Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: FY-2010 Study of the United States Institutes for Scholars, 48797-48803 [E9-23108]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
psychological consultant’s review of the
Physical Residual Functional Capacity
Form, SSA–4734. The SSA–392 records
the reviewing medical/psychological
consultant’s assessment of the SSA–
4734. It also documents whether the
reviewer agrees or disagrees with how
the adjudicator completed the SSA–
4734. Medical/psychological
consultants prepare the SSA–392 for
each SSA–4734 an adjudicator
completes. The respondents are
medical/psychological consultants who
conduct a quality review of adjudicating
components’ completion of SSA’s
medical assessment forms.
Note: This is a correction notice. SSA
published this information collection as an
extension on July 27, 2009 at 74 FR 37081.
Since we are revising the Privacy Act
Statement, this is now a revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
Number of Respondents: 256.
Frequency of Response: 359.
Average Burden Per Response: 12
minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 18,381
hours.
3. Statement of Reclamation Action—
31 CFR 210—0960–0734. SSA uses
Form SSA–1713 to collect information
to determine if a Canadian bank is able
to return erroneous payments, and to
determine how and when it can return
the payments made after the death of a
beneficiary who elected to have
payments sent to Canada. Form SSA–
1712 (or SSA–1712 CN) is the cover
sheet SSA prepares to request return of
a payment erroneously made after the
death of the recipient. SSA sends Form
SSA—1712 with Form SSA–1713. The
respondents are Canadian financial
institutions that received Social
Security payments.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Note: This is a correction notice. SSA
published this information collection as an
extension on July 10, 2009 at 74 FR 33313.
Since we are revising the Privacy Act
Statement, this is now a revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
Number of Respondents: 15.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 5
minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 1 hour.
Dated: September 18, 2009.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Director, Center for Reports Clearance, Social
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. E9–23074 Filed 9–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA–2009–0061]
Modifications to the Disability
Determination Procedures; Extension
of Testing of Some Disability Redesign
Features
Social Security Administration.
Notice of the extension of tests
involving modifications to the disability
determination procedures.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: We are announcing the
extension of tests involving
modifications to disability
determination procedures authorized by
20 CFR 404.906 and 416.1406. These
rules authorize us to test several
modifications to the disability
determination procedures for
adjudicating claims for disability
insurance benefits under title II of the
Social Security Act (Act) and for
supplemental security income payments
based on disability under title XVI of
the Act.
DATES: We are extending our selection
of cases to be included in these tests
from September 30, 2009 until no later
than September 28, 2012. If we decide
to continue selection of cases for these
tests beyond this date, we will publish
another notice in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michele Schaefer, Office of Disability
Programs, Social Security
Administration, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235–6401,
410–594–0083, for information about
this notice. For information on
eligibility or filing for benefits, call our
national toll-free number, 1–800–772–
1213 or TTY 1–800–325–0778, or visit
our Internet site, Social Security Online,
at https://www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Our
current rules authorize us to test,
individually or in any combination,
certain modifications of the disability
determination procedures. 20 CFR
404.906 and 416.1406. We have
conducted several tests under the
authority of these rules. In the ‘‘single
decisionmaker,’’ test, a disability
examiner may make the initial disability
determination in most cases without
obtaining the signature of a medical or
psychological consultant. We also have
conducted a separate test, which we call
the ‘‘prototype,’’ in 10 States. 64 FR
47218. Currently, the prototype
combines the single decisionmaker
approach described above with the
elimination of the reconsideration level
of our administrative review process.
We have extended the time period for
selecting claims for these tests several
PO 00000
Frm 00089
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
48797
times. Most recently, on August 10,
2006, we extended the time period until
September 30, 2009. 71 FR 45890. We
have decided to extend case selection
for the current disability prototype
process (single decisionmaker and
elimination of the reconsideration step)
and for the separate test of the single
decisionmaker until September 28,
2012. If we decide to end case selection
for any part of the disability prototype
in any the 10 States in which we are
conducting the tests prior to September
28, 2012, we will publish another notice
in the Federal Register.
Dated: September 18, 2009.
David A. Rust,
Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and
Disability Policy.
[FR Doc. E9–23110 Filed 9–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6768]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant
Proposals: FY–2010 Study of the
United States Institutes for Scholars
Announcement Type: New
Cooperative Agreement.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/
A/E/USS–10–02–04.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 19.401.
