21096 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 77 / Thursday, April 22, 2010 / Notices 

Dated: April 15, 2010. 

Stanley S. Colvin, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector 

Exchange, Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–9325 Filed 4–21–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6964] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: 2010 Community Solutions 

Program 

Announcement Type: New 

Cooperative Agreement. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/EUR–SCA–10–60. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: June 3, 2010. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs invites 

proposal submissions for the 

Community Solutions Program in 

Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, 

Europe, the Middle East and North 

Africa, South and Central Asia and the 

Western Hemisphere. 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 

conduct this professional fellowship 

program. The Community Solutions 

Program serves as a mechanism to 

support and encourage initiatives 

organized by young civic and 

community leaders, ages 25–38, 

currently working to address the 

economic, environmental, political, and 

social challenges confronting their 

respective local communities. Through 

professional fellowships with a specific 

leadership component, Community 

Solutions will provide opportunities for 

eligible individuals to more effectively 

address issues of concern in their own 

towns, cities and regions. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

I.1. 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. 

I.2. Purpose and Program Description 

In an increasingly connected world, 

local economic, environmental, 

political, and social challenges are 

intimately linked to their counterparts 

on a global scale. So too, are each 

community’s solutions and approaches 

to these problems. Making progress on 

today’s complex global challenges on a 

local scale requires multi-dimensional 

public engagement strategies to forge 

partnerships, mobilize broad coalitions, 

and galvanize public opinion across all 

sectors of society. 

The Community Solutions Program 

seeks to enhance the skills of 

approximately 65–80 civic and 

community leaders to more effectively 

address current economic, 

environmental, political, and social 

challenges in their communities through 

increased civic engagement and 

dialogue, leadership development, and 

an enhanced understanding of the way 

public and private resources interface 

for the common good. Through a fourto six-month fellowship, complemented 

by leadership development, Community 

Solutions will provide opportunities for 

eligible individuals to experience best 

practices, learn about effective models 

of public and community engagement, 

and develop concrete strategies to better 

address complex issues in their home 

communities. 

ECA anticipates funding one project 

for approximately $1,500,000 to take 

place over the course of one to two years 

and target young professionals currently 

engaged in initiatives that aim to 

improve and enhance the economic, 

environmental, political, and social 

well-being of their communities. 

As a global tool to address 

community-based challenges, the 

Community Solutions Program seeks to: 

(1) Enhance the participants’ ability to 

address complex local economic, 

environmental, political, and social 

challenges through a U.S.-based 

fellowship; 

(2) Provide concrete tools to the 

participants to take on greater 

leadership roles in their communities, 

by developing their skills for effective 

public discourse, professional 

collaboration, and project management; 

(3) Cultivate professional ties with 

U.S. economic, environmental, political, 

and social institutions through 

collaborative and follow-on projects; 

(4) Create a global network of diverse, 

multi-disciplinary, engaged 

professionals and civic leaders 

committed to problem solving and 

community engagement; and 

(5) Expand and strengthen the 

relationship between the people of the 

United States and other countries to 

work in partnership to identify 

solutions to common issues facing their 

local communities. 

The specific themes for the 

professional fellowships for this 

program are: (1) Accountability and 

Transparency, (2) Tolerance/Conflict 

Resolution, (3) Environmental Issues, 

and (4) Women’s Issues. 

Eligible countries and guidance for 

each theme are provided in Section I.8 

below. Proposals that target professional 

fellowships that are unrelated to the 

themes referenced in this Request for 

Grant Proposals will be considered 

ineligible. 

I.3. Participants 

For the purposes of this program, 

‘‘participants’’ are defined as citizens of 

the eligible countries selected through a 

merit-based, global competition to travel 

to the United States to take part in a 

Community Solutions fellowship. 

Participants must be early to mid-career 

professionals with demonstrated 

leadership abilities, who are engaged in 

a community-based project with the 

express goal of addressing an economic, 

environmental, political, and/or social 

challenge confronting that community 

(either in or outside of their professional 

capacity). Participants must possess the 

intercultural and English language skills 

necessary to benefit fully from the 

fellowship. Therefore, strong preference 

will be given to individuals who have 

previously studied in the United States 

for a period of four months or longer, in 

order to build upon an already 

established understanding of U.S. 

society, culture, politics, and public 

institutions. 

