet American citizens from a
variety of backgrounds, to interact with their American peers, and to
speak to appropriate student and civic groups about their experiences
and life in their home countries.

Administering Organization

The Bureau is seeking detailed proposals for the Institutes from
public and private non-profit organizations, or consortia of such
organizations with expertise in administering academic exchange
programs, which will administer the Institute directly or in
collaboration with partner institutions. Consortia must designate a
lead institution to receive the grant award. Organizations that choose
to include sub-grant arrangements should clearly outline all duties and
responsibilities of the sub-grant partner organization,

[[Page 34334]]

ideally in the form of sub-grant agreements and accompanying budgets.
Each institute should take place on a U.S. college or university
campus. Host institutions must be selected from among accredited four-
year liberal arts colleges, community colleges, universities, other
not-for-profit academic organizations or a consortia of these
institutions with an established reputation in one or more of the
following fields: political science, international relations, law,
history, sociology, American studies, and/or other disciplines or sub-
disciplines related to the study of the United States.
Organizations or consortia applying for this grant must demonstrate
their (or their partners') capacity for conducting projects of this
nature. ECA strongly prefers that each institution host only one
institute per season, meaning that a host institution is discouraged
from hosting two winter (January-February) programs or two summer
(June-August) programs. However, a single institution may host both a
winter and a summer program.

Program Design

Each Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders should provide
a group of up to 20 students with a uniquely designed program that
focuses on U.S. society and culture. Each Institute will consist of a
challenging academic program, as well as educational travel to
illustrate the various topics explored in class. Each Institute should
be tailored for the particular group of students and include a
discussion of relevant issues facing their countries and region. The
Bolivia-Peru program and the Mexico-Guatemala program should include a
component on Native American issues within the broader context of U.S.
society.
Each program should be five weeks in length; participants will
spend four weeks at the host institution for the academic program, and
approximately one week on the related educational study tour, including
two to three days in Washington, DC, at the conclusion of the
Institute. The educational travel component should directly complement
the academic program, and should include visits to cities and other
sites of interest in the region around the host institution.
Each Institute should be designed as an intensive academic program
with an educational travel component that is organized through a
carefully integrated series of panel presentations, seminar
discussions, debates, individual and group activities, lectures and
reading assignments, as well as local site visits, regional educational
travel, and participation in community service activities.
The Institute must not simply replicate existing or previous
lectures, workshops, or group activities designed for American
students. Rather, it should be a specially designed and well-integrated
seminar that creatively combines lectures, discussions, readings,
debates, local site visits and educational travel into a coherent
whole. The grantee institution should take into account that the
participants may have little or no prior knowledge of the United States
and varying degrees of experience in expressing their opinions in a
classroom setting; it should tailor the curriculum and classroom
activities accordingly. Every effort should be made to encourage active
student participation in all aspects of the Institute. The program
should provide ample time and opportunity for discussion and
interaction among students, lecturers and guest speakers, not simply
standard lectures or broad survey reading assignments.
Applicants are encouraged to select accredited four-year liberal
arts colleges, community colleges, universities, academic organizations
or a consortium of these institutions to design thematically coherent
programs in ways that draw upon the particular strengths, faculty and
resources of their institutions, as well as upon the nationally
recognized expertise of scholars and other experts throughout the
United States.

Program Administration

The grantee organization should designate a project director to
oversee all of the Institutes, coordinate logistical and administrative
arrangements, ensure an appropriate level of continuity between the
various host institution programs, and serve as the principal liaison
between ECA and all the host institutions and thus, as ECA's primary
point of contact.
The grantee organization should also designate an academic director
at each host institution who will be present throughout the program to
ensure the continuity, coherence and integration of all aspects of the
academic program, including the related educational study tour. In
addition to the academic director, an administrative coordinator should
be assigned at each host institution to oversee all student support
services, including supervision of the program participants and
budgetary, logistical, and other administrative arrangements. For
purposes of this program, it is important that the grantee organization
also retain qualified mentors or escorts at each host institution who
exhibit cultural sensitivity, an understanding of the program's
objectives, and a willingness to accompany the students throughout the
program.

Participants

Participants will be identified and nominated by the U.S.
Embassies, Consulates and/or Fulbright Commissions in the participating
countries, with final selection made by ECA. Each Institute will host
up to 20 participants, for a total of approximately 120 students.
Participation in the six Institutes will be organized by country, or
region, as follows:
(1) Bolivia and Peru (Spanish, winter).
(2) Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay (English, winter).
(3) Brazil (English, winter).
(4) Guatemala and Mexico (Spanish, summer).
(5) Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Panama (Spanish, summer).
(6) Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela (English, summer).
Participants in the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student
Leaders will be highly motivated undergraduate students from colleges,
universities and other institutions of higher education in selected
countries overseas who demonstrate leadership through academic work,
community involvement, and extracurricular activities. Their major
fields of study will be varied, and will include the sciences, social
sciences, humanities, education and business.
Recruitment of participants will be focused on historically
underserved, indigenous groups and ethnic minority communities. Every
effort will be made to select a balanced mix of male and female
participants, and to recruit participants who are from non-elite or
underprivileged backgrounds, from both rural and urban areas, and have
had little or no prior experience in the United States or elsewhere
outside of their home country.