Key Dates
Application Deadline: December 3,
2009.
Executive Summary: The Branch for
the Study of the United States, Office of
Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
invites proposal submissions for the
design and implementation of three
Study of the United States Institutes to
take place over the course of six weeks
beginning in June 2010. These Institutes
should provide a multinational group of
experienced educators with a deeper
understanding of U.S. society, culture,
values, and institutions.
Two of these Institutes will be for
groups of 18 foreign university level
faculty, focusing on U.S. Culture and
Society, and Journalism and Media. The
third Institute will be a general survey
course on the study of the United States
for a group of 30 foreign secondary
educators.
Applicants may propose to host only
one Institute listed under this
competition. Should an applicant
submit multiple proposals under this
competition, all proposals will be
declared technically ineligible and
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
48798
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
given no further consideration in the
review process.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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 FulbrightHays 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: Study of the United States
Institutes are intensive academic
programs whose purpose is to provide
foreign university faculty, secondary
educators, and other scholars the
opportunity to deepen their
understanding of American society,
culture, and institutions. The ultimate
goal is to strengthen curricula and to
improve the quality of teaching about
the United States in academic
institutions abroad.
The Bureau is seeking detailed
proposals for three different Study of
the United States Institutes from U.S.
colleges, universities, and other not-forprofit academic organizations that have
an established reputation in a field or
discipline related to the specific
program themes.
Overview: Each program should be six
weeks in length; participants will spend
approximately four weeks at the host
institution, and approximately two
weeks on the 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
awardee institution, as well as to
another geographic region of the
country. The awardee institution also
will be expected to provide participants
with guidance and resources for further
investigation and research on the topics
and issues examined during the
institute after they return home.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
The Study of the U.S. Institute on U.S.
Culture and Society should provide a
multinational group of 18 experienced
and highly-motivated foreign university
faculty and other specialists with a
deeper understanding of U.S. society,
culture, values, and institutions. The
Institute should examine the ethnic,
racial, economic, political, and religious
contexts in which various cultures have
manifested themselves in U.S. society,
and the ways in which these cultures
have influenced both social movements
and historical epochs throughout U.S.
history. The program should draw from
a diverse disciplinary base, and should
itself provide a model of how a foreign
university might approach the study of
U.S. culture and society. One award of
up to $290,000 will support this
Institute.
The Study of the U.S. Institute on
Journalism and Media should provide a
multinational group of 18 experienced
and highly-motivated foreign journalism
instructors and other related specialists
with a deeper understanding of the roles
that journalism and the media play in
U.S. society. The Institute should
examine the rights and responsibilities
of the media in a democratic society,
including editorial independence,
journalistic ethics, legal constraints,
foreign policy issues, and media
business models. The Institute should
include strategies for teaching students
of journalism the basics of the
tradecraft: researching, reporting,
writing, and editing. The program
should also highlight technology’s
impact on journalism, addressing the
influence of the Internet, the
globalization of the news media, the
growth of satellite television and radio
networks, and other advances in media
that are transforming the profession.
One award of up to $290,000 will
support this Institute.
The Study of the U.S. Institute for
Secondary Educators should provide a
multinational group of 30 experienced
secondary school educators (teachers,
teacher trainers, curriculum developers,
textbook writers, or education ministry
officials) with a deeper understanding of
U.S. society, education, and culture—
past and present. The Institute should
be organized around a central theme or
themes in U.S. civilization and should
have a strong contemporary component.
Through a combination of traditional,
multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary
approaches, program content should be
imaginatively integrated in order to
elucidate the history and evolution of
U.S. educational institutions and values,
broadly defined. The program should
also serve to illuminate contemporary
political, social, and economic debates
PO 00000
Frm 00090
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
in American society. One award of up
to $360,000 will support this Institute.
Program Design: Each Study of the
U.S. Institute should be designed as an
intensive, academically rigorous
seminar for an experienced group of
educators from abroad. Each Institute
should be organized through an
integrated series of lectures, readings,
seminar discussions, and regional travel
and site visits, and also should include
sessions that expose participants to U.S.
pedagogical philosophy and practice for
teaching the discipline. Each Institute
also should include some opportunity
for limited but well-directed
independent research.
Applicants are encouraged 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.
