[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 42 (Thursday, March 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10004-10013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4557]


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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 non-profit 
organizations, meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue 
code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). Total funding for this ``One-Time 
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-One-
time-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-time-Comp.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

[[Page 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 Fulbright-Hays 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 One-Time 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

[[Page 10006]]

expenses and a detailed, line-item budget must be presented in the 
three-column 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 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ace1d9dfdfc1cdc2edfcecdfd8cdd8c982cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="efa29a9c9c828e81aebfaf9c9b8e9b8ac1888099">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 school-based 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 single-country 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 follow-on 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

[[Page 10007]]

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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2b635e4d4d686e6b585f4a5f4e054c445d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="357d40535376707546415441501b525a43">[email protected]</span></a>.
    East Asia and the Pacific: Adam Meier: tel: 202-632-6071, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d19cb4b8b4a39086e391a2a5b0a5b4ffb6bea7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="de93bbb7bbac9f89ec9eadaabfaabbf0b9b1a8">[email protected]</span></a>.
    Europe: Linnea Allison, tel: 202-632-6060, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f4e6363667c6061434e4f7c7b6e7b6a21686079"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="246548484d574b4a68656457504550410a434b52">[email protected]</span></a>.
    Near East and North Africa: Thomas Johnston: tel: 202-632-6056, e-
mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0a40656264797e65645e4b4a797e6b7e6f246d657c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d59fbabdbba6a1babb819495a6a1b4a1b0fbb2baa3">[email protected]</span></a>.
    South and Central Asia: Brent Beemer: tel: 202-632-6067, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a8eacdcdc5cddaeafce8dbdcc9dccd86cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e6a483838b8394a4b2a69592879283c8818990">[email protected]</span></a>.
    The Western Hemisphere: Carol Herrera: tel: 202-632-6052, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#034b6671716671624042324370776277662d646c75"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ade5c8dfdfc8dfcceeec9cedded9ccd9c883cac2db">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 multi-country 
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 post-conflict 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.

[[Page 10008]]

    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 follow-on activities, 
and handle the logistical and financial arrangements.

Emerging Cultural Leaders

    Program Contact: Catherine Staples-Randolph, tel: 202-632-6425, e-
mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5c0f283d2c30392f1f181c2f283d2839723b332a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="03507762736f667040474370776277662d646c75">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 under-served 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 two-way 
exchange will accomplish the over-arching goals of this competition. 
Proposals might focus exclusively on an exchange in one field, such as 
urban or blues music.
    Alternatively, a more community-based 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 multi-
country 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.

[[Page 10009]]

    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-time-Comp. 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, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0a4d7f797e6b6c7965644e5a4a797e6b7e6f246d657c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99deeceaedf8ffeaf6f7ddc9d9eaedf8edfcb7fef6ef">[email protected]</span></a> 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.

[[Page 10010]]

    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 one-page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by 
the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by 
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and 
will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and 
Budget on its USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting 
requirements.

    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, socio-economic 
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,

[[Page 10011]]

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 short-term 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--Non-
Construction 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 Bureau-sponsored 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 USG-
approved 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-One-time-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

[[Page 10012]]

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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#780b0d0808170a0c381f0a19160c0b561f170e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bccfc9ccccd3cec8fcdbceddd2c8cf92dbd3ca">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 data-collection 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 cost-sharing 
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct 
funding contributions.

[[Page 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 sub-agreements 
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; 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4a00252224393e25241e000a393e2b3e2f642d253c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5e143136302d2a31300a141e2d2a3f2a3b70393128">[email protected]</span></a> 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 
Non-profit Organizations.
    Please refer to the following Web sites for additional information: 
http:[sol][sol]www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. 
http:[sol][sol]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, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0d4f686860687f4f594d7e796c7968236a627b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0e4c6b6b636b7c4c5a4e7d7a6f7a6b20696178">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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


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