Fellows should be placed in 

community-based, non-profit or other 

civil society organizations, government 

offices, or legislative bodies (Federal or 

State, county or municipal). Hosting 

institutions and organizations should 

have expertise relevant to the 

fellowship’s focus and be working on 

innovative community engagement 

projects in the non-profit or 

governmental spheres, including State 

legislatures, city councils or local 

government that express a willingness 

to collaborate on a specific project of 


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mutual interest. Preference should be 

given to hosting sites that have 

identified potential collaborative 

projects or initiatives of interest to 

Community Solutions participants. In 

order to enhance the possibility that 

these collaborative initiatives continue 

after the conclusion of the fellowship, 

proposals should include follow-on 

projects that utilize existing Web or 

social technologies such as Twitter, 

blogs, SMS messaging systems, etc. 

Through their respective fellowships, 

Community Solutions Fellows will 

work with seasoned civic leaders on 

pre-defined issues of mutual interest. 

Fellowship sites should provide real life 

models for the Fellows to apply 

leadership lessons, explore creative 

approaches to global challenges, and 

develop concrete strategies to apply 

within their local communities. Linking 

Community Solutions Fellows, program 

hosts and mentors together, the 

Community Solutions program will 

work to create a worldwide network of 

engaged professionals and civic leaders. 

Applicants should strive to maximize 

the number of participants and the 

length of the U.S.-based program at the 

given funding levels. Therefore, 

applicants who engage public and 

private partners for programming 

support, and employ other creative 

techniques to increase or stretch 

funding dollars will be deemed more 

competitive than those that do not, 

under the Cost Effectiveness and CostSharing review criterion. 

I.4. Partner Organizations 

Applicants must identify the U.S.- 

based and any foreign-based 

organizations and individuals with 

whom they are proposing to collaborate 

to implement Community Solutions, 

and describe any previous cooperative 

activities. While having a presence in 

each eligible country is not required, 

applicants that are able to demonstrate 

institutional capacity in regions 

overseas (whether through their own 

resources or through partnerships with 

other organizations or institutions) will 

be given strong consideration. In 

addition, proposals must demonstrate 

capacity in the United States to secure 

effective and appropriate host 

placements for the participants. 

Proposals that include letters of 

commitment from possible U.S-based 

host organizations will be deemed more 

competitive. 

I.5. Project Activities 

Projects should include placement of 

participants in carefully identified fourto six-month fellowships in non-profit 

organizations and other public and civil 

society organizations where they will 

work with seasoned community leaders 

on current complex global challenges 

related to the participants’ community 

activities. Strong project designs will 

ground and augment the fellowship 

experience with leadership 

development activities that relate to 

civic engagement. 

I.6. Program Guidelines 

In a cooperative agreement, ECA is 

substantially involved in program 

activities above and beyond routine 

grant monitoring. While the recipient 

organization is responsible for the 

conception and structure of the 

program, ECA anticipates working in 

tandem to ensure that all aspects of the 

program design support the Community 

Solutions program goals through 

innovative activities. 

I.7. Projected Timeline 

ECA envisions the approximate dates 

of the Community Solutions program to 

be as follows: 

• September 2010–January 2011: 

Recruitment and selection of foreign 

participants. Recruitment campaign for 

U.S. hosting institutions. 

• February 2011–May 2011: Securing 

U.S.-based hosts and host sites. 

• August 2011: Travel to the United 

States by all the foreign participants for 

orientation and placement at 

community Fellowship sites for a fourto six-month program. 

• August 2011–December 2011: 

Fellowship. 

• December 2011: Travel to 

Washington, DC, for a two-day end of 

program workshop. 

• January 2012–July 2012: Conduct 

any follow-on collaborative projects. 

I.8. Professional Fellowship Themes 

Themes and Eligible Partner 

Countries: Proposals need to embrace a 

global program design that incorporates 

all of the proposed themes under 

Community Solutions. Program 

participants should be from all of the 

regions listed below. Proposals that 

target countries or themes not listed in 

this solicitation will be deemed 

technically ineligible. No guarantee is 

made or implied that every theme will 

have participants. 

