Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP): One-time Competitive Grants Program-Competition B-Professional, Cultural, and Youth One-time Grants Program, 10004-10013 [2010-4557]
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Please refer to 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) A final program and financial
report no more than 90 days after the
expiration of the award;
(2) 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.
(3) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress
Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program
reports.
(4) Interim program and financial
reports after each program phase, as
required in the Bureau grant agreement.
Award Recipients will be required to
provide reports analyzing their
evaluation findings to the Bureau in
their regular project 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.
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VI.4. Optional Program Data
Requirements
16:39 Mar 03, 2010
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: February 24, 2010.
Maura M. Pally,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational
and Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010–4561 Filed 3–3–10; 8:45 am]
Award recipients will be required to
maintain specific data on program
participants and activities in an
electronically accessible database format
that can be shared with the Bureau as
required. As a minimum, the data must
include the following:
(1) Name, address, contact
information and biographic sketch of all
persons who travel internationally on
funds provided by the agreement or who
benefit from the award funding but do
not travel.
(2) Itineraries of international and
domestic travel, providing dates of
travel and cities in which any exchange
experiences take place. Final schedules
for in-country and U.S. activities must
be received by the ECA Program Officer
at least three work days prior to the
official opening of the activity.
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VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this
announcement, contact:
1. Intensive English Language
Program: Vincent Pickett,
PickettVS@state.gov, 202–632–3243.
2. Capacity Building for
Undergraduate Study Abroad: Contact:
Bahareh Moradi, MoradiBX@state.gov,
202–632–6350; or Carina Klein,
KleinCD@state.gov, 202–632–9460.
All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and number ECA/A–10–
One-time-Comp. A.
Please read the complete Federal
Register announcement before sending
inquiries or submitting proposals. Once
the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau
staff may not discuss this competition
with applicants until the proposal
review process has been completed.
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BILLING CODE 4710–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6912]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant
Proposals (RFGP): One-time
Competitive Grants Program—
Competition B—Professional, Cultural,
and Youth One-time Grants Program
Announcement Type: New Grant.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/
PE/C–10–One-time-Comp. B.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 19.014.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: April 12, 2010.
Executive Summary: This competition
is one of two competitions that the
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Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs is conducting per the Conference
Report (House Report 111–366)
accompanying the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111–
117) under Division F of the Department
of State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs Appropriation Act 2010,
‘‘Educational and Cultural Exchange
Programs’’ in support of a $8 million
‘‘One-Time Competitive Grants
Program.’’ All applications must be
submitted by public or private nonprofit organizations, meeting the
provisions described in Internal
Revenue code section 26 U.S.C.
501(c)(3). Total funding for this ‘‘OneTime Competitive Grants Program’’ is $8
million dollars. Four million will be
dedicated to this competition,
Competition B—Professional, Cultural
and Youth One-time Grants Program—
reference number ECA/PE/C–10–Onetime-Comp.B, and $4 million will be
dedicated to and announced
simultaneously in a separate RFGP,
Academic Programs One-time Grants
Program—reference number ECA/A–10–
One-time-Comp.A. Please note: The
Bureau reserves the right to reallocate
funds it has initially allocated to each of
these two competitions, based upon
factors such as the number of
applications received and
responsiveness to the review criteria
outlined in each of the solicitations.
Applicants may submit only ONE
proposal (TOTAL) to ONE of the two
competitions referenced above. In
addition, applicants under this
competition, ECA/PE/C–10–One-timeComp.B may only apply to administer
one of the listed activities (total). If
multiple proposals are received from the
same applicant, all submissions will be
declared technically ineligible and will
be given no further consideration in the
review process. Eligible applicants are
strongly encouraged to read both RFGPs
thoroughly, prior to developing and
submitting proposals, to ensure that
proposed activities are appropriate and
responsive to the goals, objectives and
criteria outlined in each of the
solicitations.
As further directed by the Congress,
‘‘The program shall be only for the
actual exchange of people and should
benefit a population that is not being
addressed through existing authorized
exchanges.’’
The Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs announces a
competition for grants that support
international exchanges in order to
increase mutual understanding and
build relationships, through individuals
and organizations, between the people
of the United States and their
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counterparts in other countries. The
Bureau welcomes proposals from
organizations that have not had a
previous grant from the Bureau as well
as from those which have; see eligibility
information below and in section III.
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 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.
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Background
The Conference Agreement (House
Report 111–366) accompanying the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010
(Pub. L. 111–117) under Division F of
the Department of State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs
Appropriation Act 2010, ‘‘Educational
and Cultural Exchange Programs’’
provides support for a $8 million OneTime Competitive Grants Program. ‘‘The
conferees also endorse language in the
House and Senate Reports regarding this
competitively awarded grants program.’’
As referenced in the Senate Report
111–44, ‘‘* * * an exchange program
that received a one-time grant in a
previous year is ineligible for additional
one-time funding, but the Committee
encourages the Department to consider
new proposals from previously funded
grantees within discretionary funding if
they meet appropriate guidelines. Please
see eligibility information below and in
section III. Programs shall support the
actual exchange of people and should
benefit a population that is not being
addressed through existing authorized
exchanges, such as exchanges with
developing countries which target
community leaders, students and youth
with high financial need and minority
and ethnic groups.
Grants shall address issues of mutual
interest to the United States and other
countries, consistent with the program
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criteria established in Public Law 110–
161.
Purpose: ECA anticipates awarding
approximately 12–15 grants under this
FY 2010 Competition B Professional,
Cultural, and Youth One-time Grants
Program. Each grant should sponsor an
exchange of approximately equal
numbers of American participants
traveling to the partner country(ies) and
participants from the partner
country(ies) traveling to the U.S. In
addition, the projects should set clear
learning objectives for both foreign and
American participants, thereby
supporting the Fulbright-Hays Act
purpose of increasing mutual
understanding. Also, the applicant
should have the necessary capacity in
the partner country through their own
overseas offices or a partner institution
to carry out the proposed project.
Proposals must respond to one specific
theme under one of the following
programs:
Emerging Youth Leaders: For high
school students (ages 15–17) and
educators.
1. Democracy and Free Expression in
Civil Society.
Emerging Young Professionals: For
young adults (ages 22–35).
1. Environmental issues.
2. Post-conflict governing.
3. Development of Grassroots
Organizations for Women.
4. Good government/Rule of Law.
5. Community-based Volunteerism.
Emerging Cultural Leaders: ‘‘Rooted in
the Arts’’ program for U.S. performing
artists (ages 25–35) and teachers.
Please note each of the
aforementioned programs is limited to
specific countries. More detailed
descriptions of these programs, themes
and eligible countries are included
below.
In order to emphasize ECA’s interest
in clarity of project purpose and, later,
to track projects and to evaluate their
results, all proposals must be presented
in the following order:
Tab A—Application for Federal
Assistance Cover Sheet
Tab B—Executive Summary
In one double-spaced page, provide
the following information:
1. Names of the applicant
organization and other participating
institutions, both American and foreign.
2. Beginning and ending dates of the
project.
3. Grant theme being addressed.
4. Numbers of American and foreign
participants.
5. Types and approximate dates of
project activities and their venues.
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6. Total number of exchange days,
including only those days when
international travelers are in program
status in the partnering country.
Tab C—Narrative
In no more than 20 double-spaced,
single-sided pages, use the following
format to describe the proposed project
in detail:
A. Purpose
1. Definition of the overall goal to be
pursued through a two-way exchange
project. Name the theme from those
listed under Emerging Youth Leaders,
Emerging Young Professionals, or
Emerging Cultural Leaders into which
this goal should fit.
2. Country or countries to take part,
and why chosen.
3. Category of persons to participate,
with explanation of why that category is
chosen and how it fits the requirement
that it is a population that is not being
addressed through existing authorized
exchanges.
4. Description of program activities to
take place (e.g., workshops, internships,
community service, job shadowing,
model site visits, cultural activities, etc).
B. Objectives: Based on the purpose
described above, delineate your
project’s main objectives (no more than
five) and outcomes you expect as a
result of your project’s activities. For
each outcome, please state the time
frame for achievement. Your objectives
and outcomes should be realistic in
scope. They should be guided by one or
more of the following questions. (Please
see section IV.3d.3. Project Monitoring
and Evaluation for assistance in
identifying and defining outcomes.)
1. What specifically will participants,
U.S. and foreign, learn as a result of this
project?
2. What new attitudes will
participants, U.S. and foreign, develop,
or what new ideas will they encounter
as a result of this project?
3. How will the participants’ behavior
change as a result of this project? What
new actions will they take?
4. Will participants be a catalyst for
change in their schools, work-places,
communities, or institutions? How so?
C. Evaluation: The Bureau places high
importance on monitoring and
evaluation as a means of ensuring and
measuring a project’s success. Proposals
must include a detailed monitoring and
evaluation plan that assesses the impact
of the project. Please refer to section.
IV.3d.3. Project Monitoring and
Evaluation below.
Tab D—Budget
Both a summary budget for
administrative and programmatic
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expenses and a detailed, line-item
budget must be presented in the threecolumn format illustrated in the PSI.
Eligible expenses are described in IV.3e
of this RFGP and in the PSI. Enough
information should be provided so that
reviewers can determine how line-item
totals were calculated.