Participants: Participants will be
nominated by U.S. Embassies and
Fulbright Commissions from all regions
of the world, with final selection made
by the Bureau’s Branch for the Study of
the United States. Every effort will be
made to select a balanced mix of male
and female participants. Participants
will be diverse in terms of age,
professional position, and experience
abroad. All participants will have a
good knowledge of English.
Participants may come from
educational institutions where the study
of the United States is relatively welldeveloped, or they may be pioneers in
this field at their home institutions.
Some participants may not have visited
the United States previously, while
others may have had sustained
professional contact with American
scholars and American scholarship as
well as prior study and travel
experience in the U.S. In all cases,
participants will be accomplished
teachers and scholars who will be
prepared to participate in an
intellectually rigorous academic
seminar that offers a collegial
atmosphere conducive to the exchange
of ideas.
Program Dates: The Institutes should
be a maximum of 44 days in length
(including participant arrival and
departure days) and should begin by
June 2010.
Program Guidelines: While the
conception and structure of the Institute
agenda is the responsibility of the
organizers, it is essential that proposals
provide a detailed and comprehensive
narrative describing the objectives of the
Institute; the title, scope and content of
each session; planned site visits; and
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
how each session relates to the overall
institute theme. Proposals must include
a syllabus that indicates the subject
matter for each lecture, panel
discussion, group presentation, or other
activity. The syllabus also should
confirm or provisionally identify
proposed speakers, trainers, and session
leaders, and clearly show how assigned
readings will advance the goals of each
session. Overall, proposals will be
reviewed on the basis of their
responsiveness to RFGP criteria,
coherence, clarity, and attention to
detail. The accompanying Project
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation
(POGI) document provides programspecific guidelines that all proposals
must address fully.
Please Note: In a cooperative agreement,
the Branch for the Study of the United States
is substantially involved in program
activities above and beyond routine grant
monitoring. The Branch will assume the
following responsibilities for the Institute:
Participate in the selection of participants;
oversee the Institute through one or more site
visits; debrief participants in Washington, DC
at the conclusion of the Institute; and engage
in follow-on communication with the
participants after they return to their home
countries. The Branch may request that the
awardee institution make modifications to
the academic residency and/or educational
travel components of the program. The
recipient will be required to obtain approval
of significant program changes in advance of
their implementation.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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 2010.
Approximate Total Funding:
$920,000.
Approximate Number of Awards:
Three (3).
Approximate Average Award: Two
awards of $290,000 for 18 participants
each; one award of $360,000 for 30
participants.
Floor of Award Range: $290,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $360,000.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending
availability of funds, March 1, 2010.
Anticipated Project Completion Date:
March 2011.
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 cooperative
agreement for two additional fiscal years
before openly competing it again.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
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
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
(a.) Bureau grant guidelines require
that organizations with fewer than four
years experience in conducting
international exchanges be limited to
$60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA
anticipates making three awards, two in
an amount up to $290,000, and in one
in an amount up to $360,000 to support
the program and administrative costs
required to implement this exchange
program. Therefore, organizations with
fewer 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.
(b.) Technical Eligibility: It is the
Bureau’s intent to award three separate
cooperative agreements to three
different institutions under this
competition. Therefore prospective
applicants may submit only one
proposal under this competition. All
applicants must comply with this
requirement. Should an applicant
submit multiple proposals under this
competition, all proposals will be
PO 00000
Frm 00091
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
48799
declared technically ineligible and
given no further consideration in the
review process.
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, Fourth Floor, U.S. Department of
State, SA–5, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20522–0504, (202) 632–
3340 to request a Solicitation Package.
Please refer to the Funding Opportunity
Number ECA/A/E/USS–10–02–04
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 Brendan M. Walsh and
refer to the Funding Opportunity
Number ECA/A/E/USS–10–02–04
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/grants/
open2.html, 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.
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
48800
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
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.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Please Note: Effective January 7, 2009, all
applicants for ECA federal assistance awards
must include in their application the names
of directors and/or senior executives (current
officers, trustees, and key employees,
regardless of amount of compensation). In
fulfilling this requirement, applicants must
submit information in one of the following
ways:
(1) Those who file Internal Revenue
Service Form 990, ‘‘Return of
Organization Exempt From Income
Tax,’’ must include a copy of relevant
portions of this form.
