Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Global Connections and Exchange Program (GCE), 14712-14719 [2011-6297]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 52 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14712-14719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6297]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 7365]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals: Global Connections and Exchange Program (GCE)

    Announcement Type: New Grant.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-32.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.415.
    Application Deadline: May 9, 2011.

Executive Summary

    The Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for two or three projects under the Global Connections and 
Exchange Program (GCE) in the following countries worldwide: Bolivia, 
Botswana, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, 
Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Samoa, Tajikistan, 
Thailand, Venezuela, Vietnam, and the United States. Public and private 
non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal 
Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501c(3) may submit proposals to 
facilitate online and face-to-face exchanges between overseas schools 
and/or community youth organizations and counterparts in the United 
States.
    The Global Connections and Exchange Program utilizes technology to 
create a U.S. presence in areas where many citizens may have little 
opportunity to travel or participate in exchange programs. Through web 
chats and discussion boards, foreign teachers, students/youths and 
youth leaders participate in dialogues with U.S. peers about their 
lives, families and communities. In addition, theme-based curriculum 
projects will increase understanding of issues relevant to both U.S. 
and overseas participants and harness their energies to effect positive 
change in their communities.

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

[[Page 14713]]

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.

Program Overview and Goals

    Social media, communication technology and blogs offer young people 
opportunities to connect with peers across borders and tear down 
misperceptions that lead to misunderstanding. In order to harness these 
powerful technology tools to remove stereotypes and impel change, youth 
need to be better equipped to use social networking sites, interactive 
websites, and new technologies in a positive way.
    The goal of the Global Connections and Exchange Program is to 
address these issues by developing a cadre of technology leaders who 
have been introduced to a broad range of ideas and resources through 
the use of information and communication technologies. By participating 
in this program, teachers, community youth leaders, and secondary 
school youth in the United States and overseas will expand their 
computer literacy skills, improve their general knowledge, gain a 
deeper understanding of diverse societies and values, and learn to 
better use technology in order to develop their leadership skills and 
influence change in their communities.
    GCE also aims to build mutual understanding and respect between the 
people of the United States and other countries. In addition, the 
Program seeks to encourage respect for diversity and promote problem-
solving and critical thinking among all participants.
    An applicant may choose to support partnerships between schools/
youth centers in the United States with schools/youth centers in two, 
three, or four of the countries listed in the summary, and may choose 
to work in countries in one world region or differing world regions. 
Applicants may not include countries that are not listed in this 
solicitation.
    Program Components:
    The major components of the program are as follows:
    (1) Development of social networking sites or other types of 
interactive websites for dialogue between U.S. and overseas youth;
    (2) Recruitment and selection of schools/youth centers and 
individual youth/teachers/community youth leaders overseas and in the 
United States;
    (3) Conducting training for teachers, community youth leaders and 
others who will lead youth in electronic dialogues, themed projects, 
and community outreach;
    (4) Guiding, encouraging, and nurturing rich, theme-based 