Tab E—Letters of Endorsement and
Resumes
Resumes should not exceed two pages
each.
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Tab F—Copy of IRS Notification of
Current Tax-exempt Status, SF–424B,
and Other Attachments if Applicable
Please refer to the Proposal
Submission Instructions (PSI) document
for detailed information on proposal
structuring and formatting.
Emerging Youth Leaders
Program Contact: Anna Mussman, tel:
202–632–6427, e-mail
MussmanAP@state.gov.
The Emerging Youth Leaders program
provides opportunities for high school
students (ages 15–17) and educators in
the United States and in Mongolia,
Indonesia or Rwanda to participate in
two-way exchanges, each three to four
weeks in duration. This project explores
a specific theme designed to develop
critical leadership skills for aspiring
young leaders and encourages respect
for diversity, fosters mutual
understanding, and promotes critical
thinking. An essential element of this
project is to build mutual understanding
and respect among the people of the
United States and the people of the
exchange partner country.
The overarching goals are:
1. To develop a sense of civic
responsibility and commitment to the
global community;
2. To instill an appreciation of first
amendment ideals, particularly the
importance of free expression in a
democracy;
3. To promote mutual understanding
between the United States and the
people of other countries around topics
of common interest; and to foster
personal and institutional ties between
participants and partner countries.
The applicant should present a program
plan that allows the participants to
thoroughly explore the project themes
in a creative, memorable, and practical
way. Activities should be designed to be
replicable and provide practical
knowledge and skills that the
participants can apply to school and
civic activities at home.
Applicants will manage the design
and planning of activities that provide
a substantive, educational program on
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leadership, critical thinking, and youth
activism, as well as on the specified
theme, through academic, virtual and
extracurricular components. Activities
should take place in schools, online and
in the community. Community service
must also be included. It is crucial that
programming involve the participants’
peers in the host countries whenever
possible. The program will also include
opportunities for the educators to work
with their American peers and other
professionals and volunteers to help
them foster youth leadership, civic
education, new media outreach, and
community service programs at home.
A successful project will be one that
nurtures a cadre of students and
educators to be actively engaged in
addressing issues of concern in their
schools and communities upon their
return home. Project activities will
equip youth with the knowledge, skills,
and confidence to become citizen
activists and ethical leaders, including
in cyberspace. Participants will be
engaged in a variety of activities such as
workshops, community and/or schoolbased programs, seminars, weblogs and
other activities that focus on the
fundamentals of free expression that are
found in the First Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution: Freedom of religion,
speech, press, assembly and petition.
Multiple opportunities for participants
to interact with youth and educators in
the host country must be included.
Participants will have homestays with
local families for the majority of the
exchange period, although participants
may spend a modest portion of their
time as a group in a hotel or dormitory
setting. Applicants must outline their
plan for recruiting, screening and
orienting host families (who will
provide both food and lodging), as well
as a plan for appropriate supervision of
participants in other living
arrangements.
Grant recipients will recruit and
select the participants in the United
States, as well as in the partner country
through close consultation with the
relevant U.S. Embassy; organize all
exchange activities in the participating
countries; and implement follow-on
activities in which participants may
apply at home what they have learned
during the exchange.
The project will provide participants
with a theoretical framework that will
be underpinned by site visits that
illustrate methods and strategies of
practical implementation. The project
will also help the participants develop
leadership skills, such as influential
public speaking, team-building, and
goal-setting, so that they are prepared to
take action with what they have learned.
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Themes and Eligible Partner
Countries:
ECA will accept proposals in the
specific theme and corresponding
countries as indicated below. A singlecountry project is a two-way exchange
between the United States and a single
partner country. Applicants should
present a rationale for their approach.
Proposals that target countries or themes
not listed in this solicitation will be
deemed technically ineligible.
(1) Democracy, Free Expression and
Governance in Civil Society:
ECA welcomes proposals that will
explore the fundamentals of a civil
society as related to first amendment
ideals, with a special focus on free
expression. Proposed programs will
promote a respect for transparent
governance that is responsive to
citizens’ concerns and increase
participant understanding of first
amendment principals so that citizens
can improve governance, fight
corruption, and ensure accountability.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries:
Africa: Rwanda.
East Asia and Pacific: Indonesia
(single-country project only, Mongolia
(single-country project only)
Proposal narratives must demonstrate
the applicant’s capacity in the partner
country through their own offices or a
partner institution to successfully
conduct the proposed exchange
activities. The requisite capacity
overseas includes the ability to organize
substantive exchange activities for the
American participants, provide followon activities, and handle the logistical
and financial arrangements.
Applicants should propose the time
periods of the two exchanges, but the
exact timing of the project may be
altered through the mutual agreement of
the Department of State and the grant
recipient. The program should be no
less than three weeks and up to four
weeks in duration.
These two-way exchanges should
involve the same communities in each
country, as the second reciprocal
exchange will help reinforce the
relationships and program content
developed during the first exchange.
Project staff should help facilitate
regular program-oriented
communication among the exchange
participants between the two exchanges,
including via the Internet, Skype and
other new media.
The exchange participants will be
high school students between the ages
of 15 and 17 who have demonstrated
leadership abilities in their schools and/
or communities, and have at least one
year of high school remaining after the
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completion of the exchange. The adult
participants will be high school teachers
or community leaders who work with
youth. They will have a demonstrated
interest in youth leadership and will be
expected to remain in positions where
they can continue to work with youth.
The ratio of youth to adults should be
between 5:1 and 10:1. Participants will
be proficient in the English language.
Emerging Young Professionals
Program Contacts:
For Programs based in:
Africa: Curtis Huff: tel: 202–632–
6053, e-mail: HuffCE@state.gov.
East Asia and the Pacific: Adam
Meier: tel: 202–632–6071, e-mail:
MeierAW2@state.gov.
Europe: Linnea Allison, tel: 202–632–
6060, e-mail: AllisonLA@state.gov.
Near East and North Africa: Thomas
Johnston: tel: 202–632–6056, e-mail:
JohnstonTA@state.gov.
South and Central Asia: Brent
Beemer: tel: 202–632–6067, e-mail:
BeemerBT@state.gov.
The Western Hemisphere: Carol
Herrera: tel: 202–632–6052, e-mail:
HerreraCA1@state.gov.
The Emerging Young Professionals
program offers opportunities for young
adults (approximately 22–35 years old)
to participate in two-way exchanges of
approximately three to four weeks or
more in duration to develop their
leadership skills and to increase mutual
understanding between their countries
and the United States. Exchange
projects should build participants’
leadership skills, including how to
conceptualize and develop projects to
reach diverse citizenry, using clear
objectives, solid management structures
and evaluation feedback mechanisms
for projects at the local level.
Participants should be community
leaders, political leaders, educators,
and/or advocates for youth, or persons
who show the capacity to become
effective in those roles.
Projects should be two-way in
purpose and implementation, with
approximately equal numbers of
participants traveling to and from the
United States for approximately equal
periods of time. Consistent with this
approach, project plans should promote
learning and teaching by participants
from all countries in the project to
promote mutual understanding and
build individual and institutional
partnerships that are likely to continue
beyond the grant project. Proposals that
clearly delineate salient objectives in
measurable terms and plan activities in
a sequence that will progressively lead
to achieving those objectives, will be
considered more competitive on the
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review criterion of ability to achieve
program objectives.
Themes and Eligible Partner
Countries:
ECA will consider proposals for either
single-country or multi-country projects.
A single-country project is a two-way
exchange between the United States and
a single partner country. A multicountry project involves participants
from more than one country coming to
the United States together, and
American participants traveling to those
countries. The Bureau prefers projects
that will engage both Americans and
international participants deeply
enough that relationships will continue
beyond the grant-funded activities.
Competitive proposals will be those that
demonstrate why any country or group
of countries has been identified for a
specific project and outline why the
specific group of participants to be
selected from that country/countries is
an effective group to achieve project
objectives. Proposals that target
countries or themes not listed in this
solicitation will be deemed technically
ineligible. No guarantee is made or
implied that grants will be awarded in
all themes and for all countries listed.
Organizations should consider current
U.S. Department of State travel
advisories when selecting the countries
with which they would like to work.
1. Environmental issues: These
projects should focus on a shared
environmental issue of the participating
countries (e.g., use of natural resources,
pollution, sustainable energy, recycling,
land management). Participants should
jointly examine a problem or group of
issues, through study of public interest
and government policy statements, and
then participate in experiential learning
exercises to build mutual approaches to
the issue, and develop their own
recommendations for addressing it.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries
Africa: Nigeria.
East Asia & the Pacific: China.
Europe: Russia.
Near East & North Africa: Egypt,
Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority.
2. Post-conflict governance: These
projects are for countries that are
emerging from regional or civil war in
recent years. Projects should allow
participants to experience creative
approaches to governing in a postconflict country. Developing working
relationships with colleagues from
opposite sides of a past conflict;
breaking down barriers to implement
governmental administration; and how a
new post-conflict government promotes
tolerance and diversity should be
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addressed in these projects. Participants
should practice different methods and
receive hands-on experiential learning.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries
Africa: Angola, Mozambique.
Europe: Republic of Ireland, Northern
Ireland (UK) (both must be included).
South/Central Asia: Nepal, Sri Lanka.
3. Development of Grassroots
Organizations for Women: These
projects should work to expand the
capacity of grassroots organizations that
advocate empowering women. Projects
should work to build capacity in
practice, giving locally-based leaders
opportunities to adopt best practices by
doing. Projects might address
trafficking, the role and rights of
women, domestic violence, and
women’s empowerment. When possible,
joint projects should be developed,
implemented, monitored and evaluated
by both the U.S. and international sides.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries
Africa: Benin, Togo.
Near East and North Africa: Jordan,
Palestinian Authority, Syria.
Western Hemisphere: Belize (and at
least one of the following countries):
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama.
4. Good government/Rule of Law:
These projects could address issues of
corruption, the need to develop
transparent procedures of lawmaking
and enforcement, the strengthening of
judicial independence, the importance
of accountability in law enforcement, or
the training of civil servants.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries
Africa: Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire,
South Africa.
East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia,
East Timor, Laos.
Europe: Georgia, Russia, Ukraine.
Near East and North Africa: Egypt,
Palestinian Authority.
5. Community-based Volunteerism:
These programs should highlight the
benefits, organizations, and
implementations of community-based
volunteerism programs in the United
States and overseas. How these
programs are arranged, how volunteers
are recruited, and how the projects
implementation are done should be
covered.
Geographic Regions and Eligible
Countries
Africa: Botswana.
Near East and North Africa: Egypt,
Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian Authority.
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South/Central Asia: Bangladesh,
India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.
Western Hemisphere: Dominican
Republic, Haiti (joint projects where
applicable).
Proposal narratives must demonstrate
the applicant’s capacity in the partner
country through their own offices or a
partner institution to successfully
conduct the proposed exchange
activities. The requisite capacity
overseas includes the ability to organize
substantive exchange activities for the
American participants, provide followon activities, and handle the logistical
and financial arrangements.
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Emerging Cultural Leaders
Program Contact: Catherine StaplesRandolph, tel: 202–632–6425, e-mail:
StaplesCD@state.gov.
The ‘Rooted in the Arts’ program
provides opportunities for U.S.
musicians (ages 25–35), authors,
creative writers, teachers and students
to build long-term sustainable linkages
with their counterparts in selected
countries. The project should connect
economically and socially diverse
populations of high school and/or
college students and their teachers in
the U.S. with comparable populations in
the selected countries. The project must
include two-way physical exchanges of
musicians, authors, and teachers (but
not students), each two to four weeks in
duration. It must also include social
media communications technology,
such as Internet-based social
networking, online learning
communities, or videoconferencing to
provide the participants with ongoing
opportunities to communicate with
their counterparts abroad. It is expected
that communication via technology will
be a core aspect of the project
experience for all participants, and that
physical exchanges may be available
only to a subset of project participants.
Projects must present an opportunity for
participants to explore and learn about
their own and another country’s history
and culture through music and/or the
literary arts. Activities should include
artistic performances, workshops,
readings, lecture demonstrations,
contextual learning, and on-going
technology-based dialogues and virtual
exchanges.
The overarching goals are:
1. To articulate identity through
artistic expression, gain respect for the
identity and artistic expression of
another culture;
2. To learn about participants’ own
and another country’s history through
their music and/or literary arts;
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3. To incorporate cultural awareness
and build mutual understanding and
respect for other countries;
4. To foster continuing personal and
institutional ties between participants
and partner countries.
A successful project will equip
participating musicians, authors,
teachers, and college and/or high school
students with an understanding of how
music and/or the literary arts open a
window into a country’s history. For the
teachers, it will also provide insight on
how music and/or the literary arts can
be used as a tool to educate students
about their country and their culture.
During their exchange experience,
participants should engage in a variety
of activities such as performances,
workshops, readings, community- and/
or learning-based programs, seminars,
and other activities designed to achieve
the program’s stated goals. We
encourage exchange projects that
require collaborative work across
cultures, that include a public
presentation, and that involve public
schools and colleges in the U.S. and
abroad.
Proposal narratives must demonstrate
the applicant’s capacity in the partner
country through their own offices or a
partner institution to successfully
conduct the proposed exchange
activities. The requisite capacity
includes the ability to recruit and select
participants in both the United States
and the partner countries in close
consultation with the relevant U.S.
Embassies; to organize substantive
exchange activities in the participating
countries; to handle the logistical and
financial arrangements; and to
implement follow-on alumni activities
in which participants may locally apply
what they learned during the exchange.
Cost sharing provided by the grantee
organization may be used for
presentation costs in the United States
and should be noted in the budget.
Proposals must describe a selection
process for American and international
participants and demonstrate how the
participant group represents an underserved community. For example, an
under-served community could be
economically disadvantaged,
geographically isolated or experience
low literacy rates. Selected participants
should demonstrate a commitment to
leadership in their communities. If
participants are not fluent in English,
proposals should include provision for
interpretation as necessary.
Applicants should identify which
literary or musical genres will be
included in the exchange and
demonstrate how each part of the twoway exchange will accomplish the over-
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arching goals of this competition.
Proposals might focus exclusively on an
exchange in one field, such as urban or
blues music.
Alternatively, a more communitybased project could include artists from
various musical and/or literary arts
fields, as a well as a representative of a
community arts organization. Literature/
writing projects should be in the
creative writing field. All projects must
include an examination of cultural
diversity, history and the arts as a
means of educational outreach and civic
engagement.
Proposed Partner Countries
ECA will accept proposals for either
single-country or multi-country projects.
We can only accept proposals for
projects with the countries listed below.
A single-country project is a two-way
exchange between the United States and
a single partner country. With a multicountry project, participants from the
partner countries should travel to the
United States together; the American
participants’ exchange travel may be to
just one or to all of the partner
countries, depending on the applicant
organization’s program design and
objectives. Applicants should present a
rationale for their approach. No
guarantee is made or implied that grants
will be awarded in all themes and for all
countries listed. Organizations should
consider current U.S. Department of
State travel advisories when selecting
the countries with which they would
like to work.
Eligible Countries
South Africa, Indonesia, Syria,
Mexico, India.
Applicants should propose the period
of the two exchange components and
explain how together the exchange in
each direction will accomplish project
objectives. The exact timing of the
project may be altered through the
mutual agreement of the Department of
State and the grant recipient. Each
exchange component should be no less
than two weeks and up to four weeks in
duration. Program development should
begin in late summer/early fall 2010.
Applicants must include letters of
support in their proposals.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY–2010.
Approximate Total Funding:
$4,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: 12–
15.
Approximate Average Award:
$350,000.
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Ceiling of Award Range: Up to
$500,000 for each award.
Anticipated Award Date: August
2010.
Anticipated Project Completion Date:
August 2012.
Additional Information: As stipulated
in the legislation, this is a competitive
one-time grants program.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications
must be submitted by public and private
non-profit organizations meeting the
provisions described in Internal
Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).
Organizations listed in the House
Report 111–187 and the Senate Report
111–44 under ‘‘Educational and Cultural
Exchange Programs’’ are encouraged to
apply.
Per Senate Report 111–44, ‘‘The
Committee notes that an exchange
program that received a one-time grant
in a previous year is ineligible for
additional one-time funding, but the
Committee encourages the Department
to consider new proposals from
previously funded grantees within
discretionary funding if they meet
appropriate guidelines.’’ Please see
section III.3. Other Eligibility
Requirements, below.
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 the
highest possible levels of cost sharing
and funding in support of its projects,
noting that cost sharing is one of the
criteria for reviewing proposals.
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, written
records must be maintained to support
all costs which are claimed as
contributions, 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 that the
minimum amount of cost sharing is not
provided 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
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limited to $60,000. Therefore,
applicants should explain, with
examples, their experience in
conducting international exchanges,
and, if that experience is less than four
years, should limit their proposed grant
budgets to $60,000.
(b.) Technical Eligibility: All
proposals must comply with the
following:
—Eligible applicants may submit only
ONE proposal (TOTAL) for ONE of
the two competitions referenced in
the Executive Summary Section of
this document. If multiple proposals
are received from the same applicant,
all submissions from that applicant
will be declared technically ineligible
and will be given no further
consideration in the review process.
In addition, applicants under this
competition: ECA/PE/C–10–One-timeComp. B) may only apply to
administer one of the listed activities
(total).
—Proposals requesting funding for
infrastructure development activities,
sometimes referred to as ‘‘bricks and
mortar support,’’ are NOT eligible for
consideration under this competition
and will be declared technically
ineligible and will receive no further
consideration in the review process.
—No funding is available exclusively to
send U.S. citizens to conferences or
conference-type seminars overseas;
nor is funding available for bringing
foreign nationals to conferences or to
routine professional association
meetings in the United States.
—An exchange program/activity that
was funded under one-time grant
competitions in previous years, (FY–
2008 Competitive One-time Grants
Program—Reference numbers: ECA/
A–08–One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/
C–08–One-time-Comp. B; or the FY–
2009 Competitive One-time Grants
Program—Reference numbers: ECA/
A–09–One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/
C–09 One-time-Comp. B) is ineligible
for additional one-time funding under
this competition. However,
‘‘previously funded grantees’’ under
previous one–time competitions,
referenced above, may submit
proposals under this competition, if
the proposal is for a new exchange
program. Applications submitted by
prior–year one-time grant recipients
must include in their proposal
narrative/submission a narrative
description of the specific elements
that make their submission under the
FY–2010 one-time competition a new
exchange program, rather than a
repetition, or extension to what was
funded by ECA under a prior year
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10009
award. Elements that would
contribute to the program’s being
considered ‘‘new’’ for the purposes of
this competition would include: new
overseas partner institution(s), a new
country and/or world region of
activity, a substantially different
thematic topic, a new participant
profile. Final determination of a
proposal’s eligibility as a ‘‘new’’
activity will be made by the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs. If
the application does not include a
narrative explaining how the project
qualifies as ‘‘new,’’ it will be declared
technically ineligible and will receive
no further consideration in the review
process.
Please refer to the Proposal
Submission Instructions (PSI) document
for additional requirements.
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 David Gustafson, Office
of Citizen Exchanges ECA/PE/C, SA–5,
Third Floor, U.S. Department of State,
2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC
20522–0504, (202) 632–6083, fax: (202)
632–9355, GustafsonDP@state.gov to
request a Solicitation Package. Please
refer to Funding Opportunity Number
ECA/PE/C–10–One-time-Comp.B also
located at the top of this announcement
when making your request.
The Solicitation Package contains the
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)
document which consists of required
application forms, and standard
guidelines for proposal preparation.
Please specify Program Coordinator
David Gustafson, and refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/
C–10–One-time-Comp.B 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. Please read
all information before downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of
Submission: Applicants must follow all
instructions in the Solicitation Package.
The original and seven copies of the
application should be sent per the
instructions under IV.3e. ‘‘Submission
Dates and Times section’’ below.
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IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun
and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to
apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government.
This number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely
identifies business entities. Obtaining a
DUNS number is easy and there is no
charge. To obtain a DUNS number,
access https://
www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1–
866–705–5711. Please ensure that your
DUNS number is included in the
appropriate box of the SF–424 which is
part of the formal application package.
IV.3b. All proposals must contain an
executive summary, proposal narrative
and budget. The summary and narrative
must be presented in double-spaced
typing.
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 project reporting
requirements, award recipients will also
be required to submit a one-page
document, derived from their project
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.
Please Note: 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.
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Failure to do so will cause your proposal to
be declared technically ineligible.
D, SA–5, Floor C2, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20522–0582.
IV.3d. Please take into consideration
the following information when
preparing your proposal narrative:
IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and
Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing
legislation, projects 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 project administration
and in project 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 project contents, to
the full extent deemed feasible.
IV.3d.1. Adherence to All Regulations
Governing the J Visa
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs is the official program sponsor of
the exchange program covered by this
RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau
will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the
program under the terms of 22 CFR 62,
which covers the administration of the
Exchange Visitor Program (J visa
program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62,
organizations receiving awards (either a
grant or cooperative agreement) under
this RFGP will be third parties
‘‘cooperating with or assisting the
sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor’s
program.’’ The actions of recipient
organizations shall be ‘‘imputed to the
sponsor in evaluating the sponsor’s
compliance with’’ 22 CFR 62. Therefore,
the Bureau expects that any
organization receiving an award under
this competition will render all
assistance necessary to enable the
Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 62
et seq.
The Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs places critically
important emphases on the secure and
proper administration of Exchange
Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence
by recipient organizations and program
participants to all regulations governing
the J visa program status. Therefore,
proposals should explicitly state in
writing that the applicant is prepared to
assist the Bureau in meeting all
requirements governing the
administration of Exchange Visitor
Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 62. If
your organization has experience as a
designated Exchange Visitor Program
Sponsor, the applicant should discuss
their record of compliance with 22 CFR
62 et seq., including the oversight of
their Responsible Officers and Alternate
Responsible Officers, screening and
selection of program participants,
provision of pre-arrival information and
orientation to participants, monitoring
of participants, proper maintenance and
security of forms, recordkeeping,
reporting and other requirements.
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of
ECA will be responsible for issuing DS–
2019 forms to participants in this
program.
A copy of the complete regulations
governing the administration of
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is
available at https://exchanges.state.gov
or from: Office of Designation, ECA/EC/
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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,
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your anticipated project outcomes, and
how and when you intend to measure
these outcomes (performance
indicators). The more that outcomes are
‘‘smart’’ (specific, measurable, attainable,
results-oriented, and placed in a
reasonable time frame), the easier it will
be to conduct the evaluation. You
should also show how your project
objectives link to the goals of the
program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan
should clearly distinguish between
program outputs and outcomes. Outputs
are products and services delivered,
often stated as an amount. Output
information is important to show the
scope or size of project activities, but it
cannot substitute for information about
progress towards outcomes or the
results achieved. Examples of outputs
include the number of people trained or
the number of seminars conducted.
Outcomes, in contrast, represent
specific results a project is intended to
achieve and is usually measured as an
extent of change. Findings on outputs
and outcomes should both be reported,
but the focus should be on outcomes.
We encourage you to assess the
following four levels of outcomes, as
they relate to the program goals set out
in the RFGP (listed here in increasing
order of importance):
1. Participant satisfaction with the
program and exchange experience.
2. Participant learning, such as
increased knowledge, aptitude, skills,
and changed understanding and
attitude. Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning
and mutual understanding.
3. Participant behavior, concrete
actions to apply knowledge in work or
community; greater participation and
responsibility in civic organizations;
interpretation and explanation of
experiences and new knowledge gained;
continued contacts between
participants, community members, and
others.
4. Institutional changes, such as
increased collaboration and
partnerships, policy reforms, new
programming, and organizational
improvements.
Please note: Consideration should be given
to the appropriate timing of data collection
for each level of outcome. For example,
satisfaction is usually captured as a shortterm 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
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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 the proposal budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF–
424A—‘‘Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs’’ along with a
comprehensive budget for the entire
project. There must be a summary
budget as well as breakdowns reflecting
both administrative and program
budgets. Applicants may provide
separate sub-budgets for each project
component, phase, location, or activity
to provide clarification.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the
project include the following:
(1) Travel. International and domestic
airfare; visas; transit costs; ground
transportation costs. Please note that all
air travel must be in compliance with
the Fly America Act. There is no charge
for J–1 visas for participants in Bureausponsored programs.
(2) Per Diem. For U.S.-based
programming, organizations should use
the published Federal per diem rates for
individual U.S. cities. Domestic per
diem rates may be accessed at: https://
www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView
.do?contentId=17943&contentType=
GSA_BASIC.
Living costs during foreign-based
activities must not exceed USGapproved per diem rates, which can be
found at https://Aoprals.State.Gov/
Content.Asp?Content_Id=
184&Menu_Id=81.
Please refer to the Solicitation
Package for complete budget guidelines
and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline Date: April 12,
2010.
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, or U.S.
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Postal Service Express Overnight Mail,
etc.), or
(2.) Electronically through https://
www.grants.gov.
Along with the Project Title, all
applicants must enter the competition
Reference Number ECA/PE/C–10–Onetime-Comp.B 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’’.
Applicants must also submit the
‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal
Narrative’’ and budget sections of the
proposal as well as any essential
attachments, in Microsoft Word and/or
Excel on a CD–ROM. The Bureau will
provide these files electronically to the
appropriate Public Affairs Sections at
the U.S. Embassies for their review.
The original and seven copies of the
application should be sent to: U.S.
Department of State, Program
Management Division, ECA–IIP/EX/PM,
Ref.: ECA/PE/C–10–One-time-Comp.B,
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’’ and ‘‘Budget’’ sections of the
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proposal in text (.txt) or Microsoft Word
format on a PC-formatted disk. The
Bureau will provide these files
electronically to the appropriate Public
Affairs Section(s) at the U.S.
embassy(ies) for its(their) review.
IV.3f.2—Submitting Electronic
Applications
Applicants have the option of
submitting proposals electronically
through Grants.gov (https://
www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation
packages are available at Grants.gov in
the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system.
Please follow the instructions
available in the ‘Get Started’ portion of
the site (https://www.grants.gov/
GetStarted).
Several of the steps in the Grants.gov
registration process could take several
weeks. Therefore, applicants should
check with appropriate staff within their
organizations immediately after
reviewing this RFGP to confirm or
determine their registration status with
Grants.gov.
Once registered, the amount of time it
can take to upload an application will
vary depending on a variety of factors
including the size of the application and
the speed of your internet connection.
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 a lengthy 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
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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.
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 of the relevant U.S.
Embassy overseas, where appropriate.
Eligible proposals will be subject to
compliance with Federal and Bureau
regulations and guidelines and
forwarded to Bureau grant panels for
advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the Legal
Adviser or by other Department
elements. Final funding decisions are at
the discretion of the Department of
State’s Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for assistance
awards (grants) resides with the
Bureau’s Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will
be competitively reviewed according to
the criteria stated below. These criteria
are not rank ordered and all carry equal
weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the project idea and
project planning:
The project’s purpose should clearly
fit one of the eligible themes described
above, and the proposal should clearly
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demonstrate how the institution plans
to pursue the project’s objectives. The
proposed project should be creative and
well developed, respond to the design
outlined in the solicitation, and
demonstrate originality. It should be
clearly and accurately written,
substantive, and with sufficient detail to
ensure practical success. The project
plan should adhere to the program
overview and guidelines described
above. Please note: Proposals submitted
by prior-year one-time grant recipients
must include in their proposal
submission a description of the specific
elements that make this submission a
new exchange program rather than a
repetition or extension of what was
funded by ECA under a prior-year
award.
