5232 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 

2The Commission has modified the text of the 

summaries prepared by NSCC.

3NSCC’s approach to the analysis of members 

will be based on a thorough quantitative analysis. 

A broker-dealer member’s rating on the Matrix will 

be based on factors including size (i.e. total excess 

net capital), capital, leverage, liquidity, and 

profitability. Banks will be reviewed based on size, 

capital, asset quality, earnings, and liquidity.

4Members will also be evaluated based on their 

compliance with certain ‘‘parameter breaks’’ which 

will be determined based on applicable monthly 

and/or quarterly exception reports generated by 

Credit Risk staff. A member may be placed on the 

Watch List for failure to fall within, for example, 

prescribed excess net capital, excess liquid capital, 

aggregate indebtedness, leverage ratio, or financial 

membership requirement parameters. 5 15 U.S.C. 78q–1. 6 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

may be examined at the places specified 

in Item IV below. NSCC has prepared 

summaries, set forth in sections (A), (B), 

and (C) below, of the most significant 

aspects of these statements.2

(A) Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Purpose of, and 

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule 

Change 

Under the current NSCC rules, 

management has the ability to place on 

surveillance status a member that is 

experiencing conditions which may 

have an adverse financial or operational 

impact on NSCC. Once placed on 

surveillance status, NSCC closely 

monitors the member’s condition. The 

current criteria for placing members on 

surveillance status are broadly written 

and capture many NSCC members that 

pose minimal financial or operational 

risk to NSCC. This creates 

administrative burdens for NSCC staff 

who must more closely monitor these 

members who pose minimal risk. 

To remedy this problem, NSCC has 

developed new criteria for placing 

members on surveillance. Specifically, 

all full service firms for which NSCC 

guarantees their trades will be assigned 

a rating that is generated by entering 

financial data of the member into a 

matrix (‘‘Matrix’’) developed by Credit 

Risk staff.3 Those members with a 

‘‘weak’’ rating, which are deemed to 

pose a relatively higher degree of risk to 

NSCC, will be placed on an internal 

‘‘Watch List’’ and will be monitored 

more closely by Credit Risk staff.4

Members placed on the Watch List may 

be required to submit additional 

financial reports and data and/or make 

additional Clearing Fund deposits.

Currently, Addendums B, I, Q, and R 

(Standards of Financial Responsibility 

and Operational Capability for Settling, 

Fund, Insurance Carrier, and Third 

Party Administrator members and 

applicants, respectively) include 

questionnaires that members and 

applicants are required to complete and 

return to NSCC. NSCC Rule 15, Section 

2 also provides that NSCC has the 

authority to examine the financial 

responsibility and operational capability 

of members and applicants. In 

conducting such examinations, NSCC 

may require a member or applicant to 

furnish such information as deemed 

sufficient by NSCC to demonstrate its 

financial responsibility and operational 

capability. 

NSCC has determined to rely on its 

ability under Rule 15, Section 2 to 

obtain pertinent information for 

members and applicants rather than 

require responses to specific 

questionnaires. NSCC will solicit such 

information in such form and within 

such timeframes as it may require from 

time to time. 

NSCC believes that the proposed rule 

change is consistent with the 

requirements of Section 17A of the Act 5

and the rules and regulations 

thereunder applicable to NSCC because 

it will facilitate the safeguarding of 

securities and funds which are in its 

custody or control or for which it is 

responsible and in general will protect 

investors and the public interest by 

improving NSCC’s member surveillance 

process.

(B) Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement on Burden on Competition 

NSCC does not believe that the 

proposed rule change will have an 

impact on or impose a burden on 

competition. 

(C) Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement on Comments on the 

Proposed Rule Change Received From 

Members, Participants or Others 

No written comments relating to the 

proposed rule change have been 

solicited or received. NSCC will notify 

the Commission of any written 

comments received by NSCC. 

III. Date of Effectiveness of the 

Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 

Commission Action 

Within thirty-five days of the date of 

publication of this notice in the Federal 

Register or within such longer period (i) 

as the Commission may designate up to 

ninety days of such date if it finds such 

longer period to be appropriate and 

publishes its reasons for so finding or 

(ii) as to which the self-regulatory 

organization consents, the Commission 

will: 

(A) By order approve such proposed 

rule change or 

(B) Institute proceedings to determine 

whether the proposed rule change 

should be disapproved. 

