Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Youth Ambassadors Program With South America, 75197-75205 [2010-30241]
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OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform
Administrative Requirements for
Grants-in-Aid to State and Local
Governments.
OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of
States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations.
Please reference the following Web
sites for additional information:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
https://fa.statebuy.state.gov.
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VI.3 Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard
copy original plus two 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.
(4) Quarterly program and financial
reports which should include the
activities completed during that quarter,
information about any participants of
the activities, and any adjustments in
the program timeline.
Award recipients will be required to
provide reports analyzing their
evaluation findings to the Bureau in
their regular program reports. (Please
refer to IV. Application and Submission
Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program
Monitoring and Evaluation information.
All data collected, including survey
responses and contact information, must
be maintained for a minimum of three
years and provided to the Bureau upon
request.
All reports must be sent to the ECA
Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer
listed in the final assistance award
document.
Program Data Requirements
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.
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(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 weeks prior to the official
opening of the activity.
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this
announcement, contact: Ryan Murphy,
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs,
SportsUnited Division, ECA/PE/C/SU,
SA–5, Floor 3, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20037, tel: (202) 632–
6058, fax: (202) 632–6492,
MurphyRM@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and reference number
ECA/PE/C/SU–11–15.
Please read the complete
announcement before sending inquiries
or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP
deadline has passed, Bureau staff may
not discuss this competition with
applicants until the proposal review
process has been completed.
VIII. Other Information
Notice
The terms and conditions published
in this RFGP are binding and may not
be modified by any Bureau
representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts
published language will not be binding.
Issuance of the RFGP does not
constitute an award commitment on the
part of the Government. The Bureau
reserves the right to reduce, revise, or
increase proposal budgets in accordance
with the needs of the program and the
availability of funds. Awards made will
be subject to periodic reporting and
evaluation requirements per section VI.3
above.
Dated: November 23, 2010.
Ann Stock,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and
Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010–30226 Filed 12–1–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
75197
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/
PE/C/PY–11–18.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 19.415.
Application Deadline: January 27,
2011.
Executive Summary
The Office of Citizen Exchanges,
Youth Programs Division, of the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs
(ECA) announces an open competition
for the Youth Ambassadors Program
with South America. Public and private
non-profit organizations meeting the
provisions described in Internal
Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C.
501(c)(3) may submit proposals to
recruit and select youth and adult
participants, to provide the participants
with three-week exchanges focused on
civic education, community service, and
youth leadership development, and to
support follow-on projects in their home
communities. Exchange delegations will
travel from 10 South American
countries to the United States, and U.S.
exchange delegations will travel to
select countries. ECA anticipates
awarding multiple cooperative
agreements that cover the
administration of this program for two
years. The awards will be contingent
upon the availability of FY–2011 funds.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority
Overall grant making authority for
this program is contained in the Mutual
Educational and Cultural Exchange Act
of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as
amended, also known as the 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.
[Public Notice: 7254]
Overview
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant
Proposals: Youth Ambassadors
Program With South America
The Youth Ambassadors Program is a
three-week exchange for high school
youth (ages 15–18) and adult educators
focused on civic education, community
service, and youth leadership
development. Subthemes that explore
these overarching themes may be added,
Announcement Type: New
Cooperative Agreement.
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such as the environment or business
and entrepreneurship. Participants
engage in a variety of activities such as
workshops on leadership and service,
community site visits related to the
program themes and subthemes,
interactive training, presentations, visits
to high schools, local cultural activities,
civic education programming in
Washington, DC or the capital city of the
partner country, and other activities
designed to achieve the program’s stated
goals. Multiple opportunities for
participants to interact meaningfully
with their peers of the host country
must be included. Follow-on activities
with the participants are an integral part
of the program, as the students apply
the knowledge and skills they have
acquired by planning service projects in
their home communities.
The FY2011 Youth Ambassadors
Program will focus on the following
countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay,
Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the
United States. It is anticipated that
foreign participants will travel from all
of these countries to the United States,
and that American participants will
travel to select countries.
The goals of the program are to:
(1) Promote mutual understanding
between the people of the United States
and the people of South America;
(2) Prepare youth leaders to become
responsible citizens and contributing
members of their communities;
(3) Influence the attitudes of the
leaders of a new generation; and
(4) Foster relationships among youth
from different ethnic, religious, and
national groups and create hemispheric
networks of youth leaders, both within
the participating countries and
internationally.
The objectives of the program are for
participants to:
(1) Demonstrate a better
understanding of the elements of a
participatory democracy as practiced in
the United States;
(2) Demonstrate critical thinking and
leadership skills; and
(3) Demonstrate skill at developing
project ideas and planning a course of
action to bring the projects to fruition.
The primary themes of the program
are:
(1) Civic Education (Citizen
Participation, Grassroots Democracy and
Rule of Law);
(2) Community Service; and
(3) Youth Leadership Development.
For each project, applicant
organizations must focus on these
primary themes. Secondary themes,
such as the environment or business
and entrepreneurship, will serve to
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illustrate the more abstract concepts of
the primary themes. For example, the
secondary theme of the environment
can be used to examine how a group of
individuals with an idea can start a
recycling campaign in their community.
Using these goals, objectives, and
themes, applicant organizations should
identify their own specific and
measurable outputs and outcomes based
on the project specifications provided in
this solicitation. ECA does not
anticipate award recipients achieving
these overarching goals throughout one
project; however, proposals should
indicate how these objectives will be
reached through these themes, and how
they will contribute to the achievement
of the stated goals.
Project Options
The total amount of funding available
is $3,000,000, pending availability of
funds. ECA anticipates awarding
multiple cooperative agreements for the
management of the Youth Ambassadors
Program with South America that
together will cover all 10 countries. The
Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal project
configurations, budgets, and participant
numbers in accordance with the needs
of the program and the availability of
funds. In addition, the Bureau reserves
the right to adjust the participating
countries should conditions change in
the partner country or if other countries
are identified as Department priorities.
Organizations may apply for one, two,
or three of the options outlined below,
but must submit only one proposal
under this competition. Multiple
submissions will be declared
technically ineligible and will not be
considered further in the review
process. These options will allow
applicants the flexibility to propose
working with the countries in which
they have the best infrastructure. The
Bureau strongly urges organizations to
focus their applications on countries
where they have the strongest
organizational capacity. This capacity
must be thoroughly described in the
proposal. Please note the total
approximate funding for each option.
Option 1: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and
Venezuela (Approximately $2,000,000
Total, With One to Four Awards)
A project conducted in English for
participants from Argentina, Bolivia,
Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and/or
Venezuela. Approximately 15–20
participants from each country will
travel to the United States each year.
Award recipients are encouraged to
send delegations that include
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participants from several countries;
however not all delegations must travel
to the United States at the same time. It
is suitable to break them down into
smaller single country or sub-regional
groups. Applicants who plan to send a
large delegation to the United States at
one time must propose a plan to break
it into smaller cohorts for most of the
exchange activities. In addition to the
South American participants, 10–15
participants from the United States will
travel to Paraguay and/or Uruguay each
year. Delegations of American
participants may alternate between
specified countries and travel to
Uruguay the first year and Paraguay the
following year, or delegations may
travel to both countries each year. The
American participants should have
conversational Spanish skills.
Applicants are encouraged to be creative
and flexible in making arrangements
that will help meet our program goals.
ECA may award more than one
cooperative agreement from this option.
Applicants must include at least two
South American countries, and may
include up to all seven countries, in
their proposals. Applicants should
apply for those countries where they
have a strong organizational capacity
with their in-country partner.
Option 2: Colombia and Ecuador
(Approximately $500,000)
A regional project conducted in
Spanish for participants from Colombia
and Ecuador. Approximately 15–20
participants from each country will
travel to the United States each year.
This regional project should include
activities where participants from both
countries interact to share ideas and
work on program themes during the
exchange in the United States.
Delegations may be broken up into
smaller sub-groups, but should keep a
mix of participants from both countries.
Special emphasis should be placed on
recruiting participants from
underserved communities. Spanish
language interpreters should be
provided for U.S. programming. In
addition to the South American
participants, 10–15 participants from
the United States may travel to Ecuador.