Program Dates

The Institutes should be five weeks in length. The three winter
programs should begin on or around the same date in January 2008, while
the three summer programs should begin on or around the same date in
late June 2008.

Program Guidelines

It is essential that proposals provide a detailed and comprehensive
narrative describing how the partner organizations and/or host
institutions will achieve the objectives of the

[[Page 34335]]

Institutes; the title, scope and content of each session; planned site
visits, including educational travel; and how each session relates to
the overall institute theme.
The proposal must list the institutions that will host the various
programs, and for which group of students.
A sample template should be provided that lays out the academic
program, including lectures, panel discussions, group presentations or
other activities. A description of plans for public and media outreach
in connection with the Institutes should also be included.

Please Note: Since three of the six programs will be conducted
in Spanish, it is imperative that the applicant demonstrate their
(or their partners') capacity to implement an academic program in
Spanish. All principal staff for these three programs (academic
director, administrative coordinator, student mentors) must be
fluent in Spanish. Arrangements for professionally-trained, Spanish-
English interpreters should be made for guest speakers, local site
visits, and other circumstances when needed.

Overall, proposals will be reviewed on the basis of their
responsiveness to RFGP criteria, coherence, clarity, and attention to
detail.

Please Note: In a cooperative agreement, the Bureau is
substantially involved in program activities above and beyond
routine grant monitoring. The Bureau will assume the following
responsibilities for the Institutes: participate in the selection of
participants; review and confirm syllabi and proposed speakers for
each of the Institutes; monitor the Institutes through one or more
site visits; meet with participants in Washington, DC at the
conclusion of the Institute; work with the cooperating agency to
publicize the program through various media outlets; and engage in
follow-on communication with the participants after they return to
their home countries.

The Bureau may request that the grantee institution make
modifications to the academic residency and/or educational travel
components of the program. The recipient will be required to obtain
approval of any significant program changes in advance of their
implementation.

Note: All materials, publicity, and correspondence related to
the program must acknowledge this as a program of the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. The
Bureau will retain copyright use of and distribute materials related
to this program as it sees fit.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ECA's level of involvement in
this program is detailed in the previous paragraph.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY-2008 (pending availability of funds).
Approximate Total Funding: $1,500,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: 1.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, November 1,
2007.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2008.
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
strongly 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 that 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:
a. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will
be limited to $60,000. ECA anticipates awarding one grant in an amount
up to $1,500,000 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.

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 Branch for the Study of the United States, ECA/A/E/USS,
Room 314, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20547; tel. (202) 453-8540; fax (202) 453-8533 to
request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity
Number ECA/A/E/USS-08-02 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. 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 Bureau Program Officer Jennifer Phillips and refer
to the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/E/USS-08-02 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
ll
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'' 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-

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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 PSI and POGI documents 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
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is placing renewed emphasis
on the secure and proper administration of 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
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.
The Grantee may be responsible for issuing DS-2019 forms to
participants in this program, as an alternate responsible officer under
the Bureau's J Designation.
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,
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
(V.2.) 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 strongly
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 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 applicants 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

[[Page 34337]]

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.4. Describe your plans for overall program management,
staffing, and coordination with the Bureau. The Bureau considers these
to be essential elements of your program; please be sure to give
sufficient attention to them in your proposal.
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. Awards may not exceed $1,500,000. While there is no
rigid ratio of administrative to program costs, the Bureau urges
applicant organizations to keep administrative costs as low and
reasonable as possible. 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. Applicants
should also provide copies of any sub-grant agreements that would be
implemented under terms of this award.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program and additional budget
guidance are outlined in detail in the POGI document. Please refer to
the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting
instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission:
Application Deadline Date: August 16, 2007.
Reference Number: ECA/A/E/USS-08-02.
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 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 (8) copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Reference Number: ECA/A/E/USS-08-02, 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) format on a PC-formatted disk. The Bureau will
provide these files electronically to regional bureaus and Public
Affairs Sections at U.S. embassies and for their review, as
appropriate.
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

[[Page 34338]]

agreements resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
V.2. 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 Program Idea/Plan: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's
mission. Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should demonstrate
substantive undertakings and logistical capacity.
2. Ability to Achieve Overall Program Objectives: Objectives should
be reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
3. Support for Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant
features should be cited in both program administration (program venue,
study tour venue, and program evaluation) and program content
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, site visits, program meetings and
resource materials).
4. Evaluation and Follow-On: Proposals should include a plan to
evaluate the Institute'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
institute objectives is strongly recommended. Proposals should provide
a plan for continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support)
ensuring that Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
5. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing: 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. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
6. Institutional Track 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. Proposed
personnel and institutional resources should be fully qualified to
achieve the Institute's goals.

VI. Award Administration Information

VI.1. 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
rms.htm#articleI.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You must provide ECA with a hard copy
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.3d.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: Jennifer Phillips,
Branch for the Study of the United States, ECA/A/E/USS, Room 314, U.S.
Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547;
tel. (202) 453-8537; fax (202) 453-8533; e-mail, PhillipsJA@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the title ``Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student
Leaders'' and number ECA/A/E/USS-08-02.
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: June 12, 2007.
C. Miller Crouch,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs,
Department of State.
[FR Doc. E7-12029 Filed 6-20-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710-08-P

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