discussions among program participants;
    (5) Providing participants with specialized training in digital 
dialogue, online media sharing, and proper online community conduct;
    (6) Producing theme-based projects relevant to U.S. and overseas 
schools and communities;
    (7) Conducting community outreach whereby participating youth and 
youth leaders reach out to their surrounding communities, not only to 
educate community members, but also to ask questions of community 
leaders and learn what communities are doing or failing to do with the 
various project themes;
    (8) Coordinating recruitment and selection with the ECA program 
Office, Public Affairs Sections (PAS) at U.S. Embassies, and Ministries 
of Education, if schools are involved in the program;
    (9) Managing all financial aspects of the grant;
    (10) Electronically submitting monthly updates to the program 
office that describe current, ongoing program activities;
    (11) Formulating an evaluation plan that links program outcomes to 
project objectives and defines concrete, observable activities that 
demonstrate progress to the desired result;
    (12) Developing a plan for continued electronic communication among 
participants after the grant expires;
    (13) (OPTIONAL) Planning and arranging possible exchanges/trainings 
for teachers and community leaders who have emerged as leaders in 
conducting the electronic dialogues and themed projects of 
participating youth;
    (14) (OPTIONAL) Uniting all GCE participants.
    In order to unite all GCE participants across the multiple grants 
that ECA will award through this FY-2011 program, applicants may 
propose to implement a final digital videoconference (DVC) or a series 
of electronic dialogues that bring together all the schools and 
organizations overseas and in the United States that are participating 
in GCE, or alternately establish a common online message board for the 
use of all GCE participants. In these dialogues, participants can share 
and recap activities and themes, and illustrate the projects that are 
developing or have already been developed under each grant. Approximate 
funding available is $5,000. Note: Only one applicant will receive 
funding for this project component.
    Information about similar past programs can be found at: https://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/connections.html.
    Project Themes:
    Schools/youth centers overseas that are chosen to participate in 
GCE in collaboration with participating U.S. schools/youth centers will 
focus together on specific themes. Applicants may choose two or three 
themes, since many are interrelated. The first theme, leadership 
development, should be included in all projects.
    Themes are as follows: (1) Leadership development, (2) environment, 
(3) rule of law/civic education, (4) social entrepreneurship, (5) 
empowering girls and young women, (6) peace education, (7) food 
security, (8) health. These themes are described in greater detail in 
the Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI).
    Organizational Capacity (including overseas partners):
    Applicant organizations must demonstrate their capacity for 
conducting online programs, with the requisite capacity to create, 
monitor and evaluate a program of this nature. This includes the 
following elements: (1) Administrative infrastructure in the countries 
designated in the proposal; (2) technical expertise to create a web-
based, multi-faceted curriculum focusing on outlined themes; (3) social 
networking expertise to monitor the website and conduct electronic 
dialogues, (4) programmatic experience in designing and carrying out 
thematic projects, and (5) experience and background in training 
teachers, youth leaders and students in proactive communication and 
interaction. An applicant organization may partner with an organization 
or institution to help provide the capabilities outlined above.
    Applicants must clearly define and name their overseas partner 
organizations or associates and describe clearly what roles they will 
play in the project. The partner can be a branch office, local non-
governmental organization, or other associates that have the 
demonstrated ability to conduct the specified activities in the partner 
country, including liaison with the U.S. embassy.