1. Transparency and Accountability: 

Fellowships should provide exposure to 

institutions and concepts related to civil 

society, grass-roots democracy, good 

governance, anti-corruption, 

transparency, accountability, and/or free 

and fair elections. The important role of 

volunteerism and the culture of 

volunteerism can also be addressed, 

when appropriate. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

• Africa: Zimbabwe, Uganda, 

Rwanda, Liberia, Zambia, Sierra Leone. 

• East Asia and the Pacific: Mongolia, 

Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, 

Philippines, and Malaysia. 

• Europe: Bulgaria, Romania, 

Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech 

Republic. 

• South and Central Asia: 

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, 

Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

2. Tolerance/Conflict Resolution: 

Fellowships should expose participants 

to issues and strategies that address 

tolerance, multi-culturalism, 

discrimination, and conflict resolution. 

Negotiation skills, the art of 

compromise, fair treatment of minority 

populations, and civil rights and 

responsibilities can also be addressed. 

Based on participants’ specific interests, 

fellowships may need to be identified 

that deal with conflict resolution and 

crisis response tools for use in failing, 

failed, and post-conflict states and 

complex emergencies/disasters. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

• Africa: Zimbabwe, Uganda, 

Rwanda, Liberia, Zambia, Sierra Leone. 

• South and Central Asia: Nepal, Sri 

Lanka, Bangladesh. 

• Near East & North Africa: Israel, 

West Bank/Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt, 

Jordan, Syria. 

• Western Hemisphere: El Salvador, 

Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Trinidad. 

3. Environmental Issues: Fellowships 

for the ‘‘Environmental Issues’’ theme 

should focus on issues related to water 

and resource management, food 

security, supporting the food supply (at 

local, regional or national levels), social 

entrepreneurship (to leverage science 

and technology to address ecological 

and environmental issues) low-carbon 

technologies, and the use of natural 

resources, pollution, sustainable energy, 

and climate change. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

• South and Central Asia: Nepal, Sri 

Lanka, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 

and Uzbekistan. 

• Near East & North Africa: Israel, 

West Bank/Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt, 

Jordan, Syria. 

• Western Hemisphere: El Salvador, 

Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Trinidad. 

4. Women’s Issues: Fellowships for 

the ‘‘Women’s Issues’’ theme should 

focus on issues related to women’s 

empowerment, women’s education, 


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women’s health, women entrepreneurs, 

gender equality, and the prevention of 

all forms of exploitation, including 

domestic violence. Special emphasis 

should be placed on identifying 

Fellowships that will provide exposure 

to best practices for grassroots 

organizations working to advance the 

political, economic, and social 

empowerment of women. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

• Africa: Zimbabwe, Uganda, 

Rwanda, Liberia, Zambia, Sierra Leone. 

• Near East & North Africa: Israel, 

West Bank/Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt, 

Jordan, Syria. 

Additional guidelines and 

programming responsibilities of the 

recipient organization and ECA are 

located in the POGI. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement 

in this program is listed under number 

I above. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2010. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$1,500,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 1. 

Floor of Award Range: $1,500,000. 

Ceiling of Award Range: $1,500,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: September 

1, 2010. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

July 2012. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible Applicants 

Proposals may be submitted by U.S. 

public and non-profit organizations 

meeting the provisions described in 

Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3). 

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds 

There is no minimum or maximum 

percentage required for this 

competition. However, the Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. 

When cost sharing is offered, it is 

understood and agreed that the 

applicant must provide the amount of 

cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal 

and later included in an approved 

agreement. Cost sharing may be in the 

form of allowable direct or indirect 

costs. For accountability, you must 

maintain written records to support all 

costs which are claimed as your 

contribution, as well as costs to be paid 

by the Federal government. Such 

records are subject to audit. The basis 

for determining the value of cash and 

in-kind contributions must be in 

accordance with OMB Circular A–110, 

(Revised), Subpart C.23—Cost Sharing 

and Matching. In the event you do not 

provide the minimum amount of cost 

sharing as stipulated in the approved 

budget, ECA’s contribution will be 

reduced in like proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements 

(a) Bureau grant guidelines require 

that organizations with less than four 

years experience in conducting 

international exchanges be limited to 

$60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA 

anticipates making one award, in an 

amount up to $1,500,000 to support 

program and administrative costs 

required to implement this exchange 

program. Therefore, organizations with 

less than four years experience in 

conducting international exchanges are 

ineligible to apply under this 

competition. The Bureau encourages 

applicants to provide maximum levels 

of cost sharing and funding in support 

of its programs. 

