Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 58579

Simpson, Attorney-Adviser, Office of 

the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of 

State, (telephone: 202/619–6529). The 

address is U.S. Department of State, SA–

44, 301 4th Street, SW., Room 700, 

Washington, DC 20547–0001.

Dated: September 22, 2004. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department 

of State.

[FR Doc. 04–22001 Filed 9–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–08–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4846] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Open Competition Seeking 

Professional Exchanges Programs in 

Africa, East Asia, Eurasia, Europe, the 

Near East/North Africa, South Asia and 

the Western Hemisphere 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/

PE/C–05–01. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Key Dates: none. 

Application Deadline: November 19, 

2004. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs 

announces an open competition for 

grants that support exchanges and build 

relationships between U.S. non-profit 

organizations and civil society groups in 

Africa, East Asia, Eurasia, Europe, the 

Near East/North Africa, South Asia and 

the Western Hemisphere. U.S. public 

and non-profit organizations meeting 

the provisions described in Internal 

Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3) may submit proposals that 

support the goals of The Professional 

Exchanges Program: to promote mutual 

understanding and partnerships 

between key professional groups in the 

United States and counterpart groups in 

other countries through multi-phased 

exchange projects taking place over onethree years. To the fullest extent 

possible, programs should be two-way 

exchanges supporting roughly equal 

numbers of participants from the U.S. 

and foreign countries. 

Proposed projects should be designed 

to foster dialogue and joint activities 

around one of four themes: (1) Religion, 

Community, Education and Political 

Process; (2) Governance, Accountability, 

and Transparency in Civil Society; (3) 

Conflict Prevention and Management; 

and (4) Respect for Cultural Identity and 

Creative Products. Through these 

people-to-people exchanges, the Bureau 

seeks to break down stereotypes that 

divide peoples, promote good 

governance, contribute to conflict 

prevention and management, and build 

respect for cultural expression and 

identity in a world that is experiencing 

rapid globalization. Projects should be 

structured to allow American 

professionals and their international 

counterparts in target countries to 

develop a common dialogue for dealing 

with shared challenges and concerns. 

Projects should include current or 

potential leaders who will effect 

positive change in their communities. 

Exchange participants might include 

community leaders, elected and 

professional government officials, 

religious leaders, educators, and 

proponents of democratic ideals and 

institutions, including for example, the 

media and judiciary, or others who 

influence the way in which different 

communities approach these issues. The 

Bureau is especially interested in 

engaging socially and economically 

diverse groups that may not have had 

extensive contact with counterpart 

institutions in the United States. 

Priority will be given to proposals that 

engage these audiences in countries 

with significant Muslim populations, or 

that engage educators or groups that 

influence youth in innovative ways. 

Proposals that target countries/regions 

or themes not listed below will be 

deemed technically ineligible. 

Applicants should not submit proposals 

that address more than one region 

designated in the RFGP, except as 

specifically indicated. Applicants may 

submit no more than two (2) proposals 

per program theme and four (4) 

proposals total for this competition. 

Organizations that submit proposals that 

exceed these limits will result in having 

all of their proposals declared 

technically ineligible, and none of the 

submissions will be reviewed by a State 

Department panel. 

For the purposes of this competition, 

eligible regions are Africa, East Asia, 

Eurasia, Europe, the Near East/North 

Africa, South Asia, and the Western 

Hemisphere. No guarantee is made or 

implied that grants will be awarded in 

all themes and for all countries listed. 

Please note that this competition 

includes two target regions (Central and 

Eastern Europe and Eurasia) that were 

addressed in separate announcements in 

previous years. There will be no 

additional announcement for Central 

and Eastern Europe or Eurasia for FY–

2005. 

Requests for grant proposals on the 

creation, performance, or presentation 

of artistic work will be announced in a 

separate competition. Proposals 

involving the production or 

interpretation of artistic work WILL 

NOT be accepted under this 

competition, and if received, will be 

declared technically ineligible.

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority 

Overall grant making authority for 

this program is contained in the Mutual 

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act 

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as 

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to 

enable the Government of the United 

States to increase mutual understanding 

between the people of the United States 

and the people of other countries * * *; 

to strengthen the ties which unite us 

with other nations by demonstrating the 

educational and cultural interests, 

developments, and achievements of the 

people of the United States and other 

nations * * * and thus to assist in the 

development of friendly, sympathetic 

and peaceful relations between the 

United States and the other countries of 

the world.’’ The funding authority for 

the program above is provided through 

legislation. 

Purpose 

The Bureau seeks proposals that will 

address the following priority themes: 

(1) Religion, Community, Education and 

Political Process; (2) Governance, 

Accountability and Transparency in 

Civil Society; (3) Conflict Prevention 

and Management; and (4) Respect for 

Cultural Identity and Creative Products. 

The competition is based on the premise 

that people-to-people exchanges 

encourage and strengthen 

understanding of democratic values and 

nurture the social, political, and 

economic development of societies. 

Exchanges supported by institutional 

grants from the Bureau should operate 

at two levels: they should enhance 

partnerships between U.S. and foreign 

institutions, and they should establish a 

common dialogue to develop practical 

solutions for shared problems and 

concerns. The Bureau is particularly 

interested in projects that will create 

mutually beneficial and self-sustaining 

linkages between professional 

communities in the U.S. and their 

counterpart communities in other 

countries. 

Applicants should identify the U.S. 

and foreign organizations and 

individuals with whom they are 

proposing to collaborate and describe 

previous cooperative activities, if any. 

Information about the mission, 

58580 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 

activities, and accomplishments of 

partner organizations should be 

included in the submission. Proposals 

should contain letters of commitment or 

support from partner organizations for 

the proposed project. Applicants should 

clearly outline and describe the role and 

responsibilities of all partner 

organizations in terms of project 

logistics, management and oversight. 

Proposals that show strong prospects for 

enhancing existing long-term 

collaboration or establishing new 

collaborative efforts among participating 

organizations will be deemed more 

competitive. 

