10004 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices 

Please refer to the following Web sites 

for additional information: http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. 

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

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

You must provide ECA with a hard 

copy original plus one copy of the 

following reports: 

(1) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

(2) A concise, one-page final program 

report summarizing program outcomes 

no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. This one-page 

report will be transmitted to OMB, and 

be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

(3) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports. 

(4) Interim program and financial 

reports after each program phase, as 

required in the Bureau grant agreement. 

Award Recipients will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular project reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VI.4. Optional Program Data 

Requirements 

Award recipients will be required to 

maintain specific data on program 

participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible database format 

that can be shared with the Bureau as 

required. As a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information and biographic sketch of all 

persons who travel internationally on 

funds provided by the agreement or who 

benefit from the award funding but do 

not travel. 

(2) Itineraries of international and 

domestic travel, providing dates of 

travel and cities in which any exchange 

experiences take place. Final schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three work days prior to the 

official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: 

1. Intensive English Language 

Program: Vincent Pickett, 

PickettVS@state.gov, 202–632–3243. 

2. Capacity Building for 

Undergraduate Study Abroad: Contact: 

Bahareh Moradi, MoradiBX@state.gov, 

202–632–6350; or Carina Klein, 

KleinCD@state.gov, 202–632–9460. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/A–10– 

One-time-Comp. A. 

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: February 24, 2010. 

Maura M. Pally, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4561 Filed 3–3–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6912] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals (RFGP): One-time 

Competitive Grants Program— 

Competition B—Professional, Cultural, 

and Youth One-time Grants Program 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C–10–One-time-Comp. B. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.014. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: April 12, 2010. 

Executive Summary: This competition 

is one of two competitions that the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is conducting per the Conference 

Report (House Report 111–366) 

accompanying the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111– 

117) under Division F of the Department 

of State, Foreign Operations and Related 

Programs Appropriation Act 2010, 

‘‘Educational and Cultural Exchange 

Programs’’ in support of a $8 million 

‘‘One-Time Competitive Grants 

Program.’’ All applications must be 

submitted by public or private nonprofit organizations, meeting the 

provisions described in Internal 

Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3). Total funding for this ‘‘OneTime Competitive Grants Program’’ is $8 

million dollars. Four million will be 

dedicated to this competition, 

Competition B—Professional, Cultural 

and Youth One-time Grants Program— 

reference number ECA/PE/C–10–Onetime-Comp.B, and $4 million will be 

dedicated to and announced 

simultaneously in a separate RFGP, 

Academic Programs One-time Grants 

Program—reference number ECA/A–10– 

One-time-Comp.A. Please note: The 

Bureau reserves the right to reallocate 

funds it has initially allocated to each of 

these two competitions, based upon 

factors such as the number of 

applications received and 

responsiveness to the review criteria 

outlined in each of the solicitations. 

Applicants may submit only ONE 

proposal (TOTAL) to ONE of the two 

competitions referenced above. In 

addition, applicants under this 

competition, ECA/PE/C–10–One-timeComp.B may only apply to administer 

one of the listed activities (total). If 

multiple proposals are received from the 

same applicant, all submissions will be 

declared technically ineligible and will 

be given no further consideration in the 

review process. Eligible applicants are 

strongly encouraged to read both RFGPs 

thoroughly, prior to developing and 

submitting proposals, to ensure that 

proposed activities are appropriate and 

responsive to the goals, objectives and 

criteria outlined in each of the 

solicitations. 

As further directed by the Congress, 

‘‘The program shall be only for the 

actual exchange of people and should 

benefit a population that is not being 

addressed through existing authorized 

exchanges.’’ 

The Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs announces a 

competition for grants that support 

international exchanges in order to 

increase mutual understanding and 

build relationships, through individuals 

and organizations, between the people 

of the United States and their 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices 10005 

counterparts in other countries. The 

Bureau welcomes proposals from 

organizations that have not had a 

previous grant from the Bureau as well 

as from those which have; see eligibility 

information below and in section III. 

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. 

Background 

The Conference Agreement (House 

Report 111–366) accompanying the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 

(Pub. L. 111–117) under Division F of 

the Department of State, Foreign 

Operations and Related Programs 

Appropriation Act 2010, ‘‘Educational 

and Cultural Exchange Programs’’ 

provides support for a $8 million OneTime Competitive Grants Program. ‘‘The 

conferees also endorse language in the 

House and Senate Reports regarding this 

competitively awarded grants program.’’ 

As referenced in the Senate Report 

111–44, ‘‘* * * an exchange program 

that received a one-time grant in a 

previous year is ineligible for additional 

one-time funding, but the Committee 

encourages the Department to consider 

new proposals from previously funded 

grantees within discretionary funding if 

they meet appropriate guidelines. Please 

see eligibility information below and in 

section III. Programs shall support the 

actual exchange of people and should 

benefit a population that is not being 

addressed through existing authorized 

exchanges, such as exchanges with 

developing countries which target 

community leaders, students and youth 

with high financial need and minority 

and ethnic groups. 

Grants shall address issues of mutual 

interest to the United States and other 

countries, consistent with the program 

criteria established in Public Law 110– 

161. 

Purpose: ECA anticipates awarding 

approximately 12–15 grants under this 

FY 2010 Competition B Professional, 

Cultural, and Youth One-time Grants 

Program. Each grant should sponsor an 

exchange of approximately equal 

numbers of American participants 

traveling to the partner country(ies) and 

participants from the partner 

country(ies) traveling to the U.S. In 

addition, the projects should set clear 

learning objectives for both foreign and 

American participants, thereby 

supporting the Fulbright-Hays Act 

purpose of increasing mutual 

understanding. Also, the applicant 

should have the necessary capacity in 

the partner country through their own 

overseas offices or a partner institution 

to carry out the proposed project. 

Proposals must respond to one specific 

theme under one of the following 

programs: 

Emerging Youth Leaders: For high 

school students (ages 15–17) and 

educators. 

1. Democracy and Free Expression in 

Civil Society. 

Emerging Young Professionals: For 

young adults (ages 22–35). 

1. Environmental issues. 

2. Post-conflict governing. 

3. Development of Grassroots 

Organizations for Women. 