(2) Those who do not file IRS Form
990 must submit information above in
the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting
requirements, award recipients will also
be required to submit a one-page
document, derived from their program
reports, listing and describing their
grant activities. For award recipients,
the names of directors and/or senior
executives (current officers, trustees,
and key employees), as well as the onepage description of grant activities, will
be transmitted by the State Department
to OMB, along with other information
required by the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act
(FFATA), and will be made available to
the public by the Office of Management
and Budget on its USASpending.gov
Web site as part of ECA’s FFATA
reporting requirements.
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
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
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 places critically
important emphases on the security and
proper administration of the Exchange
Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence
by award recipients 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 prearrival information and orientation to
participants, monitoring of participants,
proper maintenance and security of
forms, recordkeeping, 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, Office of Designation,
ECA/EC/D, SA–5, Floor C2, Department
of State, Washington, DC 20522–0582.
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, socioeconomic 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
PO 00000
Frm 00092
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 recipient organization
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
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
exceed $290,000, and administrative
costs should be no more than
approximately $95,000. Budget requests
for the Institute for Secondary Educators
may not exceed $360,000, and
administrative costs should be no more
than approximately $110,000. There
must be a summary budget as well as
breakdowns reflecting both
administrative and program budgets.
Applicants may provide separate subbudgets for each program component,
phase, location, or activity to provide
clarification.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the
program include the following:
(1) Institute staff salary and benefits
(2) Participant housing and meals
(3) Participant travel and per diem
(4) Textbooks, educational materials,
and admissions fees
(5) Honoraria for guest speakers
(6) Follow-on programming for
alumni of Study of the United States
programs.
Please refer to the Solicitation
Package for complete budget guidelines
and formatting instructions.
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 shortterm outcome, whereas behavior and
institutional changes are normally
considered longer-term outcomes.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and
Methods of Submission
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.)
Recipient organizations 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. Please take the following
information into consideration when
preparing your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF–
424A—‘‘Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs’’ along with a
comprehensive budget for the entire
program. Budget requests for either of
the two scholar institutes may not
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
48801
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’’.
Application Deadline Date: December
3, 2009.
Reference Number: ECA/A/E/USS–
10–02–04.
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., Federal Express, UPS, Airborne
Express, or U.S. Postal Service Express
Overnight Mail, etc.), or
(2) Electronically through https://
www.grants.gov.
The original and six (6) copies of the
application should be sent to: Program
Management Division, ECA–IIP/EX/PM,
Ref.: ECA/A/E/USS–10–02–04, SA–5,
Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522–
0504.
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 CD.
Please Note: ECA strongly encourages
organizations interested in applying for this
competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1.,
below rather than submitting electronically
through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high
volume of grant proposals that will be
submitted via the Grants.gov Web portal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package.
As stated in this RFGP, ECA bears no
responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for
proposals submitted via Grants.gov.
IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic
Applications
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
PO 00000
Frm 00093
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 Note: ECA strongly encourages
organizations interested in applying for this
competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1.
above, rather than submitting electronically
through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high
volume of grant proposals that will be
submitted via the Grants.gov webportal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package.
As stated in this RFGP, ECA bears no
responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for
proposals submitted via Grants.gov.
Please follow the instructions
available in the ‘Get Started’ portion of
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
48802
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
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.
In addition, validation of an electronic
submission via Grants.gov can take up
to two business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend
that you not wait until the application
deadline to begin the submission
process through Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes
extensive information on all phases/
aspects of the Grants.gov process,
including an extensive section on
frequently asked questions, located
under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of
the Web site. ECA strongly recommends
that all potential applicants review
thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site,
well in advance of submitting a
proposal through the Grants.gov system.
ECA bears no responsibility for data
errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes.
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.
Please refer to the Grants.gov Web
site, for definitions of various
‘‘application statuses’’ and the
difference between a submission receipt
and a submission validation. Applicants
will receive a validation e-mail from
grants.gov upon the successful
submission of an application. Again,
validation of an electronic submission
via Grants.gov can take up to two
business days. Therefore, we strongly
recommend that you not wait until the
application deadline to begin the
submission process through Grants.gov.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
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.
Optional—IV.3f.3 You may also state
here any limitations on the number of
applications that an applicant may
submit and make it clear whether the
limitation is on the submitting
organization, individual program
director or both.