The American participants should have
conversational Spanish skills.
Option 3: Brazil (Approximately
$500,000)
A single country, reciprocal project
conducted in English for participants
from Brazil and the United States. The
total number of participants each year
will be 37 Brazilians (35 youth, 2 adults)
and 10–15 Americans. For the Brazil
project only, the U.S. Embassy in
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Brasilia will serve as the in-country
partner. The Embassy will manage the
recruitment and selection of the
Brazilian participants, cover their incountry expenses, arrange and purchase
the international travel, oversee their
follow-on activities, and administer the
Brazil-based exchange activities for the
U.S. participants. The award recipient
will be responsible for organizing and
funding the U.S.-based exchange
activities for the Brazilian participants.
The recipient will also be responsible
for recruiting and selecting the
American participants and covering
their pre-departure expenses, including
passports and visas fees and
international travel, paying for all
program expenses in Brazil, as well as
managing their follow-on activities. The
exchanges to the U.S. will take place in
January 2012 and January 2013, and the
exchanges to Brazil will take place in
the summer of 2012 and 2013.
Participants
Both the youth and adult participants
must meet the following eligibility
requirements:
(1) Be citizens of the country from
which they are applying;
(2) Be selected through a merit-based
competition;
(3) Represent the diversity of their
home country; and
(4) Demonstrate an interest in the
partner country and the project themes.
Criteria for selection of the
participants will include leadership
skills, an interest in service to the
community, strong academic and social
skills, openness and flexibility. To reach
beyond the elite, participants should be
recruited from underserved or
disadvantaged populations of youth in
these countries, including public high
schools. Geographic, socio-economic,
and ethnic diversity is important,
including outreach to indigenous and
Afro-descendent populations. It is
desirable that a few participants live in
the same community to facilitate future
collaboration upon their return to their
home country.
The youth participants must be high
school students aged 15 to 18 years old,
with at least one semester of high school
remaining. The adult participants may
be teachers, trainers, school
administrators, and/or community
leaders who work with youth. They will
have the dual role of both exchange
participant and chaperone. The ratio of
youth to adults should be approximately
10:1, depending on the size of the
exchange delegation.
Except for participants from Colombia
and Ecuador, all South American
participants must have sufficient
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English language proficiency to
participate fully in interactions with
their host families and their peers and
in educational activities. A similar level
of Spanish language ability is required
for the American participants traveling
to Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Portuguese is not required for the
Americans traveling to Brazil. For the
U.S.-based activities that will be
conducted in Spanish, the award
recipient must provide interpretation
and place the participants in host
families where at least one member
speaks Spanish.
Organizational Capacity
Applicant organizations must
demonstrate their capacity for
conducting international youth
exchanges, focusing on three areas of
competency: (1) Provision of projects
that address the goals, objectives, and
themes outlined in this document; (2)
age-appropriate programming for youth;
and (3) previous experience working on
programs in the region. Organizations
must demonstrate their capacity to
manage a complex, multi-phase program
with several separate exchange projects.
In addition to their U.S. presence,
applicants must have the organizational
capacity in the relevant countries
through their own offices or through a
partner organization or institution to
recruit and select participants for the
project, to provide follow-on activities,
and to organize a content-rich program
for the U.S. participants, if specified.
The importance of a viable, experienced
in-country partner cannot be overemphasized. Applicants should consult
with their partners and involve them in
the preparation of the proposal. Before
submitting a proposal, applicants may
consult with Public Affairs Sections in
U.S. Embassies for suggested partner
organizations or concerning the
selection and reliability of in-country
partner organizations. Please e-mail
ECA Program Officer Jennifer Phillips
(PhillipsJA@state.gov) for Embassy
contact information.
U.S. Embassy Involvement
It is important that the proposal
narrative clearly state the applicant’s
commitment to consult closely with the
Public Affairs Section of the U.S.
Embassy in the host country to develop
plans for project implementation,
including recruitment, selection and
orientation of participants, publicity
events, and follow-on activities, once a
cooperative agreement is awarded. In
countries where there is a reciprocal
component involving U.S. citizen
minors, the U.S. Embassy will provide
oversight and monitoring; concur on
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housing arrangements, including host
family locations (regions,
neighborhoods); represent the U.S.
Government while the exchange
activities are taking place in the host
country; and assist program staff and
participants in the event of an
emergency. At the same time, the
cooperative agreement requires that the
administering organization must be able
to manage the program in the host
country in its entirety, with little
reliance on embassy staff for support.
For the Brazil project only, the U.S.
Embassy in Brasilia will serve as the incountry partner.
Guidelines
Pending the availability of funds, it is
anticipated that the cooperative
agreement will begin on or about July 1,
2011. The award period will span
approximately two years, and will cover
all aspects of the programming in South
America and the United States—
recruitment, selection, and orientation
of the participants, three weeks of
exchange activities, and support of
follow-on activities. Planning and
preparation will start in 2011, and the
exchanges will take place at various
points throughout 2012 and 2013.
Applicants should propose the period of
the exchange(s) in their proposals, but
the exact timing of the project may be
altered through the mutual agreement of
the Department of State and the
recipient. In addition, while the second
year of the award period may build on
lessons learned from the first year,
proposals should include a plan for
keeping the essential elements of the
exchange, from project themes to
regional groupings, the same in the
second year.
The award recipient will be
responsible for the following:
Recruitment and Selection: Manage
the recruitment and merit-based
selection of youth and adult participants
in cooperation with the Public Affairs
Sections of the U.S. Embassies in the
participating countries. Collaboration
with Binational Centers (BNCs) is
suggested, if possible. Once a
cooperative agreement is awarded, the
recipient must consult with the Public
Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy to
review a participant recruitment and
selection plan and to determine the
degree of Embassy involvement in the
process. Organizers must strive for
regional, socio-economic, and ethnic
diversity, as well as gender balance. For
reciprocal projects sending U.S.
participants to South America, the
recipients must manage the recruitment
and open, merit-based selection of U.S.
participants. The Department of State
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and/or its overseas representatives will
have final approval of all selected
delegations.
Orientations: Provide orientations for
exchange participants and for those
participating from the host
communities, including host families.
Logistics: Manage all logistical
arrangements, including passport and
visa applications, international and
domestic travel, ground transportation,
accommodations, interpretation, group
meals, and disbursement of stipends.
Exchange Activities: Design and plan
three weeks of exchange activities that
provide a creative and substantive
program that develops both the youth
and the adult participants’ knowledge
and skill base in civic education,
community service, and youth
leadership development. The exchange
will take place in the capital city
(Washington, DC or that of the host
country) and in one or two other
communities. The exchanges will focus
primarily on interactive activities,
practical experiences, and other handson opportunities that provide a
substantive project on the specified
program themes. Some activities should
be school and/or community-based, and
the projects will involve as much
sustained interaction with peers of the
host country as possible (for both the
youth and adult participants). Cultural,
social, and recreational activities will
balance the schedule.
Accommodations: Arrange home
stays for the participants in the United
States with properly screened and
briefed American families for the
majority of the exchange period. In the
partner countries, home stays are
strongly desired whenever feasible in
properly screened and briefed South
American families. Criminal
background checks must be conducted
for members of host families (and others
living in the home) who are 18 years or
older.
Monitoring: Develop and implement a
plan to monitor the participants’ safety
and well-being while on the exchange
and to create opportunities for
participants to share potential issues
and resolve them promptly. The award
recipient will be required to provide
proper staff supervision and facilitation
to ensure that the teenagers have safe
and pedagogically rich programs. Staff,
along with the adult participants, will
assist the youth with cultural
adjustments, provide societal context to
enhance learning, and counsel students
as needed. For the safety and security of
both foreign and American participants,
applicants must comply with the
monitoring and supervision
requirements, as well as the host family
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screening requirements, outlined in the
POGI.