4. Good government/Rule of Law. 

5. Community-based Volunteerism. 

Emerging Cultural Leaders: ‘‘Rooted in 

the Arts’’ program for U.S. performing 

artists (ages 25–35) and teachers. 

Please note each of the 

aforementioned programs is limited to 

specific countries. More detailed 

descriptions of these programs, themes 

and eligible countries are included 

below. 

In order to emphasize ECA’s interest 

in clarity of project purpose and, later, 

to track projects and to evaluate their 

results, all proposals must be presented 

in the following order: 

Tab A—Application for Federal 

Assistance Cover Sheet 

Tab B—Executive Summary 

In one double-spaced page, provide 

the following information: 

1. Names of the applicant 

organization and other participating 

institutions, both American and foreign. 

2. Beginning and ending dates of the 

project. 

3. Grant theme being addressed. 

4. Numbers of American and foreign 

participants. 

5. Types and approximate dates of 

project activities and their venues. 

6. Total number of exchange days, 

including only those days when 

international travelers are in program 

status in the partnering country. 

Tab C—Narrative 

In no more than 20 double-spaced, 

single-sided pages, use the following 

format to describe the proposed project 

in detail: 

A. Purpose 

1. Definition of the overall goal to be 

pursued through a two-way exchange 

project. Name the theme from those 

listed under Emerging Youth Leaders, 

Emerging Young Professionals, or 

Emerging Cultural Leaders into which 

this goal should fit. 

2. Country or countries to take part, 

and why chosen. 

3. Category of persons to participate, 

with explanation of why that category is 

chosen and how it fits the requirement 

that it is a population that is not being 

addressed through existing authorized 

exchanges. 

4. Description of program activities to 

take place (e.g., workshops, internships, 

community service, job shadowing, 

model site visits, cultural activities, etc). 

B. Objectives: Based on the purpose 

described above, delineate your 

project’s main objectives (no more than 

five) and outcomes you expect as a 

result of your project’s activities. For 

each outcome, please state the time 

frame for achievement. Your objectives 

and outcomes should be realistic in 

scope. They should be guided by one or 

more of the following questions. (Please 

see section IV.3d.3. Project Monitoring 

and Evaluation for assistance in 

identifying and defining outcomes.) 

1. What specifically will participants, 

U.S. and foreign, learn as a result of this 

project? 

2. What new attitudes will 

participants, U.S. and foreign, develop, 

or what new ideas will they encounter 

as a result of this project? 

3. How will the participants’ behavior 

change as a result of this project? What 

new actions will they take? 

4. Will participants be a catalyst for 

change in their schools, work-places, 

communities, or institutions? How so? 

C. Evaluation: The Bureau places high 

importance on monitoring and 

evaluation as a means of ensuring and 

measuring a project’s success. Proposals 

must include a detailed monitoring and 

evaluation plan that assesses the impact 

of the project. Please refer to section. 

IV.3d.3. Project Monitoring and 

Evaluation below. 

Tab D—Budget 

Both a summary budget for 

administrative and programmatic 

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10006 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices 

expenses and a detailed, line-item 

budget must be presented in the threecolumn format illustrated in the PSI. 

Eligible expenses are described in IV.3e 

of this RFGP and in the PSI. Enough 

information should be provided so that 

reviewers can determine how line-item 

totals were calculated. 

Tab E—Letters of Endorsement and 

Resumes 

Resumes should not exceed two pages 

each. 

Tab F—Copy of IRS Notification of 

Current Tax-exempt Status, SF–424B, 

and Other Attachments if Applicable 

Please refer to the Proposal 

Submission Instructions (PSI) document 

for detailed information on proposal 

structuring and formatting. 

Emerging Youth Leaders 

Program Contact: Anna Mussman, tel: 

202–632–6427, e-mail 

MussmanAP@state.gov. 

The Emerging Youth Leaders program 

provides opportunities for high school 

students (ages 15–17) and educators in 

the United States and in Mongolia, 

Indonesia or Rwanda to participate in 

two-way exchanges, each three to four 

weeks in duration. This project explores 

a specific theme designed to develop 

critical leadership skills for aspiring 

young leaders and encourages respect 

for diversity, fosters mutual 

understanding, and promotes critical 

thinking. An essential element of this 

project is to build mutual understanding 

and respect among the people of the 

United States and the people of the 

exchange partner country. 

The overarching goals are: 

1. To develop a sense of civic 

responsibility and commitment to the 

global community; 

2. To instill an appreciation of first 

amendment ideals, particularly the 

importance of free expression in a 

democracy; 

3. To promote mutual understanding 

between the United States and the 

people of other countries around topics 

of common interest; and to foster 

personal and institutional ties between 

participants and partner countries. 

The applicant should present a program 

plan that allows the participants to 

thoroughly explore the project themes 

in a creative, memorable, and practical 

way. Activities should be designed to be 

replicable and provide practical 

knowledge and skills that the 

participants can apply to school and 

civic activities at home. 

Applicants will manage the design 

and planning of activities that provide 

a substantive, educational program on 

leadership, critical thinking, and youth 

activism, as well as on the specified 

theme, through academic, virtual and 

extracurricular components. Activities 

should take place in schools, online and 

in the community. Community service 

must also be included. It is crucial that 

programming involve the participants’ 

peers in the host countries whenever 

possible. The program will also include 

opportunities for the educators to work 

with their American peers and other 

professionals and volunteers to help 

them foster youth leadership, civic 

education, new media outreach, and 

community service programs at home. 

A successful project will be one that 

nurtures a cadre of students and 

educators to be actively engaged in 

addressing issues of concern in their 

schools and communities upon their 

return home. Project activities will 

equip youth with the knowledge, skills, 

and confidence to become citizen 

activists and ethical leaders, including 

in cyberspace. Participants will be 

engaged in a variety of activities such as 

workshops, community and/or schoolbased programs, seminars, weblogs and 

other activities that focus on the 

fundamentals of free expression that are 

found in the First Amendment to the 

U.S. Constitution: Freedom of religion, 

speech, press, assembly and petition. 

Multiple opportunities for participants 

to interact with youth and educators in 

the host country must be included. 

Participants will have homestays with 

local families for the majority of the 

exchange period, although participants 

may spend a modest portion of their 

time as a group in a hotel or dormitory 

setting. Applicants must outline their 

plan for recruiting, screening and 

orienting host families (who will 

provide both food and lodging), as well 

as a plan for appropriate supervision of 

participants in other living 

arrangements. 

Grant recipients will recruit and 

select the participants in the United 

States, as well as in the partner country 

through close consultation with the 

relevant U.S. Embassy; organize all 

exchange activities in the participating 

countries; and implement follow-on 

activities in which participants may 

apply at home what they have learned 

during the exchange. 

The project will provide participants 

with a theoretical framework that will 

be underpinned by site visits that 

illustrate methods and strategies of 

practical implementation. The project 

will also help the participants develop 

leadership skills, such as influential 

public speaking, team-building, and 

goal-setting, so that they are prepared to 

take action with what they have learned. 

Themes and Eligible Partner 

Countries: 

ECA will accept proposals in the 

specific theme and corresponding 

countries as indicated below. A singlecountry project is a two-way exchange 

between the United States and a single 

partner country. Applicants should 

present a rationale for their approach. 

Proposals that target countries or themes 

not listed in this solicitation will be 

deemed technically ineligible. 

(1) Democracy, Free Expression and 

Governance in Civil Society: 

ECA welcomes proposals that will 

explore the fundamentals of a civil 

society as related to first amendment 

ideals, with a special focus on free 

expression. Proposed programs will 

promote a respect for transparent 

governance that is responsive to 

citizens’ concerns and increase 

participant understanding of first 

amendment principals so that citizens 

can improve governance, fight 

corruption, and ensure accountability. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries: 

Africa: Rwanda. 

East Asia and Pacific: Indonesia 

(single-country project only, Mongolia 

(single-country project only) 

Proposal narratives must demonstrate 

the applicant’s capacity in the partner 

country through their own offices or a 

partner institution to successfully 

conduct the proposed exchange 

activities. The requisite capacity 

overseas includes the ability to organize 

substantive exchange activities for the 

American participants, provide followon activities, and handle the logistical 

and financial arrangements. 

Applicants should propose the time 

periods of the two exchanges, but the 

exact timing of the project may be 

altered through the mutual agreement of 

the Department of State and the grant 

recipient. The program should be no 

less than three weeks and up to four 

weeks in duration. 

These two-way exchanges should 

involve the same communities in each 

country, as the second reciprocal 

exchange will help reinforce the 

relationships and program content 

developed during the first exchange. 

Project staff should help facilitate 

regular program-oriented 

communication among the exchange 

participants between the two exchanges, 

including via the Internet, Skype and 

other new media. 

The exchange participants will be 

high school students between the ages 

of 15 and 17 who have demonstrated 

leadership abilities in their schools and/ 

or communities, and have at least one 

year of high school remaining after the 

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completion of the exchange. The adult 

participants will be high school teachers 

or community leaders who work with 

youth. They will have a demonstrated 

interest in youth leadership and will be 

expected to remain in positions where 

they can continue to work with youth. 

The ratio of youth to adults should be 

between 5:1 and 10:1. Participants will 

be proficient in the English language. 

Emerging Young Professionals 

Program Contacts: 

For Programs based in: 

Africa: Curtis Huff: tel: 202–632– 

6053, e-mail: HuffCE@state.gov. 

East Asia and the Pacific: Adam 

Meier: tel: 202–632–6071, e-mail: 

MeierAW2@state.gov. 

Europe: Linnea Allison, tel: 202–632– 

6060, e-mail: AllisonLA@state.gov. 

Near East and North Africa: Thomas 

Johnston: tel: 202–632–6056, e-mail: 

JohnstonTA@state.gov. 

South and Central Asia: Brent 

Beemer: tel: 202–632–6067, e-mail: 

BeemerBT@state.gov. 

The Western Hemisphere: Carol 

Herrera: tel: 202–632–6052, e-mail: 

HerreraCA1@state.gov. 

The Emerging Young Professionals 

program offers opportunities for young 

adults (approximately 22–35 years old) 

to participate in two-way exchanges of 

approximately three to four weeks or 

more in duration to develop their 

leadership skills and to increase mutual 

understanding between their countries 

and the United States. Exchange 

projects should build participants’ 

leadership skills, including how to 

conceptualize and develop projects to 

reach diverse citizenry, using clear 

objectives, solid management structures 

and evaluation feedback mechanisms 

for projects at the local level. 

Participants should be community 

leaders, political leaders, educators, 

and/or advocates for youth, or persons 

who show the capacity to become 

effective in those roles. 

Projects should be two-way in 

purpose and implementation, with 

approximately equal numbers of 

participants traveling to and from the 

United States for approximately equal 

periods of time. Consistent with this 

approach, project plans should promote 

learning and teaching by participants 

from all countries in the project to 

promote mutual understanding and 

build individual and institutional 

partnerships that are likely to continue 

beyond the grant project. Proposals that 

clearly delineate salient objectives in 

measurable terms and plan activities in 

a sequence that will progressively lead 

to achieving those objectives, will be 

considered more competitive on the 

review criterion of ability to achieve 

program objectives. 

Themes and Eligible Partner 

Countries: 

ECA will consider proposals for either 

single-country or multi-country projects. 

A single-country project is a two-way 

exchange between the United States and 

a single partner country. A multicountry project involves participants 

from more than one country coming to 

the United States together, and 

American participants traveling to those 

countries. The Bureau prefers projects 

that will engage both Americans and 

international participants deeply 

enough that relationships will continue 

beyond the grant-funded activities. 

Competitive proposals will be those that 

demonstrate why any country or group 

of countries has been identified for a 

specific project and outline why the 

specific group of participants to be 

selected from that country/countries is 

an effective group to achieve project 

objectives. Proposals that target 

countries or themes not listed in this 

solicitation will be deemed technically 

ineligible. No guarantee is made or 

implied that grants will be awarded in 

all themes and for all countries listed. 

Organizations should consider current 

U.S. Department of State travel 

advisories when selecting the countries 

with which they would like to work. 

1. Environmental issues: These 

projects should focus on a shared 

environmental issue of the participating 

countries (e.g., use of natural resources, 

pollution, sustainable energy, recycling, 

land management). Participants should 

jointly examine a problem or group of 

issues, through study of public interest 

and government policy statements, and 

then participate in experiential learning 

exercises to build mutual approaches to 

the issue, and develop their own 

recommendations for addressing it. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

Africa: Nigeria. 

East Asia & the Pacific: China. 

Europe: Russia. 

Near East & North Africa: Egypt, 

Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority. 

2. Post-conflict governance: These 

projects are for countries that are 

emerging from regional or civil war in 

recent years. Projects should allow 

participants to experience creative 

approaches to governing in a postconflict country. Developing working 

relationships with colleagues from 

opposite sides of a past conflict; 

breaking down barriers to implement 

governmental administration; and how a 

new post-conflict government promotes 

tolerance and diversity should be 

addressed in these projects. Participants 

should practice different methods and 

receive hands-on experiential learning. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

Africa: Angola, Mozambique. 

Europe: Republic of Ireland, Northern 

Ireland (UK) (both must be included). 

South/Central Asia: Nepal, Sri Lanka. 

3. Development of Grassroots 

Organizations for Women: These 

projects should work to expand the 

capacity of grassroots organizations that 

advocate empowering women. Projects 

should work to build capacity in 

practice, giving locally-based leaders 

opportunities to adopt best practices by 

doing. Projects might address 

trafficking, the role and rights of 

women, domestic violence, and 

women’s empowerment. When possible, 

joint projects should be developed, 

implemented, monitored and evaluated 

by both the U.S. and international sides. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

Africa: Benin, Togo. 

Near East and North Africa: Jordan, 

Palestinian Authority, Syria. 

Western Hemisphere: Belize (and at 

least one of the following countries): 

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, 

Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama. 

4. Good government/Rule of Law: 

These projects could address issues of 

corruption, the need to develop 

transparent procedures of lawmaking 

and enforcement, the strengthening of 

judicial independence, the importance 

of accountability in law enforcement, or 

the training of civil servants. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

Africa: Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, 

South Africa. 

East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, 

East Timor, Laos. 

Europe: Georgia, Russia, Ukraine. 

Near East and North Africa: Egypt, 

Palestinian Authority. 

5. Community-based Volunteerism: 

These programs should highlight the 

benefits, organizations, and 

implementations of community-based 

volunteerism programs in the United 

States and overseas. How these 

programs are arranged, how volunteers 

are recruited, and how the projects 

implementation are done should be 

covered. 

Geographic Regions and Eligible 

Countries 

Africa: Botswana. 

Near East and North Africa: Egypt, 

Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian Authority. 

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10008 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices 

South/Central Asia: Bangladesh, 

India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. 

Western Hemisphere: Dominican 

Republic, Haiti (joint projects where 

applicable). 

Proposal narratives must demonstrate 

the applicant’s capacity in the partner 

country through their own offices or a 

partner institution to successfully 

conduct the proposed exchange 

activities. The requisite capacity 

overseas includes the ability to organize 

substantive exchange activities for the 

American participants, provide followon activities, and handle the logistical 

and financial arrangements. 

Emerging Cultural Leaders 

Program Contact: Catherine StaplesRandolph, tel: 202–632–6425, e-mail: 

StaplesCD@state.gov. 

The ‘Rooted in the Arts’ program 

provides opportunities for U.S. 

musicians (ages 25–35), authors, 

creative writers, teachers and students 

to build long-term sustainable linkages 

with their counterparts in selected 

countries. The project should connect 

economically and socially diverse 

populations of high school and/or 

college students and their teachers in 

the U.S. with comparable populations in 

the selected countries. The project must 

include two-way physical exchanges of 

musicians, authors, and teachers (but 

not students), each two to four weeks in 

duration. It must also include social 

media communications technology, 

such as Internet-based social 

networking, online learning 

communities, or videoconferencing to 

provide the participants with ongoing 

opportunities to communicate with 

their counterparts abroad. It is expected 

that communication via technology will 

be a core aspect of the project 

experience for all participants, and that 

physical exchanges may be available 

only to a subset of project participants. 

Projects must present an opportunity for 

participants to explore and learn about 

their own and another country’s history 

and culture through music and/or the 

literary arts. Activities should include 

artistic performances, workshops, 

readings, lecture demonstrations, 

contextual learning, and on-going 

technology-based dialogues and virtual 

exchanges. 

The overarching goals are: 

1. To articulate identity through 

artistic expression, gain respect for the 

identity and artistic expression of 

another culture; 

2. To learn about participants’ own 

and another country’s history through 

their music and/or literary arts; 

3. To incorporate cultural awareness 

and build mutual understanding and 

respect for other countries; 

4. To foster continuing personal and 

institutional ties between participants 

and partner countries. 

A successful project will equip 

participating musicians, authors, 

teachers, and college and/or high school 

students with an understanding of how 

music and/or the literary arts open a 

window into a country’s history. For the 

teachers, it will also provide insight on 

how music and/or the literary arts can 

be used as a tool to educate students 

about their country and their culture. 

During their exchange experience, 

participants should engage in a variety 

of activities such as performances, 

workshops, readings, community- and/ 

or learning-based programs, seminars, 

and other activities designed to achieve 

the program’s stated goals. We 

encourage exchange projects that 

require collaborative work across 

cultures, that include a public 

presentation, and that involve public 

schools and colleges in the U.S. and 

abroad. 

Proposal narratives must demonstrate 

the applicant’s capacity in the partner 

country through their own offices or a 

partner institution to successfully 

conduct the proposed exchange 

activities. The requisite capacity 

includes the ability to recruit and select 

participants in both the United States 

and the partner countries in close 

consultation with the relevant U.S. 

Embassies; to organize substantive 

exchange activities in the participating 

countries; to handle the logistical and 

financial arrangements; and to 

implement follow-on alumni activities 

in which participants may locally apply 

what they learned during the exchange. 

Cost sharing provided by the grantee 

organization may be used for 

presentation costs in the United States 

and should be noted in the budget. 

Proposals must describe a selection 

process for American and international 

participants and demonstrate how the 

participant group represents an underserved community. For example, an 

under-served community could be 

economically disadvantaged, 

geographically isolated or experience 

low literacy rates. Selected participants 

should demonstrate a commitment to 

leadership in their communities. If 

participants are not fluent in English, 

proposals should include provision for 

interpretation as necessary. 

Applicants should identify which 

literary or musical genres will be 

included in the exchange and 

demonstrate how each part of the twoway exchange will accomplish the overarching goals of this competition. 

Proposals might focus exclusively on an 

exchange in one field, such as urban or 

blues music. 

Alternatively, a more communitybased project could include artists from 

various musical and/or literary arts 

fields, as a well as a representative of a 

community arts organization. Literature/ 

writing projects should be in the 

creative writing field. All projects must 

include an examination of cultural 

diversity, history and the arts as a 

means of educational outreach and civic 

engagement. 

Proposed Partner Countries 

ECA will accept proposals for either 

single-country or multi-country projects. 

We can only accept proposals for 

projects with the countries listed below. 

A single-country project is a two-way 

exchange between the United States and 

a single partner country. With a multicountry project, participants from the 

partner countries should travel to the 

United States together; the American 

participants’ exchange travel may be to 

just one or to all of the partner 

countries, depending on the applicant 

organization’s program design and 

objectives. Applicants should present a 

rationale for their approach. No 

guarantee is made or implied that grants 

will be awarded in all themes and for all 

countries listed. Organizations should 

consider current U.S. Department of 

State travel advisories when selecting 

the countries with which they would 

like to work. 

Eligible Countries 

South Africa, Indonesia, Syria, 

Mexico, India. 

Applicants should propose the period 

of the two exchange components and 

explain how together the exchange in 

each direction will accomplish project 

objectives. The exact timing of the 

project may be altered through the 

mutual agreement of the Department of 

State and the grant recipient. Each 

exchange component should be no less 

than two weeks and up to four weeks in 

duration. Program development should 

begin in late summer/early fall 2010. 

Applicants must include letters of 

support in their proposals. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY–2010. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$4,000,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 12– 

15. 

Approximate Average Award: 

$350,000. 

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Ceiling of Award Range: Up to 

$500,000 for each award. 

Anticipated Award Date: August 

2010. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

August 2012. 

Additional Information: As stipulated 

in the legislation, this is a competitive 

one-time grants program. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications 

must be submitted by public and private 

non-profit organizations meeting the 

provisions described in Internal 

Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). 

Organizations listed in the House 

Report 111–187 and the Senate Report 

111–44 under ‘‘Educational and Cultural 

Exchange Programs’’ are encouraged to 

apply. 

Per Senate Report 111–44, ‘‘The 

Committee notes that an exchange 

program that received a one-time grant 

in a previous year is ineligible for 

additional one-time funding, but the 

Committee encourages the Department 

to consider new proposals from 

previously funded grantees within 

discretionary funding if they meet 

appropriate guidelines.’’ Please see 

section III.3. Other Eligibility 

Requirements, below. 

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 the 

highest possible levels of cost sharing 

and funding in support of its projects, 

noting that cost sharing is one of the 

criteria for reviewing proposals. 

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, written 

records must be maintained to support 

all costs which are claimed as 

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 the 

minimum amount of cost sharing is not 

provided as stipulated in the approved 

budget, ECA’s contribution will be 

reduced in like proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: 

(a.) Grants awarded to eligible 

organizations with less than four years 

of experience in conducting 

international exchange programs will be 

limited to $60,000. Therefore, 

applicants should explain, with 

examples, their experience in 

conducting international exchanges, 

and, if that experience is less than four 

years, should limit their proposed grant 

budgets to $60,000. 

(b.) Technical Eligibility: All 

proposals must comply with the 

following: 

—Eligible applicants may submit only 

ONE proposal (TOTAL) for ONE of 

the two competitions referenced in 

the Executive Summary Section of 

this document. If multiple proposals 

are received from the same applicant, 

all submissions from that applicant 

will be declared technically ineligible 

and will be given no further 

consideration in the review process. 

In addition, applicants under this 

competition: ECA/PE/C–10–One-timeComp. B) may only apply to 

administer one of the listed activities 

(total). 

—Proposals requesting funding for 

infrastructure development activities, 

sometimes referred to as ‘‘bricks and 

mortar support,’’ are NOT eligible for 

consideration under this competition 

and will be declared technically 

ineligible and will receive no further 

consideration in the review process. 

—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. 

—An exchange program/activity that 

was funded under one-time grant 

competitions in previous years, (FY– 

2008 Competitive One-time Grants 

Program—Reference numbers: ECA/ 

A–08–One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/ 

C–08–One-time-Comp. B; or the FY– 

2009 Competitive One-time Grants 

Program—Reference numbers: ECA/ 

A–09–One-time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/ 

C–09 One-time-Comp. B) is ineligible 

for additional one-time funding under 

this competition. However, 

‘‘previously funded grantees’’ under 

previous one–time competitions, 

referenced above, may submit 

proposals under this competition, if 

the proposal is for a new exchange 

program. Applications submitted by 

prior–year one-time grant recipients 

must include in their proposal 

narrative/submission a narrative 

description of the specific elements 

that make their submission under the 

FY–2010 one-time competition a new 

exchange program, rather than a 

repetition, or extension to what was 

funded by ECA under a prior year 

award. Elements that would 

contribute to the program’s being 

considered ‘‘new’’ for the purposes of 

this competition would include: new 

overseas partner institution(s), a new 

country and/or world region of 

activity, a substantially different 

thematic topic, a new participant 

profile. Final determination of a 

proposal’s eligibility as a ‘‘new’’ 

activity will be made by the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs. If 

the application does not include a 

narrative explaining how the project 

qualifies as ‘‘new,’’ it will be declared 

technically ineligible and will receive 

no further consideration in the review 

process. 

Please refer to the Proposal 

Submission Instructions (PSI) document 

for additional requirements. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries or 

submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not 

discuss this competition with applicants 

until the proposal review process has been 

completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information To Request 

an Application Package: 

Please contact David Gustafson, Office 

of Citizen Exchanges ECA/PE/C, SA–5, 

Third Floor, U.S. Department of State, 

2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20522–0504, (202) 632–6083, fax: (202) 

632–9355, GustafsonDP@state.gov to 

request a Solicitation Package. Please 

refer to Funding Opportunity Number 

ECA/PE/C–10–One-time-Comp.B also 

located at the top of this announcement 

when making your request. 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

document which consists of required 

application forms, and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation. 

Please specify Program Coordinator 

David Gustafson, and refer to the 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/ 

C–10–One-time-Comp.B located at the 

top of this announcement on all other 

inquiries and correspondence. 

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation 

Package Via Internet: 

The entire Solicitation Package may 

be downloaded from the Bureau’s Web 

site at http://exchanges.state.gov/ 

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 seven copies of the 

application should be sent per the 

instructions under IV.3e. ‘‘Submission 

Dates and Times section’’ below. 

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IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun 

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number to 

apply for a grant or cooperative 

agreement from the U.S. Government. 

This number is a nine-digit 

identification number, which uniquely 

identifies business entities. Obtaining a 

DUNS number is easy and there is no 

charge. To obtain a DUNS number, 

access http:// 

www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1– 

866–705–5711. Please ensure that your 

DUNS number is included in the 

appropriate box of the SF–424 which is 

part of the formal application package. 

IV.3b. All proposals must contain an 

executive summary, proposal narrative 

and budget. The summary and narrative 

must be presented in double-spaced 

typing. 

IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status 

with the IRS at the time of application. 

Please note: Effective January 7, 2009, 

all applicants for ECA federal assistance 

awards must include in their 

application the names of directors and/ 

or senior executives (current officers, 

trustees, and key employees, regardless 

of amount of compensation). In 

fulfilling this requirement, applicants 

must submit information in one of the 

following ways: 

(1) Those who file Internal Revenue 

Service Form 990, ‘‘Return of 

Organization Exempt From Income 

Tax,’’ must include a copy of relevant 

portions of this form. 

(2) Those who do not file IRS Form 

990 must submit information above in 

the format of their choice. 

In addition to final project reporting 

requirements, award recipients will also 

be required to submit a one-page 

document, derived from their project 

reports, listing and describing their 

grant activities. For award recipients, 

the names of directors and/or senior 

executives (current officers, trustees, 

and key employees), as well as the onepage description of grant activities, will 

be transmitted by the State Department 

to OMB, along with other information 

required by the Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA), and will be made available to 

the public by the Office of Management 

and Budget on its USASpending.gov 

Web site as part of ECA’s FFATA 

reporting requirements. 

Please Note: 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 62, 

which covers the administration of the 

Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 

organizations receiving awards (either a 

grant or cooperative agreement) under 

this RFGP will be third parties 

‘‘cooperating with or assisting the 

sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor’s 

program.’’ The actions of recipient 

organizations shall be ‘‘imputed to the 

sponsor in evaluating the sponsor’s 

compliance with’’ 22 CFR 62. Therefore, 

the Bureau expects that any 

organization receiving an award under 

this competition will render all 

assistance necessary to enable the 

Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 62 

et seq. 

The Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs places critically 

important emphases on the secure and 

proper administration of Exchange 

Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence 

by recipient organizations and program 

participants to all regulations governing 

the J visa program status. Therefore, 

proposals should explicitly state in 

writing that the applicant is prepared to 

assist the Bureau in meeting all 

requirements governing the 

administration of Exchange Visitor 

Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 62. If 

your organization has experience as a 

designated Exchange Visitor Program 

Sponsor, the applicant should discuss 

their record of compliance with 22 CFR 

62 et seq., including the oversight of 

their Responsible Officers and Alternate 

Responsible Officers, screening and 

selection of program participants, 

provision of pre-arrival information and 

orientation to participants, monitoring 

of participants, proper maintenance and 

security of forms, recordkeeping, 

reporting and other requirements. 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of 

ECA will be responsible for issuing DS– 

2019 forms to participants in this 

program. 

A copy of the complete regulations 

governing the administration of 

Exchange Visitor (J) programs is 

available at http://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: Office of Designation, ECA/EC/ 

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

Washington, DC 20522–0582. 

IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines 

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing 

legislation, projects 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 project administration 

and in project 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 project contents, to 

the full extent deemed feasible. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation 

Proposals must include a plan to 

monitor and evaluate the project’s 

success, both as the activities unfold 

and at the end of the program. The 

Bureau recommends that your proposal 

include a draft survey questionnaire or 

other technique plus a description of a 

methodology to use to link outcomes to 

original project objectives. The Bureau 

expects that the recipient organization 

will track participants or partners and 

be able to respond to key evaluation 

questions, including satisfaction with 

the program, learning as a result of the 

program, changes in behavior as a result 

of the program, and effects of the 

program on institutions (institutions in 

which participants work or partner 

institutions). The evaluation plan 

should include indicators that measure 

gains in mutual understanding as well 

as substantive knowledge. 

Successful monitoring and evaluation 

depend heavily on setting clear goals 

and outcomes at the outset of a program. 

Your evaluation plan should include a 

description of your project’s objectives, 

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your anticipated project outcomes, and 

how and when you intend to measure 

these outcomes (performance 

indicators). The more that outcomes are 

‘‘smart’’ (specific, measurable, attainable, 

results-oriented, and placed in a 

reasonable time frame), the easier it will 

be to conduct the evaluation. You 

should also show how your project 

objectives link to the goals of the 

program described in this RFGP. 

Your monitoring and evaluation plan 

should clearly distinguish between 

program outputs and outcomes. Outputs 

are products and services delivered, 

often stated as an amount. Output 

information is important to show the 

scope or size of project activities, but it 

cannot substitute for information about 

progress towards outcomes or the 

results achieved. Examples of outputs 

include the number of people trained or 

the number of seminars conducted. 

Outcomes, in contrast, represent 

specific results a project is intended to 

achieve and is usually measured as an 

extent of change. Findings on outputs 

and outcomes should both be reported, 

but the focus should be on outcomes. 

We encourage you to assess the 

following four levels of outcomes, as 

they relate to the program goals set out 

in the RFGP (listed here in increasing 

order of importance): 

1. Participant satisfaction with the 

program and exchange experience. 

2. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

3. Participant behavior, concrete 

actions to apply knowledge in work or 

community; greater participation and 

responsibility in civic organizations; 

interpretation and explanation of 

experiences and new knowledge gained; 

continued contacts between 

participants, community members, and 

others. 

4. Institutional changes, such as 

increased collaboration and 

partnerships, policy reforms, new 

programming, and organizational 

improvements. 

Please note: Consideration should be given 

to the appropriate timing of data collection 

for each level of outcome. For example, 

satisfaction is usually captured as a shortterm outcome, whereas behavior and 

institutional changes are normally 

considered longer-term outcomes. 

Overall, the quality of your 

monitoring and evaluation plan will be 

judged on how well it (1) Specifies 

intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 

descriptions of how each outcome will 

be measured; (3) identifies when 

particular outcomes will be measured; 

and (4) provides a clear description of 

the data collection strategies for each 

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

focus groups). (Please note that 

evaluation plans that deal only with the 

first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) 

Recipient organizations will be 

required to provide reports analyzing 

their evaluation findings to the Bureau 

in their regular program reports. All 

data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

IV.3e. Please take the following 

information into consideration when 

preparing the proposal budget: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF– 

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

comprehensive budget for the entire 

project. There must be a summary 

budget as well as breakdowns reflecting 

both administrative and program 

budgets. Applicants may provide 

separate sub-budgets for each project 

component, phase, location, or activity 

to provide clarification. 

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the 

project include the following: 

(1) Travel. International and domestic 

airfare; visas; transit costs; ground 

transportation costs. Please note that all 

air travel must be in compliance with 

the Fly America Act. There is no charge 

for J–1 visas for participants in Bureausponsored programs. 

(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:// 

www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView

.do?contentId=17943&contentType=

GSA_BASIC. 

Living costs during foreign-based 

activities must not exceed USGapproved per diem rates, which can be 

found at http://Aoprals.State.Gov/

Content.Asp?Content_Id=

184&Menu_Id=81. 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times 

Application Deadline Date: April 12, 

2010. 

Methods of Submission: 

Applications may be submitted in one 

of two ways: 

(1.) In hard-copy, via a nationally 

recognized overnight delivery service 

(i.e., Federal Express, UPS, or U.S. 

Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, 

etc.), or 

(2.) Electronically through http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

Along with the Project Title, all 

applicants must enter the competition 

Reference Number ECA/PE/C–10–Onetime-Comp.B in Box 11 on the SF–424 

contained in the mandatory Proposal 

Submission Instructions (PSI) of the 

solicitation document. 

IV.3f.1—Submitting Printed 

Applications 

Applications must be shipped no later 

than the above deadline. Delivery 

services used by applicants must have 

in-place, centralized shipping 

identification and tracking systems that 

may be accessed via the Internet and 

delivery people who are identifiable by 

commonly recognized uniforms and 

delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on 

or before the above deadline but 

received at ECA more than seven days 

after the deadline will be ineligible for 

further consideration under this 

competition. Proposals shipped after the 

established deadlines are ineligible for 

consideration under this competition. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

application. It is each applicant’s 

responsibility to ensure that each 

package is marked with a legible 

tracking number and to monitor/confirm 

delivery to ECA via the Internet. 

Delivery of proposal packages may not 

be made via local courier service or in 

person for this competition. Faxed 

documents will not be accepted at any 

time. Only proposals submitted as 

stated above will be considered. 

Important note: When preparing your 

submission please make sure to include one 

extra copy of the completed SF–424 form and 

place it in an envelope addressed to ‘‘ECA/ 

EX/PM’’. 

Applicants must also submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ and budget sections of the 

proposal as well as any essential 

attachments, in Microsoft Word and/or 

Excel on a CD–ROM. The Bureau will 

provide these files electronically to the 

appropriate Public Affairs Sections at 

the U.S. Embassies for their review. 

The original and seven copies of the 

application should be sent to: U.S. 

Department of State, Program 

Management Division, ECA–IIP/EX/PM, 

Ref.: ECA/PE/C–10–One-time-Comp.B, 

SA–5, Floor 4, Department of State, 

2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20522–0504. 

Applicants submitting hard-copy 

applications must also submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ and ‘‘Budget’’ sections of the 

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proposal in text (.txt) or Microsoft Word 

format on a PC-formatted disk. The 

Bureau will provide these files 

electronically to the appropriate Public 

Affairs Section(s) at the U.S. 

embassy(ies) for its(their) review. 

IV.3f.2—Submitting Electronic 

Applications 

Applicants have the option of 

submitting proposals electronically 

through Grants.gov (http:// 

www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation 

packages are available at Grants.gov in 

the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system. 

Please follow the instructions 

available in the ‘Get Started’ portion of 

the site (http://www.grants.gov/ 

GetStarted). 

Several of the steps in the Grants.gov 

registration process could take several 

weeks. Therefore, applicants should 

check with appropriate staff within their 

organizations immediately after 

reviewing this RFGP to confirm or 

determine their registration status with 

Grants.gov. 

Once registered, the amount of time it 

can take to upload an application will 

vary depending on a variety of factors 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your internet connection. 

In addition, validation of an electronic 

submission via Grants.gov can take up 

to two business days. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend 

that you not wait until the application 

deadline to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

The Grants.gov Web site includes 

extensive information on all phases/ 

aspects of the Grants.gov process, 

including a lengthy section on 

frequently asked questions, located 

under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of 

the Web site. ECA strongly recommends 

that all potential applicants review 

thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, 

well in advance of submitting a 

proposal through the Grants.gov system. 

ECA bears no responsibility for data 

errors resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

Direct all questions regarding 

Grants.gov registration and submission 

to: 

Grants.gov Customer Support. 

Contact Center Phone: 800–518–4726. 

Business Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 

a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time. 

E-mail: support@grants.gov. 

Applicants have until midnight (12 

a.m.), Washington, DC time of the 

closing date to ensure that their entire 

application has been uploaded to the 

Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions 

to the above deadline. Applications 

uploaded to the site after midnight of 

the application deadline date will be 

automatically rejected by the grants.gov 

system, and will be technically 

ineligible. 

Please refer to the Grants.gov Web 

site, for definitions of various 

‘‘application statuses’’ and the difference 

between a submission receipt and a 

submission validation. Applicants will 

receive a validation e-mail from 

grants.gov upon the successful 

submission of an application. Again, 

validation of an electronic submission 

via Grants.gov can take up to two 

business days. Therefore, we strongly 

recommend that you not wait until the 

application deadline to begin the 

submission process through Grants.gov. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

electronic applications. 

It is the responsibility of all 

applicants submitting proposals via the 

Grants.gov Web portal to ensure that 

proposals have been received by 

Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA 

bears no responsibility for data errors 

resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications: Executive Order 12372 

does not apply to this program. 

V. Application Review Information 

V.1. Review Process 

The Bureau will review all proposals 

for technical eligibility. Proposals will 

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully 

adhere to the guidelines stated herein 

and in the Solicitation Package. All 

eligible proposals will be reviewed by 

the program office, as well as the Public 

Diplomacy section of the relevant U.S. 

Embassy overseas, where appropriate. 

Eligible proposals will be subject to 

compliance with Federal and Bureau 

regulations and guidelines and 

forwarded to Bureau grant panels for 

advisory review. Proposals may also be 

reviewed by the Office of the Legal 

Adviser or by other Department 

elements. Final funding decisions are at 

the discretion of the Department of 

State’s Assistant Secretary for 

Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final 

technical authority for assistance 

awards (grants) resides with the 

Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below. These criteria 

are not rank ordered and all carry equal 

weight in the proposal evaluation: 

1. Quality of the project idea and 

project planning: 

The project’s purpose should clearly 

fit one of the eligible themes described 

above, and the proposal should clearly 

demonstrate how the institution plans 

to pursue the project’s objectives. The 

proposed project should be creative and 

well developed, respond to the design 

outlined in the solicitation, and 

demonstrate originality. It should be 

clearly and accurately written, 

substantive, and with sufficient detail to 

ensure practical success. The project 

plan should adhere to the program 

overview and guidelines described 

above. Please note: Proposals submitted 

by prior-year one-time grant recipients 

must include in their proposal 

submission a description of the specific 

elements that make this submission a 

new exchange program rather than a 

repetition or extension of what was 

funded by ECA under a prior-year 

award. 

2. Ability to achieve project objectives: 

Objectives should be reasonable, 

feasible, and relevant to the proposed 

theme. Proposals should clearly plan 

activities in a sequence that will 

progressively lead to achieving those 

objectives. 

3. Support of diversity: The proposal 

should acknowledge ECA’s policy on 

diversity and should demonstrate the 

recipient’s commitment to promoting 

the awareness and understanding of 

diversity in participant selection and 

exchange project design and content. 

4. Institutional capacity and track 

record: Proposed personnel and 

institutional resources should be 

adequate and appropriate to achieve the 

project goals. The proposal should 

demonstrate an institutional record, 

including solid programming and 

responsible fiscal management. The 

Bureau will consider past performance, 

including compliance with all reporting 

requirements for past Bureau grants. 

5. Project evaluation: The proposal 

should include a plan to evaluate the 

project’s success, both as the activities 

unfold and at the end of the program. 

The proposal should include a draft 

survey questionnaire or other datacollection technique plus description of 

a methodology to link outcomes to 

original project objectives. Please see 

Section IV.3d.3. of this announcement 

for more information. 

6. Cost-effectiveness and cost sharing: 

The applicant should demonstrate 

efficient use of Bureau funds. The 

overhead and administrative 

components of the proposal, including 

salaries and honoraria, should be kept 

as low as possible. All other items 

should be necessary and appropriate. 

The proposal should maximize costsharing through other private sector 

support as well as institutional direct 

funding contributions. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 42 / Thursday, March 4, 2010 / Notices 10013 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1a. Award Notices 

Final awards cannot be made until 

funds have been appropriated by 

Congress, allocated and committed 

through internal Bureau procedures. 

Successful applicants will receive a 

Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from 

the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA 

and the original grant proposal with 

subsequent modifications (if applicable) 

shall be the only binding authorizing 

document between the recipient and the 

U.S. Government. The FAA will be 

signed by an authorized Grants Officer, 

and mailed to the recipient’s 

responsible officer identified in the 

application. 

Prohibition on the use of Federal 

Funds to Promote, Support, or advocate 

for the legalization or practice of 

Prostitution. 

The U.S. Government is opposed to 

prostitution and related activities, 

which are inherently harmful and 

dehumanizing, and contribute to the 

phenomenon of trafficking in persons. 

None of the funds made available under 

this agreement may be used to promote, 

support, or advocate the legalization or 

practice of prostitution. Nothing in the 

preceding sentence shall be construed to 

preclude assistance designed to 

ameliorate the suffering of, or health 

risks to, victims while they are being 

trafficked or after they are out of the 

situation that resulted from such victims 

being trafficked. The recipient shall 

insert the foregoing provision in all subagreements under this award. 

This provision includes express terms 

and conditions of the agreement and 

any violation of it shall be grounds for 

unilateral termination of the agreement 

by the Department of State prior to the 

end of its term. 

Awards With the Palestinian Authority 

All awards made under this 

competition must be executed according 

to all relevant U.S. laws and policies 

regarding assistance to the Palestinian 

Authority, and to the West Bank and 

Gaza. Organizations must consult with 

relevant Public Affairs Offices before 

entering into any formal arrangements 

or agreements with Palestinian 

organizations or institutions. 

Note: To assure that planning for the 

inclusion of the Palestinian Authority 

complies with requirements, please contact: 

Thomas Johnston, Office of Citizen 

Exchanges, (202) 632–6087; 

JohnstonTJ@state.gov for additional 

information. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Administration of ECA agreements 

include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations’’. 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions’’. 

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments’’. 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and other Nonprofit 

Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please refer to the following Web sites 

for additional information: http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. 

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

VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You 

must provide ECA with a hard copy 

original plus 10 copies of the following 

reports: 

(1.) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

(2.) A concise, one-page final program 

report summarizing program outcomes 

no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. This one-page 

report will be transmitted to OMB, and 

be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

(3.) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports. 

Award Recipients will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular project reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Brent Beemer, 

ECA/PE/C, SA–5, Third Floor, 2200 C 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522– 

0503, tel 202–632–6067, fax 202–632– 

9355, BeemerBT@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C– 

10–One-time-Comp.B. 

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: February 26, 2010. 

Maura M. Pally, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4557 Filed 3–3–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA 2010–0018] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Request for Comments; 

Renewed Approval of Information 

Collection; State Right-of-Way 

Operations Manuals, OMB Control 

Number: 2125–0586 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public 

comments about our intention to request 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB) approval for a new information 

collection, which is summarized below 

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