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.
be cited in both program administration
(program venue and program
evaluation) and program content
(orientation and wrap-up sessions,
program meetings, presenters, and
resource materials).
3. Evaluation and Follow-Up:
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 a
description of a methodology to use to
link outcomes to original project
objectives is strongly recommended.
Proposals also should discuss
provisions made for follow-up with
returned participants as a means of
establishing longer-term individual and
institutional linkages.
4. 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.
5. 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 project’s goals.
VI. Award Administration Information
Review Criteria
VI.1a. Award Notices
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 Plan and Ability
to Achieve Program Objectives:
Proposals should exhibit originality,
substance, precision, and relevance to
the Bureau’s mission. A detailed agenda
and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings
and logistical capacity. Objectives
should be reasonable, feasible, and
flexible. Proposals should demonstrate
clearly how the institution will meet the
program’s objectives and plan.
2. Support for Diversity: Proposals
should demonstrate substantive support
of the Bureau’s policy on diversity.
Achievable and relevant features should
Final awards cannot be made until
funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed
through internal Bureau procedures.
Successful applicants will receive a
Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from
the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA
and the original proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable)
shall be the only binding authorizing
document between the recipient and the
U.S. Government. The FAA 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00094
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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 Nonprofit Organizations.
Please reference the following Web
sites for additional information:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
https://fa.statebuy.state.gov
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard
copy original plus one copy of the
following reports:
(1) An interim program report no
more than 90 days after the completion
of the summer Institute;
(2) A final program and financial
report no more than 90 days after the
expiration of the award;
(3) A concise, one-page final program
report summarizing program outcomes
no more than 90 days after the
expiration of the award. This one-page
report will be transmitted to OMB, and
be made available to the public via
OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as
part of ECA’s Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act
(FFATA) reporting requirements.
(4) An SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance
Progress Report’’ Cover Sheet with all
program reports.
Award recipients 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
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:27 Sep 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
listed in the final assistance award
document.
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this
announcement, contact: Brendan M.
Walsh, Branch for the Study of the
United States, ECA/A/E/USS, U.S.
Department of State, Fourth Floor, U.S.
Department of State, SA–5, 2200 C
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522–
0504, phone: (202) 632–3340, or e-mail:
WalshBM@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and number ECA/A/E/
USS–10–02–04.
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: September 17, 2009.
Maura M. Pally,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational
and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of
State.
[FR Doc. E9–23108 Filed 9–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6769]
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs:
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls;
Notifications to the Congress of
Proposed Commercial Export Licenses
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the Department of State has forwarded
the attached Notifications of Proposed
Export Licenses to the Congress on the
dates indicated on the attachments
pursuant to sections 36(c) and 36(d) and
in compliance with section 36(f) of the
PO 00000
Frm 00095
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
48803
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C.
2776).
DATES: Effective Date: As shown on each
of the 24 letters.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Robert S. Kovac, Managing Director,
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls,
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs,
Department of State (202) 663–2861.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
36(f) of the Arms Export Control Act
mandates that notifications to the
Congress pursuant to sections 36(c) and
36(d) must be published in the Federal
Register when they are transmitted to
Congress or as soon thereafter as
practicable.
July 27, 2009 (Transmittal No. DDTC 010–
09.)
Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
Dear Madam Speaker: Pursuant to Section
36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, I am
transmitting, herewith, certification of a
proposed technical assistance agreement for
the export of defense articles, including
technical data, and defense services in the
amount of $100,000,000 or more.
The transaction contained in the attached
certification involves the export of technical
data, defense services, and defense articles to
Turkey to perform maintenance and service
of F110–GE–100 and F110–GE–129 aircraft
engines installed on Turkish Air Force F–16
fighter aircraft.
The United States Government is prepared
to license the export of these items having
taken into account political, military,
economic, human rights and arms control
considerations.
More detailed information is contained in
the formal certification which, though
unclassified, contains business information
submitted to the Department of State by the
applicant, publication of which could cause
competitive harm to the United States firm
concerned.
Sincerely,
Richard R. Verma,
Assistant Secretary Legislative Affairs.
July 27, 2009 (Transmittal No. DDTC 028–
09.)
Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
Dear Madam Speaker: Pursuant to Section
36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, I am
transmitting, herewith, certification of a
proposed export of defense articles or
defense services in the amount of
$100,000,000 or more.
The transaction contained in the attached
certification involves the export of defense
articles from the United States to Canada in
support of the transfer of title of one
commercial communications satellite to
Canada.
The United States Government is prepared
to license the transfer of these items having
taken into account political, military,
economic, human rights and arms control
considerations.
More detailed information is contained in
the formal certification which, though
E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM
24SEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 184 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48797-48803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23108]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6768]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals: FY-2010 Study of the United States Institutes for
Scholars
Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/A/E/USS-10-02-04.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.401.
Key Dates
Application Deadline: December 3, 2009.
Executive Summary: The Branch for the Study of the United States,
Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, invites proposal submissions for the design and
implementation of three Study of the United States Institutes to take
place over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2010. These
Institutes should provide a multinational group of experienced
educators with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values,
and institutions.
Two of these Institutes will be for groups of 18 foreign university
level faculty, focusing on U.S. Culture and Society, and Journalism and
Media. The third Institute will be a general survey course on the study
of the United States for a group of 30 foreign secondary educators.
Applicants may propose to host only one Institute listed under this
competition. Should an applicant submit multiple proposals under this
competition, all proposals will be declared technically ineligible and
[[Page 48798]]
given no further consideration in the review process.
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: Study of the United States Institutes are intensive
academic programs whose purpose is to provide foreign university
faculty, secondary educators, and other scholars the opportunity to
deepen their understanding of American society, culture, and
institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to
improve the quality of teaching about the United States in academic
institutions abroad.
The Bureau is seeking detailed proposals for three different Study
of the United States Institutes from U.S. colleges, universities, and
other not-for-profit academic organizations that have an established
reputation in a field or discipline related to the specific program
themes.
Overview: Each program should be six weeks in length; participants
will spend approximately four weeks at the host institution, and
approximately two weeks on the 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 awardee institution, as well as to
another geographic region of the country. The awardee institution also
will be expected to provide participants with guidance and resources
for further investigation and research on the topics and issues
examined during the institute after they return home.
The Study of the U.S. Institute on U.S. Culture and Society should
provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated
foreign university faculty and other specialists with a deeper
understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The
Institute should examine the ethnic, racial, economic, political, and
religious contexts in which various cultures have manifested themselves
in U.S. society, and the ways in which these cultures have influenced
both social movements and historical epochs throughout U.S. history.
The program should draw from a diverse disciplinary base, and should
itself provide a model of how a foreign university might approach the
study of U.S. culture and society. One award of up to $290,000 will
support this Institute.
The Study of the U.S. Institute on Journalism and Media should
provide a multinational group of 18 experienced and highly-motivated
foreign journalism instructors and other related specialists with a
deeper understanding of the roles that journalism and the media play in
U.S. society. The Institute should examine the rights and
responsibilities of the media in a democratic society, including
editorial independence, journalistic ethics, legal constraints, foreign
policy issues, and media business models. The Institute should include
strategies for teaching students of journalism the basics of the
tradecraft: researching, reporting, writing, and editing. The program
should also highlight technology's impact on journalism, addressing the
influence of the Internet, the globalization of the news media, the
growth of satellite television and radio networks, and other advances
in media that are transforming the profession. One award of up to
$290,000 will support this Institute.
The Study of the U.S. Institute for Secondary Educators should
provide a multinational group of 30 experienced secondary school
educators (teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook
writers, or education ministry officials) with a deeper understanding
of U.S. society, education, and culture--past and present. The
Institute should be organized around a central theme or themes in U.S.
civilization and should have a strong contemporary component. Through a
combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary
approaches, program content should be imaginatively integrated in order
to elucidate the history and evolution of U.S. educational institutions
and values, broadly defined. The program should also serve to
illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in
American society. One award of up to $360,000 will support this
Institute.
Program Design: Each Study of the U.S. Institute should be designed
as an intensive, academically rigorous seminar for an experienced group
of educators from abroad. Each Institute should be organized through an
integrated series of lectures, readings, seminar discussions, and
regional travel and site visits, and also should include sessions that
expose participants to U.S. pedagogical philosophy and practice for
teaching the discipline. Each Institute also should include some
opportunity for limited but well-directed independent research.
Applicants are encouraged 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.