2. Ability to achieve project objectives:
Objectives should be reasonable,
feasible, and relevant to the proposed
theme. Proposals should clearly plan
activities in a sequence that will
progressively lead to achieving those
objectives.
3. Support of diversity: The proposal
should acknowledge ECA’s policy on
diversity and should demonstrate the
recipient’s commitment to promoting
the awareness and understanding of
diversity in participant selection and
exchange project design and content.
4. Institutional capacity and track
record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources should be
adequate and appropriate to achieve the
project goals. The proposal should
demonstrate an institutional record,
including solid programming and
responsible fiscal management. The
Bureau will consider past performance,
including compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Bureau grants.
5. Project evaluation: The proposal
should include a plan to evaluate the
project’s success, both as the activities
unfold and at the end of the program.
The proposal should include a draft
survey questionnaire or other datacollection technique plus description of
a methodology to link outcomes to
original project objectives. Please see
Section IV.3d.3. of this announcement
for more information.
6. Cost-effectiveness and cost sharing:
The applicant should demonstrate
efficient use of Bureau funds. 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.
The proposal should maximize costsharing through other private sector
support as well as institutional direct
funding contributions.
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices
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 grant 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.
Prohibition on the use of Federal
Funds to Promote, Support, or advocate
for the legalization or practice of
Prostitution.
The U.S. Government is opposed to
prostitution and related activities,
which are inherently harmful and
dehumanizing, and contribute to the
phenomenon of trafficking in persons.
None of the funds made available under
this agreement may be used to promote,
support, or advocate the legalization or
practice of prostitution. Nothing in the
preceding sentence shall be construed to
preclude assistance designed to
ameliorate the suffering of, or health
risks to, victims while they are being
trafficked or after they are out of the
situation that resulted from such victims
being trafficked. The recipient shall
insert the foregoing provision in all subagreements under this award.
This provision includes express terms
and conditions of the agreement and
any violation of it shall be grounds for
unilateral termination of the agreement
by the Department of State prior to the
end of its term.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Awards With the Palestinian Authority
All awards made under this
competition must be executed according
to all relevant U.S. laws and policies
regarding assistance to the Palestinian
Authority, and to the West Bank and
Gaza. Organizations must consult with
relevant Public Affairs Offices before
entering into any formal arrangements
or agreements with Palestinian
organizations or institutions.
Note: To assure that planning for the
inclusion of the Palestinian Authority
complies with requirements, please contact:
Thomas Johnston, Office of Citizen
Exchanges, (202) 632–6087;
JohnstonTJ@state.gov for additional
information.
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16:39 Mar 03, 2010
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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 refer to 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 10 copies of the following
reports:
(1.) A final program and financial
report no more than 90 days after the
expiration of the award;
(2.) 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.
(3.) A 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 project 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.
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10013
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this
announcement, contact: Brent Beemer,
ECA/PE/C, SA–5, Third Floor, 2200 C
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522–
0503, tel 202–632–6067, fax 202–632–
9355, BeemerBT@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and number ECA/PE/C–
10–One-time-Comp.B.
Please read the complete Federal
Register announcement before sending
inquiries or submitting proposals. Once
the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau
staff may not discuss this competition
with applicants until the proposal
review process has been completed.
VIII. Other Information
Notice
The terms and conditions published
in this RFGP are binding and may not
be modified by any Bureau
representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts
published language will not be binding.
Issuance of the RFGP does not
constitute an award commitment on the
part of the Government. The Bureau
reserves the right to reduce, revise, or
increase proposal budgets in accordance
with the needs of the program and the
availability of funds. Awards made will
be subject to periodic reporting and
evaluation requirements per section VI.3
above.
Dated: February 26, 2010.
Maura M. Pally,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational
and Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010–4557 Filed 3–3–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA 2010–0018]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Request for Comments;
Renewed Approval of Information
Collection; State Right-of-Way
Operations Manuals, OMB Control
Number: 2125–0586
AGENCY: Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public
comments about our intention to request
the Office of Management and Budget’s
(OMB) approval for a new information
collection, which is summarized below
E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 42 (Thursday, March 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10004-10013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4557]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6912]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals (RFGP): One-time Competitive Grants Program--
Competition B--Professional, Cultural, and Youth One-time Grants
Program
Announcement Type: New Grant.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp. B.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.014.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: April 12, 2010.
Executive Summary: This competition is one of two competitions that
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is conducting per the
Conference Report (House Report 111-366) accompanying the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117) under Division F of the
Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
Appropriation Act 2010, ``Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs''
in support of a $8 million ``One-Time Competitive Grants Program.'' All
applications must be submitted by public or private non-profit
organizations, meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue
code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). Total funding for this ``One-Time
Competitive Grants Program'' is $8 million dollars. Four million will
be dedicated to this competition, Competition B--Professional, Cultural
and Youth One-time Grants Program--reference number ECA/PE/C-10-One-
time-Comp.B, and $4 million will be dedicated to and announced
simultaneously in a separate RFGP, Academic Programs One-time Grants
Program--reference number ECA/A-10-One-time-Comp.A. Please note: The
Bureau reserves the right to reallocate funds it has initially
allocated to each of these two competitions, based upon factors such as
the number of applications received and responsiveness to the review
criteria outlined in each of the solicitations.
Applicants may submit only ONE proposal (TOTAL) to ONE of the two
competitions referenced above. In addition, applicants under this
competition, ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp.B may only apply to administer
one of the listed activities (total). If multiple proposals are
received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared
technically ineligible and will be given no further consideration in
the review process. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to read
both RFGPs thoroughly, prior to developing and submitting proposals, to
ensure that proposed activities are appropriate and responsive to the
goals, objectives and criteria outlined in each of the solicitations.
As further directed by the Congress, ``The program shall be only
for the actual exchange of people and should benefit a population that
is not being addressed through existing authorized exchanges.''
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces a
competition for grants that support international exchanges in order to
increase mutual understanding and build relationships, through
individuals and organizations, between the people of the United States
and their
[[Page 10005]]
counterparts in other countries. The Bureau welcomes proposals from
organizations that have not had a previous grant from the Bureau as
well as from those which have; see eligibility information below and in
section III.
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.
Background
The Conference Agreement (House Report 111-366) accompanying the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117) under Division
F of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
Appropriation Act 2010, ``Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs''
provides support for a $8 million One-Time Competitive Grants Program.
``The conferees also endorse language in the House and Senate Reports
regarding this competitively awarded grants program.''
As referenced in the Senate Report 111-44, ``* * * an exchange
program that received a one-time grant in a previous year is ineligible
for additional one-time funding, but the Committee encourages the
Department to consider new proposals from previously funded grantees
within discretionary funding if they meet appropriate guidelines.
Please see eligibility information below and in section III. Programs
shall support the actual exchange of people and should benefit a
population that is not being addressed through existing authorized
exchanges, such as exchanges with developing countries which target
community leaders, students and youth with high financial need and
minority and ethnic groups.
Grants shall address issues of mutual interest to the United States
and other countries, consistent with the program criteria established
in Public Law 110-161.
Purpose: ECA anticipates awarding approximately 12-15 grants under
this FY 2010 Competition B Professional, Cultural, and Youth One-time
Grants Program. Each grant should sponsor an exchange of approximately
equal numbers of American participants traveling to the partner
country(ies) and participants from the partner country(ies) traveling
to the U.S. In addition, the projects should set clear learning
objectives for both foreign and American participants, thereby
supporting the Fulbright-Hays Act purpose of increasing mutual
understanding. Also, the applicant should have the necessary capacity
in the partner country through their own overseas offices or a partner
institution to carry out the proposed project. Proposals must respond
to one specific theme under one of the following programs:
Emerging Youth Leaders: For high school students (ages 15-17) and
educators.
1. Democracy and Free Expression in Civil Society.
Emerging Young Professionals: For young adults (ages 22-35).
1. Environmental issues.
2. Post-conflict governing.
3. Development of Grassroots Organizations for Women.
4. Good government/Rule of Law.
5. Community-based Volunteerism.
Emerging Cultural Leaders: ``Rooted in the Arts'' program for U.S.
performing artists (ages 25-35) and teachers.
Please note each of the aforementioned programs is limited to
specific countries. More detailed descriptions of these programs,
themes and eligible countries are included below.
In order to emphasize ECA's interest in clarity of project purpose
and, later, to track projects and to evaluate their results, all
proposals must be presented in the following order:
Tab A--Application for Federal Assistance Cover Sheet
Tab B--Executive Summary
In one double-spaced page, provide the following information:
1. Names of the applicant organization and other participating
institutions, both American and foreign.
2. Beginning and ending dates of the project.
3. Grant theme being addressed.
4. Numbers of American and foreign participants.
5. Types and approximate dates of project activities and their
venues.