[[Page 14714]]

    Applicants must also list the affiliated schools or youth centers 
that they have selected with the partner organization to participate in 
the electronic dialogues, the training of teachers/youth leaders, and 
the themed student projects. These may be secondary schools, local 
community youth organizations/centers, Binational Centers (BNCs), 
American Corners, or other organizations deemed appropriate. Proposals 
should indicate if the project will be conducted as part of a classroom 
curriculum or as an after-school, extracurricular or community 
activity. The Bureau urges applicants to consult with the Public 
Affairs Sections of the participating U.S. Embassies prior to 
submitting their proposal for help in vetting in-country partners and 
schools/youth centers. Please contact the ECA Program Officer for 
contact information.
    Participants: Secondary school-age participants must be 
competitively selected to participate in the theme-focused projects, 
electronic dialogues, and community outreach. Depending on how the 
program will be implemented, students may be selected from one or more 
classrooms or schools, or other youth oriented community organizations.
    Proposals must clearly define criteria for the selection of 
teachers, youth leaders, and youth. Since the social networking sites 
or interactive websites have the capacity of reaching large numbers and 
a broad spectrum of teachers, youth leaders and students from many 
classes, schools, and community youth organizations, the proposal must 
clearly describe how maximum numbers of participants will be reached 
and drawn in.
    The training of teachers and community youth leaders who are 
expected to guide not only youth chosen to participate in the present 
projects, but also subsequent generations of students, is of paramount 
importance to the project.
    Proposals must outline a training plan, training methodology, and 
timeline. Intended outcomes of the trainings must be clearly defined.
    Applicants may propose to conduct exchanges for teachers/trainers/
youth leaders to and/or from the United States. Proposals must describe 
in detail the possible exchange programs for the exchange participants. 
These must be two to three weeks in length and include a strong 
training component, but may also include visits to different schools 
and attendance at cultural events.
    Sustainability: The applicant must provide concrete ideas and 
outline specific steps for maintaining contact among participating 
teachers, community youth leaders, and students after the program has 
concluded. All participants must be taught or clearly shown how to 
disseminate information about the program while it is ongoing and after 
it ends, and how in turn to teach their peers to participate in similar 
projects in the future. The steps applicants intend to take throughout 
the grant cycle that will ensure sustainability must be concrete, 
doable, and clearly outlined.
    Program Guidelines:
    The grants should begin on or about September 1, 2011, subject to 
availability of funds, and the grant period will be 12 to 20 months in 
duration. Applicants must select and name the following:
     Partner countries;
     Specific partner organizations in each country;
     Specific collaborating schools/youth centers in the United 
States and overseas.
    Applicants must also outline their choice of themes, and present a 
strong justification for their choices.
    Upon award, the recipient must begin to coordinate program 
activities with Post and ECA, keeping all involved parties informed of 
program activities and events.
    An applicant may choose to partner with two to four countries 
within one world region or differing world regions. Applicants may not 
include countries not listed in the RFGP. For a grant with the 
specified minimum of two countries, the minimum grant request should be 
$200,000 and up to approximately $250,000. The maximum grant request is 
$425,000 for four countries.
    The Bureau expects to award two to three grants under this 
competition with total funding of $850,000. Applicants may submit only 
one proposal. If multiple proposals are received from the same 
applicant, all submissions will be declared ineligible and given no 
further consideration in the review process.
    Grant recipients must identify the program as ``The Global 
Connections and Exchange Program (GCE)'' at all times. Web sites and 
other materials must acknowledge the U.S. Department of State as the 
sponsor, with specific recognition of the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs. The Bureau will retain copyright use of and be 
allowed to distribute materials related to this program, as 
appropriate.
    Grants to be awarded under this competition will be based upon the 
quality and responsiveness of proposals to the review criteria 
presented later in this RFGP. 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.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
    Fiscal Year Funds: 2011
    Approximate Total Funding: $850,000 (pending the availability of 
funds)
    Approximate Number of Awards: Two to three.
    Floor of Award Range: $200,000.
    Ceiling of Award Range: $425,000.
    Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, September 1, 
2011.
    Anticipated Project Completion Date: 12 to 20 months after start 
date, to be specified by applicant.
    Additional Information: The estimated cost per country is 
approximately $100,000 to $125,000. With more countries, per country 
costs should decrease.

III. Eligibility Information

    III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications may be submitted by public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
    III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: There is no minimum or 
maximum percentage required for this competition. However, the Bureau 
encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and 
funding in support of its programs.
    When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the 
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its 
proposal and later included in an approved agreement. Cost sharing may 
be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For 
accountability, grantees must maintain written records to support all 
costs which are claimed as their 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 grantee does 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 awards in 
amounts exceeding $60,000 to support program and administrative costs 
required to

[[Page 14715]]

implement this program. Therefore, organizations with less than four 
years experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible 
to apply under this competition.
    (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.) 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.