Follow-on Activities and In-Country
Programming: Plan and implement
activities in the participants’ home
countries, particularly by facilitating
continued engagement among the
participants, advising and supporting
them in the implementation of
community service projects, and
offering opportunities to reinforce the
ideas, values and skills imparted during
the exchange. Exchange participants
should return home from the exchange
prepared to conduct projects that serve
a need in their schools or communities.
To amplify program impact, proposals
should present creative and effective
ways to address the project themes, for
both program participants and their
peers.
Evaluation: Design and implement an
evaluation plan that assesses the shortand medium-term impact of the project
on the participants as well as on host
and home communities.
Please Note: In a cooperative agreement,
the Department of State is substantially
involved in program activities above and
beyond routine grant monitoring. The
Department’s activities and responsibilities
for the Youth Ambassadors Program are as
follows:
(1) Provide advice and assistance in the
execution of all program components.
(2) Facilitate interaction within the
Department of State, to include ECA, the
regional bureaus, and overseas posts.
(3) Arrange meetings with Department of
State officials in Washington, DC and the
partner countries.
(4) Approve the final candidate selection
and alternates.
(5) Issue DS–2019 forms and J–1 visas for
the foreign participants. All foreign
participants will travel on a U.S. Government
designation for the J Exchange Visitor
Program.
(6) Approve applications, publicity
materials, and final calendar of exchange
activities.
(7) Approve housing arrangements,
including the host families location (in South
America only).
(8) Monitor and evaluate the program,
through regular communication with the
award recipient and possibly one or more site
visits.
(9) In Brazil only, the U.S. Embassy will
serve as the in-country partner and manage
the recruitment and selection of the Brazilian
participants, cover their in-country expenses,
arrange and purchase the international travel,
oversee their follow-on activities, and
administer the Brazil-based exchange
activities for the U.S. participants.
Additional Information
Award recipients will retain the name
‘‘Youth Ambassadors Program’’ to
identify their project. All materials,
publicity, and correspondence related to
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the program will acknowledge this as a
program of the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs of the U.S.
Department of State. The Bureau will
retain copyright use of and be allowed
to distribute materials related to this
program as it sees fit.
The organization must inform the
ECA Program Officer of their progress at
each stage of the project’s
implementation in a timely fashion, and
will be required to obtain approval of
any significant program changes in
advance of their implementation.
Proposals must demonstrate how the
stated objectives will be met. The
proposal narrative should provide
detailed information on the major
project activities, and applicants should
explain and justify their programmatic
choices. Projects must comply with J–1
visa regulations for the International
Visitor and Government Visitor
category. Please be sure to refer to the
complete Solicitation Package—this
RFGP, the Project Objectives, Goals, and
Implementation (POGI), and the
Proposal Submission Instructions
(PSI)—for further information.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative
Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement
in this program is listed under Section
I above.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY–2011.
Approximate Total Funding:
$3,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: One
to six.
Approximate Average Award:
$500,000.
Floor of Award Range: $500,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $3,000,000.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending
availability of funds, July 1, 2011.
Anticipated Project Completion Date:
24–34 months after start date, to be
specified by applicant based on project
plan.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted by
public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions
described in Internal Revenue Code
section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds
There is no minimum or maximum
percentage required for this
competition. However, the Bureau
encourages applicants to provide
maximum levels of cost sharing and
funding in support of its programs.
When cost sharing is offered, it is
understood and agreed that the
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applicant must provide the amount of
cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal
and later included in an approved
agreement. Cost sharing may be in the
form of allowable direct or indirect
costs. For accountability, you must
maintain written records to support all
costs which are claimed as your
contribution, as well as costs to be paid
by the Federal government. Such
records are subject to audit. The basis
for determining the value of cash and
in-kind contributions must be in
accordance with OMB Circular A–110,
(Revised), Subpart C.23—Cost Sharing
and Matching. In the event you do not
provide the minimum amount of cost
sharing as stipulated in the approved
budget, ECA’s contribution will be
reduced in like proportion.
III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements
(a.) Bureau grant guidelines require
that organizations with less than four
years experience in conducting
international exchanges be limited to
$60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA
anticipates making multiple awards in
amounts exceeding $60,000 to support
program and administrative costs
required to implement this exchange
program. Therefore, organizations with
less than four years experience in
conducting international exchanges are
ineligible to apply under this
competition. The Bureau encourages
applicants to provide maximum levels
of cost sharing and funding in support
of its programs.
(b.) Proposed sub-award recipients are
also limited to grant funding of $60,000
or less if they do not have four years of
experience in conducting international
exchanges.
(c.) The Bureau encourages applicants
to provide maximum levels of cost
sharing and funding in support of its
programs.
(d.) Organizations may submit only
one proposal (total) under this
competition. 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. Please note: Applicant
organizations are defined by their legal
name, and EIN number as stated on
their completed SF–424 and additional
supporting documentation outlined in
the Proposal Submission Instructions
(PSI) document.
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
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discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been
completed.
IV.1 Contact Information To Request an
Application Package
Please contact the Youth Programs
Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, SA–5, 3rd
Floor, U.S. Department of State, 2200 C
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037, by
telephone (202) 632–9352, fax (202)
632–9355, or e-mail
PhillipsJA@state.gov to request a
Solicitation Package. Please refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/
C/PY–11–18 located at the top of this
announcement when making your
request.
Alternatively, an electronic
application package may be obtained
from grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f
for further information.
The Solicitation Package contains the
Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI)
document which consists of required
application forms, and standard
guidelines for proposal preparation. It
also contains the Project Objectives,
Goals and Implementation (POGI)
document, which provides specific
information, award criteria and budget
instructions tailored to this competition.
Please specify Program Officer
Jennifer Phillips and refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/
C/PY–11–18 located at the top of this
announcement on all other inquiries
and correspondence.
IV.2. To Download a Solicitation
Package via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may
be downloaded from the Bureau’s Web
site at https://exchanges.state.gov/grants/
open2.html, or from the Grants.gov Web
site at https://www.grants.gov.
Please read all information before
downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of Submission
Applicants must follow all
instructions in the Solicitation Package.
The application should be submitted
per the instructions under IV.3f.
‘‘Application Deadline and Methods of
Submission’’ section below.
IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun
and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to
apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government.
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
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DUNS number is included in the
appropriate box of the SF–424 which is
part of the formal application package.
IV.3b. All proposals must contain an
executive summary, proposal narrative
and budget.
Please Refer to the Solicitation
Package. It contains the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)
document and the Project Objectives,
Goals and Implementation (POGI)
document for additional formatting and
technical requirements.
IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status
with the IRS at the time of application.
Please note: Effective January 7, 2009,
all applicants for ECA Federal
assistance awards must include in their
application the names of directors and/
or senior executives (current officers,
trustees, and key employees, regardless
of amount of compensation). In
fulfilling this requirement, applicants
must submit information in one of the
following ways:
(1) Those who file Internal Revenue
Service Form 990, ‘‘Return of
Organization Exempt From Income
Tax,’’ must include a copy of relevant
portions of this form.
(2) Those who do not file IRS Form
990 must submit information above in
the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting
requirements, award recipients will also
be required to submit a one-page
document, derived from their program
reports, listing and describing their
grant activities. For award recipients,
the names of directors and/or senior
executives (current officers, trustees,
and key employees), as well as the onepage description of grant activities, will
be transmitted by the State Department
to OMB, along with other information
required by the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act
(FFATA), and will be made available to
the public by the Office of Management
and Budget on its USASpending.gov
Web site as part of ECA’s FFATA
reporting requirements.
If your organization is a private
nonprofit which has not received a grant
or cooperative agreement from ECA in
the past three years, or if your
organization received nonprofit status
from the IRS within the past four years,
you must submit the necessary
documentation to verify nonprofit status
as directed in the PSI document. Failure
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:
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IV.3d.1 Adherence to All Regulations
Governing The J Visa
IV.3d.2 Diversity, Freedom and
Democracy Guidelines
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, record-keeping,
reporting and other requirements.
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of
ECA will be responsible for issuing DS–
2019 forms to participants in this
program.
A copy of the complete regulations
governing the administration of
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is
available at https://exchanges.state.gov
or from: Office of Designation, Private
Sector Programs Division, U.S.