(b) Technical Eligibility: All proposals 

must comply with the following or they 

will result in your proposal being 

declared technically ineligible and 

given no further consideration in the 

review process. 

• Eligible applicants may not submit 

more than one proposal under this 

competition. 

• If more than one proposal is 

received from the same applicant, all 

submissions will be declared 

technically ineligible and will receive 

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. 

• Eligible applicants may only 

propose working with the countries and 

themes listed in this RFGP. 

• Please refer to the Proposal 

Submission Instruction (PSI) document 

for additional requirements. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries or 

submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not 

discuss this competition with applicants 

until the proposal review process has been 

completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information To Request an 

Application Package 

Please contact David Gustafson in the 

Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, 

U.S. Department of State, SA–5, 3rd 

Floor, 2200 C St., NW., Washington, DC 

20522–0503, ph: (202) 632–6083, 

GustafsonDP@state.gov to request a 

Solicitation Package. Please refer to the 

Funding Opportunity Number: (ECA/ 

PE/C/EUR–SCA–10–60). 

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 Linne ́a E. Allison and 

refer to the Funding Opportunity 

Number (ECA/PE/C/EUR–SCA–10–60) 

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 http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/ 

open2.html, or from the Grants.gov Web 

site at http://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.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 http:// 

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. 


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IV.3c. You must have non-profit 

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 non-profit status from the IRS 

within the past four years, you must 

submit the necessary documentation to 

verify non-profit status as directed in 

the PSI document. Failure to do so will 

cause your proposal to be declared 

technically ineligible. 

IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1 Adherence to All Regulations 

Governing the J Visa 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is the official program sponsor of 

the exchange program covered by this 

RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau 

will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the 

program under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 

which covers the administration of the 

Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 

organizations receiving awards (either a 

grant or cooperative agreement) under 

this RFGP will be third parties 

‘‘cooperating with or assisting the 

sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor’s 

program.’’ The actions of recipient 

organizations shall be ‘‘imputed to the 

sponsor in evaluating the sponsor’s 

compliance with’’ 22 CFR 62. Therefore, 

the Bureau expects that any 

organization receiving an award under 

this competition will render all 

assistance necessary to enable the 

Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 62 

et seq. 

The Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs places critically 

important emphases on the secure and 

proper administration of Exchange 

Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence 

by recipient organizations and program 

participants to all regulations governing 

the J visa program status. Therefore, 

proposals should explicitly state in 

writing that the applicant is prepared to 

assist the Bureau in meeting all 

requirements governing the 

administration of Exchange Visitor 

Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 62. If 

your organization has experience as a 

designated Exchange Visitor Program 

Sponsor, the applicant should discuss 

their record of compliance with 22 CFR 

62 et seq., including the oversight of 

their Responsible Officers and Alternate 

Responsible Officers, screening and 

selection of program participants, 

provision of pre-arrival information and 

orientation to participants, monitoring 

of participants, proper maintenance and 

security of forms, 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 http://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: Office of Designation, ECA/EC/ 

D, SA–5, Floor C2, Department of State, 

Washington, DC 20522–0582. 

IV.3d.2 Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines 

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing 

legislation, 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. 

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 survey 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 

depends 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 


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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 

delineated 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 longerterm outcomes. 

Overall, the quality of your 

monitoring and evaluation plan will be 

judged on how well it: (1) Specifies 

intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 

descriptions of how each outcome will 

be measured; (3) identifies when 

particular outcomes will be measured; 

and (4) provides a clear description of 

the data collection strategies for each 

outcome (i.e., surveys, interviews, or 

focus groups). (Please note that 

evaluation plans that deal only with the 

first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) 

Recipient organizations will be 

required to provide reports analyzing 

their evaluation findings to the Bureau 

in their regular program reports. All 

data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

IV.3e. Please follow the guidelines in 

this section and consult the PSI when 

preparing the budget submission: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF– 

424A—‘‘Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs’’ along with a 

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. Budget requests may not 

exceed $1,500,000. There must be a 

summary budget as well as breakdowns 

reflecting both administrative and 

program budgets. Applicants may 

provide separate sub-budgets for each 

program component, phase, location, or 

activity to provide clarification. 