Participants: Participants will be nominated by U.S. Embassies and
Fulbright Commissions from all regions of the world, with final
selection made by the Bureau's Branch for the Study of the United
States. Every effort will be made to select a balanced mix of male and
female participants. Participants will be diverse in terms of age,
professional position, and experience abroad. All participants will
have a good knowledge of English.
Participants may come from educational institutions where the study
of the United States is relatively well-developed, or they may be
pioneers in this field at their home institutions. Some participants
may not have visited the United States previously, while others may
have had sustained professional contact with American scholars and
American scholarship as well as prior study and travel experience in
the U.S. In all cases, participants will be accomplished teachers and
scholars who will be prepared to participate in an intellectually
rigorous academic seminar that offers a collegial atmosphere conducive
to the exchange of ideas.
Program Dates: The Institutes should be a maximum of 44 days in
length (including participant arrival and departure days) and should
begin by June 2010.
Program Guidelines: While the conception and structure of the
Institute agenda is the responsibility of the organizers, it is
essential that proposals provide a detailed and comprehensive narrative
describing the objectives of the Institute; the title, scope and
content of each session; planned site visits; and
[[Page 48799]]
how each session relates to the overall institute theme. Proposals must
include a syllabus that indicates the subject matter for each lecture,
panel discussion, group presentation, or other activity. The syllabus
also should confirm or provisionally identify proposed speakers,
trainers, and session leaders, and clearly show how assigned readings
will advance the goals of each session. Overall, proposals will be
reviewed on the basis of their responsiveness to RFGP criteria,
coherence, clarity, and attention to detail. The accompanying Project
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) document provides program-
specific guidelines that all proposals must address fully.
Please Note: In a cooperative agreement, the Branch for the
Study of the United States is substantially involved in program
activities above and beyond routine grant monitoring. The Branch
will assume the following responsibilities for the Institute:
Participate in the selection of participants; oversee the Institute
through one or more site visits; debrief participants in Washington,
DC at the conclusion of the Institute; and engage in follow-on
communication with the participants after they return to their home
countries. The Branch may request that the awardee institution make
modifications to the academic residency and/or educational travel
components of the program. The recipient will be required to obtain
approval of significant program changes in advance of their
implementation.
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 2010.
Approximate Total Funding: $920,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: Three (3).
Approximate Average Award: Two awards of $290,000 for 18
participants each; one award of $360,000 for 30 participants.
Floor of Award Range: $290,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $360,000.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, March 1,
2010.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: March 2011.
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 cooperative agreement 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 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
(a.) Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with fewer
than four years experience in conducting international exchanges be
limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making three
awards, two in an amount up to $290,000, and in one in an amount up to
$360,000 to support the program and administrative costs required to
implement this exchange program. Therefore, organizations with fewer
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.
(b.) Technical Eligibility: It is the Bureau's intent to award
three separate cooperative agreements to three different institutions
under this competition. Therefore prospective applicants may submit
only one proposal under this competition. All applicants must comply
with this requirement. Should an applicant submit multiple proposals
under this competition, all proposals will be declared technically
ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
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, Fourth Floor, U.S. Department of State, SA-5, 2200 C Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20522-0504, (202) 632-3340 to request a
Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number
ECA/A/E/USS-10-02-04 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 Brendan M. Walsh and refer to the Funding
Opportunity Number ECA/A/E/USS-10-02-04 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/grants/open2.html, 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.
[[Page 48800]]
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.
Please Note: Effective January 7, 2009, all applicants for ECA
federal assistance awards must include in their application the
names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers,
trustees, and key employees, regardless of amount of compensation).
In fulfilling this requirement, applicants must submit information
in one of the following ways:
(1) Those who file Internal Revenue Service Form 990, ``Return of
Organization Exempt From Income Tax,'' must include a copy of relevant
portions of this form.
(2) Those who do not file IRS Form 990 must submit information
above in the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting requirements, award
recipients will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived
from their program reports, listing and describing their grant
activities. For award recipients, the names of directors and/or senior
executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as
the one- page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by
the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and
will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and
Budget on its USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting
requirements.
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 places critically
important emphases on the security and proper administration of the
Exchange Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence by award recipients
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, recordkeeping, 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, Office of Designation, ECA/
EC/D, SA-5, Floor C2, Department of State, Washington, DC 20522-0582.