6. Total number of exchange days, including only those days when
international travelers are in program status in the partnering
country.
Tab C--Narrative
In no more than 20 double-spaced, single-sided pages, use the
following format to describe the proposed project in detail:
A. Purpose
1. Definition of the overall goal to be pursued through a two-way
exchange project. Name the theme from those listed under Emerging Youth
Leaders, Emerging Young Professionals, or Emerging Cultural Leaders
into which this goal should fit.
2. Country or countries to take part, and why chosen.
3. Category of persons to participate, with explanation of why that
category is chosen and how it fits the requirement that it is a
population that is not being addressed through existing authorized
exchanges.
4. Description of program activities to take place (e.g.,
workshops, internships, community service, job shadowing, model site
visits, cultural activities, etc).
B. Objectives: Based on the purpose described above, delineate
your project's main objectives (no more than five) and outcomes you
expect as a result of your project's activities. For each outcome,
please state the time frame for achievement. Your objectives and
outcomes should be realistic in scope. They should be guided by one or
more of the following questions. (Please see section IV.3d.3. Project
Monitoring and Evaluation for assistance in identifying and defining
outcomes.)
1. What specifically will participants, U.S. and foreign, learn as
a result of this project?
2. What new attitudes will participants, U.S. and foreign, develop,
or what new ideas will they encounter as a result of this project?
3. How will the participants' behavior change as a result of this
project? What new actions will they take?
4. Will participants be a catalyst for change in their schools,
work-places, communities, or institutions? How so?
C. Evaluation: The Bureau places high importance on monitoring and
evaluation as a means of ensuring and measuring a project's success.
Proposals must include a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan that
assesses the impact of the project. Please refer to section. IV.3d.3.
Project Monitoring and Evaluation below.
Tab D--Budget
Both a summary budget for administrative and programmatic
[[Page 10006]]
expenses and a detailed, line-item budget must be presented in the
three-column format illustrated in the PSI. Eligible expenses are
described in IV.3e of this RFGP and in the PSI. Enough information
should be provided so that reviewers can determine how line-item totals
were calculated.
Tab E--Letters of Endorsement and Resumes
Resumes should not exceed two pages each.
Tab F--Copy of IRS Notification of Current Tax-exempt Status, SF-424B,
and Other Attachments if Applicable
Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document
for detailed information on proposal structuring and formatting.
Emerging Youth Leaders
Program Contact: Anna Mussman, tel: 202-632-6427, e-mail
MussmanAP@state.gov.
The Emerging Youth Leaders program provides opportunities for high
school students (ages 15-17) and educators in the United States and in
Mongolia, Indonesia or Rwanda to participate in two-way exchanges, each
three to four weeks in duration. This project explores a specific theme
designed to develop critical leadership skills for aspiring young
leaders and encourages respect for diversity, fosters mutual
understanding, and promotes critical thinking. An essential element of
this project is to build mutual understanding and respect among the
people of the United States and the people of the exchange partner
country.
The overarching goals are:
1. To develop a sense of civic responsibility and commitment to the
global community;
2. To instill an appreciation of first amendment ideals,
particularly the importance of free expression in a democracy;
3. To promote mutual understanding between the United States and
the people of other countries around topics of common interest; and to
foster personal and institutional ties between participants and partner
countries.
The applicant should present a program plan that allows the
participants to thoroughly explore the project themes in a creative,
memorable, and practical way. Activities should be designed to be
replicable and provide practical knowledge and skills that the
participants can apply to school and civic activities at home.
Applicants will manage the design and planning of activities that
provide a substantive, educational program on leadership, critical
thinking, and youth activism, as well as on the specified theme,
through academic, virtual and extracurricular components. Activities
should take place in schools, online and in the community. Community
service must also be included. It is crucial that programming involve
the participants' peers in the host countries whenever possible. The
program will also include opportunities for the educators to work with
their American peers and other professionals and volunteers to help
them foster youth leadership, civic education, new media outreach, and
community service programs at home.
A successful project will be one that nurtures a cadre of students
and educators to be actively engaged in addressing issues of concern in
their schools and communities upon their return home. Project
activities will equip youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence
to become citizen activists and ethical leaders, including in
cyberspace. Participants will be engaged in a variety of activities
such as workshops, community and/or school-based programs, seminars,
weblogs and other activities that focus on the fundamentals of free
expression that are found in the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution: Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and
petition. Multiple opportunities for participants to interact with
youth and educators in the host country must be included. Participants
will have homestays with local families for the majority of the
exchange period, although participants may spend a modest portion of
their time as a group in a hotel or dormitory setting. Applicants must
outline their plan for recruiting, screening and orienting host
families (who will provide both food and lodging), as well as a plan
for appropriate supervision of participants in other living
arrangements.
Grant recipients will recruit and select the participants in the
United States, as well as in the partner country through close
consultation with the relevant U.S. Embassy; organize all exchange
activities in the participating countries; and implement follow-on
activities in which participants may apply at home what they have
learned during the exchange.
The project will provide participants with a theoretical framework
that will be underpinned by site visits that illustrate methods and
strategies of practical implementation. The project will also help the
participants develop leadership skills, such as influential public
speaking, team-building, and goal-setting, so that they are prepared to
take action with what they have learned.
Themes and Eligible Partner Countries:
ECA will accept proposals in the specific theme and corresponding
countries as indicated below. A single-country project is a two-way
exchange between the United States and a single partner country.
Applicants should present a rationale for their approach. Proposals
that target countries or themes not listed in this solicitation will be
deemed technically ineligible.
(1) Democracy, Free Expression and Governance in Civil Society:
ECA welcomes proposals that will explore the fundamentals of a
civil society as related to first amendment ideals, with a special
focus on free expression. Proposed programs will promote a respect for
transparent governance that is responsive to citizens' concerns and
increase participant understanding of first amendment principals so
that citizens can improve governance, fight corruption, and ensure
accountability.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries:
Africa: Rwanda.
East Asia and Pacific: Indonesia (single-country project only,
Mongolia (single-country project only)
Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite
capacity overseas includes the ability to organize substantive exchange
activities for the American participants, provide follow-on activities,
and handle the logistical and financial arrangements.
Applicants should propose the time periods of the two exchanges,
but the exact timing of the project may be altered through the mutual
agreement of the Department of State and the grant recipient. The
program should be no less than three weeks and up to four weeks in
duration.
These two-way exchanges should involve the same communities in each
country, as the second reciprocal exchange will help reinforce the
relationships and program content developed during the first exchange.
Project staff should help facilitate regular program-oriented
communication among the exchange participants between the two
exchanges, including via the Internet, Skype and other new media.
The exchange participants will be high school students between the
ages of 15 and 17 who have demonstrated leadership abilities in their
schools and/or communities, and have at least one year of high school
remaining after the
[[Page 10007]]
completion of the exchange. The adult participants will be high school
teachers or community leaders who work with youth. They will have a
demonstrated interest in youth leadership and will be expected to
remain in positions where they can continue to work with youth. The
ratio of youth to adults should be between 5:1 and 10:1. Participants
will be proficient in the English language.
Emerging Young Professionals
Program Contacts:
For Programs based in:
Africa: Curtis Huff: tel: 202-632-6053, e-mail: HuffCE@state.gov.
East Asia and the Pacific: Adam Meier: tel: 202-632-6071, e-mail:
MeierAW2@state.gov.
Europe: Linnea Allison, tel: 202-632-6060, e-mail:
AllisonLA@state.gov.
Near East and North Africa: Thomas Johnston: tel: 202-632-6056, e-
mail: JohnstonTA@state.gov.
South and Central Asia: Brent Beemer: tel: 202-632-6067, e-mail:
BeemerBT@state.gov.
The Western Hemisphere: Carol Herrera: tel: 202-632-6052, e-mail:
HerreraCA1@state.gov.
The Emerging Young Professionals program offers opportunities for
young adults (approximately 22-35 years old) to participate in two-way
exchanges of approximately three to four weeks or more in duration to
develop their leadership skills and to increase mutual understanding
between their countries and the United States. Exchange projects should
build participants' leadership skills, including how to conceptualize
and develop projects to reach diverse citizenry, using clear
objectives, solid management structures and evaluation feedback
mechanisms for projects at the local level. Participants should be
community leaders, political leaders, educators, and/or advocates for
youth, or persons who show the capacity to become effective in those
roles.
Projects should be two-way in purpose and implementation, with
approximately equal numbers of participants traveling to and from the
United States for approximately equal periods of time. Consistent with
this approach, project plans should promote learning and teaching by
participants from all countries in the project to promote mutual
understanding and build individual and institutional partnerships that
are likely to continue beyond the grant project. Proposals that clearly
delineate salient objectives in measurable terms and plan activities in
a sequence that will progressively lead to achieving those objectives,
will be considered more competitive on the review criterion of ability
to achieve program objectives.