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 Program Officer Ilo-Mai Harding at telephone 202-632-9386 or e-
mail HardingIM@state.gov. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity 
Number (ECA/PE/C/PY-11-32) 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), which provides specific information, award criteria and budget 
instructions tailored to this competition.
    Please specify Ilo-Mai Harding and refer to the Funding Opportunity 
Number (ECA/PE/C/PY-11-32) 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 ``Application Deadline and Methods 
of Submission'' under the section below.
    IV.3a. Applicants 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 the 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. All federal award recipients and sub-recipients must 
maintain current registrations in the Central Contractor Registration 
(CCR) database and have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number.
    Recipients and sub-recipients must maintain accurate and up-to-date 
information in the CCR until all program and financial activity and 
reporting have been completed. All entities must review and update the 
information at least annually after the initial registration and more 
frequently if required information changes or another award is granted.
    Applicants 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 Form 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 grantee organization is a private nonprofit which has not 
received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three 
years, or if the organization received nonprofit status from the IRS 
within the past four years, it must submit the necessary documentation 
to verify nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document. Failure to 
do so will cause the proposal to be declared technically ineligible.
    IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information 
when preparing the proposal narrative:
    IV.3d.1 Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs is the official program sponsor of the exchange 
program covered by this RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau will be the 
``Responsible Officer'' for the program under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 
which covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 
program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62, organizations receiving grant 
awards 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 emphasis 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

[[Page 14716]]

grantee organization has experience as a designated Exchange Visitor 
Program Sponsor, the applicant should discuss its 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 in order for them 
to obtain J-1 visas for entry into the United States. The grant 
recipient will be responsible for obtaining visas for the U.S. 
participants and for submitting appropriate information to the Bureau 
in a timely manner before participant travel.
    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 success 
of the project, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the 
program. The Bureau recommends that proposals 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 study, 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. An evaluation plan 
should include a description of project objectives, anticipated project 
outcomes, and how and when grantee organization intends 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. It should also be clearly demonstrated how project 
objectives link to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
    The 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.
    We encourage a thorough assessment of 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 the monitoring and evaluation plan will be 
judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when 
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear 
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e., 
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation 
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction] 
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
    Recipient organizations will be required to provide reports 
analyzing their evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular 
program reports. All data collected, including survey responses and 
contact information, must be maintained for a minimum of three years 
and provided to the Bureau upon request.
    IV.3d.4. Describe plans for sustainability, overall program 
management, staffing, school linkages and projects, reciprocal 
exchanges, and coordination/consultation with ECA and PAS.
    IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration 
when preparing the 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

[[Page 14717]]

component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification.
    IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    (1) Stipends for U.S. and overseas educators;
    (2) Small grants to support community service projects;
    (3) Competitions and other types of incentives;
    (4) Reciprocal exchanges for a small group of students and one 
educator to/from the United States.
    Organizations are required to use free and existing websites for 
purposes of social networking and project implementation.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
    IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission:
    Application Deadline Date: Monday, May 9, 2011.
    Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-32 .
    Methods of Submission:
    Applications may be submitted in one of two ways:
    (1.) In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery 
service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. 
Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
    (2.) Electronically through https://www.grants.gov.
    Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above 
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory 
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.
IV.3f.1 Submitting Printed Applications
    Applications must be shipped no later than the above deadline. 
Delivery services used by applicants must have in-place, centralized 
shipping identification and tracking systems that may be accessed via 
the Internet and delivery people who are identifiable by commonly 
recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on or 
before the above deadline but received at ECA more than seven days 
after the deadline will be ineligible for further consideration under 
this competition. Proposals shipped after the established deadlines are 
ineligible for consideration under this competition. ECA will not 
notify you upon receipt of application. It is each applicant's 
responsibility to ensure that each package is marked with a legible 
tracking number and to monitor/confirm delivery to ECA via the 
Internet. Delivery of proposal packages may not be made via local 
courier service or in person for this competition. Faxed documents will 
not be accepted at any time. Only proposals submitted as stated above 
will be considered.


    Important note: When preparing the submission please make sure 
to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it 
in an envelope addressed to ``ECA/EX/PM''.