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 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 recipient organization 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
[[Page 48801]]
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.)
Recipient organizations 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. Please take the following information into consideration
when preparing your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF-424A--``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs'' along with a comprehensive budget for the
entire program. Budget requests for either of the two scholar
institutes may not exceed $290,000, and administrative costs should be
no more than approximately $95,000. Budget requests for the Institute
for Secondary Educators may not exceed $360,000, and administrative
costs should be no more than approximately $110,000. 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) Institute staff salary and benefits
(2) Participant housing and meals
(3) Participant travel and per diem
(4) Textbooks, educational materials, and admissions fees
(5) Honoraria for guest speakers
(6) Follow-on programming for alumni of Study of the United States
programs.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission
Application Deadline Date: December 3, 2009.
Reference Number: ECA/A/E/USS-10-02-04.
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., Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. Postal
Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
(2) Electronically through https://www.grants.gov.
Please Note: ECA strongly encourages organizations interested
in applying for this competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1., below rather than
submitting electronically through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high volume of grant
proposals that will be submitted via the Grants.gov Web portal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. As stated in this RFGP,
ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for proposals submitted via
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 six (6) copies of the application should be sent
to: Program Management Division, ECA-IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/A/E/USS-10-
02-04, SA-5, Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20522-0504.
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 CD.
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 Note: ECA strongly encourages organizations interested in
applying for this competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1. above, rather than
submitting electronically through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high volume of grant
proposals that will be submitted via the Grants.gov webportal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. As stated in this RFGP,
ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for proposals submitted via
Grants.gov.
Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started'
portion of
[[Page 48802]]
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. In
addition, validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can
take up to two business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the
application deadline to begin the submission process through
Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes extensive information on all
phases/aspects of the Grants.gov process, including an extensive
section on frequently asked questions, located under the ``For
Applicants'' section of the Web site. ECA strongly recommends that all
potential applicants review thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, well in
advance of submitting a proposal through the Grants.gov system. ECA
bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes.
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: grants.gov">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.
Please refer to the Grants.gov Web site, for definitions of various
``application statuses'' and the difference between a submission
receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a
validation e-mail from grants.gov upon the successful submission of an
application. Again, validation of an electronic submission via
Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Therefore, we strongly
recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to begin the
submission process through Grants.gov. 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.
Optional--IV.3f.3 You may also state here any limitations on the
number of applications that an applicant may submit and make it clear
whether the limitation is on the submitting organization, individual
program director or both.
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 Program Plan and Ability to Achieve Program
Objectives: Proposals should exhibit originality, substance, precision,
and relevance to the Bureau's mission. A detailed agenda and relevant
work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical
capacity. Objectives should be reasonable, feasible, and flexible.
Proposals should demonstrate clearly how the institution will meet the
program's objectives and plan.
2. 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
and program evaluation) and program content (orientation and wrap-up
sessions, program meetings, presenters, and resource materials).
3. Evaluation and Follow-Up: 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 a description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original
project objectives is strongly recommended. Proposals also should
discuss provisions made for follow-up with returned participants as a
means of establishing longer-term individual and institutional
linkages.
4. 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.
5. 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 project's goals.
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 a Federal Assistance Award (FAA)
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The FAA and the original proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding
authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government. The
FAA 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 48803]]
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://fa.statebuy.state.gov
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus one copy of the
following reports:
(1) An interim program report no more than 90 days after the
completion of the summer Institute;
(2) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after
the expiration of the award;
(3) A concise, one-page final program report summarizing program
outcomes no more than 90 days after the expiration of the award. This
one-page report will be transmitted to OMB, and be made available to
the public via OMB's USAspending.gov Web site--as part of ECA's Federal
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting
requirements.
(4) An SF-PPR, ``Performance Progress Report'' Cover Sheet with all
program reports.
Award recipients 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: Brendan M. Walsh,
Branch for the Study of the United States, ECA/A/E/USS, U.S. Department
of State, Fourth Floor, U.S. Department of State, SA-5, 2200 C Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20522-0504, phone: (202) 632-3340, or e-mail:
WalshBM@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the above title and number ECA/A/E/USS-10-02-04.
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: September 17, 2009.
Maura M. Pally,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S.
Department of State.
[FR Doc. E9-23108 Filed 9-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P