Themes and Eligible Partner Countries:
ECA will consider proposals for either single-country or multi-
country projects. A single-country project is a two-way exchange
between the United States and a single partner country. A multi-country
project involves participants from more than one country coming to the
United States together, and American participants traveling to those
countries. The Bureau prefers projects that will engage both Americans
and international participants deeply enough that relationships will
continue beyond the grant-funded activities. Competitive proposals will
be those that demonstrate why any country or group of countries has
been identified for a specific project and outline why the specific
group of participants to be selected from that country/countries is an
effective group to achieve project objectives. Proposals that target
countries or themes not listed in this solicitation will be deemed
technically ineligible. No guarantee is made or implied that grants
will be awarded in all themes and for all countries listed.
Organizations should consider current U.S. Department of State travel
advisories when selecting the countries with which they would like to
work.
1. Environmental issues: These projects should focus on a shared
environmental issue of the participating countries (e.g., use of
natural resources, pollution, sustainable energy, recycling, land
management). Participants should jointly examine a problem or group of
issues, through study of public interest and government policy
statements, and then participate in experiential learning exercises to
build mutual approaches to the issue, and develop their own
recommendations for addressing it.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries
Africa: Nigeria.
East Asia & the Pacific: China.
Europe: Russia.
Near East & North Africa: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestinian
Authority.
2. Post-conflict governance: These projects are for countries that
are emerging from regional or civil war in recent years. Projects
should allow participants to experience creative approaches to
governing in a post-conflict country. Developing working relationships
with colleagues from opposite sides of a past conflict; breaking down
barriers to implement governmental administration; and how a new post-
conflict government promotes tolerance and diversity should be
addressed in these projects. Participants should practice different
methods and receive hands-on experiential learning.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries
Africa: Angola, Mozambique.
Europe: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland (UK) (both must be
included).
South/Central Asia: Nepal, Sri Lanka.
3. Development of Grassroots Organizations for Women: These
projects should work to expand the capacity of grassroots organizations
that advocate empowering women. Projects should work to build capacity
in practice, giving locally-based leaders opportunities to adopt best
practices by doing. Projects might address trafficking, the role and
rights of women, domestic violence, and women's empowerment. When
possible, joint projects should be developed, implemented, monitored
and evaluated by both the U.S. and international sides.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries
Africa: Benin, Togo.
Near East and North Africa: Jordan, Palestinian Authority, Syria.
Western Hemisphere: Belize (and at least one of the following
countries): Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Panama.
4. Good government/Rule of Law: These projects could address issues
of corruption, the need to develop transparent procedures of lawmaking
and enforcement, the strengthening of judicial independence, the
importance of accountability in law enforcement, or the training of
civil servants.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries
Africa: Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, South Africa.
East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, East Timor, Laos.
Europe: Georgia, Russia, Ukraine.
Near East and North Africa: Egypt, Palestinian Authority.
5. Community-based Volunteerism: These programs should highlight
the benefits, organizations, and implementations of community-based
volunteerism programs in the United States and overseas. How these
programs are arranged, how volunteers are recruited, and how the
projects implementation are done should be covered.
Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries
Africa: Botswana.
Near East and North Africa: Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian
Authority.
[[Page 10008]]
South/Central Asia: Bangladesh, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.
Western Hemisphere: Dominican Republic, Haiti (joint projects where
applicable).
Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite
capacity overseas includes the ability to organize substantive exchange
activities for the American participants, provide follow-on activities,
and handle the logistical and financial arrangements.
Emerging Cultural Leaders
Program Contact: Catherine Staples-Randolph, tel: 202-632-6425, e-
mail: StaplesCD@state.gov.
The `Rooted in the Arts' program provides opportunities for U.S.
musicians (ages 25-35), authors, creative writers, teachers and
students to build long-term sustainable linkages with their
counterparts in selected countries. The project should connect
economically and socially diverse populations of high school and/or
college students and their teachers in the U.S. with comparable
populations in the selected countries. The project must include two-way
physical exchanges of musicians, authors, and teachers (but not
students), each two to four weeks in duration. It must also include
social media communications technology, such as Internet-based social
networking, online learning communities, or videoconferencing to
provide the participants with ongoing opportunities to communicate with
their counterparts abroad. It is expected that communication via
technology will be a core aspect of the project experience for all
participants, and that physical exchanges may be available only to a
subset of project participants. Projects must present an opportunity
for participants to explore and learn about their own and another
country's history and culture through music and/or the literary arts.
Activities should include artistic performances, workshops, readings,
lecture demonstrations, contextual learning, and on-going technology-
based dialogues and virtual exchanges.
The overarching goals are:
1. To articulate identity through artistic expression, gain respect
for the identity and artistic expression of another culture;
2. To learn about participants' own and another country's history
through their music and/or literary arts;
3. To incorporate cultural awareness and build mutual understanding
and respect for other countries;
4. To foster continuing personal and institutional ties between
participants and partner countries.
A successful project will equip participating musicians, authors,
teachers, and college and/or high school students with an understanding
of how music and/or the literary arts open a window into a country's
history. For the teachers, it will also provide insight on how music
and/or the literary arts can be used as a tool to educate students
about their country and their culture. During their exchange
experience, participants should engage in a variety of activities such
as performances, workshops, readings, community- and/or learning-based
programs, seminars, and other activities designed to achieve the
program's stated goals. We encourage exchange projects that require
collaborative work across cultures, that include a public presentation,
and that involve public schools and colleges in the U.S. and abroad.
Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite
capacity includes the ability to recruit and select participants in
both the United States and the partner countries in close consultation
with the relevant U.S. Embassies; to organize substantive exchange
activities in the participating countries; to handle the logistical and
financial arrangements; and to implement follow-on alumni activities in
which participants may locally apply what they learned during the
exchange.
Cost sharing provided by the grantee organization may be used for
presentation costs in the United States and should be noted in the
budget.
Proposals must describe a selection process for American and
international participants and demonstrate how the participant group
represents an under-served community. For example, an under-served
community could be economically disadvantaged, geographically isolated
or experience low literacy rates. Selected participants should
demonstrate a commitment to leadership in their communities. If
participants are not fluent in English, proposals should include
provision for interpretation as necessary.
Applicants should identify which literary or musical genres will be
included in the exchange and demonstrate how each part of the two-way
exchange will accomplish the over-arching goals of this competition.
Proposals might focus exclusively on an exchange in one field, such as
urban or blues music.
Alternatively, a more community-based project could include artists
from various musical and/or literary arts fields, as a well as a
representative of a community arts organization. Literature/writing
projects should be in the creative writing field. All projects must
include an examination of cultural diversity, history and the arts as a
means of educational outreach and civic engagement.
Proposed Partner Countries
ECA will accept proposals for either single-country or multi-
country projects. We can only accept proposals for projects with the
countries listed below. A single-country project is a two-way exchange
between the United States and a single partner country. With a multi-
country project, participants from the partner countries should travel
to the United States together; the American participants' exchange
travel may be to just one or to all of the partner countries, depending
on the applicant organization's program design and objectives.
Applicants should present a rationale for their approach. No guarantee
is made or implied that grants will be awarded in all themes and for
all countries listed. Organizations should consider current U.S.
Department of State travel advisories when selecting the countries with
which they would like to work.
Eligible Countries
South Africa, Indonesia, Syria, Mexico, India.
Applicants should propose the period of the two exchange components
and explain how together the exchange in each direction will accomplish
project objectives. The exact timing of the project may be altered
through the mutual agreement of the Department of State and the grant
recipient. Each exchange component should be no less than two weeks and
up to four weeks in duration. Program development should begin in late
summer/early fall 2010. Applicants must include letters of support in
their proposals.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY-2010.
Approximate Total Funding: $4,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: 12-15.
Approximate Average Award: $350,000.
[[Page 10009]]
Ceiling of Award Range: Up to $500,000 for each award.
Anticipated Award Date: August 2010.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: August 2012.
Additional Information: As stipulated in the legislation, this is a
competitive one-time grants program.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications must be submitted by
public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions
described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).
Organizations listed in the House Report 111-187 and the Senate
Report 111-44 under ``Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs'' are
encouraged to apply.
Per Senate Report 111-44, ``The Committee notes that an exchange
program that received a one-time grant in a previous year is ineligible
for additional one-time funding, but the Committee encourages the
Department to consider new proposals from previously funded grantees
within discretionary funding if they meet appropriate guidelines.''
Please see section III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements, below.
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 the highest possible levels of cost
sharing and funding in support of its projects, noting that cost
sharing is one of the criteria for reviewing proposals.
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, written records must be maintained to support all costs
which are claimed as contributions, 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 that the minimum amount of cost
sharing is not provided 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. Therefore, applicants should explain, with
examples, their experience in conducting international exchanges, and,
if that experience is less than four years, should limit their proposed
grant budgets to $60,000.
(b.) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the
following:
--Eligible applicants may submit only ONE proposal (TOTAL) for ONE of
the two competitions referenced in the Executive Summary Section of
this document. If multiple proposals are received from the same
applicant, all submissions from that applicant will be declared
technically ineligible and will be given no further consideration in
the review process. In addition, applicants under this competition:
ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp. B) may only apply to administer one of the
listed activities (total).
--Proposals requesting funding for infrastructure development
activities, sometimes referred to as ``bricks and mortar support,'' are
NOT eligible for consideration under this competition and will be
declared technically ineligible and will receive no further
consideration in the review process.