Competitive proposals will include 

the following: 

• A brief description of the problem 

as it relates to the target country or 

region. (Proposals that request resources 

for an initial needs assessment will be 

deemed less competitive.); 

• A clear statement of program 

objectives and projected outcomes that 

respond to Bureau goals for each theme 

in this competition. Desired outcomes 

should be described in qualitative and 

quantitative terms. (See the Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation section, 

below, for more information on project 

objectives and outcomes.); 

• A proposed timeline, listing the 

optimal schedule for each program 

activity; 

• A description of participant 

selection processes; 

• Letters of support from foreign and 

U.S. partners. (Proposals that illustrate 

an ability to arrange U.S. and overseas 

activities with letters of support from 

prospective partner institutions will be 

considered more credible.); 

• An outline of the applicant 

organization’s relevant expertise in the 

project theme and country(ies); 

• An outline of relevant experience 

managing previous exchange programs; 

• Resumes of experienced staff who 

have demonstrated a commitment to 

monitor projects and ensure 

implementation; 

• A comprehensive plan to evaluate 

whether program outcomes achieved 

met the specific objectives described in 

the narrative. (See the Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation section, 

below, for further guidance on 

evaluation.); and 

• A post-grant plan that demonstrates 

how the grantee plans to maintain 

contacts initiated through the program. 

Applicants should discuss ways that 

U.S. and foreign participants or host 

institutions could collaborate and 

communicate after the ECA-funded 

grant has concluded. (See Review 

Criterion #5 below for more information 

on post-grant activities.)

The proposal narrative should clearly 

state the applicant’s commitment to 

consult closely with the Public Affairs 

Section of the U.S. embassy in the 

relevant country(ies) to develop plans 

for project implementation and to select 

project participants. Applicants should 

state their willingness to invite 

representatives of the embassy(ies) and/

or consulate(s) to participate in program 

sessions or site visits. Applicants are 

also encouraged to consult with Public 

Affairs Officers at U.S. embassies in 

relevant countries as they develop 

proposals responding to this RFGP. 

Narratives should state that all material 

developed for the project will 

prominently acknowledge Department 

of State ECA Bureau funding for the 

program. Proposals should also 

acknowledge U.S. embassy involvement 

in final selection of all participants. 

Themes 

(1) Religion, Community, Education, 

and Political Process 

ECA welcomes projects that will 

promote understanding of the role of 

religion and education in shaping 

community and political life in the 

United States and participating 

countries. Proposals should build on 

program objectives that clearly address 

the following goals: 

(1) To promote greater 

communication among religious groups, 

educators, community leaders, and 

persons involved in political discourse; 

(2) To increase understanding of how 

religious, community, educational, and 

political leaders interact in U.S. society; 

(3) To develop professional and 

personal linkages between U.S. and 

foreign individuals, institutions, and 

communities that will lead to sustained 

interaction in the future. 

Programs should explore how religion 

and education can encourage openness, 

tolerance, respect, constructive 

dialogue, public service, and other ways 

to respect diversity while encouraging 

different communities to work together. 

To the fullest extent possible, programs 

should be two-way exchanges 

supporting roughly equal numbers of 

participants from the U.S. and foreign 

countries. Projects might include (but 

are not limited to) the following groups 

of participants: scholars (including legal 

scholars) and clerics, educators, 

community leaders, journalists, women 

leaders, or persons who work with 

youth. 

Africa (single-country and multiplecountry projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, 

Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, 

Nigeria, Senegal. 

Contacts: Curtis Huff, tel: (202) 619–

5972, e-mail: HuffCE@State.gov; Carol 

Herrera, tel: (202) 619–5405, e-mail: 

HerreraCA1@state.gov.

East Asia (single-country and multiplecountry projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Indonesia, 

Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand. 

Contact: Douglas McNeal, tel: (202) 

260–5485, e-mail: McNealDB@state.gov.

Eurasia (single-country projects only) 

Eligible countries: Kyrgyz Republic, 

Tajikistan. 

Contact: Brent Beemer, tel: (202) 401–

6887, e-mail: BeemerBT@state.gov.

Near East/North Africa (Projects 

involving multiple countries 

encouraged, but both single- and 

multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Algeria, Bahrain, 

Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, 

Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, 

Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. 

Contacts: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov; 

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

South Asia (Projects involving multiple 

countries encouraged, but both singleand multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Afghanistan, 

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. 

Contacts: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov;

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

(2) Governance, Accountability, and 

Transparency in Civil Society 

ECA welcomes proposals that will 

develop common approaches to 

strengthening transparency, citizen 

involvement, and effective fiscal 

management in government and 

demonstrate how this can benefit 

government leaders, non-governmental 

entities, and individual citizens and 

promote economic well being. Proposals 

in this theme should include program 

objectives that clearly respond to the 

following goals: 

(1) To promote governance that is 

more transparent and responsive to 

citizens’ concerns; 

(2) To increase understanding of 

techniques to improve governance, anticorruption, and accountability practices; 

(3) To develop professional and 

personal linkages between U.S. and 

overseas individuals, institutions, and 

communities that will lead to sustained 

interaction in the future. 

Projects should develop strategies that 

promote fair and transparent governance 

in the targeted countries. Projects must 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 58581

be culturally sensitive, sustainable, and 

address specific needs of the country or 

a region in that country. Individual 

projects might: (1) Consider ways that a 

country or region can improve its 

legislative process by encouraging and 

supporting citizen involvement; (2) 

develop programs, regulations, and 

services that increase citizen trust and 

expand the democratic process at the 

local and provincial levels; and (3) 

provide opportunities to elected 

officials and their key staff to find ways 

to promote transparency in government. 

Additionally, projects might address the 

important role of legislative 

transparency and effective fiscal 

management in short- and long-term 

economic development. 

Africa (single- or multiple-country 

projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Angola, Burundi, 

Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, 

Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra 

Leone, Uganda. 

Contacts: Curtis Huff, tel: (202) 619–

5972, e-mail: HuffCE@State.gov; Carol 

Herrera, tel: (202) 619–5405, e-mail: 

HerreraCA1@state.gov.

East Asia (single-country projects only) 

Eligible countries: China, Indonesia. 

Contact: Douglas McNeal, tel: (202) 

260–5485, e-mail: McNealDB@state.gov.

Europe and Eurasia (single-country 

projects only) 

Eligible countries: Albania, Russia, 

Serbia and Montenegro. 

Contact: Henry Scott, tel: (202) 619–

5327, e-mail: ScottHC@state.gov.

For Serbia and Montenegro (SaM):

Since the overthrow of the Slobodan 

Milosevic in October 2000, reform in 

Serbia and Montenegro has been 

uneven. Currently SaM faces the 

burdens of: (1) The legacy of more than 

a decade of wars and sanctions; (2) the 

still unfulfilled obligations to the 

International Criminal Tribunal for the 

Former Yugoslavia; (3) unresolved 

relationships with Montenegro and the 

UN Administered province of Kosovo; 

and (4) the development of a large ultranationalist, anti-reform party. Projects 

that would be most useful would 

address the following issues: (1) 

Devolution of power from the Republic 

government to local bodies, including 

police, justice, and education; (2) 

enhancing the rule of the law (training 

prosecutors and judges and increasing 

anti-corruption resources); and (3) 

designing civic education to address the 

legacies of the past and prepare citizens 

and leaders for the future in a Westernstyle democracy. Applicants should be 

very familiar with current initiatives 

designed to promote effective 

governance in SaM and should be 

willing to cooperate with other USGfunded institutions working in SaM to 

prevent duplication of efforts. 

Near East/North Africa (Projects 

involving multiple countries 

encouraged, but both single- and 

multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, 

Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian 

Authority, Syria, Tunisia. 

Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov;

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

South Asia (Projects involving multiple 

countries encouraged, but both singleand multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Afghanistan, 

Bangladesh, India, Nepal Pakistan, Sri 

Lanka.

Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov; 

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

Western Hemisphere (single- or 

multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Central America 

and the Andean Region. 

Contact: Laverne Johnson, tel: (202) 

619–5337, JohnsonLV@state.gov.

(3) Conflict Prevention and Management 

Projects for this theme should bring 

together professionals and community 

members to prevent, manage, and 

resolve conflict. Program objectives 

should respond to the following goals 

for this theme: 

(1) To develop effective approaches 

for preventing and mitigating conflict 

between and within communities; 

(2) To increase understanding of the 

values underlying different conflict 

prevention and management techniques; 

(3) To develop professional and 

personal linkages between U.S. and 

overseas individuals, institutions, and 

communities that will lead to sustained 

interaction in the future. 

Proposals must demonstrate strong 

expertise in the target country and local 

community(ies) to address effectively 

the sensitive and competing interests of 

target populations. ECA strongly 

encourages proposals that include twoway exchanges of participants, as well 

as the development and use of 

sustainable training models and training 

materials. Applicants should 

demonstrate their knowledge of the 

community or groups experiencing 

conflict (ethnic, religious, labor, border 

issues, environmental vs. business 

disputes, etc.) or that have the potential 

for conflict, and proposal narratives 

should outline specifically how the 

project will introduce dialogue and 

approaches to effect positive outcomes. 

Participants may include NGO leaders, 

local government officials, journalists, 

representatives of the legal/law 

enforcement community, educators, and 

youth. Participants should have the 

potential to implement conflict 

prevention and management techniques 

addressed during the program. 

Africa (single- or multiple-country 

projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Angola, Burundi, 

DRC, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, 

Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, 

Sudan. 

Contacts: Curtis Huff, tel: (202) 619–

5972, e-mail: HuffCE@State.gov; Carol 

Herrera, tel: (202) 619–5405, e-mail: 

HerreraCA1@state.gov.

East Asia (single-country projects only) 

Eligible countries: China, The 

Republic of Korea, Taiwan. 

Contact: Douglas McNeal, tel: (202) 

260–5485, e-mail: McNealDB@state.gov.

Europe (Cyprus or Kosovo only) 

Eligible countries/regions: Cyprus (see 

further guidance, below), Kosovo (see 

further guidance, below). 

For Cyprus: Applicants should 

consult with the Public Affairs Section 

of the U.S. embassy in Nicosia to engage 

members of the youth arms of Greek 

Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political 

parties. Programs might focus on 

mediation skills, cultural tolerance, 

mobilization of grassroots campaigns, 

and leadership skills. 

For Kosovo: Projects should address 

ethnic conflict and the creation of 

tolerance, particularly among youth, in 

Kosovo. ECA will give priority to 

projects that are multi-ethnic in nature, 

both in terms of participants and 

curriculum, and that include Kosovo 

Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. 

Participants may include educators or 

persons who work with young people 

on a regular basis. Strong proposals will 

demonstrate an awareness of linguistic 

differences and will include plans to 

incorporate different languages within 

the project. The Bureau encourages 

applicants to involve local governments 

or Kosovar institutions in some aspect 

of the project.

Near East/North Africa (Projects 

involving multiple countries 

encouraged, but both single- and 

multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: Egypt, Iraq, Israel, 

Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, 

Syria. 

58582 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 

Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov;

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

South Asia (Projects involving multiple 

countries encouraged, but both singleand multiple-country projects accepted) 

Eligible countries: India, Nepal, 

Pakistan, Sri Lanka. 

Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 

619–5325, e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov;

Katherine Van de Vate, tel: (202) 619–

5320, e-mail: VandevateK@state.gov.

(4) Respect for Cultural Identity and 

Creative Products 

Background: Many societies perceive 

international economic integration and 

U.S. economic power as threats to their 

core values and cultural identities. ECA 

seeks proposals that will demonstrate to 

foreign audiences how the U.S. works 

with communities around the world to 

sustain cultural diversity and cultural 

integrity. Programs should engage U.S. 

cultural professionals, institutions, and 

community members in dialogues with 

international cultural stakeholders in 

projects designed to sustain creative 

spirit; demonstrate respect for cultural 

heritage, diversity and identity; and 

value and protect creative output 

(intellectual property rights/copyright 

issues). Proposals should state 

objectives that clearly address the 

following goals: 

(1) To promote community awareness 

and participation in grass-roots 

mechanisms to address issues of local 

cultural significance and maintain 

cultural awareness in a diverse society; 

(2) To promote common values 

between the U.S. and foreign countries 

of respect for cultural products and 

heritage, and to produce collaborative 

mechanisms that promote these values; 

(3) To develop professional and 

personal linkages between U.S. and 

overseas individuals, institutions, and 

communities that will lead to sustained 

interaction in the future. 

Program activities should not focus on 

the creation of art or cultural objects, 

but on the capacity of communities to 

address issues of local cultural 

significance. Proposals should include 

U.S.-based and in-country activities. 

Projects should bring experts and 

practitioners in the U.S. and overseas 

together in hands-on sessions to explore 

and develop innovative approaches to 

cultural issues. Proposals should 

demonstrate that applicant 

organizations possess a thorough 

understanding of the current state and 

needs of the target countries/regions in 

one of the four sub-themes below. 

Proposals that propose support for 

academic research or faculty/student 

fellowships, production or presentation 

of artistic works, or commercial 

business enterprises will be considered 

technically ineligible. 

For questions about all sub-topics in 

this theme, please contact Christina 

Miner, tel: (202) 401–7342, e-mail: 

MinerCX@state.gov.

Specific Themes 

4.a. Cultural Heritage (Artifacts/Objects) 

Proposals in this topic should focus 

on cooperative approaches between 

organizations or institutions in the U.S. 

and overseas to deter the illicit trade in 

cultural artifacts or antiquities. Projects 

should focus on innovative approaches 

to protect the contexts within which 

objects are found, to verify and validate 

ownership of objects pertaining to local 

cultural heritage, to communicate 

effectively about cultural artifacts and 

heritage issues, and to adopt positive 

means of deterring illicit trade in 

cultural properties. Project activities 

could encompass exchanges, training 

workshops and other activities relating 

to the protection of archaeological sites 

as the sources of pillaged objects; 

improving security in museums, historic 

building and other cultural institutions 

so that objects are less vulnerable to 

theft; and designing and implementing 

efforts to inventory and document 

valued objects and collections in formal 

museums, as well as in religious and 

educational establishments, and other 

locations accessible by the public. 

Eligible Countries: Applicants should 

propose a coherent group of countries 

with a statement of their rationale for 

this choice of target countries. Projects 

may include countries from multiple 

regions. 

4.b. Cultural Identity in a Diverse 

Society

Proposals in this topic should address 

ways that local indigenous communities 

might sustain their cultural identity in 

a diverse and dynamic society. Projects 

should exchange expertise and best 

practices between U.S. and overseas 

community leaders and members of 

indigenous groups. Participants should 

address ways that these populations can 

manage identity-defining customs, 

rituals, art forms, or relationships 

within a broader cultural context 

(national cultural identity) in a manner 

that benefits the entire community 

without compromising the integrity of 

these practices. 

Western Hemisphere 

Eligible countries/Regions: Central 

America and the Andean region. 

4.c. Cultural Institutions in a 

Democratic Society 

Projects should focus on ways that 

local institutions can maintain cultural 

heritage in a manner responsive to the 

local community, while respecting 

cultural diversity and democracy in the 

broader environment. Projects in this 

theme should expose managers and staff 

of locally-based community 

organizations and other community 

members, as appropriate, to effective 

means of managing cultural institutions 

for the benefit of local communities, 

including youth outreach and 

educational activities, without 

disparaging other cultures or 

compromising national identity. 

Projects might focus on institutions 

such as local historical societies, 

museums, arts societies, or other 

organizations involved in cultural 

heritage. Projects should move beyond 

technical or day-to-day operational tasks 

to focus on organizational management, 

transparency, public outreach, and good 

governance of cultural institutions. 

Proposals must demonstrate a practical 

and sophisticated knowledge of the 

local non-governmental organization 

environment. 

Africa 

Eligible countries: Region-wide. 

East Asia 

Eligible countries: The Republic of 

Korea, China. 

Europe 

Eligible countries: Poland, Hungary, 

Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia 

(Proposals should include at a 

minimum three of these countries). 

Near East 

Eligible countries: Region-wide. 

South Asia 

Eligible countries: Bangladesh, India, 

Nepal, Pakistan. 

4.d. Creative and Cultural Property 

(ECA encourages multi-country / multiregional project proposals under this 

theme) 

All societies will gain if the global 

community recognizes creators of 

cultural property as having a legitimate 

claim to compensation for the use of 

their work. ECA seeks innovative 

proposals to address the protection of 

intellectual creativity (IPR/copyright) 

worldwide through a high-level 

professional exchange. Applicants 

should engage legislators, enforcement 

professionals, legal experts, and the 

judiciary to evaluate techniques 

designed to deter copyright 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 58583

infringement, and to limit production 

and exportation of pirated products. 

Program content should focus on 

increasing expertise in intellectual 

property law and improving prosecution 

rates for intellectual property offenses, 

particularly as they relate to copyright 

infringement. 

Eligible countries: Projects on 

copyright/intellectual property may 

include some or all of the following 

countries: Brazil, China, India, Israel, 

Malaysia, and Russia.

Suggested Program Designs: Bureausupported exchanges may include 

internships; study tours; short-term, 

non-technical experiential learning; 

extended and intensive workshops; and 

seminars taking place in the United 

States or overseas as long as these 

seminars promote intensive exchange of 

ideas among participants in the project. 

Examples of program activities include: 

1. A U.S.-based program that includes 

an orientation to program purposes and 

to U.S. society; study tour/site visits; 

professional internships/placements; 

interaction and dialogue; hands-on 

training; professional development; and 

action plan development. 

2. Capacity-building/training-oftrainer (TOT) workshops to help 

participants to identify priorities, create 

work plans, strengthen professional and 

volunteer skills, share their experience 

with committed people within each 

country, and become active in a 

practical and valuable way. 

3. Site visits by U.S. facilitators/

experts to monitor projects in the region 

and to encourage further development, 

as appropriate. 

Activities Ineligible for Support: The 

Office does not support proposals 

limited to conferences or seminars (i.e.,

one-to fourteen-day programs with 

plenary sessions, main speakers, panels, 

and a passive audience). It will support 

conferences only when they are a small 

part of a larger project in duration that 

is receiving Bureau funding from this 

competition. No funding is available 

exclusively to send U.S. citizens to 

conferences or conference-type seminars 

overseas; nor is funding available for 

bringing foreign nationals to 

conferences or to routine professional 

association meetings in the United 

States. The Office of Citizen Exchanges 

does not support academic research or 

faculty or student fellowships.

Participant Selection: Proposals 

should clearly describe the types of 

persons that will participate in the 

program as well as the participant 

selection process. For programs that 

include U.S. internships, applicants 

should submit letters of support from 

host institutions. In the selection of 

foreign participants, the Bureau and 

U.S. embassies retain the right to review 

all participant nominations and to 

accept or refuse participants 

recommended by grantee institutions. 

When U.S. participants are selected, 

grantee institutions must provide their 

names and brief biographical data to the 

Office of Citizen Exchanges. Priority in 

two-way exchange proposals will be 

given to foreign participants who have 

not previously traveled to the United 

States. 

Security Considerations: With regard 

to projects focusing on Afghanistan, 

Pakistan, and Iraq, applicants should be 

aware of security issues that will affect 

the ability of the grantee organization to 

arrange for the travel of U.S. citizens to 

these countries or to conduct site visits, 

participant interviews, seminars, 

workshops, or training sessions there. 

All travel to, and activities conducted in 

these countries will be subject to 

consultation with and approval of 

official U.S. security personnel in 

country. The applicant organization 

should be prepared to modify timing or 

to reconfigure project implementation 

plans as required by security 

considerations. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY–2005. 

Approximate Total Funding: Pending 

availability of funding, $8 million. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 35–

40.

Approximate Average Award:

$60,000–$250,000. 

Floor of Award Range: $30,000. 

Ceiling of Award Range:

Approximately $250,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: Pending 

availability of funds, July 31, 2005. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date:

July 31, 2006–May 31, 2009. Projects 

under this competition may range in 

length from 1–3 years depending on the 

number of project components, the 

country/region targeted and the extent 

of the evaluation plan proposed by the 

applicant. The Office of Citizen 

Exchanges strongly encourages 

applicant organizations to plan enough 

time after project activities to measure 

project outcomes. Please refer to the 

Program Monitoring and Evaluation 

section, below, for further guidance on 

evaluation. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible Applicants 

Applications may be submitted by 

U.S. 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 proposed 

programs. Cost sharing is an important 

element of the ECA-grantee institution 

relationship, and it demonstrates the 

implementing organization’s 

commitment to the program. Cost 

sharing is included as one criterion for 

grant proposal evaluation. When cost 

sharing is offered, it is understood and 

agreed that the applicant must provide 

the amount of cost sharing as stipulated 

in its proposal and later included in an 

approved grant agreement. Cost sharing 

may be in the form of allowable direct 

or indirect costs. For accountability, 

successful applicants must maintain 

written records to support all costs that 

are claimed as applicant contributions 

as well as costs to be paid by the Federal 

government. Such records are subject to 

audit. The basis for determining the 

value of cash and in-kind contributions 

must be in accordance with OMB 

Circular A–110, (Revised), Subpart 

C.23—Cost Sharing and Matching. In 

the event that successful applicants do 

not provide the minimum amount of 

cost sharing as stipulated in the 

approved budget, the Bureau’s 

contribution will be reduced in like 

proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements 

Grants awarded to eligible 

organizations with less than four years 

of experience in conducting 

international exchange programs will be 

limited to $60,000. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information

Note: Please read the complete Federal 

Register announcement before sending 

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the 

RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with applicants 

until the proposal review process has been 

completed.

IV.1. Contact Information To Request an 

Application Package 

Please contact the Office of Citizen 

Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, Room 220, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel.: 

(202) 260–6230 or (202) 401–6885; fax: 

(202) 619–4350; e-mail: 

GustafsonDP@state.gov or 

RectorVA@state.gov to request a 

Solicitation Package. Please refer to the 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/

C–05–01 when making your request. 

58584 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) 

document that consists of required 

application forms, and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation.

Please specify the Bureau Program 

Officer listed for each region and theme 

above and refer to Funding Opportunity 

Number ECA/PE/C–05–01 for all 

specific 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/

education/rfgps/menu.htm. Please read 

all information before downloading. 

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission 

Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

The original and ten copies (11 

proposals total) of the application 

should be sent per the instructions 

under IV.3f. ‘‘Submission Dates and 

Times section’’ below. 

IV.3a. Applicant institutions 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 ninedigit 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 for additional formatting and 

technical requirements. 

IV.3c. Applicant institutions must 

have nonprofit status with the U.S. 

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at the 

time of application. If your organization 

is a private nonprofit which has not 

received a grant or cooperative 

agreement from ECA in the past three 

years, or if your organization received 

nonprofit status from the IRS within the 

past four years, you must submit the 

necessary documentation to verify 

nonprofit status as directed in the PSI 

document. Failure to do so will cause 

your proposal to be declared technically 

ineligible. 

IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1. Adherence to all Regulations 

Governing the J Visa 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is the official program sponsor of 

the exchange program covered by this 

RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau 

will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the 

program under the terms of 22 CFR part 

62, which covers the administration of 

the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 

part 62, organizations receiving grants 

under this RFGP will be third parties 

‘‘cooperating with or assisting the 

sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor’s 

program.’’ The actions of grantee 

program organizations shall be 

‘‘imputed to the sponsor in evaluating 

the sponsor’s compliance with’’ 22 CFR 

part 62. Therefore, the Bureau expects 

that any organization receiving a grant 

under this competition will render all 

assistance necessary to enable the 

Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 

part 62 et seq.

The Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs places great emphasis 

on the secure and proper administration 

of Exchange Visitor (J visa) Programs 

and requires all grantee program 

organizations and program participants 

to adhere 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 part 62. 

If your organization has experience as a 

designated Exchange Visitor Program 

Sponsor, the applicant should discuss 

their record of compliance with 22 CFR 

part 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:

United States Department of State, 

Office of Exchange Coordination and 

Designation, ECA/EC/ECD—SA–44, 

Room 734, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: 

(202) 401–9810, fax: (202) 401–9809. 

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 

The Bureau places significant 

emphasis on monitoring and evaluation 

of its initiatives. 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. 

Applicants should include a monitoring 

and evaluation plan that clearly 

distinguishes between program outputs

and outcomes. Outputs are products and 

services delivered, often stated as 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. The 

more that outcomes are ‘‘smart’’

(specific, measurable, attainable, resultsoriented, and placed in a reasonable 

time frame), the easier it will be to 

conduct the evaluation. 

The Bureau encourages applicants to 

assess the following four levels of 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 58585

outcomes, as they relate to the program 

goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in 

order of importance): 

1. Institutional changes, such as 

increased collaboration and 

partnerships, policy reforms, new 

programming, and organizational 

improvements. 

2. Participant behavior, concrete 

actions on the part of program 

participants 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. 

3. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

4. Participant satisfaction with the 

program and exchange experience.

Overall, the quality of monitoring and 

evaluation plans will be judged on how 

well they: (1) Specify intended 

outcomes; (2) give clear descriptions of 

how each outcome will be measured; (3) 

identify when particular outcomes will 

be measured; and (4) provide a clear 

description of the data collection 

strategies for each outcome (i.e., 

surveys, interviews, or focus groups). 

Consideration should be given to the 

appropriate timing of data collection for 

each level of outcome. For example, 

participant satisfaction is usually 

captured as a short-term outcome, 

whereas behavior and institutional 

changes are normally considered longerterm outcomes. 

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 

grantee 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). 

Applicants may include costs in their 

program budgets to hire an outside 

evaluator to assess project impact. In the 

case that an external evaluator is hired, 

the proposal should include information 

on the evaluator’s experience as well as 

all of the information requested above. 

Grantees will be required to provide 

reports (See VI.3, ‘‘Reporting 

Requirements’’ below) analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular program reports. 

Information and feedback provided 

through program monitoring will form 

the basis for interim reports, and grantee 

organizations should share any lessons 

learned and/or organizational 

challenges with Bureau program officers 

in these reports. Final evaluations will 

form the basis of the final program 

report. Grantee organizations will be 

required to provide summary data in 

tabular and graphic form to demonstrate 

the conclusions of the evaluation and 

examples of all data collection 

instruments used in the evaluation. 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. Applicants should take the 

following information into 

consideration when preparing project 

budgets: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a 

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. For this competition, requests 

should not exceed approximately 

$250,000. 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. Proposal budgets must include a 

summary budget as well as breakdowns 

reflecting both administrative and 

program costs. 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 include the following: 

1. Travel. International and domestic 

airfare (per the ‘‘Fly America Act’’), 

ground transportation, and J–1 visas for 

U.S.-bound participants. (J–1 visas for 

ECA-supported participants are issued 

at no charge.) 

2. Per Diem. For U.S.-based 

programming, organizations should use 

the published Federal per diem rates for 

individual U.S. cities. Domestic per 

diem rates may be accessed at: http://

policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/

homepage/mtt/perdiem/perd03d.html.

ECA requests applicants to budget 

realistic costs that reflect the local 

economy and do not exceed Federal per 

diem rates. Foreign per diem rates can 

be accessed at: http://www.state.gov/m/

a/als/prdm/html.

3. Interpreters. For U.S.-based 

activities, ECA strongly encourages 

applicants to hire their own locally 

based interpreters. However, applicants 

may ask ECA to assign State Department 

interpreters. One interpreter is typically 

needed for every four participants who 

require interpretation. When an 

applicant proposes to use State 

Department interpreters, the following 

expenses should be included in the 

budget: Published Federal per diem 

rates (both ‘‘lodging’’ and ‘‘M&IE’’) and 

‘‘home-program-home’’ transportation 

in the amount of $400 per interpreter. 

Salary expenses for State Department 

interpreters will be covered by the 

Bureau and should not be part of an 

applicant’s proposed budget. Bureau 

funds cannot support interpreters who 

accompany delegations from their home 

country or travel internationally.

4. Book and Cultural Allowances. 

Foreign participants are entitled to a 

one-time cultural allowance of $150 per 

person, plus a book allowance of $50. 

Interpreters should be reimbursed up to 

$150 for expenses when they escort 

participants to cultural events. U.S. 

program staff, trainers or participants 

are not eligible to receive these benefits. 

5. Consultants. Consultants may be 

used to provide specialized expertise or 

to make presentations. Honoraria rates 

should not exceed $250 per day. 

Organizations are encouraged to costshare rates that would exceed that 

figure. Subcontracting organizations 

may also be employed, in which case 

the written agreement between the 

prospective grantee and subcontractor 

should be included in the proposal. 

Such subcontracts should detail the 

division of responsibilities and 

proposed costs, and subcontracts should 

be itemized in the budget. 

6. Room rental. The rental of meeting 

space should not exceed $250 per day. 

Any rates that exceed this amount 

should be cost shared. 

7. Materials. Proposals may contain 

costs to purchase, develop and translate 

materials for participants. Costs for high 

quality translation of materials should 

be anticipated and included in the 

budget. Grantee organizations should 

expect to submit a copy of all program 

materials to ECA, and ECA support 

should be acknowledged on all 

materials developed with its funding. 

8. Equipment. Applicants may 

propose to use grant funds to purchase 

equipment, such as computers and 

printers. Costs for furniture are not 

allowed. 

9. Working meal. Only one working 

meal may be provided during the 

program. Per capita costs may not 

exceed $8 for a lunch and $20 for a 

dinner, excluding room rental. The 

number of invited guests may not 

exceed participants by more than a 

factor of two-to-one. When setting up a 

budget, interpreters should be 

considered ‘‘participants.’’

10. Return travel allowance. A return 

travel allowance of $70 for each foreign 

58586 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 

participant may be included in the 

budget. This allowance would cover 

incidental expenses incurred during 

international travel. 

11. Health Insurance. Foreign 

participants will be covered during their 

participation in the program by the 

ECA-sponsored Accident and Sickness 

Program for Exchanges (ASPE), for 

which the grantee must enroll them. 

Details of that policy can be provided by 

the contact officers identified in this 

solicitation. The premium is paid by 

ECA and should not be included in the 

grant proposal budget. However, 

applicants are permitted to include 

costs for travel insurance for U.S. 

participants in the budget. 

12. Wire transfer fees. When 

necessary, applicants may include costs 

to transfer funds to partner 

organizations overseas. Grantees are 

urged to research applicable taxes that 

may be imposed on these transfers by 

host governments. 

13. In-country travel costs for visa 

processing purposes. Given the 

requirements associated with obtaining 

J–1 visas for ECA-supported 

participants, applicants should include 

costs for any travel associated with visa 

interviews or DS–2019 pick-up. 

14. Administrative Costs. Costs 

necessary for the effective 

administration of the program may 

include salaries for grantee organization 

employees, benefits, and other direct 

and indirect costs per detailed 

instructions in the Application Package. 

While there is no rigid ratio of 

administrative to program costs, 

proposals in which the administrative 

costs do not exceed 25% of the total 

requested ECA grant funds will be more 

competitive on cost effectiveness. 

Proposals should show strong 

administrative cost sharing 

contributions from the applicant, the incountry partner and other sources. 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions.

IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times 

Application Deadline Date: Friday, 

November 19, 2004. 

Explanation of Deadlines: In light of 

recent events and heightened security 

measures, proposal submissions must be 

sent via a nationally recognized 

overnight delivery service (i.e., DHL, 

Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, 

or U.S. Postal Service Express Overnight 

Mail, etc.) and be shipped no later than 

the above deadline. The 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. 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. ECA will not notify you upon 

receipt of application. 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. Applications may not be 

submitted electronically at this time. 

Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

Expensive paper and bindings or 

elaborate visual or other presentation 

aids are neither necessary nor desired.

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 ten (total of 11) 

copies of the application (bound with 

large binder clips) should be sent to: 

U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C–05–01, Program 

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547. 

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.3g. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications: Executive Order 12372 

does not apply to this program. 

IV.3h.1. Funding Restrictions: 

Funding restrictions, which must be 

taken into account while writing your 

budget are as follows:

Applicants may not submit more than 

two (2) proposals per program theme 

and may not submit more than four (4) 

proposals total for this competition. 

Organizations that submit proposals that 

exceed these limits will result in having 

all of their proposals declared 

technically ineligible, and none of the 

submissions will be reviewed by a State 

Department panel. 

IV.3h.2. Applicants must also submit 

the ‘‘Executive Summary’’ and 

‘‘Proposal Narrative’’ sections of the 

proposal in text (.txt) format on a PCformatted disk. The Bureau will provide 

these files electronically to the 

appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at 

the U.S. embassy(ies) and, where 

required, U.S. consulate(s) for review. 

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. The 

program office, as well as the Public 

Diplomacy section overseas, where 

appropriate, will review all eligible 

proposals. 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. 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 priority 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, internships, 

seminars and/or consulting should be 

described in detail. Sample training 

schedules should be outlined. 

Responsibilities of proposed in-country 

partners should be clearly described. 

2. Institutional Capacity: Proposals 

should include (1) the institution’s 

mission and date of establishment; (2) 

detailed information about proposed incountry 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 of experienced staff 

members who will implement the 

program. The proposal should reflect 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 58587

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.

3. 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. 

Priority will be given to proposals 

whose administrative costs are less than 

twenty-five (25) per cent of the total 

funds requested from the Bureau. 

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 in this 

category. 

4. 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) and the Diversity, 

Freedom and Democracy Guidelines 

section above for additional guidance. 

5. Post-Grant Activities: Applicants 

should provide a plan to conduct 

activities after the Bureau-funded 

project has concluded in order to ensure 

that Bureau-supported programs are not 

isolated events. Funds for all post-grant 

activities must be in the form of 

contributions from the applicant or 

sources outside of the Bureau. Costs for 

these activities should not appear in the 

proposal budget, but should be outlined 

in the narrative. 

6. Evaluation: Proposals should 

include a detailed plan to monitor and 

evaluate 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. See the 

‘‘Evaluation’’ section (above) for more 

information on the components of a 

competitive evaluation plan. Successful 

applicants (grantee institutions) will be 

expected to submit a report after each 

program component concludes or on a 

quarterly basis, whichever is less 

frequent. The Bureau also requires that 

grantee institutions submit a final 

narrative and financial report no more 

than 90 days after the expiration of a 

grant. Please refer to the ‘‘Evaluation’’

section above for more guidance. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1. Award Notices 

Final awards cannot be made until 

funds have been appropriated by 

Congress, allocated and committed 

through internal Bureau procedures. 

Successful applicants will receive an 

Assistance Award Document (AAD) 

from the Bureau’s Grants Office. The 

AAD and the original grant proposal 

with subsequent modifications (if 

applicable) shall be the only binding 

authorizing document between the 

recipient and the U.S. Government. The 

AAD 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 Nonprofit Organizations 

Please reference the following Websites for additional information:

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

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/

grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI.

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

Winning applicants must provide 

ECA with a hard copy original plus two 

copies of the following reports: 

(1) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

(2) Any interim report(s) required in 

the Bureau grant agreement document. 

Grantees 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 (two copies) and ECA 

Program Officer (one copy) listed in the 

final assistance award document. 

VI.4. Optional Program Data 

Requirements 

Successful applicants will be required 

to maintain specific data on program 

participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible database format 

that can be shared with the Bureau as 

required. As a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information and biographic sketch of all 

persons who travel internationally on 

funds provided by the grant or who 

benefit from the grant 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.-based activities 

must be received by the ECA Program 

Officer at least three workdays prior to 

the official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, Room 

220, ECA/PE/C–05–01, Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

58588 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 189 / Thursday, September 30, 2004 / Notices 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel.: 

(202) 260–6230 or (202) 401–6885; fax: 

(202) 619–4350; GustafsonDP@state.gov

or RectorVA@state.gov.

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C–

05–01. 

Please read the complete Federal 

Register announcement before sending 

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once 

the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau 

staff may not discuss this competition 

with applicants until the proposal 

review process has been completed. 

VIII. Other Information 

Notice 

The terms and conditions published 

in this RFGP are binding and may not 

be modified by any Bureau 

representative. Explanatory information 

provided by the Bureau that contradicts 

published language will not be binding. 

Issuance of the RFGP does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the Government. The Bureau 

reserves the right to reduce, revise, or 

increase proposal budgets in accordance 

with the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. Awards made will 

be subject to periodic reporting and 

evaluation requirements per section VI.3 

above.

Dated: September 23, 2004. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau 

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 

Department of State.

[FR Doc. 04–22000 Filed 9–29–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4847] 

Privacy Act of 1974 Amendment of 

Prefatory Statement of Routine Uses to 

Department of State Privacy Act 

Issuances 

Summary: Notice is hereby given that 

the Department of State proposes to 

amend the Prefatory Statement of 

Routine Uses to Department of State 

Privacy Act Issuances, pursuant to the 

provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. 552a (r)), and the 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular No. A–130, Appendix I. The 

Department’s report was filed with the 

Office of Management and Budget on 

September 10, 2004. 

It is proposed that the amended 

Prefatory Statement notify individuals 

of two additional routine uses of Privacy 

Act information. The first amendment is 

proposed in accordance with Homeland 

Security Presidential Directive 6 

(HSPD–6) and is necessary to support 

the U.S. Government’s efforts to protect 

against acts of terrorism. The second 

amendment authorizes disclosure of 

records to the Department of Justice for 

the purpose of representing the 

Department of State, or any of its 

officers or employees, in actual or 

potential litigation. 

Any persons interested in 

commenting on these amendments to 

the Prefatory Statement of routine uses 

to Department of State Privacy Act 

Issuances may do so by submitting 

comments in writing to Margaret P. 

Grafeld, Director; Office of Information 

Programs and Services; A/RPS/IPS; U.S. 

Department of State, SA–2; Washington, 

DC 20522–6001. 

These amendments to the Prefatory 

Statement of Routine Uses to 

Department of State Privacy Act 

Issuances will be effective 40 days from 

the date of publication, unless we 

receive comments that result in a 

contrary determination. 

These amendments will read as set 

forth below.

Dated: September 9, 2004. 

William Eaton, 

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of 

Administration, Department of State.

Department of State 

Prefatory Statement of Routine Uses 

The following routine uses apply to, and 

are incorporated by reference into, each 

system of records set forth below: 

Law Enforcement 

In the event that a system of records 

maintained by this agency to carry out its 

functions indicates a violation or potential 

violation of law, whether civil, criminal or 

regulatory in nature, and whether arising by 

general statute or particular program statute, 

or by regulation, rule or order issued 

pursuant thereto, the relevant records in the 

system of records may be referred, as a 

routine use, to the appropriate agency, 

whether federal, state, local or foreign, 

charged with the responsibility of 

investigating or prosecuting such violation or 

charged with enforcing or implementing the 

statute, or rule, regulation or order issued 

pursuant thereto. 

Routine Use Amendment 1 

Terrorism and Homeland Security 

A record from the Department’s systems of 

records may be disclosed to the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation, the Terrorist Threat 

Integration Center (TTIC), or the Terrorist 

Screening Center (TSC), and other federal 

agencies (such as the Department of 

Homeland Security), for the integration and 

use of such information to protect against 

terrorism, if that record is about one or more 

individuals known, or suspected, to be or to 

have been involved in activities constituting, 

in preparation for, in aid of, or related to 

terrorism. Such information may be further 

disseminated by FBI, TTIC or TSC, and the 

agencies participating therein, to Federal, 

State, local, territorial, tribal, and foreign 

government authorities, and to support 

private sector processes as contemplated in 

Homeland Security Presidential Directive/

HSPD–6 and other relevant laws and 

directives, for terrorist screening, threatprotection and other homeland security 

purposes. 

Disclosure When Requesting Information 

A record from this system of records may 

be disclosed as a ‘‘routine use’’ to a federal, 

state or local agency maintaining civil, 

criminal or other relevant enforcement 

information or other pertinent information, 

such as current licenses, if necessary to 

obtain information relevant to an agency 

decision concerning the hiring or retention of 

an employee, the issuance of a security 

clearance, the letting of a contract, or the 

issuance of a license, grant or other benefit. 

Disclosure of Requested Information 

A record from this system of records may 

be disclosed to a federal agency, in response 

to its request, in connection with the hiring 

or retention of an employee, the issuance of 

a security clearance, the reporting of an 

investigation of an employee, the letting of a 

contract, or the issuance of a license, grant, 

or other benefit by the requesting agency, to 

the extent that the information is relevant 

and necessary to the requesting agency’s 

decision on the matter. A record from this 

system of records may be disclosed to a 

federal, state, local or foreign agency as a 

routine use response to such an agency’s 

request, where there is reason to believe that 

an individual has violated the law, whether 

civil, criminal or regulatory in nature, and 

whether arising by general statute or 

particular program statute, or by regulation, 

rule or order issued pursuant thereto, if 

necessary, and only to the extent necessary, 

to enable such agency to discharge its 

responsibilities of investigating or 

prosecuting such violation or its 

responsibilities with enforcing or 

implementing the statute, or rule, regulation 

or order issued pursuant thereto. A record 

from this system of records may be disclosed 

to a foreign agency as a routine response to 

such an agency’s request when the 

information is necessary for the foreign 

agency to adjudicate and determine an 

individual’s entitlement to rights and 

benefits, or obligations owed to the foreign 

agency, such as information necessary to 

establish identity or nationality. 

Office of Management and Budget 

The information contained in this system 

of records will be disclosed to the Office of 

Management and Budget in connection with 

review of private relief legislation, as set 

forth in OMB Circular No. A–19, at any stage 

of the legislative coordination and clearance 

process as set forth in that Circular.

Members of Congress 

Disclosure may be made to a congressional 

office from the record of an individual in 

response to an inquiry from the 

Congressional office made at the request of 

that individual. Contractor information from