Department of State, ECA/EC/D/PS, SA–
5, 5th Floor, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20037.
Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing
legislation, programs must maintain a
non-political character and should be
balanced and representative of the
diversity of American political, social,
and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be
interpreted in the broadest sense and
encompass differences including, but
not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,
religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and disabilities.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to
adhere to the advancement of this
principle both in program
administration and in program content.
Please refer to the review criteria under
the ‘Support for Diversity’ section for
specific suggestions on incorporating
diversity into your proposal. Public Law
104–319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out
programs of educational and cultural
exchange in countries whose people do
not fully enjoy freedom and
democracy,’’ the Bureau ‘‘shall take
appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such
programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.’’
Public Law 106–113 requires that the
governments of the countries described
above do not have inappropriate
influence in the selection process.
Proposals should reflect advancement of
these goals in their program contents, to
the full extent deemed feasible.
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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,
your anticipated project outcomes, and
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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 your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF–
424A—‘‘Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs’’ along with a
comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary
budget as well as breakdowns reflecting
both administrative and program
budgets. Applicants may provide
separate sub-budgets for each program
component, phase, location, or activity
to provide clarification. Please refer to
the Solicitation Package (POGI and PSI)
for complete budget guidelines and
formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and
Methods of Submission
Application Deadline Date: January
27, 2011.
Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY–
11–18.
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Methods of Submission
Applications may be submitted in one
of two ways:
(1.) In hard-copy, via a nationally
recognized overnight delivery service
(i.e., Federal Express, UPS, Airborne
Express, or U.S. Postal Service Express
Overnight Mail, etc.), or
(2.) electronically through https://
www.grants.gov.
Along with the Project Title, all
applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF–
424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)
of the solicitation document.
IV.3f.1 Submitting Printed
Applications
Applications must be shipped no later
than the above deadline. Delivery
services used by applicants must have
in-place, centralized shipping
identification and tracking systems that
may be accessed via the Internet and
delivery people who are identifiable by
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commonly recognized uniforms and
delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on
or before the above deadline but
received at ECA more than seven days
after the deadline will be ineligible for
further consideration under this
competition. Proposals shipped after the
established deadlines are ineligible for
consideration under this competition.
ECA will not notify you upon receipt of
application. It is each applicant’s
responsibility to ensure that each
package is marked with a legible
tracking number and to monitor/confirm
delivery to ECA via the Internet.
Delivery of proposal packages may not
be made via local courier service or in
person for this competition. Faxed
documents will not be accepted at any
time. Only proposals submitted as
stated above will be considered.
Important note: When preparing your
submission please make sure to include one
extra copy of the completed SF–424 form and
place it in an envelope addressed to ‘‘ECA/
EX/PM’’.
The original and six (6) copies of the
application should be sent to: Program
Management Division, ECA–IIP/EX/PM,
Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY–11–18, SA–5, Floor
4, Department of State, 2200 C Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20037.
With the submission of the proposal
package, please also e-mail the
Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative,
and Budget sections of the proposal, as
well as any attachments essential to
understanding the program, in Microsoft
Word, Excel, and/or PDF, to the
program officer at PhillipsJA@state.gov.
As appropriate, the Bureau will provide
these files electronically to Public
Affairs Section(s) at the U.S. embassies
for their review.
IV.3f.2—Submitting Electronic
Applications
Applicants have the option of
submitting proposals electronically
through Grants.gov (https://
www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation
packages are available at Grants.gov in
the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system.
Please Note: ECA bears no responsibility
for applicant timeliness of submission or data
errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes for proposals submitted
via Grants.gov.
Please follow the instructions
available in the ‘Get Started’ portion of
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
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75203
determine their registration status with
Grants.gov. Once registered, the amount
of time it can take to upload an
application will vary depending on a
variety of factors including the size of
the application and the speed of your
Internet connection. In addition,
validation of an electronic submission
via Grants.gov can take up to two
business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend
that you not wait until the application
deadline to begin the submission
process through Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes
extensive information on all phases/
aspects of the Grants.gov process,
including an extensive section on
frequently asked questions, located
under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of
the Web site. ECA strongly recommends
that all potential applicants review
thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site,
well in advance of submitting a
proposal through the Grants.gov system.
ECA bears no responsibility for data
errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes.
Direct all questions regarding
Grants.gov registration and submission
to: Grants.gov Customer Support.
Contact Center Phone: 800–518–4726.
Business Hours: Monday–Friday, 7
a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time.
E-mail: support@grants.gov.
Applicants have until midnight (12
a.m.), Washington, DC time of the
closing date to ensure that their entire
application has been uploaded to the
Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions
to the above deadline. Applications
uploaded to the site after midnight of
the application deadline date will be
automatically rejected by the grants.gov
system, and will be technically
ineligible. Please refer to the Grants.gov
Web site, for definitions of various
‘‘application statuses’’ and the difference
between a submission receipt and a
submission validation.
Applicants will receive a validation email 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.
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IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of
Applications
Executive Order 12372 does not apply
to this program.
V. Application Review Information
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V.1. Review Process
The Bureau will review all proposals
for technical eligibility. Proposals will
be deemed ineligible if they do not fully
adhere to the guidelines stated herein
and in the Solicitation Package. All
eligible proposals will be reviewed by
the program office, as well as the Public
Diplomacy section overseas, where
appropriate. Eligible proposals will be
subject to compliance with Federal and
Bureau regulations and guidelines and
forwarded to Bureau grant panels for
advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the Legal
Adviser or by other Department
elements. Final funding decisions are at
the discretion of the Department of
State’s Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for assistance
awards (cooperative agreements) resides
with the Bureau’s Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will
be competitively reviewed according to
the criteria stated below.
1. Quality of the program idea:
Objectives should be reasonable,
feasible, and flexible. The proposal
should clearly demonstrate how the
institution will meet the program’s
objectives and plan. The proposed
program should be creative, ageappropriate, respond to the design
outlined in the solicitation, and
demonstrate originality. It should be
clearly and accurately written,
substantive, and with sufficient detail.
Proposals should also include a plan to
support participants’ community
activities upon their return home.
2. Program planning: A detailed
agenda and work plan should clearly
demonstrate how project objectives
would be achieved. The agenda and
plan should adhere to the program
overview and guidelines described
above. The substance of workshops,
seminars, presentations, school-based
activities, and/or site visits should be
described in detail.
3. Support of diversity: The proposal
should demonstrate the recipient’s
commitment to promoting the
awareness and understanding of
diversity in participant recruitment and
selection and in program content.
Applicants should demonstrate
readiness to accommodate participants
with physical disabilities.
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4. Institutional capacity and track
record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources in both the
United States and in the partner
countries should be adequate and
appropriate to achieve the program
goals. The proposal should demonstrate
an institutional record of successful
exchange programs, including
responsible fiscal management and full
compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Bureau awards as
determined by Bureau Grants Staff. The
Bureau will consider the past
performance of prior recipients and the
demonstrated potential of new
applicants.
5. Program evaluation: The proposal
should include a plan to evaluate the
program’s success in meeting its goals,
both as the activities unfold and after
they have been completed. The proposal
should include a draft survey
questionnaire or other technique, plus a
description of a methodology to link
outcomes to original project objectives.
The award recipient will be expected to
submit intermediate reports after each
project component is concluded.
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, which
demonstrates institutional and
community commitment.
VI. Award Administration Information
VI.1
Award Notices
Final awards cannot be made until
funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed
through internal Bureau procedures.
Successful applicants will receive a
Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from
the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA
and the original proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable)
shall be the only binding authorizing
document between the recipient and the
U.S. Government. The FAA will be
signed by an authorized Grants Officer,
and mailed to the recipient’s
responsible officer identified in the
application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive
notification of the results of the
application review from the ECA
program office coordinating this
competition.
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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 reference the following Web
sites for additional information: https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
https://fa.statebuy.state.gov.
VI.3 Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard
copy original plus one copy of the
following reports:
(1) 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 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, including the SF–PPR–E and
SF–PPR–F.
(4) Quarterly or interim reports, as
required in the Bureau cooperative
agreement.
Award recipients will be required to
provide reports analyzing their
evaluation findings to the Bureau in
their regular program reports. (Please
refer to IV.3.d.3 Application and
Submission Instructions 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.
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All reports must be sent to the ECA
Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer
listed in the final assistance award
document.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
VII. Agency Contacts
R.J. Corman Railroad Company/
Central Kentucky Lines, LLC—
Trackage Rights Exemption—CSX
Transportation, Inc.
For questions about this
announcement, contact: Jennifer
Phillips, Youth Programs Division,
ECA/PE/C/PY, SA–5, 3rd Floor, U.S.
Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20522–0503, by
telephone 202–632–9352, fax 202–632–
9355, or e-mail PhillipsJA@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and reference number
ECA/PE/C/PY–11–18.
Please read the complete
announcement before sending inquiries
or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP
deadline has passed, Bureau staff may
not discuss this competition with
applicants until the proposal review
process has been completed.
VIII. Other Information
Notice
The terms and conditions published
in this RFGP are binding and may not
be modified by any Bureau
representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts
published language will not be binding.
Issuance of the RFGP does not
constitute an award commitment on the
part of the Government. The Bureau
reserves the right to reduce, revise, or
increase proposal budgets in accordance
with the needs of the program and the
availability of funds. Awards made will
be subject to periodic reporting and
evaluation requirements per section VI.3
above.
Dated: November 23, 2010.
Ann Stock,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010–30241 Filed 12–1–10; 8:45 am]
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Surface Transportation Board
[Docket No. FD 35442]
Pursuant to a written trackage rights
agreement dated February 5, 2005,1 CSX
Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) has agreed
to grant limited overhead trackage rights
to R.J. Corman Railroad Company/
Central Kentucky Lines, LLC (RJCC) 2
over a CSXT line of railroad between the
end of the Water Street Lead at milepost
00T 1.8 in Louisville, Ky., and milepost
00T 12.5 at HK Tower in Anchorage,
Ky., a distance of approximately 10.7
miles. This notice was filed to correct a
misdescription of the corporate process
by which RJCC actually obtained these
trackage rights in 2005.3 In the original
notices, R.J. Corman Railroad Company/
Central Kentucky Lines, LLC—
Acquisition and Operation Exemption—
Line of R.J. Corman Railroad Property,
LLC, FD 34624 (STB served Feb. 23,
2005), and R.J. Corman Railroad
Property, LLC—Lease Exemption—Line
of CSX Transportation, Inc., FD 34625
(STB served Mar. 4, 2005), RJCC stated
that it acquired the rights from CSXT
through its corporate affiliate, R.J.
Corman Railroad Property, LLC
(Railroad Property). Instead, RJCC
acquired the rights directly from CSXT,
as stated in this notice.4
1 The original agreement was subsequently
amended in April 2008 and August 2010.
2 RJCC, a Class III carrier, is controlled by Richard
J. Corman who also controls several other Class III
rail carriers in the eastern United States. See
Richard J. Corman—Continuance in Control
Exemption—R.J. Corman Railroad Company/
Central Kentucky Lines, FD 34327 (STB served Apr.
14, 2003).
3 While RJCC and Railroad Property originally
filed a petition to reopen and modify the trackage
rights portions of those notices to correct the
misdescriptions, they subsequently filed a request
to withdraw that petition. The request to withdraw
will be addressed subsequently in a separate
decision.
4 The 2005 notices also involved the lease and
sublease/operation of a CSXT line accurately
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
75205
The transaction may be consummated
on or after December 16, 2010, the
effective date of the exemption (30 days
after the exemption is filed). The
trackage rights will allow RJCC to move
certain commodities between RJCC’s
main line across Kentucky and the
Water Street Lead in Louisville, which
RJCC leases from CSXT.
As a condition to this exemption, any
employees affected by the trackage
rights will be protected by the
conditions imposed in Norfolk and
Western Railway–Trackage Rights–
Burlington Northern, Inc., 354 I.C.C. 605
(1978), as modified in Mendocino Coast
Railway–Lease and Operate–California
Western Railroad, 360 I.C.C. 653 (1980).
This notice is filed under 49 CFR
1180.2(d)(7). If the notice contains false
or misleading information, the
exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to
revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C.
10502(d) may be filed at any time. The
filing of a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Stay petitions must be
filed by December 9, 2010 (at least 7
days before the exemption becomes
effective).
An original and 10 copies of all
pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD
35442, must be filed with the Surface
Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20423–0001. In
addition, a copy of each pleading must
be served on Thomas J. Litwiler, 29
North Wacker Drive, Suite 920, Chicago,
IL 60606.
Board decisions and notices are
available on our Web site at
‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’
Decided: November 26, 2010.
By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting
Director, Office of Proceedings.
Andrea Pope-Matheson,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2010–30269 Filed 12–1–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
described by the parties. The notices were
published by the Board.
E:\FR\FM\02DEN1.SGM
02DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 231 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75197-75205]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30241]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 7254]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals: Youth Ambassadors Program With South America
Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-18.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.415.
Application Deadline: January 27, 2011.
Executive Summary
The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open
competition for the Youth Ambassadors Program with South America.
Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions
described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may
submit proposals to recruit and select youth and adult participants, to
provide the participants with three-week exchanges focused on civic
education, community service, and youth leadership development, and to
support follow-on projects in their home communities. Exchange
delegations will travel from 10 South American countries to the United
States, and U.S. exchange delegations will travel to select countries.
ECA anticipates awarding multiple cooperative agreements that cover the
administration of this program for two years. The awards will be
contingent upon the availability of FY-2011 funds.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the
program above is provided through legislation.
Overview
The Youth Ambassadors Program is a three-week exchange for high
school youth (ages 15-18) and adult educators focused on civic
education, community service, and youth leadership development.
Subthemes that explore these overarching themes may be added,
[[Page 75198]]
such as the environment or business and entrepreneurship. Participants
engage in a variety of activities such as workshops on leadership and
service, community site visits related to the program themes and
subthemes, interactive training, presentations, visits to high schools,
local cultural activities, civic education programming in Washington,
DC or the capital city of the partner country, and other activities
designed to achieve the program's stated goals. Multiple opportunities
for participants to interact meaningfully with their peers of the host
country must be included. Follow-on activities with the participants
are an integral part of the program, as the students apply the
knowledge and skills they have acquired by planning service projects in
their home communities.
The FY2011 Youth Ambassadors Program will focus on the following
countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador,
Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the United States. It is
anticipated that foreign participants will travel from all of these
countries to the United States, and that American participants will
travel to select countries.
The goals of the program are to:
(1) Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United
States and the people of South America;
(2) Prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and
contributing members of their communities;
(3) Influence the attitudes of the leaders of a new generation; and
(4) Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic,
religious, and national groups and create hemispheric networks of youth
leaders, both within the participating countries and internationally.
The objectives of the program are for participants to:
(1) Demonstrate a better understanding of the elements of a
participatory democracy as practiced in the United States;
(2) Demonstrate critical thinking and leadership skills; and
(3) Demonstrate skill at developing project ideas and planning a
course of action to bring the projects to fruition.
The primary themes of the program are:
(1) Civic Education (Citizen Participation, Grassroots Democracy
and Rule of Law);
(2) Community Service; and
(3) Youth Leadership Development.
For each project, applicant organizations must focus on these
primary themes. Secondary themes, such as the environment or business
and entrepreneurship, will serve to illustrate the more abstract
concepts of the primary themes. For example, the secondary theme of the
environment can be used to examine how a group of individuals with an
idea can start a recycling campaign in their community.
Using these goals, objectives, and themes, applicant organizations
should identify their own specific and measurable outputs and outcomes
based on the project specifications provided in this solicitation. ECA
does not anticipate award recipients achieving these overarching goals
throughout one project; however, proposals should indicate how these
objectives will be reached through these themes, and how they will
contribute to the achievement of the stated goals.