IV. Solicitation of Comments 

Interested persons are invited to 

submit written data, views, and 

arguments concerning the foregoing, 

including whether the proposed rule 

change is consistent with the Act. 

Persons making written submissions 

should file six copies thereof with the 

Secretary, Securities and Exchange 

Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20549–0609. 

Comments may also be submitted 

electronically at the following e-mail 

address: rule-comments@sec.gov. All 

comment letters should refer to File No. 

SR–NSCC–2003–11. This file number 

should be included on the subject line 

if e-mail is used. To help the 

Commission process and review your 

comments more efficiently, comments 

should be sent in hardcopy or by e-mail 

but not by both methods. 

Copies of the submission, all 

subsequent amendments, all written 

statements with respect to the proposed 

rule change that are filed with the 

Commission, and all written 

communications relating to the 

proposed rule change between the 

Commission and any person, other than 

those that may be withheld from the 

public in accordance with the 

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be 

available for inspection and copying in 

the Commission’s Public Reference 

Section, 450 Fifth Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20549. Copies of such 

filing also will be available for 

inspection and copying at the principal 

office of NSCC and on NSCC’s Web site 

at www.nscc.com/legal/.

All submissions should refer to File 

No. SR–NSCC–2003–11 and should be 

submitted by February 24, 2004.

For the Commission by the Division of 

Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated 

authority.6

Jill M. Peterson, 

Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 04–2143 Filed 2–2–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8010–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4602] 

Request for Proposals: Program for 

Research and Training on Eastern 

Europe and the Independent States of 

the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII)

SUMMARY: The Department of State 

invites organizations with substantial 

experience in conducting research and 

training to serve as intermediaries 

administering nationwide competitive 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 5233

programs for individuals and 

institutions concerning research and 

training on the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia. U.S.-based public 

and private non-profit organizations and 

educational institutions may submit 

proposals that sustain and support 

American expertise on the countries of 

Eurasia and Southeast Europe. The 

grants will be awarded through an open 

competition among applicant 

organizations. The purpose of this 

request for proposals is to inform 

potential applicant organizations of 

programmatic, procedural and funding 

information for submission of proposals 

for awards in fiscal year 2004, under a 

program administered by the 

Department of State.

Important Note: This Request for Proposals 

contains new instructions in the ‘‘Shipment 

and Deadline for Proposals,’’ ‘‘Eligible 

Countries,’’ and ‘‘New OMB Requirement’’

sections. Please pay special attention to 

procedural changes as outlined.

Interested applicants should read the 

complete Federal Register

announcement before addressing 

inquiries to the Title VIII Program Office 

or submitting a proposal. Once the 

proposal submission deadline has 

passed, Title VIII Program staff may not 

discuss this competition with applicants 

until after the proposal review process 

has been completed. 

This notice contains three parts. Part 

I addresses Shipment and Deadline for 

Proposals. Part II consists of a Statement 

of Purpose and Program Priorities. Part 

III provides Funding Information for the 

program.

Authority: Grantmaking authority for the 

Program for Research and Training on 

Eastern Europe and the Independent States of 

the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) is 

contained in the Soviet-Eastern European 

Research and Training Act of 1983 (22 U.S.C. 

4501–4508, as amended) and is funded 

through the FREEDOM Support Act (FSA) 

and Support for East European Democracy 

(SEED) Act. The purpose of the program is 

to build and sustain U.S. expertise on the 

study of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The 

Department of State brings this expertise to 

the service of the U.S. Government. 

Part I 

Shipping and Deadline for Proposals:

In light of heightened security measures, 

proposals may not be sent by regular 

U.S. Mail, and must be sent via a 

nationally recognized overnight delivery 

service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, 

Airborne Express, or USPS Express 

Mail, etc.) or hand-delivered. 

Proposals sent by USPS Express Mail 

or overnight delivery service must have 

a postmark or invoice dated by Friday, 

April 2, 2004, and must be received 

within seven (7) days after the deadline. 

Hand-delivered proposals must be 

submitted no later than 4 p.m. on April 

2, 2004. Faxed documents will not be 

accepted at any time. Late applications 

will not be considered. It is the 

applicant’s responsibility to ensure that 

proposals are delivered on time. 

Address proposals to: Susie Baker, 

Title VIII Program Officer, U.S. 

Department of State, INR/RES, Room 

2251, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, 

DC 20520–6510. 