    The original and eight (8) copies of the application should be sent 
to:
    Program Management Division, ECA-IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-
32, 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 HardingIM@state.gov. The Bureau will provide these files 
electronically to the Public Affairs Sections at the relevant 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 applicant organizations 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 website. ECA strongly recommends that all 
potential applicants review thoroughly the Grants.gov website, 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 website, for definitions of various 
``application statuses'' and the difference between a submission 
receipt and a submission validation.
    Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from grants.gov upon 
the successful submission of an application. Again, validation of an 
electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. 
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the 
application deadline to begin the submission process through 
Grants.gov. ECA will not notify you upon receipt of electronic 
applications.
    It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via 
the Grants.gov web portal to ensure that proposals have been received 
by Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for 
data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
    IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order 
12372 does not apply to this program.

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Review Process

    The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility. 
Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the 
guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible 
proposals will be reviewed by

[[Page 14718]]

the program office, as well as Public Diplomacy sections 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 grants resides with the Bureau's Grants 
Officer.
Review Criteria
    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the Program Idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission.
    2. Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: 
Proposals should clearly convey a feasible plan that supports program 
goals and is relevant to the Bureau's mission. The substance of online 
activities should be described in detail. A detailed agenda and 
relevant work plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines 
described above. Reviewers will evaluate how training and the 
curriculum will support online learning and collaboration among 
students/teachers/youth leaders. They will also assess how objectives 
will be achieved and make sure that the timetable is feasible for 
completion of major tasks.
    3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Geographic, gender and 
socio-economic diversity should be reflected in the selection of 
schools and participants. The curriculum content should reinforce 
cultural diversity in the broadest sense of the term.
    4. Institutional Capacity/Track Record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources in both the United States and in the partner 
countries should be clearly enumerated and be adequate and appropriate 
to achieve the program goals. Proposals should exhibit significant 
experience in social networking as well as implementing web-based 
educational projects at the high school level. Reviewers will assess 
the organization's institutional record of successful programs, 
including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all 
reporting requirements as determined by the Bureau's Grants Division. 
The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and 
the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    5. Follow-On Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activities (without Bureau support) ensuring that 
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events. Reviewers will 
examine ways in which social networking sites are managed and their 
applicability for use when funds are no longer available.
    6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. Draft survey questionnaires or other techniques, plus 
descriptions of methodologies that link outcomes to original project 
objectives is strongly recommended, particularly for prior grant 
recipients implementing similar programs. Grantee organizations are 
expected to submit interim reports and one final report. Organizations 
must also electronically submit monthly progress reports that clearly 
describe program activities.
    7. Cost-Effectiveness/Cost sharing: The overhead and administrative 
components of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be 
kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and 
appropriate. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other 
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

VI. Award Administration Information

    VI.1a. Award Notices:
    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures. 
Successful applicants will receive a Federal Assistance Award (FAA) 
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The FAA and the original proposal with 
subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding 
authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government. The 
FAA will be signed by an authorized Grants Officer, and mailed to the 
recipient's responsible officer identified in the application.
    Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of 
the application review from the ECA program office coordinating this 
competition.
    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 websites 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 of the following reports 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.) Interim program and quarterly financial reports that describe 
program activities and progress, and funds spent.
    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.
    VI.4. Program Data Requirements:
    Award recipients will be required to maintain specific data on 
program participants and activities in an

[[Page 14719]]

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 of all persons who travel 
internationally on funds provided by the agreement or who benefit from 
the award funding but do not travel.
    (2) Itineraries of international and domestic travel, providing 
dates of travel and cities in which any exchange experiences take 
place. Final schedules for in-country and U.S. activities must be 
received by the ECA Program Officer at least three work days prior to 
the official opening of the activity.
    (3) Information about participating schools and organizations 
including, but not limited to, location, demography, participating 
program leaders, teachers, students, and youth.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For questions about this announcement, contact: Ilo-Mai Harding, 
Program Officer, Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA-PE-C-PY, Room 3-H17, 
U.S. Department of State, SA-5, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20037, telephone: 202-632-9386, fax number: 202-632-9355, E-mail: 
HardingIM@state.gov.
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-32.
    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: March 9, 2011.
Ann Stock,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011-6297 Filed 3-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P