--No funding is available exclusively to send U.S. citizens to
conferences or conference-type seminars overseas; nor is funding
available for bringing foreign nationals to conferences or to routine
professional association meetings in the United States.
--An exchange program/activity that was funded under one-time grant
competitions in previous years, (FY-2008 Competitive One-time Grants
Program--Reference numbers: ECA/A-08-One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/C-08-
One-time-Comp. B; or the FY-2009 Competitive One-time Grants Program--
Reference numbers: ECA/A-09-One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/C-09 One-time-
Comp. B) is ineligible for additional one-time funding under this
competition. However, ``previously funded grantees'' under previous
one-time competitions, referenced above, may submit proposals under
this competition, if the proposal is for a new exchange program.
Applications submitted by prior-year one-time grant recipients must
include in their proposal narrative/submission a narrative description
of the specific elements that make their submission under the FY-2010
one-time competition a new exchange program, rather than a repetition,
or extension to what was funded by ECA under a prior year award.
Elements that would contribute to the program's being considered
``new'' for the purposes of this competition would include: new
overseas partner institution(s), a new country and/or world region of
activity, a substantially different thematic topic, a new participant
profile. Final determination of a proposal's eligibility as a ``new''
activity will be made by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. If the application does not include a narrative explaining how
the project qualifies as ``new,'' it will be declared technically
ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review
process.
Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document
for additional requirements.
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 David Gustafson, Office of Citizen Exchanges ECA/PE/
C, SA-5, Third Floor, U.S. Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20522-0504, (202) 632-6083, fax: (202) 632-9355,
GustafsonDP@state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer
to Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp.B also located
at the top of this announcement when making your request.
The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission
Instructions (PSI) document which consists of required application
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.
Please specify Program Coordinator David Gustafson, and refer to
the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp.B 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. Please
read all information before downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of Submission: Applicants must follow all
instructions in the Solicitation Package. The original and seven copies
of the application should be sent per the instructions under IV.3e.
``Submission Dates and Times section'' below.
[[Page 10010]]
IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government. This number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a
DUNS number, access https://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711. Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the
appropriate box of the SF-424 which is part of the formal application
package.
IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal
narrative and budget. The summary and narrative must be presented in
double-spaced typing.
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 project reporting requirements, award
recipients will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived
from their project 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.
Please Note: If your organization is a private nonprofit which
has not received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the
past three years, or if your organization received nonprofit status
from the IRS within the past four years, you must submit the
necessary documentation to verify nonprofit status as directed in
the PSI document. Failure to do so will cause your proposal to be
declared technically ineligible.
IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information
when preparing your proposal narrative:
IV.3d.1. Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs is the official program sponsor of the exchange
program covered by this RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau will be the
``Responsible Officer'' for the program under the terms of 22 CFR 62,
which covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa
program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62, organizations receiving awards
(either a grant or cooperative agreement) under this RFGP will be third
parties ``cooperating with or assisting the sponsor in the conduct of
the sponsor's program.'' The actions of recipient organizations shall
be ``imputed to the sponsor in evaluating the sponsor's compliance
with'' 22 CFR 62. Therefore, the Bureau expects that any organization
receiving an award under this competition will render all assistance
necessary to enable the Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 62 et seq.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs places critically
important emphases on the secure and proper administration of Exchange
Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence by recipient organizations and
program participants to all regulations governing the J visa program
status. Therefore, proposals should explicitly state in writing that
the applicant is prepared to assist the Bureau in meeting all
requirements governing the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs
as set forth in 22 CFR 62. If your organization has experience as a
designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should
discuss their record of compliance with 22 CFR 62 et seq., including
the oversight of their Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible
Officers, screening and selection of program participants, provision of
pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, monitoring of
participants, proper maintenance and security of forms, recordkeeping,
reporting and other requirements.
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for
issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at https://exchanges.state.gov or from: Office of Designation, ECA/EC/D, SA-5,
Floor C2, Department of State, Washington, DC 20522-0582.
IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, projects 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 project administration and
in project 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 project 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,
[[Page 10011]]
your anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to
measure these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes
are ``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and
placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct
the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link
to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast,
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and
outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.
We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes,
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in
increasing order of importance):
1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange
experience.
2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude,
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community
members, and others.
4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational
improvements.
Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate
timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example,
satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.
Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be
judged on how well it (1) Specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e.,
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction]
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
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 the proposal budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF-424A--``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs'' along with a comprehensive budget for the
entire project. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each project component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the project include the following:
(1) Travel. International and domestic airfare; visas; transit
costs; ground transportation costs. Please note that all air travel
must be in compliance with the Fly America Act. There is no charge for
J-1 visas for participants in Bureau-sponsored programs.
(2) Per Diem. For U.S.-based programming, organizations should use
the published Federal per diem rates for individual U.S. cities.
Domestic per diem rates may be accessed at: https://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=17943&contentType=GSA_BASIC.
Living costs during foreign-based activities must not exceed USG-
approved per diem rates, which can be found at https://Aoprals.State.Gov/Content.Asp?Content_Id=184&Menu_Id=81.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline Date: April 12, 2010.
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, 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
competition Reference Number ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp.B 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''.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' and budget sections of the proposal as well as
any essential attachments, in Microsoft Word and/or Excel on a CD-ROM.
The Bureau will provide these files electronically to the appropriate
Public Affairs Sections at the U.S. Embassies for their review.
The original and seven copies of the application should be sent to:
U.S. Department of State, Program Management Division, ECA-IIP/EX/PM,
Ref.: ECA/PE/C-10-One-time-Comp.B, 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'' and ``Budget''
sections of the
[[Page 10012]]
proposal in text (.txt) or Microsoft Word format on a PC-formatted
disk. The Bureau will provide these files electronically to the
appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at the U.S. embassy(ies) for
its(their) review.
IV.3f.2--Submitting Electronic Applications
Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically
through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation
packages are available at Grants.gov in the ``Find'' portion of the
system.
Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started'
portion of the site (https://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).
Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could
take several weeks. Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate
staff within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP
to confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov.
Once registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an
application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the
size of the application and the speed of your internet connection. 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 a lengthy 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. 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 of the relevant U.S. Embassy overseas, where
appropriate. Eligible proposals will be subject to compliance with
Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and forwarded to Bureau
grant panels for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the
Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department elements. Final
funding decisions are at the discretion of the Department of State's
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for assistance awards (grants) resides with the
Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the project idea and project planning:
The project's purpose should clearly fit one of the eligible themes
described above, and the proposal should clearly demonstrate how the
institution plans to pursue the project's objectives. The proposed
project should be creative and well developed, respond to the design
outlined in the solicitation, and demonstrate originality. It should be
clearly and accurately written, substantive, and with sufficient detail
to ensure practical success. The project plan should adhere to the
program overview and guidelines described above. Please note: Proposals
submitted by prior-year one-time grant recipients must include in their
proposal submission a description of the specific elements that make
this submission a new exchange program rather than a repetition or
extension of what was funded by ECA under a prior-year award.
2. Ability to achieve project objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and relevant to the proposed theme. Proposals
should clearly plan activities in a sequence that will progressively
lead to achieving those objectives.
3. Support of diversity: The proposal should acknowledge ECA's
policy on diversity and should demonstrate the recipient's commitment
to promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity in
participant selection and exchange project design and content.
4. Institutional capacity and track record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve
the project goals. The proposal should demonstrate an institutional
record, including solid programming and responsible fiscal management.
The Bureau will consider past performance, including compliance with
all reporting requirements for past Bureau grants.
5. Project evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to
evaluate the project's success, both as the activities unfold and at
the end of the program. The proposal should include a draft survey
questionnaire or other data-collection technique plus description of a
methodology to link outcomes to original project objectives. Please see
Section IV.3d.3. of this announcement for more information.
6. Cost-effectiveness and cost sharing: The applicant should
demonstrate efficient use of Bureau funds. 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. The proposal should maximize cost-sharing
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct
funding contributions.
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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 grant
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.
Prohibition on the use of Federal Funds to Promote, Support, or
advocate for the legalization or practice of Prostitution.
The U.S. Government is opposed to prostitution and related
activities, which are inherently harmful and dehumanizing, and
contribute to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. None of the
funds made available under this agreement may be used to promote,
support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution.
Nothing in the preceding sentence shall be construed to preclude
assistance designed to ameliorate the suffering of, or health risks to,
victims while they are being trafficked or after they are out of the
situation that resulted from such victims being trafficked. The
recipient shall insert the foregoing provision in all sub-agreements
under this award.
This provision includes express terms and conditions of the
agreement and any violation of it shall be grounds for unilateral
termination of the agreement by the Department of State prior to the
end of its term.
Awards With the Palestinian Authority
All awards made under this competition must be executed according
to all relevant U.S. laws and policies regarding assistance to the
Palestinian Authority, and to the West Bank and Gaza. Organizations
must consult with relevant Public Affairs Offices before entering into
any formal arrangements or agreements with Palestinian organizations or
institutions.
Note: To assure that planning for the inclusion of the
Palestinian Authority complies with requirements, please contact:
Thomas Johnston, Office of Citizen Exchanges, (202) 632-6087;
JohnstonTJ@state.gov for additional information.
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, Hos