Applications Delivered by Hand:

Hand-delivered proposals will be 

accepted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. est 

daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and 

Federal holidays. Proposals must be 

brought to the State Department’s 21st 

Street entrance, just north of the 

intersection with C Street, NW. From 

the 21st Street lobby telephone, contact 

Maria Seda-Gaztambide at (202) 736–

4572 or Susie Baker at (202) 647–0243 

for pick up. 

Part II 

Program Information: In the SovietEastern European Research and Training 

Act of 1983 (Title VIII), the Congress 

declared that independently verified 

factual knowledge about the countries of 

that area is ‘‘of utmost importance for 

the national security of the United 

States, for the furtherance of our 

national interests in the conduct of 

foreign relations, and for the prudent 

management of our domestic affairs.’’

Congress also declared that the 

development and maintenance of such 

knowledge and expertise ‘‘depends 

upon the national capability for 

advanced research by highly trained and 

experienced specialists, available for 

service in and out of Government.’’ The 

Title VIII Program provides financial 

support for advanced research, graduate 

and language training and other related 

functions on the countries of the region. 

By strengthening and sustaining in the 

United States a cadre of experts on 

Eastern Europe and Eurasia, the 

program contributes to the overall 

objectives of the FREEDOM Support and 

SEED Acts. 

The full purpose of the Act and the 

eligibility requirements are set forth in 

Pub. L. 98–164, 97 Stat. 1047–50, as 

amended. Research on the following 

countries is eligible for funding under 

this request for proposals, Albania, 

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia 

and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, 

Former Yugoslav Republic of 

Macedonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, 

Serbia (including Kosovo and 

Montenegro), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 

Ukraine and Uzbekistan. 

The Act established an Advisory 

Committee to recommend grant policies 

and recipients. The Deputy Secretary of 

State, after consultation with the 

Advisory Committee, approves policies 

and makes the final determination on 

awards.

Applications for funding under the 

Title VIII Program are invited from U.S. 

organizations with institutional capacity 

and experience in conducting 

competitive programs, national in 

scope, on Southeast Europe and Eurasia 

and related fields. Programs of this 

nature are those that make awards based 

upon an open, merit-based competition, 

incorporating peer group review 

mechanisms. Individual recipients of 

these funds—those to whom the 

applicant organizations or institutions 

propose to make awards—must be at the 

graduate or post-doctoral level, and 

must have demonstrated a likely career 

commitment to the study of Eastern 

Europe and/or Eurasia. 

Proposals should outline programs 

that would contribute to the 

development of a stable, long-term, 

national program of unclassified, 

advanced research and training on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and/or 

Eurasia. 

Applications proposing innovative, 

yet realistic, approaches to research and 

training programs, techniques and 

methods, and more productive 

interaction among U.S. Government 

agencies, universities and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) are 

strongly encouraged. 

Applicants should consider the 

following guidelines when developing 

proposals for funding under the Title 

VIII Program. Programs should be 

national in scope, and may: 

(1) Award contracts or grants to U.S. 

institutions of higher education or notfor-profit corporations in support of 

post-doctoral or equivalent-level 

research projects, to be cost-shared with 

partner institutions; 

(2) Offer graduate, post-doctoral and 

teaching fellowships for advanced 

training on the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia, and in related 

studies, including training in the 

languages of the region, to be costshared with partner institutions; 

(3) Provide fellowships and other 

support for American specialists 

enabling them to conduct advanced 

research on the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia, and in related 

studies; 

(4) Facilitate research collaboration 

among U.S. scholars and Government 

and private specialists on Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia studies; 

5234 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 

(5) Provide advanced training and 

research on a reciprocal basis in the 

countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia by facilitating access for 

American specialists to research 

facilities and resources in those 

countries; 

(6) Facilitate the dissemination of 

research findings, methods and data 

among U.S. Government agencies and 

the public; and 

(7) Strengthen the national capability 

for advanced research or training on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia and/or bring Title VIII 

scholarship to the service of the U.S. 

Government in ways not specified 

above.

Note: The Advisory Committee will not 

consider applications from individuals to 

further their own training or research, or 

from institutions or organizations whose 

proposals are not for national competitive 

award programs.

In addition to the above guidelines, 

support for specific activities will be 

guided by the following policies and 

priorities: 

• Support for Transitions and U.S. 

Assistance Goals: The Advisory 

Committee strongly encourages support 

for research activities that, while 

building expertise among U.S. 

specialists on the region, also: (1) 

Promote fundamental goals of U.S. 

assistance programs such as helping 

establish market economies and 

promoting democratic governance and 

civil societies, and (2) provide 

knowledge to both U.S. and foreign 

audiences related to current U.S. policy 

interests in the region, broadly defined. 

This includes, but is not limited to, such 

topics as resolution of ethnic, religious, 

and other conflict; terrorism; transition 

economics; access to information; 

women’s issues; human rights; and 

citizen participation in politics and civil 

society. For overseas research, 

applicants are asked to propose creative 

means through which individual grant 

recipients’ work may complement 

assistance activities in the region. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

propose programs where grants for 

overseas work must include a service 

component such as lecturing at a 

university or participating in workshops 

with host government and 

parliamentary officials, 

nongovernmental organizations, and 

other relevant audiences on issues 

related to economic and political 

transitions. 

• Scope: As mentioned above, the 

Title VIII Program provides knowledge 

to both U.S. and foreign audiences 

related to current U.S. policy interests 

in the region, broadly defined. 

Historical or cultural research that 

promotes understanding of current 

events in the region is acceptable if an 

explicit connection can be made to 

contemporary political and/or economic 

transitions. Research on such topics as 

musicology and mathematics are not 

appropriate for funding under this 

program.

• Regional Focus: The Advisory 

Committee gives priority to innovative 

programs that focus on gaps in 

knowledge on Central Asia, the 

Caucasus, and the Balkans, especially 

the former Yugoslavia. Since September 

2001, the ‘‘greater Central Asia’’ region 

has become critical in the global war on 

terrorism. Also eligible are proposals 

that incorporate a focus on a ‘‘greater 

Central Asia,’’ and include specifically 

the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and/or 

Uzbekistan, relative to their cross-border 

historical, ethnic, linguistic, political, 

economic and cultural ties with such 

countries as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, 

Pakistan and Turkey. 

• Balanced National Program: In 

making its recommendations, the 

Advisory Committee will seek to 

encourage a coherent, long-term and 

stable effort directed toward developing 

and maintaining a national capability on 

the countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia. Program proposals can be for 

the conduct of any of the functions 

enumerated, but in making its 

recommendations, the Committee will 

concern itself particularly with the 

development of a balanced national 

effort that will ensure attention to all 

eligible countries. 

• Promoting Federal Service for Title 

VIII Grant Recipients: Although the 

Title VIII Program does not require a 

federal service commitment for 

individuals receiving funding, the 

Advisory Committee urges grantees to 

encourage individuals receiving Title 

VIII funding to pursue U.S. Government 

career opportunities, internships, or 

short-term sabbaticals after completing 

their awards. Grant recipient 

organizations are encouraged to: (1) 

Identify individuals for funding who 

have an interest in pursuing careers in 

the U.S. Government, and (2) provide 

opportunities for individuals in 

disciplines with Eurasian and/or 

Southeast Europe studies concentrations 

to serve on a temporary basis as a policy 

or other expert in U.S. Embassies, U.S. 

Government agencies and/or with NGOs 

in the region. 

• Publications: Funds awarded in this 

competition should not be used to 

subsidize journals, newsletters and 

other periodical publications except in 

special circumstances. In such cases, 

funding requests should be directed to 

one or more of the organizations that 

may receive program funds for such 

purposes. Proposed publications would 

be competed nationally and evaluated 

by peer-review selection panels against 

research, fellowship or other proposals 

for achieving the purposes of the grant. 

• Conferences: Proposals for 

conferences should be assessed 

according to their relative contribution 

to the advancement of knowledge and to 

the professional development of cadres 

in the fields. Therefore, requests for 

conference funding should be directed 

to one or more of the organizations that 

may receive program funds for such 

purposes. Proposed conferences would 

be competed nationally and evaluated 

against research, fellowship or other 

proposals for achieving the purposes of 

the grant. 

• Library Activities: Funds may be 

used for certain library activities that 

clearly strengthen research and training 

on the countries of Southeast Europe 

and Eurasia and benefit the fields as a 

whole. Such programs must make 

awards based upon open, national 

competition, incorporating peer group 

review mechanisms. Funds may not be 

used for activities such as 

modernization, acquisition, or 

preservation. Modest, cost-effective 

proposals to facilitate research, by 

eliminating serious cataloging backlogs 

or otherwise improving access to 

research materials, will be considered.

• Language Support: The Advisory 

Committee encourages a focus on the 

non-Russian languages of Eurasia and 

the less-commonly-taught languages of 

Southeast Europe. For Russian-language 

instruction/study, support may be 

provided only at the advanced level. 

Institutions seeking funding in order to 

offer language instruction are 

encouraged to apply to one or more of 

the national programs with appropriate 

peer review and selection mechanisms. 

• Support for Non-Americans: The 

purpose of the program is to build and 

sustain U.S. expertise on the countries 

of Southeast Europe and Eurasia. 

Therefore, the Advisory Committee has 

determined that highest priority for 

support always should go to American 

specialists (i.e., U.S. citizens or 

permanent residents). Support for such 

activities as long-term research 

fellowships (i.e., nine months or longer), 

should be restricted solely to American 

scholars. Support for short-term 

activities also should be restricted to 

Americans, except in special instances 

where the participation of a nonAmerican scholar has clear and 

demonstrable benefits to the U.S. 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 5235

scholarly community and/or the U.S. 

Government. In such special instances, 

the applicant will be required to justify 

the expenditure. Despite this restriction 

on support for non-Americans, 

collaborative projects are encouraged—

where the non-American component is 

funded from other sources—and priority 

is given to institutions whose programs 

contain such an international 

component. 

• Cost-sharing: Legislation requires 

that in certain cases grantee 

organizations must include cost-sharing 

provisions in their arrangements with 

individual and institutional recipients. 

Cost sharing is strongly encouraged in 

all programs. Cost-sharing is 

particularly encouraged for grants to 

American institutions of higher 

education and not-for-profit 

corporations in support of: (1) Postdoctoral or equivalent-level research 

projects; and (2) graduate, post-doctoral 

and teaching fellowships for advanced 

training or language studies. Research 

solely on, and/or travel to, the countries 

of ‘‘greater Central Asia’’ or Central and 

East Europe outside of Southeast Europe 

as outlined in this request for proposals, 

is not eligible for FSA or SEED funding. 

Proposals may include a plan to support 

research projects on, and travel to, 

countries eligible and ineligible for FSA 

or SEED funding, to address crossborder issues, regional or comparative 

studies, etc., in which case travel to 

ineligible countries would be costshared with funding from other sources. 

Travel to certain countries may be 

subject to restrictions due to 

unforeseeable world events, a 

requirement for U.S. embassy approval 

or general security concerns. All 

proposed cost-sharing should be 

included in the budget request in a 

separate column, and explained in the 

budget notes. 

• Program Data Requirements:

Organizations awarded grants will be 

required to provide data on program 

participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible format for the 

Title VIII Alumni Database. Requested 

information would include the 

following: Name; Institution; Address; 

Contact Information; Field(s) of 

Expertise; Location of Research, 

Fellowship, or other Activity; Research 

Products/Titles; Service to the U.S. 

Government (if applicable); 

Contribution to U.S. Assistance Goals (if 

applicable); etc. 

Applications

New OMB Requirement: An OMB 

policy directive published in the 

Federal Register on Friday, June 27, 

2003, requires that all organizations 

applying for Federal grants or 

cooperative agreements must provide a 

Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number when applying for all Federal 

grants or cooperative agreements on or 

after October 1, 2003. The complete 

OMB policy directive can be referenced 

at:

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

062703_grant_identifier.pdf.

Organizations can receive a DUNS 

number at no cost by calling the toll-free 

DUNS Number request line at (866) 

705–5711 or by applying online at http:/

/www.dnb.com/us/duns_update/.

To comply with this directive, please 

include your organization’s DUNS 

number in the proposal’s ‘‘Executive 

Summary.’’

Application Format: Applicants must 

submit 20 copies of the proposal (a 

clearly marked original and 19 copies) 

in Times New Roman, 12 point font in 

the following format: (1) Cover Letter 

with signature, name and title of 

authorized representative and primary 

point of contact for questions (if 

different); (2) Executive Summary (onepage, single-spaced, with DUNS 

number); (3) Narrative (not to exceed 20 

double-spaced pages); (4) Budget 

Presentation with Budget Notes 

explaining each line item; (5) Resumes 

(one-page, for key professional staff); (6) 

Letters of Support and/or Partnership; 

and (7) Required Certifications. NB: 

Applicants also should submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary,’’ ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ and ‘‘Budget with Budget 

Notes’’ on a PC-formatted disk. 

Applicants may append other 

information they consider essential, 

although bulky submissions are 

discouraged and run the risk of not 

being reviewed fully. 

Budget: Because funds will be 

appropriated separately for Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia programs, proposals 

and budgets must indicate how the 

requested funds will be distributed by 

region, country (to the extent possible) 

and activity. Successful grant recipients 

will be required to report expenditures 

by region, country and activity. 

Applicants should familiarize 

themselves with Department of State 

grant regulations contained in 22 CFR 

145, ‘‘Grants and Cooperative 

Agreements with Institutions of Higher 

Education, Hospitals, and Other NonProfit Organizations’’; 22 CFR 137, 

‘‘Department of State Government-wide 

Debarment and Suspension (NonProcurement) and Government-wide 

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace 

(Grants)’’; OMB Circular A–110, 

‘‘Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit 

Organizations’’; and OMB Circular A–

133, ‘‘Audits of Institutions of Higher 

Learning and Other Non-Profit 

Institutions.’’ Applicants must provide 

the following information: 

(1) Indicate whether the organization 

falls under OMB Circular No. A–21, 

‘‘Cost Principles for Educational 

Institutions,’’ or OMB Circular No. A–

122, ‘‘Cost Principles for Nonprofit 

Organizations’’; 

(2) Submit a detailed, three-column 

budget, with one column each for 

applicant costs, cost-sharing and total 

costs. The budget must include direct 

program costs, administrative and 

indirect costs, and total amount 

requested, clearly identified by program 

element and by region (Eurasia or 

Southeast Europe). Indirect costs must 

be listed separately for Eurasia and 

Southeast Europe. The ‘‘Total Amount 

Requested’’ should be the sum of the 

amount requested for Eurasia activities 

plus the amount requested for Southeast 

Europe activities. ‘‘Administrative 

Costs’’ should be reflected also as a 

percentage of the total requested 

funding. NB: Indirect costs are limited 

to 10 percent of total direct program 

costs. 

(3) For applicants requesting funds to 

supplement a program having other 

sources of funding, submit a current 

budget for the total program and an 

estimated future budget for it, showing 

how specific lines in the budget would 

be affected by the allocation of 

requested grant funds. Other funding 

sources and amounts should be 

identified. 

(4) Explain the cost-sharing plan in 

the proposal’s budget notes, with 

appropriate details and cross-references 

to the requested budget. 

(5) Append the most recent audit 

report (the most recent U.S. Government 

audit report, if available) and the name, 

address, and point of contact of the 

audit agency. 

(6) Include a prioritized list of 

proposed programs if funding is being 

requested for more than one program or 

activity. 

All payments will be made to grant 

recipients through the U.S. 

Government’s Payment Management 

System (PMS).

Proposal Narrative: The Applicant 

must describe fully the proposed 

programs, in no more than 20 doublespaced pages, including the benefits of 

these programs for the Southeast 

European and Eurasian fields, estimates 

of the types and amounts of anticipated 

awards, peer review and selection 

procedures and anticipated selection 

5236 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2004 / Notices 

committee participants, and detailed 

information about recruitment plans 

and advertising of program 

opportunities to eligible individuals 

and/or institutions. The narrative also 

should address the applicant’s plan to 

encourage policy relevant research, 

methods for dissemination of research 

products, and plans for bringing Title 

VIII to the service of the U.S. 

Government, where applicable. 

Applicants who have received 

previous grants from the Title VIII 

Program should provide detailed 

information on the individual and 

institutional awards made, including, 

where applicable, names/affiliations of 

recipients, and amounts and types of 

awards. Applicants should specify both 

past and anticipated applicant to award 

ratios. A summary of the applicant’s 

past grants under the Title VIII Program 

also should be included. 

Proposals from national organizations 

involving language instruction programs 

should provide, for those programs 

supported in the past year, indications 

of progress achieved by Title VIIIfunded students, information on the 

criteria for evaluation, including levels 

of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, 

facilities, methods for measuring 

language proficiency (including preand post-testing), instructors’

qualifications, and budget information 

showing estimated costs per student. 

Certifications: Applicants must 

include (1) a description of affirmative 

action policies and practices and (2) 

certifications of compliance with the 

provisions of: (a) the Drug-Free 

Workplace Act (Pub. L. 100–690), in 

accordance with Appendix C of 22 CFR 

137, Subpart F; and (b) Section 319 of 

the Department of the Interior and 

Related Agencies Appropriations Act 

(Pub. L. 101–121), in accordance with 

Appendix A of 22 CFR 138, New 

Restrictions on Lobbying Activities.

Review Process: All eligible proposals 

will be reviewed by the program office, 

a grant review panel and the Advisory 

Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 

and the Independent States of the 

Former Soviet Union. Proposals also 

may be reviewed by the Office of the 

Legal Advisor or by other Department 

elements. Final funding decisions are at 

the discretion of the Department of 

State’s Deputy Secretary. Final technical 

authority for grants resides with the 

Department of State’s Grants Officers. 

Review Criteria: Technically eligible 

proposals will be competitively 

reviewed according to the following 

criteria: 

(1) Quality of the Program Idea: 

Proposals should be responsive to the 

guidelines provided in this request for 

proposals, and should exhibit 

originality, substance, precision, and 

relevance to the State Department’s 

mission, the legislation supporting the 

Title VIII Program, and the FREEDOM 

Support and SEED Acts. 

(2) Program Planning: Program 

objectives should be stated clearly. 

Objectives should respond to priorities 

and address gaps in knowledge for 

particular fields and/or regions. A 

timeline outlining expected 

achievement of milestones should be 

included. Responsibilities of partner 

organizations, if any, should be 

described clearly. 

(3) Institutional Capacity: Proposed 

personnel and selection committees 

should be adequate and appropriate to 

achieve the program’s goals. The 

proposal should reflect the applicant’s 

expertise and knowledge in conducting 

national competitive award programs of 

the type the applicant proposes on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and/or 

Eurasia. Past performance of prior 

recipients and the demonstrated 

potential of new applicants will be 

considered.

(4) Cost-Effectiveness and CostSharing: Overhead and administrative 

costs in the proposal budget should be 

kept to a minimum. All other items 

should be necessary and appropriate. 

Proposals should maximize costsharing, including in-kind assistance, 

through contributions from the 

applicant, partner organizations, as well 

as other private sector support. Costsharing should be included as a separate 

column in the budget request. Proposal 

budgets that do not provide cost-sharing 

will be deemed less competitive in this 

category. 

(5) Evaluation, Monitoring, Database, 

Reporting: Proposals should include a 

plan to evaluate and monitor program 

successes and challenges. Methods for 

linking outcomes to program objectives 

are recommended. The proposal should 

address the applicant’s willingness and 

ability to contribute to the alumni 

database. Successful applicants will be 

required to submit quarterly financial 

and program reports. 

Part III 

Available Funds: Funding for this 

program is subject to final Congressional 

action and the appropriation of FY 2004 

funds. Funding may be available at a 

level of approximately $5.0 million. In 

Fiscal Year 2003, the program was 

funded at $5.0 million from the 

FREEDOM Support and SEED Acts, 

which funded grants to eight national 

organizations. The number of awards 

may vary each year, depending on the 

level of funding and the quality of the 

applications submitted. 

The Department legally cannot 

commit funds that may be appropriated 

in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multiyear projects cannot receive assured 

funding unless such funding is supplied 

out of a single year’s appropriation. 

Grant agreements may permit the 

expenditure from a particular year’s 

grant to be made up to three years after 

the grant’s effective date. 

The terms and conditions published 

in this Request for Proposals are binding 

and may not be modified by any 

Department representative. Issuance of 

the Request for Proposals does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the U.S. Government. The 

Department reserves the right to reduce, 

revise, or increase proposal budgets in 

accordance with the needs of the 

program and the availability of funds.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or to arrange a 

consultation, contact Susie Baker, Title 

VIII Program Officer, E-mail: 

ACsbaker@us-state.osis.gov; Tel: (202) 

647–0243, Fax: (202) 736–4851.

Dated: January 26, 2004. 

Kenneth E. Roberts, 

Executive Director, Advisory Committee for 

Studies of Eastern Europe and the 

Independent States of the Former Soviet 

Union, Department of State.

[FR Doc. 04–2153 Filed 2–2–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–32–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Commission 

Presidential Determination on 

Provision of Aviation Insurance 

Coverage for Commercial Air Carrier 

Service in Domestic and International 

Operations

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the President has authorized the Federal 

Aviation Administration to replace the 

current practice of renewing U.S. 

Department of Transportation (DOT) 

and Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) war risk aviation insurance 

policies at 60-day intervals and 

substitute a longer extension of policies, 

until August 31, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Rodgers, Director, APO–1, Federal 

Aviation Administration, 800 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20591, telephone 202–267–3274.