Project Options
The total amount of funding available is $3,000,000, pending
availability of funds. ECA anticipates awarding multiple cooperative
agreements for the management of the Youth Ambassadors Program with
South America that together will cover all 10 countries. The Bureau
reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal project
configurations, budgets, and participant numbers in accordance with the
needs of the program and the availability of funds. In addition, the
Bureau reserves the right to adjust the participating countries should
conditions change in the partner country or if other countries are
identified as Department priorities. Organizations may apply for one,
two, or three of the options outlined below, but must submit only one
proposal under this competition. Multiple submissions will be declared
technically ineligible and will not be considered further in the review
process. These options will allow applicants the flexibility to propose
working with the countries in which they have the best infrastructure.
The Bureau strongly urges organizations to focus their applications on
countries where they have the strongest organizational capacity. This
capacity must be thoroughly described in the proposal. Please note the
total approximate funding for each option.
Option 1: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and
Venezuela (Approximately $2,000,000 Total, With One to Four Awards)
A project conducted in English for participants from Argentina,
Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and/or Venezuela.
Approximately 15-20 participants from each country will travel to the
United States each year. Award recipients are encouraged to send
delegations that include participants from several countries; however
not all delegations must travel to the United States at the same time.
It is suitable to break them down into smaller single country or sub-
regional groups. Applicants who plan to send a large delegation to the
United States at one time must propose a plan to break it into smaller
cohorts for most of the exchange activities. In addition to the South
American participants, 10-15 participants from the United States will
travel to Paraguay and/or Uruguay each year. Delegations of American
participants may alternate between specified countries and travel to
Uruguay the first year and Paraguay the following year, or delegations
may travel to both countries each year. The American participants
should have conversational Spanish skills. Applicants are encouraged to
be creative and flexible in making arrangements that will help meet our
program goals.
ECA may award more than one cooperative agreement from this option.
Applicants must include at least two South American countries, and may
include up to all seven countries, in their proposals. Applicants
should apply for those countries where they have a strong
organizational capacity with their in-country partner.
Option 2: Colombia and Ecuador (Approximately $500,000)
A regional project conducted in Spanish for participants from
Colombia and Ecuador. Approximately 15-20 participants from each
country will travel to the United States each year. This regional
project should include activities where participants from both
countries interact to share ideas and work on program themes during the
exchange in the United States. Delegations may be broken up into
smaller sub-groups, but should keep a mix of participants from both
countries. Special emphasis should be placed on recruiting participants
from underserved communities. Spanish language interpreters should be
provided for U.S. programming. In addition to the South American
participants, 10-15 participants from the United States may travel to
Ecuador. The American participants should have conversational Spanish
skills.
Option 3: Brazil (Approximately $500,000)
A single country, reciprocal project conducted in English for
participants from Brazil and the United States. The total number of
participants each year will be 37 Brazilians (35 youth, 2 adults) and
10-15 Americans. For the Brazil project only, the U.S. Embassy in
[[Page 75199]]
Brasilia will serve as the in-country partner. The Embassy will manage
the recruitment and selection of the Brazilian participants, cover
their in-country expenses, arrange and purchase the international
travel, oversee their follow-on activities, and administer the Brazil-
based exchange activities for the U.S. participants. The award
recipient will be responsible for organizing and funding the U.S.-based
exchange activities for the Brazilian participants. The recipient will
also be responsible for recruiting and selecting the American
participants and covering their pre-departure expenses, including
passports and visas fees and international travel, paying for all
program expenses in Brazil, as well as managing their follow-on
activities. The exchanges to the U.S. will take place in January 2012
and January 2013, and the exchanges to Brazil will take place in the
summer of 2012 and 2013.
Participants
Both the youth and adult participants must meet the following
eligibility requirements:
(1) Be citizens of the country from which they are applying;
(2) Be selected through a merit-based competition;
(3) Represent the diversity of their home country; and
(4) Demonstrate an interest in the partner country and the project
themes.
Criteria for selection of the participants will include leadership
skills, an interest in service to the community, strong academic and
social skills, openness and flexibility. To reach beyond the elite,
participants should be recruited from underserved or disadvantaged
populations of youth in these countries, including public high schools.
Geographic, socio-economic, and ethnic diversity is important,
including outreach to indigenous and Afro-descendent populations. It is
desirable that a few participants live in the same community to
facilitate future collaboration upon their return to their home
country.
The youth participants must be high school students aged 15 to 18
years old, with at least one semester of high school remaining. The
adult participants may be teachers, trainers, school administrators,
and/or community leaders who work with youth. They will have the dual
role of both exchange participant and chaperone. The ratio of youth to
adults should be approximately 10:1, depending on the size of the
exchange delegation.
Except for participants from Colombia and Ecuador, all South
American participants must have sufficient English language proficiency
to participate fully in interactions with their host families and their
peers and in educational activities. A similar level of Spanish
language ability is required for the American participants traveling to
Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay. Portuguese is not required for the
Americans traveling to Brazil. For the U.S.-based activities that will
be conducted in Spanish, the award recipient must provide
interpretation and place the participants in host families where at
least one member speaks Spanish.
Organizational Capacity
Applicant organizations must demonstrate their capacity for
conducting international youth exchanges, focusing on three areas of
competency: (1) Provision of projects that address the goals,
objectives, and themes outlined in this document; (2) age-appropriate
programming for youth; and (3) previous experience working on programs
in the region. Organizations must demonstrate their capacity to manage
a complex, multi-phase program with several separate exchange projects.
In addition to their U.S. presence, applicants must have the
organizational capacity in the relevant countries through their own
offices or through a partner organization or institution to recruit and
select participants for the project, to provide follow-on activities,
and to organize a content-rich program for the U.S. participants, if
specified. The importance of a viable, experienced in-country partner
cannot be over-emphasized. Applicants should consult with their
partners and involve them in the preparation of the proposal. Before
submitting a proposal, applicants may consult with Public Affairs
Sections in U.S. Embassies for suggested partner organizations or
concerning the selection and reliability of in-country partner
organizations. Please e-mail ECA Program Officer Jennifer Phillips
(PhillipsJA@state.gov) for Embassy contact information.
U.S. Embassy Involvement
It is important that the proposal narrative clearly state the
applicant's commitment to consult closely with the Public Affairs
Section of the U.S. Embassy in the host country to develop plans for
project implementation, including recruitment, selection and
orientation of participants, publicity events, and follow-on
activities, once a cooperative agreement is awarded. In countries where
there is a reciprocal component involving U.S. citizen minors, the U.S.
Embassy will provide oversight and monitoring; concur on housing
arrangements, including host family locations (regions, neighborhoods);
represent the U.S. Government while the exchange activities are taking
place in the host country; and assist program staff and participants in
the event of an emergency. At the same time, the cooperative agreement
requires that the administering organization must be able to manage the
program in the host country in its entirety, with little reliance on
embassy staff for support. For the Brazil project only, the U.S.
Embassy in Brasilia will serve as the in-country partner.
Guidelines
Pending the availability of funds, it is anticipated that the
cooperative agreement will begin on or about July 1, 2011. The award
period will span approximately two years, and will cover all aspects of
the programming in South America and the United States--recruitment,
selection, and orientation of the participants, three weeks of exchange
activities, and support of follow-on activities. Planning and
preparation will start in 2011, and the exchanges will take place at
various points throughout 2012 and 2013. Applicants should propose the
period of the exchange(s) in their proposals, but the exact timing of
the project may be altered through the mutual agreement of the
Department of State and the recipient. In addition, while the second
year of the award period may build on lessons learned from the first
year, proposals should include a plan for keeping the essential
elements of the exchange, from project themes to regional groupings,
the same in the second year.
The award recipient will be responsible for the following:
Recruitment and Selection: Manage the recruitment and merit-based
selection of youth and adult participants in cooperation with the
Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassies in the participating
countries. Collaboration with Binational Centers (BNCs) is suggested,
if possible. Once a cooperative agreement is awarded, the recipient
must consult with the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy to
review a participant recruitment and selection plan and to determine
the degree of Embassy involvement in the process. Organizers must
strive for regional, socio-economic, and ethnic diversity, as well as
gender balance. For reciprocal projects sending U.S. participants to
South America, the recipients must manage the recruitment and open,
merit-based selection of U.S. participants. The Department of State
[[Page 75200]]
and/or its overseas representatives will have final approval of all
selected delegations.
Orientations: Provide orientations for exchange participants and
for those participating from the host communities, including host
families.
Logistics: Manage all logistical arrangements, including passport
and visa applications, international and domestic travel, ground
transportation, accommodations, interpretation, group meals, and
disbursement of stipends.
Exchange Activities: Design and plan three weeks of exchange
activities that provide a creative and substantive program that
develops both the youth and the adult participants' knowledge and skill
base in civic education, community service, and youth leadership
development. The exchange will take place in the capital city
(Washington, DC or that of the host country) and in one or two other
communities. The exchanges will focus primarily on interactive
activities, practical experiences, and other hands-on opportunities
that provide a substantive project on the specified program themes.
Some activities should be school and/or community-based, and the
projects will involve as much sustained interaction with peers of the
host country as possible (for both the youth and adult participants).
Cultural, social, and recreational activities will balance the
schedule.
Accommodations: Arrange home stays for the participants in the
United States with properly screened and briefed American families for
the majority of the exchange period. In the partner countries, home
stays are strongly desired whenever feasible in properly screened and
briefed South American families. Criminal background checks must be
conducted for members of host families (and others living in the home)
who are 18 years or older.
Monitoring: Develop and implement a plan to monitor the
participants' safety and well-being while on the exchange and to create
opportunities for participants to share potential issues and resolve
them promptly. The award recipient will be required to provide proper
staff supervision and facilitation to ensure that the teenagers have
safe and pedagogically rich programs. Staff, along with the adult
participants, will assist the youth with cultural adjustments, provide
societal context to enhance learning, and counsel students as needed.
For the safety and security of both foreign and American participants,
applicants must comply with the monitoring and supervision
requirements, as well as the host family screening requirements,
outlined in the POGI.
Follow-on Activities and In-Country Programming: Plan and implement
activities in the participants' home countries, particularly by
facilitating continued engagement among the participants, advising and
supporting them in the implementation of community service projects,
and offering opportunities to reinforce the ideas, values and skills
imparted during the exchange. Exchange participants should return home
from the exchange prepared to conduct projects that serve a need in
their schools or communities. To amplify program impact, proposals
should present creative and effective ways to address the project
themes, for both program participants and their peers.
Evaluation: Design and implement an evaluation plan that assesses
the short- and medium-term impact of the project on the participants as
well as on host and home communities.
Please Note: In a cooperative agreement, the Department of State
is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond
routine grant monitoring. The Department's activities and
responsibilities for the Youth Ambassadors Program are as follows:
(1) Provide advice and assistance in the execution of all
program components.
(2) Facilitate interaction within the Department of State, to
include ECA, the regional bureaus, and overseas posts.
(3) Arrange meetings with Department of State officials in
Washington, DC and the partner countries.
(4) Approve the final candidate selection and alternates.
(5) Issue DS-2019 forms and J-1 visas for the foreign
participants. All foreign participants will travel on a U.S.
Government designation for the J Exchange Visitor Program.
(6) Approve applications, publicity materials, and final
calendar of exchange activities.
(7) Approve housing arrangements, including the host families
location (in South America only).
(8) Monitor and evaluate the program, through regular
communication with the award recipient and possibly one or more site
visits.
(9) In Brazil only, the U.S. Embassy will serve as the in-
country partner and manage the recruitment and selection of the
Brazilian participants, cover their in-country expenses, arrange and
purchase the international travel, oversee their follow-on
activities, and administer the Brazil-based exchange activities for
the U.S. participants.
Additional Information
Award recipients will retain the name ``Youth Ambassadors Program''
to identify their project. All materials, publicity, and correspondence
related to the program will acknowledge this as a program of the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
The Bureau will retain copyright use of and be allowed to distribute
materials related to this program as it sees fit.
The organization must inform the ECA Program Officer of their
progress at each stage of the project's implementation in a timely
fashion, and will be required to obtain approval of any significant
program changes in advance of their implementation.
Proposals must demonstrate how the stated objectives will be met.
The proposal narrative should provide detailed information on the major
project activities, and applicants should explain and justify their
programmatic choices. Projects must comply with J-1 visa regulations
for the International Visitor and Government Visitor category. Please
be sure to refer to the complete Solicitation Package--this RFGP, the
Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI), and the Proposal
Submission Instructions (PSI)--for further information.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ECA's level of involvement in
this program is listed under Section I above.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY-2011.
Approximate Total Funding: $3,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: One to six.
Approximate Average Award: $500,000.
Floor of Award Range: $500,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $3,000,000.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, July 1,
2011.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: 24-34 months after start date,
to be specified by applicant based on project plan.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code
section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds
There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this
competition. However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide
maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the
[[Page 75201]]
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its
proposal and later included in an approved agreement. Cost sharing may
be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For
accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs
which are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by
the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis
for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in
accordance with OMB Circular A-110, (Revised), Subpart C.23--Cost
Sharing and Matching. In the event you do not provide the minimum
amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's
contribution will be reduced in like proportion.
III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements
(a.) Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less
than four years experience in conducting international exchanges be
limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making multiple
awards in amounts exceeding $60,000 to support program and
administrative costs required to implement this exchange program.
Therefore, organizations with less than four years experience in
conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this
competition. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels
of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
(b.) Proposed sub-award recipients are also limited to grant
funding of $60,000 or less if they do not have four years of experience
in conducting international exchanges.
(c.) The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of
cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
(d.) Organizations may submit only one proposal (total) under this
competition. 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. Please
note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN
number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting
documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)
document.
IV. Application and Submission Information
Note: Please read the complete announcement before sending
inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with
applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.
IV.1 Contact Information To Request an Application Package
Please contact the Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, SA-5, 3rd
Floor, U.S. Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC
20037, by telephone (202) 632-9352, fax (202) 632-9355, or e-mail
PhillipsJA@state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to
the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/PY-11-18 located at the top of
this announcement when making your request.
Alternatively, an electronic application package may be obtained
from grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f for further information.
The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission
Instruction (PSI) document which consists of required application
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. It also
contains the Project Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI)
document, which provides specific information, award criteria and
budget instructions tailored to this competition.
Please specify Program Officer Jennifer Phillips and refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/PY-11-18 located at the top of this
announcement on all other inquiries and correspondence.
IV.2. To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's
Web site at https://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html, or from the
Grants.gov Web site at https://www.grants.gov.
Please read all information before downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of Submission
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The application should be submitted per the instructions under
IV.3f. ``Application Deadline and Methods of Submission'' section
below.
IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government. This number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a
DUNS number, access https://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711. Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the
appropriate box of the SF-424 which is part of the formal application
package.
IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal
narrative and budget.
Please Refer to the Solicitation Package. It contains the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document and the Project
Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) document for additional
formatting and technical requirements.
IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of
application. Please note: Effective January 7, 2009, all applicants for
ECA Federal assistance awards must include in their application the
names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers,
trustees, and key employees, regardless of amount of compensation). In
fulfilling this requirement, applicants must submit information in one
of the following ways:
(1) Those who file Internal Revenue Service Form 990, ``Return of
Organization Exempt From Income Tax,'' must include a copy of relevant
portions of this form.
(2) Those who do not file IRS Form 990 must submit information
above in the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting requirements, award
recipients will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived
from their program reports, listing and describing their grant
activities. For award recipients, the names of directors and/or senior
executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as
the one- page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by
the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and
will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and
Budget on its USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting
requirements.
If your organization is a private nonprofit which has not received
a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three years, or
if your organization received nonprofit status from the IRS within the
past four years, you must submit the necessary documentation to verify
nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document. Failure to do so will
cause your proposal to be declared technically ineligible.
IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information
when preparing your proposal narrative:
[[Page 75202]]
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, record-keeping,
reporting and other requirements.
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for
issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at https://exchanges.state.gov or from: Office of Designation, Private Sector
Programs Division, U.S. Department of State, ECA/EC/D/PS, SA-5, 5th
Floor, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037.
IV.3d.2 Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and disabilities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere
to the advancement of this principle both in program administration and
in program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the
`Support for Diversity' section for specific suggestions on
incorporating diversity into your proposal. Public Law 104-319 provides
that ``in carrying out programs of educational and cultural exchange in
countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy,'' the
Bureau ``shall take appropriate steps to provide opportunities for
participation in such programs to human rights and democracy leaders of
such countries.'' Public Law 106-113 requires that the governments of
the countries described above do not have inappropriate influence in
the selection process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these
goals in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
IV.3d.3 Program Monitoring and Evaluation
Proposals must include a plan to monitor and evaluate the project's
success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program.
The Bureau recommends that your proposal include a draft survey
questionnaire or other technique plus a description of a methodology to
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. The Bureau expects
that the recipient organization will track participants or partners and
be able to respond to key evaluation questions, including satisfaction
with the program, learning as a result of the program, changes in
behavior as a result of the program, and effects of the program on
institutions (institutions in which participants work or partner
institutions). The evaluation plan should include indicators that
measure gains in mutual understanding as well as substantive knowledge.
Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting
clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation
plan should include a description of your project's objectives, your
anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure
these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are
``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and
placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct
the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link
to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast,
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs 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
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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 your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF-424A--``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs'' along with a comprehensive budget for the
entire program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification. Please refer to the
Solicitation Package (POGI and PSI) for complete budget guidelines and
formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission
Application Deadline Date: January 27, 2011.
Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-18.
Methods of Submission
Applications may be submitted in one of two ways:
(1.) In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service (i.e., Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. Postal
Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
(2.) electronically through https://www.grants.gov.
Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.
IV.3f.1 Submitting Printed Applications
Applications must be shipped no later than the above deadline.
Delivery services used by applicants must have in-place, centralized
shipping identification and tracking systems that may be accessed via
the Internet and delivery people who are identifiable by commonly
recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on or
before the above deadline but received at ECA more than seven days
after the deadline will be ineligible for further consideration under
this competition. Proposals shipped after the established deadlines are
ineligible for consideration under this competition. ECA will not
notify you upon receipt of application. It is each applicant's
responsibility to ensure that each package is marked with a legible
tracking number and to monitor/confirm delivery to ECA via the
Internet. Delivery of proposal packages may not be made via local
courier service or in person for this competition. Faxed documents will
not be accepted at any time. Only proposals submitted as stated above
will be considered.
Important note: When preparing your submission please make sure
to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it
in an envelope addressed to ``ECA/EX/PM''.
The original and six (6) copies of the application should be sent
to: Program Management Division, ECA-IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-
18, SA-5, Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington,
DC 20037.
With the submission of the proposal package, please also e-mail the
Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, and Budget sections of the
proposal, as well as any attachments essential to understanding the
program, in Microsoft Word, Excel, and/or PDF, to the program officer
at PhillipsJA@state.gov. As appropriate, the Bureau will provide these
files electronically to Public Affairs Section(s) at the U.S. embassies
for their review.
IV.3f.2--Submitting Electronic Applications
Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically
through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation
packages are available at Grants.gov in the ``Find'' portion of the
system.
Please Note: ECA bears no responsibility for applicant
timeliness of submission or data errors resulting from transmission
or conversion processes for proposals submitted via Grants.gov.
Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started'
portion of the site (https://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).
Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could
take several weeks. Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate
staff within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP
to confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov. Once
registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. In addition,
validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to
two business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the
application deadline to begin the submission process through
Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes extensive information on all
phases/aspects of the Grants.gov process, including an extensive
section on frequently asked questions, located under the ``For
Applicants'' section of the Web site. ECA strongly recommends that all
potential applicants review thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, well in
advance of submitting a proposal through the Grants.gov system. ECA
bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes.
Direct all questions regarding Grants.gov registration and
submission to: Grants.gov Customer Support.
Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726.
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Eastern Time.
E-mail: grants.gov">support@grants.gov.
Applicants have until midnight (12 a.m.), Washington, DC time of
the closing date to ensure that their entire application has been
uploaded to the Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions to the above
deadline. Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of the
application deadline date will be automatically rejected by the
grants.gov system, and will be technically ineligible. Please refer to
the Grants.gov Web site, for definitions of various ``application
statuses'' and the difference between a submission receipt and a
submission validation.
Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from grants.gov upon
the successful submission of an application. Again, validation of an
electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the
application deadline to begin the submission process through
Grants.gov. ECA will not notify you upon receipt of electronic
applications.
It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via
the Grants.gov Web portal to ensure that proposals have been received
by Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for
data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
[[Page 75204]]
IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
V. Application Review Information
V.1. Review Process
The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility.
Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the
guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible
proposals will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public
Diplomacy section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will
be subject to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and
guidelines and forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review.
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by
other Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the
discretion of the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for
assistance awards (cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's
Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below.
1. Quality of the program idea: Objectives should be reasonable,
feasible, and flexible. The proposal should clearly demonstrate how the
institution will meet the program's objectives and plan. The proposed
program should be creative, age-appropriate, respond to the design
outlined in the solicitation, and demonstrate originality. It should be
clearly and accurately written, substantive, and with sufficient
detail. Proposals should also include a plan to support participants'
community activities upon their return home.
2. Program planning: A detailed agenda and work plan should clearly
demonstrate how project objectives would be achieved. The agenda and
plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described
above. The substance of workshops, seminars, presentations, school-
based activities, and/or site visits should be described in detail.
3. Support of diversity: The proposal should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity in participant recruitment and selection and in program
content. Applicants should demonstrate readiness to accommodate
participants with physical disabilities.
4. Institutional capacity and track record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources in both the United States and in the partner
countries should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program
goals. The proposal should demonstrate an institutional record of
successful exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management
and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past Bureau
awards as determined by Bureau Grants Staff. The Bureau will consider
the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential
of new applicants.
5. Program evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to
evaluate the program's success in meeting its goals, both as the
activities unfold and after they have been completed. The proposal
should include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique, plus a
description of a methodology to link outcomes to original project
objectives. The award recipient will be expected to submit intermediate
reports after each project component is concluded.
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, which demonstrates institutional and community
commitment.
VI. Award Administration Information
VI.1 Award Notices
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.
Successful applicants will receive a Federal Assistance Award (FAA)
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The FAA and the original proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding
authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government. The
FAA will be signed by an authorized Grants Officer, and mailed to the
recipient's responsible officer identified in the application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of
the application review from the ECA program office coordinating this
competition.
VI.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Terms and Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements
include the following:
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-122, ``Cost Principles
for Nonprofit Organizations.''
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21, ``Cost Principles
for Educational Institutions.''
OMB Circular A-87, ``Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian
Governments''.
OMB Circular No. A-110 (Revised), Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, Hospitals, and other Nonprofit Organizations.
OMB Circular No. A-102, Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants-in-Aid to State and Local Governments.
OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Government, and
Non-profit Organizations
Please reference the following Web sites for additional
information: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. https://fa.statebuy.state.gov.
VI.3 Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus one copy of the
following reports:
(1) 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 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, including the SF-PPR-E and SF-PPR-F.
(4) Quarterly or interim reports, as required in the Bureau
cooperative agreement.
Award recipients will be required to provide reports analyzing
their evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program
reports. (Please refer to IV.3.d.3 Application and Submission
Instructions 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.
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All reports must be sent to the ECA Grants Officer and ECA Program
Officer listed in the final assistance award document.
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this announcement, contact: Jennifer Phillips,
Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, SA-5, 3rd Floor, U.S. Department
of State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522-0503, by telephone
202-632-9352, fax 202-632-9355, or e-mail PhillipsJA@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the above title and reference number ECA/PE/C/PY-11-18.
Please read the complete announcement before sending inquiries or
submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau staff
may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal
review process has been completed.
VIII. Other Information
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment
on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements per section VI.3
above.
Dated: November 23, 2010.
Ann Stock,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of
State.
[FR Doc. 2010-30241 Filed 12-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P