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the 

program are outlined in the POGI. 

IV.3F. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission 

Application Deadline Date: June 3, 

2010. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/EUR– 

SCA–10–60. 

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 http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

Along with the Project Title, all 

applicants must enter the above 

Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF– 

424 contained in the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

of the solicitation document. 

IV.3f.1 Submitting Printed 

Applications 

Applications must be shipped no later 

than the above deadline. Delivery 

services used by applicants must have 

in-place, centralized shipping 

identification and tracking systems that 

may be accessed via the Internet and 

delivery people who are identifiable by 

commonly recognized uniforms and 

delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on 

or before the above deadline but 

received at ECA more than seven days 

after the deadline will be ineligible for 

further consideration under this 

competition. Proposals shipped after the 

established deadlines are ineligible for 

consideration under this competition. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

application. It is each applicant’s 

responsibility to ensure that each 

package is marked with a legible 

tracking number and to monitor/confirm 

delivery to ECA via the Internet. 

Delivery of proposal packages may not 

be made via local courier service or in 

person for this competition. Faxed 

documents will not be accepted at any 

time. Only proposals submitted as 

stated above will be considered. 

Important Note: When preparing your 

submission please make sure to include one 

extra copy of the completed SF–424 form and 

place it in an envelope addressed to ‘‘ECA/ 

EX/PM’’. 

The original and eight (8) copies of 

the application should be sent to: 

Program Management Division, ECA– 

IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/EUR–SCA– 

10–60, SA–5, Floor 4, Department of 

State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, 

DC 20522–0504. 

Applicants submitting hard-copy 

applications must also submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal in 

text (.txt) or Microsoft Word format on 

CD–ROM. As appropriate, the Bureau 

will provide these files electronically to 

Public Affairs Sections at U.S. 

embassies for their review. 

IV.3f.2 Submitting Electronic 

Applications 

Applicants have the option of 

submitting proposals electronically 

through Grants.gov (http:// 

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 (http://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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 77 / Thursday, April 22, 2010 / Notices 21101 

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. 

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 

then be forwarded to Bureau grant 

panels for advisory review. Proposals 

may also be reviewed by the Office of 

the Legal Adviser or by other 

Department elements. Final funding 

decisions are at the discretion of the 

Department of State’s Assistant 

Secretary for Educational and Cultural 

Affairs. Final technical authority for 

cooperative agreements resides with the 

Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible proposals 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 and Ability to 

Achieve Objectives: Program objectives 

should be stated clearly and should 

reflect the applicant’s expertise in the 

subject area and region. Objectives 

should respond to the topics in this 

announcement and should relate to the 

current conditions in the target country/ 

countries. A detailed agenda and 

relevant work plan should explain how 

objectives will be achieved and should 

include a timetable for completion of 

major tasks. The substance of 

workshops, Fellowships, seminars and/ 

or consulting should be described in 

detail. Sample schedules should be 

outlined. Responsibilities of proposed 

in-country partners should be clearly 

described. A discussion of how the 

applicant intends to address language 

issues should be included, if needed. 

3. Institutional Capacity and Track 

Record: Proposals should include (1) the 

institution’s mission and date of 

establishment; (2) detailed information 

about proposed in-country partner(s) 

and the history of the partnership; (3) an 

outline of prior awards—U.S. 

government and/or private support 

received for the target theme/country/ 

region; and (4) descriptions and resumes 

of experienced staff members who will 

implement the program. The proposal 

should reflect the institution’s expertise 

in the subject area and knowledge of the 

conditions in the target country/ 

countries. Proposals should demonstrate 

an institutional record of successful 

exchange programs, including 

responsible fiscal management and full 

compliance with all reporting 

requirements for past Bureau grants as 

determined by Bureau Grants Staff. The 

Bureau will consider the past 

performance of prior recipients and the 

demonstrated potential of new 

applicants. Proposed personnel and 

institutional resources should be 

adequate and appropriate to achieve the 

program’s goals. The Bureau strongly 

encourages applicants to submit letters 

of support from proposed in-country 

partners. 

4. Cost Effectiveness and Cost 

Sharing: Overhead and administrative 

costs in the proposal budget, including 

salaries, honoraria and subcontracts for 

services, should be kept to a minimum. 

Proposals in which the administrative 

costs do not exceed 25% of the total 

requested ECA grant funds will be more 

competitive. Applicants are strongly 

encouraged to cost share a portion of 

overhead and administrative expenses. 

Cost-sharing, including contributions 

from the applicant, proposed in-country 

partner(s), and other sources should be 

included in the budget request. Proposal 

budgets that do not reflect cost sharing 

will be deemed not competitive on this 

criterion. 

5. Support of Diversity: Proposals 

should demonstrate substantive support 

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity. 

Achievable and relevant features should 

be cited in both program administration 

(selection of participants, program 

venue and program evaluation) and 

program content (orientation and wrapup sessions, program meetings, resource 

materials and follow-up activities). 

Applicants should refer to the Bureau’s 

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 

Guidelines in the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI). 

6. Multiplier Effect/Follow-on 

Activities: Proposed programs should 

strengthen long-term mutual 

understanding, including maximum 

sharing of information and 

establishment of long-term institutional 

and individual linkages. 

7. Project Evaluation: Proposals 

should include a detailed plan to 

evaluate the program, both as activities 

unfold and at the end of the program. 

Program objectives should target clearly 

defined results in quantitative terms. 

Competitive evaluation plans will 

describe how applicant organizations 

would measure these results, and 

proposals should include draft data 

collection instruments (surveys, 

questionnaires, etc.) in Tab E. 

8. Stewardship: Applicants should 

address how they will utilize innovative 

tools, low-carbon technologies, and 

socially responsible approaches to 

program implementation, including 

Web-based and other technologies, to 

reduce the program’s carbon footprint 

and be a faithful steward of Federal 

resources. 


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21102 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 77 / Thursday, April 22, 2010 / Notices 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1a. Award Notices 

Final awards cannot be made until 

funds have been appropriated by 

Congress, allocated and committed 

through internal Bureau procedures. 

Successful applicants will receive a 

Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from 

the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA 

and the original 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. 1b. 

All awards made under this 

competition must be executed according 

to all relevant U.S. laws and policies 

regarding assistance to the Palestinian 

Authority, and to the West Bank and 

Gaza. Organizations must consult with 

relevant Public Affairs Offices before 

entering into any formal arrangements 

or agreements with Palestinian 

organizations or institutions. 

Note: To assure that planning for the 

inclusion of the Palestinian Authority 

complies with requirements, please contact 

Linne ́a E. Allison at (202) 632–6060, or 

allisonle@state.gov, for additional 

information. 

VI.2 Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Administration of ECA agreements 

include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations’’ 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions’’ 

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

State, Local and Indian Governments’’ 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative 

Requirements for Grants and 

Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, 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: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. 

http://fa.statebuy.state.gov. 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

You must provide ECA with an 

electronic copy of the following reports 

at reportseca@state.gov: 

Mandatory 

(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 highlighting all major activities 

undertaken during the grant period 

including program analysis and lessons 

learned. 

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 

electronically accessible database format 

that can be shared with the Bureau as 

required. At a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information and biographic sketch of all 

persons who travel internationally on 

funds provided by the agreement or who 

benefit from the award funding but do 

not travel. 

(2) Itineraries of international and 

domestic travel, providing dates of 

travel and cities in which any exchange 

experiences take place. Final schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three work days prior to the 

official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, please contact: Linne ́a 

E. Allison, U.S. Department of State, 

Office of Citizen Exchanges, 2200 C 

Street (SA–5, 3rd Floor), NW., 

Washington, DC 20522–0503, (202) 632– 

6060 (tel.) (202) 632–6492 (fax), or 

allisonle@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number (ECA/PE/C/ 

EUR–SCA–10–60). 

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: April 15, 2010. 

Maura M. Pally, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–9360 Filed 4–21–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6962] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Kennedy-Lugar Youth 

Exchange and Study (YES) Program: 

‘‘Overseas YES Inbound Recruitment, 

YES Abroad Placement, and Alumni 

Components’’ for the 2011–12 

Academic Year 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/PY–10–06. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES