Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 23 / Thursday, February 5, 2009 / Notices 6197 

Dated: January 29, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–2472 Filed 2–4–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6511] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Youth Leadership Program 

With Iraq 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/PY–09–27. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 00.000. 

Application Deadline: April 2, 2009. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs 

Division, of the Bureau of Educational 

and Cultural Affairs announces an open 

competition to design and implement a 

Youth Leadership Program with Iraq. 

Public and private non-profit 

organizations meeting the provisions 

described in Internal Revenue Code 

section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit 

proposals for a grant that will support 

English-speaking high school students 

and adult participants from Iraq in a 

four-week U.S.-based exchange that 

explores civic education, leadership 

development, respect for diversity, and 

community involvement. The program 

will conclude with follow-on activities 

in the participants’ home communities 

in which they apply the knowledge and 

skills acquired during the exchange 

experience. 

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. 

Purpose: The Youth Leadership 

Program with Iraq offers secondary 

school students and educators from Iraq 

an opportunity to learn about the United 

States and to develop their leadership 

skills. Through this program, the Office 

of Citizen Exchanges’ Youth Programs 

Division will sponsor a total of 

approximately 35 participants from Iraq 

who will join 15 to 20 American high 

school students in a four-week exchange 

program in the United States during the 

summer of 2010. 

The goals of the program are: (1) To 

enable the participants to understand 

civic participation and the rights and 

responsibilities of citizens in a 

democracy; (2) to develop leadership 

skills among secondary school students 

and teachers appropriate to their needs; 

(3) to foster understanding and build 

relationships across ethnic, religious, 

and national groups; and (4) to promote 

mutual understanding between the 

people of Iraq and the United States. 

Applicant organizations should 

identify their own specific objectives 

and measurable outcomes based on 

these program goals and the 

specifications provided in this 

solicitation. 

The program promotes high-quality 

leadership, civic responsibility, and 

civic activism among both countries’ 

future leaders by offering a practical 

examination of the principles of 

democracy and civil society as practiced 

in the United States, and by providing 

participants with training that allows 

them to develop their leadership skills. 

The exchange format will be intensive 

and interactive. Participants will be 

engaged in a variety of activities such as 

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

activities that are designed to achieve 

the project’s stated goals and objectives. 

Participants will live with American 

families for most of the exchange 

period. 

The total number of Iraqi participants 

will be between 30 and 40 Iraqis—25– 

30 teenagers (aged 15–17) and 5–10 

adult educators (teachers or staff of 

NGOs that work with youth). Applicant 

organizations may propose to bring 

them to the United States as one large 

group or in two smaller groups, as 

appropriate to their program designs, in 

the summer of 2010 between mid-June 

and mid-September. They will be joined 

in their U.S.-based activities by 15 to 20 

competitively selected American 

teenagers of the same age as the Iraqi 

students. ECA encourages the inclusion 

of as many participants as possible. 

Applicant organizations must present 

a plan to select a delegation of 

participants from Iraq who will 

proportionally represent the ethnic, 

religious, and geographic diversity of 

the Iraqi population. The selected 

participants will have sufficient English 

language skills to be able to 

communicate without interpretation. 

The Department of State and/or its 

overseas representatives must approve 

all selected delegations. 

Applicants must demonstrate their 

capacity for doing programs of this 

nature, focusing on three areas of 

competency: (1) Provision of leadership 

and civic education programming; (2) 

age-appropriate programming for youth; 

and (3) prior work with individuals 

from the Middle East. 

Applicant organizations need to have 

the necessary capacity in Iraq through a 

branch office, a partner organization, or 

other affiliates that have the 

demonstrated ability to conduct the 

specified activities. 

In pursuit of the goals outlined above, 

the grant recipient will be responsible 

for implementing the following: 

• Recruitment, screening, and 

selection of the Iraqi and American 

youth participants and Iraqi adult 

educators. 

• Pre-departure and welcome 

orientations. 

• Design and planning of substantive 

and well-organized activities in the 

United States on leadership 

development, civic education, and 

community service. 

• Activities should be school and/or 

community-based, and the program will 

involve extensive interaction between 

Iraqis and Americans. The exchange 

will conclude with a civic education 

program in Washington, DC. 

• Logistical arrangements, 

preparation of travel documents, 

homestay arrangements and other 

accommodation, provisions for religious 

observance, disbursement of stipends/ 

per diem, and international and local 

travel. 

• Follow-on activities designed to 

reinforce the ideas, values, and skills 

imparted during the U.S. program. 

Grant recipients will use the name 

‘‘Youth Leadership Program with Iraq’’ 

to identify the program. All participants 

and alumni should identify themselves 

with the Youth Leadership Program 

(YLP). 

Proposals must demonstrate how the 

stated objectives will be met. The 

proposal narrative should provide 

detailed information on the major 

program activities, and applicants 

should explain and justify their 

programmatic choices. Programs must 

comply with J–1 visa regulations. Please 

refer to the complete Solicitation 

Package—this RFGP, the Project 


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Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 

(POGI), and the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI)—for further 

information. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2009. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$535,614. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

One. 

Anticipated Award Date: August 1, 

2009. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

February 28, 2011. 

Additional Information: Pending 

successful implementation of this 

program and the availability of funds in 

subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA’s 

intent to renew this grant for two 

additional fiscal years, before openly 

competing it again. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible Applicants: 

Applications may be submitted by 

public and private non-profit 

organizations meeting the provisions 

described in Internal Revenue Code 

section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). 

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: 

There is no minimum or maximum 

percentage required for this 

competition. However, the Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. 

When cost sharing is offered, it is 

understood and agreed that the 

applicant must provide the amount of 

cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal 

and later included in an approved 

agreement. Cost sharing may be in the 

form of allowable direct or indirect 

costs. For accountability, you must 

maintain written records to support all 

costs which are claimed as your 

contribution, as well as costs to be paid 

by the Federal government. Such 

records are subject to audit. The basis 

for determining the value of cash and 

in-kind contributions must be in 

accordance with OMB Circular A–110, 

(Revised), Subpart C.23—Cost Sharing 

and Matching. In the event you do not 

provide the minimum amount of cost 

sharing as stipulated in the approved 

budget, ECA’s contribution will be 

reduced in like proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: 

Bureau grant guidelines require that 

organizations with less than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges be limited to $60,000 in 

Bureau funding. ECA anticipates 

making one award in an amount up to 

$535,614 to support program and 

administrative costs required to 

implement this exchange program. 

Therefore, organizations with less than 

four years experience in conducting 

international exchanges at the time of 

application are not eligible to apply 

under this competition. 

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 

the Youth Division, Office of Citizen 

Exchanges, ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568 

U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 301 

4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 

(202) 203–7505 to request a Solicitation 

Package. Please refer to the Funding 

Opportunity Number located at the top 

of this announcement when making 

your request. 

Alternatively, an electronic 

application package may be obtained 

from grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f 

for further information. 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) 

document which consists of required 

application forms, and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation. It 

also contains the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document, which provides specific 

information, award criteria and budget 

instructions tailored to this competition. 

Please specify Carolyn Lantz, Program 

Officer, and refer to the Funding 

Opportunity Number (ECA/PE/C/PY– 

09–27) on all other inquiries and 

correspondence. 

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation 

Package Via Internet: The entire 

Solicitation Package may be 

downloaded from the Bureau’s Web site 

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

open2.html or from the Grants.gov Web 

site at http://www.grants.gov. 

Please read all information before 

downloading. 

IV.3. Content and Form of 

Submission: Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

The application should be submitted 

per the instructions under IV.3f. 

‘‘Application Deadline and Methods of 

Submission’’ section below. 

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

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number to 

apply for a grant or cooperative 

agreement from the U.S. Government. 

This number is a nine-digit 

identification number, which uniquely 

identifies business entities. Obtaining a 

DUNS number is easy and there is no 

charge. To obtain a DUNS number, 

access http:// 

www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1– 

866–705–5711. Please ensure that your 

DUNS number is included in the 

appropriate box of the SF–424 which is 

part of the formal application package. 

IV.3b. All proposals must contain an 

executive summary, proposal narrative, 

and budget. 

Please Refer to the Solicitation 

Package. It contains the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

document and the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document for additional formatting and 

technical requirements. 

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 program reporting 

requirements, award recipients will also 

be required to submit a one-page 

document, derived from their program 

reports, listing and describing their 

grant activities. For award recipients, 

the names of directors and/or senior 

executives (current officers, trustees, 

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

be transmitted by the State Depatrment 

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 

website as part of ECA’s FFATA 

reporting requirements. 

If your organization is a private 

nonprofit that 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. 


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IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1. Adherence to All Regulations 

Governing the J Visa: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs is the 

official program sponsor of the exchange 

program covered by this RFGP, and an 

employee of the Bureau will be the 

‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the program 

under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, 

which covers the administration of the 

Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 

part 62, organizations receiving 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 part 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 

part 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 part 62. 

If your organization has experience as a 

designated Exchange Visitor Program 

Sponsor, the applicant should discuss 

their record of compliance with 22 CFR 

part 62 et seq., including the oversight 

of their Responsible Officers and 

Alternate Responsible Officers, 

screening and selection of program 

participants, provision of pre-arrival 

information and orientation to 

participants, monitoring of participants, 

proper maintenance and security of 

forms, record-keeping, reporting and 

other requirements. 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of 

ECA will be responsible for issuing DS– 

2019 forms to participants in this 

program. 

A copy of the complete regulations 

governing the administration of 

Exchange Visitor (J) programs is 

available at http://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: United States Department of 

State, Office of Exchange Coordination 

and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD—SA–44, 

Room 734, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: 

(202) 203–5029, FAX: (202) 453–8640. 

IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the 

Bureau’s authorizing legislation, 

programs must maintain a non-political 

character and should be balanced and 

representative of the diversity of 

American political, social, and cultural 

life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be interpreted 

in the broadest sense and encompass 

differences including, but not limited to 

ethnicity, race, gender, religion, 

geographic location, socio-economic 

status, and disabilities. Applicants are 

strongly encouraged to adhere to the 

advancement of this principle both in 

program administration and in program 

content. Please refer to the review 

criteria under the ‘‘Support for 

Diversity’’ section for specific 

suggestions on incorporating diversity 

into your proposal. Public Law 104–319 

provides that ‘‘in carrying out programs 

of educational and cultural exchange in 

countries whose people do not fully 

enjoy freedom and democracy,’’ the 

Bureau ‘‘shall take appropriate steps to 

provide opportunities for participation 

in such programs to human rights and 

democracy leaders of such countries.’’ 

Public Law 106–113 requires that the 

governments of the countries described 

above do not have inappropriate 

influence in the selection process. 

Proposals should reflect advancement of 

these goals in their program contents, to 

the full extent deemed feasible. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation: Proposals must include a 

plan to monitor and evaluate the 

project’s success, both as the activities 

unfold and at the end of the program. 

The Bureau recommends that your 

proposal include a draft survey 

questionnaire or other 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 and 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, 

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; 


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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.3d.4. For informational and 

planning purposes, we are informing all 

potential applicants that ECA is in the 

process of developing comprehensive 

approaches to alumni programming, 

web portal development supported 

through ECA assistance awards (grants/ 

cooperative agreements) and the 

expansion of private/public 

partnerships to increase the reach of 

ECA’s exchange programs. In the event 

your proposal is recommended for 

funding, you may receive additional 

guidance/information related to these 

topics during the negotiation stage of 

the approval process. 

IV.3e. Please take the following 

information into consideration when 

preparing your budget: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF– 

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

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. Grant requests may not exceed 

$535,614. There must be a summary 

budget as well as breakdowns reflecting 

both administrative and program 

budgets. Applicants may provide 

separate sub-budgets for each program 

component, phase, location, or activity 

to provide clarification. 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission: 

Application Deadline Date: Thursday, 

April 2, 2009. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY– 

09–27. 

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., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, 

Airborne Express, or U.S. Postal Service 

Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or 

(2) Electronically through http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

Along with the Project Title, all 

applicants must enter the above 

Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF– 

424 contained in the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

of the solicitation document. 

IV.3f.1. Submitting Printed 

Applications: Applications must be 

shipped no later than the above 

deadline. Delivery services used by 

applicants must have in-place, 

centralized shipping identification and 

tracking systems that may be accessed 

via the Internet and delivery people 

who are identifiable by commonly 

recognized uniforms and delivery 

vehicles. Proposals shipped on or before 

the above deadline but received at ECA 

more than seven days after the deadline 

will be ineligible for further 

consideration under this competition. 

Proposals shipped after the established 

deadlines are ineligible for 

consideration under this competition. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

application. It is each applicant’s 

responsibility to ensure that each 

package is marked with a legible 

tracking number and to monitor/confirm 

delivery to ECA via the Internet. 

Delivery of proposal packages may not 

be made via local courier service or in 

person for this competition. 

Faxed documents will not be accepted 

at any time. Only proposals submitted 

as stated above will be considered. 

Important note: When preparing your 

submission please make sure to include one 

extra copy of the completed SF–424 form and 

place it in an envelope addressed to ‘‘ECA/ 

EX/PM’’. 

The original and six copies of the 

application should be sent to: U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: 

ECA/PE/C/PY–09–27, Program 

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547. 

With the submission of the proposal 

package, please also e-mail the 

Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, 

and Budget sections of the proposal, as 

well as any essential attachments, in 

Microsoft Word and/or Excel to the 

program officer at LantzCS@state.gov. 

The Bureau will provide these files 

electronically to the Public Affairs 

Section at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad 

for its 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 an extensive 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. 


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It is the responsibility of all 

applicants submitting proposals via the 

Grants.gov web portal to ensure that 

proposals have been received by 

Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA 

bears no responsibility for data errors 

resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications: Executive Order 12372 

does not apply to this program. 

V. Application Review Information 

V.1. Review Process: The Bureau will 

review all proposals for technical 

eligibility. Proposals will be deemed 

ineligible if they do not fully adhere to 

the guidelines stated herein and in the 

Solicitation Package. 

All eligible proposals will be 

reviewed by the program office, as well 

as the Public Diplomacy section 

overseas, where appropriate. Eligible 

proposals will be subject to compliance 

with Federal and Bureau regulations 

and guidelines and 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: 

1. Quality of the program idea: The 

proposed program should be well 

developed, respond to design outlined 

in the solicitation, and demonstrate 

originality. It should be clearly and 

accurately written, substantive, and 

with sufficient detail. Proposals should 

exhibit originality, substance, precision, 

and relevance to the Bureau’s mission. 

2. Program planning and ability to 

achieve program objectives: A detailed 

agenda and work plan should clearly 

demonstrate how project objectives will 

be achieved. The agenda and plan 

should adhere to the program overview 

and guidelines described above. The 

substance of workshops, seminars, 

presentations, school-based activities, 

and/or site visits should be described in 

detail. Objectives should be reasonable, 

feasible, and flexible. The proposal 

should clearly demonstrate how the 

institution will meet the program’s 

objectives and plan. 

3. Support of diversity: The proposal 

should demonstrate the recipient’s 

commitment to promoting the 

awareness and understanding of 

diversity in program content. 

Applicants should demonstrate 

readiness to accommodate participants 

with physical disabilities. 

4. Cross-cultural sensitivity and area 

expertise: Applicants must demonstrate 

their understanding of the region and 

should demonstrate sensitivity to 

participants’ values, customs, and life 

experiences in the programming. 

5. Institutional capacity and track 

record: Proposed personnel and 

institutional resources should be 

adequate and appropriate to achieve the 

program goals. The proposal should 

demonstrate an institutional record, 

including responsible fiscal 

management and full compliance with 

all reporting requirements for past 

Bureau awards (grants or cooperative 

agreements) as determined by the 

Bureau’s Grants Office. The Bureau will 

consider the past performance. 

6. Program evaluation: The proposal 

should include a plan to evaluate the 

activity’s success, both as the activities 

unfold and at the end of the program. 

The proposal should include a draft 

survey questionnaire or other technique 

plus description of a methodology to 

use to link outcomes to original project 

objectives. The grant recipient will be 

expected to submit intermediate reports 

after each project component is 

concluded. 

7. 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, which 

demonstrates institutional and 

community commitment. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1a. Award Notices: Final awards 

cannot be made until funds have been 

appropriated by Congress, allocated and 

committed through internal Bureau 

procedures. Successful applicants will 

receive a Federal Assistance Award 

(FAA) from the Bureau’s Grants Office. 

The FAA and the original proposal with 

subsequent modifications (if applicable) 

shall be the only binding authorizing 

document between the recipient and the 

U.S. Government. The FAA will be 

signed by an authorized Grants Officer, 

and mailed to the recipient’s 

responsible officer identified in the 

application. Unsuccessful applicants 

will receive notification of the results of 

the application review from the ECA 

program office coordinating this 

competition. 

VI.1b. Special Provision for 

Performance in a Designated Combat 

Area (Currently Iraq and Afghanistan) 

(December 2008): All Recipient 

personnel deploying to areas of combat 

operations, as designated by the 

Secretary of Defense (currently Iraq and 

Afghanistan), under assistance awards 

over $100,000 or performance over 14 

days must register in the Department of 

Defense maintained Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker 

(SPOT) system. Recipients of federal 

assistance awards shall register in SPOT 

before deployment, or if already in the 

designated operational area, register 

upon becoming an employee under the 

assistance award, and maintain current 

data in SPOT. Information on how to 

register in SPOT will be available from 

your Grants Officer or Grants Officer 

Representative during the final 

negotiation and approval stages in the 

federal assistance awards process. 

Recipients of federal assistance awards 

are advised that adherence to this policy 

and procedure will be a requirement of 

all final federal assistance awards issued 

by ECA. 

Recipient performance may require 

the use of armed private security 

personnel. To the extent that such 

private security contractors (PSCs) are 

required, grantees are required to ensure 

they adhere to Chief of Mission (COM) 

policies and procedures regarding the 

operation, oversight, and accountability 

of PSCs. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements: Terms and 

Conditions for the Administration of 

ECA agreements include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’ 

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments’’. 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative 

Requirements for Grants and 

Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and 

other Nonprofit Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please reference the following 

websites for additional information: 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
6202 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 23 / Thursday, February 5, 2009 / Notices 

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) Quarterly program and financial 

reports as required in the grant 

agreement; 

(2) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

(3) 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 will be transmitted to OMB, 

and be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov website—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

(4) 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 program reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

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

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Carolyn Lantz, 

Program Officer, Youth Programs 

Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges, 

ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 

(202) 203–7505, LantzCS@State.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/ 

CPY–09–27. 

Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries 

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with 

applicants until the proposal review 

process has been completed. 

VIII. Other Information 

Notice: The terms and conditions 

published in this RFGP are binding and 

may not be modified by any Bureau 

representative. Explanatory information 

provided by the Bureau that contradicts 

published language will not be binding. 

Issuance of the RFGP does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the Government. The Bureau 

reserves the right to reduce, revise, or 

increase proposal budgets in accordance 

with the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. Awards made will 

be subject to periodic reporting and 

evaluation requirements per section VI.3 

above. 

Dated: January 29, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–2473 Filed 2–4–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Forty-Seventh Meeting, RTCA Special 

Committee 186: Automatic Dependent 

Surveillance—Broadcast (ADS–B) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of RTCA Special 

Committee 186 Automatic Dependent 

Surveillance—Broadcast (ADS–B) 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice 

to advise the public of a meeting of 

RTCA Special Committee 186 

Automatic Dependent Surveillance— 

Broadcast (ADS–B). 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

February 23–27, 2009, at 9 a.m. (Unless 

Otherwise Noted). 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

two locations: 

• Eurocontrol Headquarters— 

Brussels, Belgium 

• RTCA Conference Rooms, 1828 L 

Street, NW., Suite 805, Washington, DC 

20036 

Note: Phone bridge and Webex will be 

available. Individuals desiring that 

information should contact RTCA. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: (1) 

RTCA Secretariat, 1828 L Street, NW., 

Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 

833–9339; fax (202) 833–9434; Web site 

http://www.rtca.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), notice is 

hereby given for a Special Committee 

186 meeting. The agenda will include: 

Feb. 23 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), RAD FRAC. 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), ASA. 

Feb. 24 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), RAD FRAC. 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), ASA. 

RTCA—All Day, WG–4, MacIntoshNBAA Room & Hilton-ATA Room. 

Feb. 25 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), RAD FRAC. 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), ASA. 

RTCA—All Day, WG–4, MacIntoshNBAA Room & Hilton-ATA Room. 

Feb. 26 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), RAD FRAC. 

Brussels—All Day, Requirements Focus 

Group (RFG), ASA. 

RTCA—All Day, WG–4, MacIntoshNBAA Room & Hilton-ATA Room. 

February 27, Joint RTCA SC–186/ 

EUROCAE WG–51 

(Starting at 2 p.m. in Brussels and 8 a.m. 

at RTCA) 

• Chairman’s Introductory Remarks. 

• Review of Meeting Agenda. 

• Review/Approval of the Forty-Sixth 

Meeting Summary. 

• RTCA Paper No. 267–08/SC186–270. 

• In Brussels—Consider for Approval— 

New Document—Safety and 

Performance Requirements (SPR) 

Standard for ADS–B–RAD, RTCA 

Paper No. 008–09/SC186–271. Date, 

Place and Time of Next Meeting. 

• FAA Surveillance and Broadcast 

Services (SBS) Program—Status. 

• Review of EUROCAE WG–51 

Activities. 

• Working Group Reports. 

• WG–1—Operations and 

Implementation 

• WG–2—TIS–B MASPS 

• WG–3—1090 MHz MOPS 

• WG–4—Application Technical 

Requirements 

• WG–5—UAT MOPS 

• RFG—Requirements Focus Group 

• Ad Hoc Reports 

• CDTI Symbology 

• TIS–B Service Status 

• STP Ad Hoc Final Report 

• At RTCA—Consider for Approval— 

New Document—Minimum 

Operational Performance Standards 

for Aircraft Surveillance 

Applications System (ASAS), RTCA 

Paper No. 022–09/SC186–273. 

• Closing Plenary Session (New 

Business, Other Business, Review 

Action Items/Work Programs, 

Adjourn Plenary.) 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES