9990 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 6, 2007 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 5713] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Faith and Community: A 

Dialogue 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/NEA–AF–07–20. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 00.000. 

Application Deadline: May 8, 2007. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State, announces an open 

competition for multiple grants to 

support international exchange projects 

under the rubric ‘‘Faith and 

Community: A Dialogue.’’ This is a 

continuation of the Office of Citizen 

Exchanges’ ‘‘Religion and Society: A 

Dialogue’’ initiative, conducted over the 

past several fiscal years. Public and 

private non-profit organizations or 

consortia of such organizations meeting 

the provisions described in Internal 

Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3) may submit proposals to 

develop and implement multi-phased 

exchanges involving the travel of 

clerics, scholars of religion, educators, 

and community leaders/activists from 

countries with significant Muslim 

populations to the United States and of 

reciprocal visits by American clerics, 

scholars of religion, and community 

leaders/activists. (Note that additional 

participant categories may be included 

in projects for Southeast Europe. See 

below.) 

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. 

I. Overview 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges 

consults with and supports American 

public and private nonprofit 

organizations in developing and 

implementing multi-phased, often 

multi-year, exchanges of professionals, 

community leaders, scholars and 

academics, public policy advocates, 

non-governmental organization 

activists, and others. These exchanges 

address issues of crucial importance to 

the United States and to other countries; 

they promote focused, substantive, and 

cooperative interaction among 

counterparts; and they entail both 

theoretical and experiential learning for 

all participants. A primary goal is the 

development of sustained, international, 

institutional and individual linkages. In 

addition to providing a context for 

professional development and 

collaborative problem-solving, these 

projects are intended to introduce 

foreign participants and their American 

counterparts to one another’s political, 

social, and economic structures, 

facilitating improved communication 

and enhancing mutual understanding. 

The exchange proposal should include 

focused interaction with local citizens 

in all countries and activities to orient 

participants to one another’s society and 

culture. 

The initiative ‘‘Faith and Community: 

A Dialogue’’ will support international 

exchanges of clerics, scholars of 

religion, educators, and community 

leaders/activists—influential and 

recognized for their ability to 

communicate, through sermons, in 

scholarly writing, or through 

community leadership and educational 

activities—between the United States 

and countries with significant Muslim 

populations. The objectives of the 

exchange are (1) to enhance the nonAmerican participants’ understanding of 

the place of religion, particularly of 

Islam, in the life of American 

communities; (2) to develop a common 

language for American and nonAmerican participants to examine issues 

of relevance to their respective societies 

and to develop effective approaches to 

dealing with them; (3) to offer an 

understanding of Islamic practice 

within a multi-cultural, multi-faith, 

democratic context; and (4) to broaden 

the understanding of American scholars, 

clerics, and laypersons of Islam and of 

its place in diverse non-American 

societies. 

We solicit projects that focus on a 

particular theme of relevance to faith 

and community groups in the proposed 

participating countries. Possible themes 

might be civil discourse in a multi-faith 

context; the role of law in resolving 

conflicts and preserving freedom of 

expression within and among minority/ 

faith communities; the role of faith 

communities in providing community 

services; educating for respect and coexistence; or the role of law in 

protecting religious expression in 

diverse societies. We welcome 

proposals for projects on other themes 

of relevance to participating countries 

for which the proposing institution has, 

or can mobilize, American participants 

with intellectual expertise and an 

interest in international dialogue on the 

selected theme. Proposals should 

explicitly identify how the American 

organization will identify counterpart 

experts in participating countries and 

state the specific outcome to be 

achieved by each phase or component of 

the proposed project. 

The project, to be conducted over a 

period of 18 to 24 months, will involve 

several exchange visits. Initially, one or 

two American scholars/project 

organizers may travel to designated 

partner countries to deepen their 

familiarity with the particular issues 

faced by counterpart institutions and 

communities in those countries and to 

identify individuals who might serve as 

advisers or be selected as participants in 

the project and to gain their interest in 

the exchange. Subsequently, 

approximately 12 non-American 

scholars and clerics will travel to the 

United States for a period of three to 

four weeks. The non-American 

participants will visit Islamic centers, 

consult with American Muslim scholars 

and clerics, visit and become familiar 

with libraries and archives of Islamic 

documents, make presentations and 

participate in discussions at nonMuslim religious institutions and at 

secular institutions that represent 

America’s guarantee of human dignity 

and freedom of worship, engage in interreligious dialogue, and participate in 

workshops and seminars, both public 

and at institutions dedicated to 

scholarship and research. Finally, a 

group of American scholars and clerics 

will travel to the home countries of the 

non-American participants, meet with 

counterparts, visit institutions, and, 

ideally, cooperate with participants in 

the original U.S. visit in presenting a 

seminar, a series of workshops, etc., in 

order to expand the network of 

individuals directly affected by the 

exchange. This series of visits would 

then be repeated in the following year. 

Participants in the second year of 

exchanges might be the same if the goal 

is to deepen the dialogue, or, if the goal 

is to accomplish broader participation, 

participants should be selected to reflect 

that objective. During each phase of the 

exchange, traveling participants should 

be encouraged to have in-depth 


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interaction with local citizens and to 

participate in appropriate press, media, 

and other outreach activities. 

Geographic Focus 

This initiative is worldwide in scope, 

with primary focus on countries with 

significant Muslim populations. For the 

FY07 competition, in order to assure 

balance with already existing exchange 

programs under this rubric, we shall be 

particularly interested in exchanges 

focused on the following geographic 

areas: (1) Francophone West Africa 

(Senegal; Mauritania; Niger; Mali; 

Guinea; Burkina Faso; Chad), (2) North 

Africa (Morocco; Algeria; Tunisia), (3) 

Southeastern Europe (Albania; Bosnia 

and Herzegovina; Croatia; Macedonia; 

Montenegro; Serbia), (4) Southeast Asia 

(Malaysia; the Philippines; Thailand), 

and (5) The countries of the Arabian 

Gulf (Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Qatar; 

Bahrain; the United Arab Emirates; 

Oman; Yemen). Exchange proposals that 

focus on two or more countries in a 

region or those that focus on singlecountry exchanges are equally welcome. 

For projects in Southeast Europe, 

participants may be educators and 

others who influence youth, journalists 

specializing in social/inter-communal 

issues, as well as clerics, scholars, and 

community activists/leaders. Projects 

for this region may also focus more 

intensely on inter-faith dialogue and 

include activities encouraging tolerance, 

respect among communities, and jointfaith community outreach activities. 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges 

encourages applicants to be creative in 

planning project implementation. 

Activities for all regions may include 

both theoretical orientation/ 

philosophical background sessions and 

experiential, community-based 

initiatives designed to achieve 

objectives or produce a specific product 

(magazine, study guide, educational 

outreach material, etc.) to be used in 

local communities. Applicants should, 

in their proposals, identify any partner 

organizations and/or individuals 

overseas or in the U.S. with which/ 

whom they are proposing to collaborate 

and justify the collaboration on the basis 

of the proposed partner’s experience, 

accomplishments, etc. 

Selection of Participants 

Applications should include a 

description of a merit-based, focused 

participant selection process. 

Applicants should anticipate consulting 

with the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. 

Embassies in selecting participants, 

with the Embassy retaining the right to 

nominate participants, to advise the 

grantee regarding participants 

recommended by other entities, and to 

determine the appropriateness of 

granting visas. 

Public Affairs Section Involvement 

The Public Affairs Sections (PAS) of 

the U.S. Embassies often play an 

important role in project 

implementation. The PAS will initially 

evaluate project proposals, and, once a 

grant is awarded, the PAS may, in 

consultation with the grantee 

organization, coordinate planning with 

the grantee organization and in-country 

partners, facilitate in-country activities, 

nominate participants and vet grantee 

nominations, observe in-country 

activities, and debrief participants. The 

PAS will also evaluate project impact. 

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is responsible for producing and 

signing DS–2019 Forms. These forms 

will be provided the foreign participants 

by the U.S. Mission as part of the 

process of obtaining the necessary J–1 

visas for entry to the United States on 

a government-funded project. Grantee 

organizations must submit data on 

proposed participants electronically. 

Though project administration and 

implementation are the responsibility of 

the grantee institution, the grantee is 

expected to inform the PAS in 

participating countries of its operations 

and procedures and to coordinate with 

PAS officers in the development of 

project activities. The PAS should be 

consulted regarding country priorities, 

political and cultural sensitivities, 

security issues, and logistic and 

programmatic issues. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2007. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$1,500,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

three or more, with awards ranging from 

$250,000 to $500,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: Pending 

availability of funds, August 2007. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

September 1, 2009. 

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 the 

highest possible level of in-cash or inkind cost sharing and funding in 

support of its programs, and those that 

provide cost sharing that represents 

20% or more of the total cost of the 

exchange will receive priority 

consideration. 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, you 

must maintain written records to 

support all costs that 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: 

a. 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 

awarding, in the course of this 

competition, grants ranging from 

$350,000 to $500,000 to support 

program and administrative costs 

required to implement this exchange 

program. Therefore, organizations with 

less than four years experience in 

conducting international exchanges are 

ineligible to receive an award under this 

competition. 

b. Technical Eligibility: Proposals 

must comply with the requirements 

included in this Request for Grant 

Proposals in order to be considered 

technically eligible for consideration in 

the review process. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

announcement, either at http:// 

www.exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps or 

in the Federal Register 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. Obtaining an Application 

Package: The Application Package 

comprises this Request for Grant 

Proposals and a Proposal Submission 

Instruction (PSI) document, consisting 

of required application forms and 

standard guidelines for proposal 

preparation. 


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The Solicitation Package may be 

downloaded from: http:// 

exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/ 

menu.htm. Please read all information 

before downloading. Alternatively, an 

electronic application package may be 

obtained from grants.gov. Please see 

section IV.3f for further information. 

IV.2. To receive a hard copy of the 

Application Package via U.S. Postal 

Service, contact Thomas Johnston, 

Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C/ 

NEA–AF, Room 216, U.S. Department of 

State, SA–44, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547, Telephone (202) 

453–8162; Fax (202) 453–8168; e-mail 

JohnstonTJ@state.gov. Please refer to 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/ 

C/NEA–AF–07–20 on all inquiries and 

correspondence. 

IV.3. Content and Form of 

Submission: Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

The original and ten copies of the 

application should be submitted per the 

instructions under IV.3f. ‘‘Application 

Deadline and Methods of Submission’’

section. 

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, a proposal 

narrative, and a budget. Please refer to 

the Application Package, containing the 

mandatory Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI) document, for 

additional formatting and technical 

requirements. 

IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status 

with the IRS at the time of application. 

If your organization is a private 

nonprofit which has not received a grant 

or cooperative agreement from ECA in 

the past three years, or if your 

organization received nonprofit status 

from the IRS within the past four years, 

you must submit the necessary 

documentation to verify nonprofit status 

as directed in the PSI document. Failure 

to do so will cause your proposal to be 

declared technically ineligible. 

IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1. Adherence To All 

Regulations Governing The J Visa. The 

Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is the official program sponsor of 

the exchange program covered by this 

RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau 

will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the 

program under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 

which covers the administration of the 

Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 62, 

organizations receiving grants under 

this RFGP will be third parties 

‘‘cooperating with or assisting the 

sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor’s 

program.’’ The actions of grantee 

program organizations shall be 

‘‘imputed to the sponsor in evaluating 

the sponsor’s compliance with’’ 22 CFR 

62. Therefore, the Bureau expects that 

any organization receiving a grant under 

this competition will render all 

assistance necessary to enable the 

Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR 

part 62 et seq. 

The Bureau of Educational and 

Cultural Affairs places great emphasis 

on the secure and proper administration 

of Exchange Visitor (J visa) Programs 

and adherence by grantee program 

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, 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 

grantee will track participants or 

partners and be able to respond to key 

evaluation questions, including 

satisfaction with the program, learning 

as a result of the program, changes in 

behavior as a result of the program, and 

effects of the program on institutions 

(institutions in which participants work 

or partner institutions). 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, 


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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 represent specific results a 

project is intended to achieve and are 

usually measured as an extent of 

change. Findings on outputs and 

outcomes should both be reported, but 

the focus should be on outcomes. 

We encourage you to assess the 

following four levels of outcomes, as 

they relate to the program goals set out 

in the RFGP (listed here in increasing 

order of importance): 

1. Participant satisfaction with the 

program and exchange experience. 

2. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

3. Participant behavior, concrete 

actions to apply knowledge in work or 

community; greater participation and 

responsibility in civic organizations; 

interpretation and explanation of 

experiences and new knowledge gained; 

continued contacts between 

participants, community members, and 

others. 

4. Institutional changes, such as 

increased collaboration and 

partnerships, policy reforms, new 

programming, and organizational 

improvements. 

Please note: Consideration should be given 

to the appropriate timing of data collection 

for each level of outcome. For example, 

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

institutional changes are normally 

considered longer-term outcomes. 

Overall, the quality of your 

monitoring and evaluation plan will be 

judged on how well it (1) specifies 

intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 

descriptions of how each outcome will 

be measured; (3) identifies when 

particular outcomes will be measured; 

and (4) provides a clear description of 

the data collection strategies for each 

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

focus groups). (Please note that 

evaluation plans that deal only with the 

first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) 

Grantees 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 your budget: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit 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 program 

component, phase, location, or activity 

to provide clarification. Budgets that 

limit administrative costs to 

approximately 25% of the funding 

sought from ECA will be given priority 

consideration. 

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the 

program include the following: 

(1) Direct program expenses 

(2) Administrative costs 

(3) Allowable indirect costs 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission: 

Application Deadline Date: May 8, 

2007. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/NEA–

AF–07–20. 

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 ten (10) 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/NEA–AF–07–20, Program 

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547. 

Applicants submitting hard-copy 

applications must also submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal in 

text (.txt) 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. Therefore, we 

strongly recommend that you not wait 

until the application deadline to begin 


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the submission process through 

Grants.gov. 

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. 

Applicants will receive a 

confirmation e-mail from grants.gov 

upon the successful submission of an 

application. 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 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 grant awards 

resides with the Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below. 

Quality of the program idea: 

Proposals should be substantive, well 

thought out, focused on issues of 

demonstrable relevance to all proposed 

participants, and responsive to the 

exchange suggestions and guidelines 

provided above. 

Implementation Plan and Ability To 

Achieve Objectives: A detailed project 

implementation plan should establish a 

clear and logical connection between 

the interest, the expertise, and the 

logistic capacity of the applicant and the 

objectives to be achieved. The plan 

should discuss in concrete terms how 

the institution proposes to achieve the 

objectives. Institutional resources—

including personnel—assigned to the 

project should be adequate and 

appropriate to achieve project 

objectives. The substance of workshops 

and site visits should be included as an 

attachment, and the responsibilities of 

U.S. participants and in-country 

partners should be clearly delineated. 

Institutional Capacity: Proposals 

should include an institutional record of 

successful exchange programs, with 

reference to responsible fiscal 

management and full compliance with 

reporting requirements. The Bureau will 

consider the demonstrated potential of 

new applicants and will evaluate the 

performance record of prior recipients 

of Bureau grants as reported by the 

Bureau grant staff. 

Post-Grant Activities: Applicants 

should provide a plan for sustained 

follow-on activity (building on the 

linkages developed under the grant and 

the activities initially funded by the 

grant) after grant funds have been 

expended. This will ensure that Bureausupported projects are sustainable and 

are not isolated events. Funds for all 

post-grant activities must be in the form 

of contributions from the applicant or 

sources outside the Bureau. Costs for 

these activities should not appear in the 

proposal budget but should be outlined 

in the narrative. 

Project Evaluation/Monitoring: 

Proposals should include a detailed 

plan to monitor and evaluate the 

project. Competitive evaluation plans 

will describe how the applicant 

organization will measure results, 

defined in both qualitative and 

quantitative terms and will include draft 

data collection instruments (surveys, 

questionnaires, etc.) in Tab E. 

Successful applicants will be expected 

to submit a report after each project 

component is concluded or semiannually, whichever is less frequent. 

Cost Effectiveness and Cost Sharing: 

Administrative costs should be kept 

low. Proposal budgets should provide 

evidence of any cost sharing offered, 

comprised of cash or in-kind 

contributions. Cost sharing may be 

derived from diverse sources, including 

private sector contributions and/or 

direct institutional support. 

Support of Diversity: Proposals should 

demonstrate support for the Bureau’s 

policy on diversity. Features relevant to 

this policy should be cited in program 

implementation (selection of 

participants, program venue, and 

program evaluation), program content, 

and program administration. 

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 an Assistance Award Document 

(AAD) from the Bureau’s Grants Office. 

The AAD and the original grant 

proposal with subsequent modifications 

(if applicable) shall be the only binding 

authorizing document between the 

recipient and the U.S. Government. The 

AAD will be signed by an authorized 

Grants Officer and mailed to the 

recipient’s responsible officer, identified 

in the application. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive 

notification of the results of the 

application review from the ECA 

program office coordinating this 

competition. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements: 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Administration of ECA agreements 

include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments’’. 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and other Nonprofit 

Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please reference the following Web 

sites for additional information: 

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

grants. 

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

grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI. 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You 

must provide ECA with a hard copy 

original plus one copy of the following 

reports: 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 6, 2007 / Notices 9995 

1. Semi-annual program and financial 

reports, which include a description of 

program activities implemented in the 

course of the six-month period and an 

accounting of expenditures. 

2. A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration date of the award. 

3. Grantees will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular program reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

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

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

Organizations awarded grants will be 

required to maintain specific data on 

program participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible database format 

that can be shared with the Bureau as 

required. As a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information and biographic sketch of all 

persons who travel internationally on 

funds provided by the grant. 

(2) Itineraries of international and 

domestic travel, providing dates of 

travel and cities in which any exchange 

experiences take place. Final schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three work days prior to the 

official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Thomas 

Johnston, Office of Citizen Exchanges, 

ECA/PE/C/NEA–AF, Room 216, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 

Telephone: (202) 453–8162; Fax: (202) 

453–8168; e-mail: JohnstonTJ@state.gov. 

Correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the title and number ECA/PE/C/NEA–

AF–07–20. 

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: February 27, 2007. 

Dina Habib Powell, 

Assistant Secretary for Educational and 

Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E7–3869 Filed 3–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Executive Committee of the Aviation 

Rulemaking Advisory Committee; 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice 

to advise the public of a meeting of the 

Executive Committee of the Aviation 

Rulemaking Advisory Committee. 

DATES: The meeting will be on April 11, 

2007, at 10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place 

at the Federal Aviation Administration, 

800 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20591, 10th floor, 

MacCracken Room. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gerri Robinson, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, 

telephone (202) 267–9678; fax (202) 

267–5075; e-mail 

Gerri.Robinson@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 

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

Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2), we are 

giving notice of a meeting of the 

Executive Committee of the Aviation 

Rulemaking Advisory Committee taking 

place on April 11, 2007, at the Federal 

Aviation Administration, 800 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20591. The agenda 

includes: 

• ISO Feedback 

• Future taskings of ARAC 

• Issue Area Status Reports from 

Assistant Chairs 

• Remarks from other EXCOM members 

Attendance is open to the interested 

public but limited to the space 

available. The FAA will arrange 

teleconference service for individuals 

wishing to join in by teleconference if 

we receive notice by April 4. 

Arrangements to participate by 

teleconference can be made by 

contacting the person listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. 

Callers outside the Washington 

metropolitan area are responsible for 

paying long-distance charges. 

The public must arrange by April 4 to 

present oral statements at the meeting. 

The public may present written 

statements to the executive committee 

by providing 25 copies to the Executive 

Director, or by bringing the copies to the 

meeting. 

If you are in need of assistance or 

require a reasonable accommodation for 

this meeting, please contact the person 

listed under the heading FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Issued in Washington, DC, February 26, 

2007. 

Pamela Hamilton-Powell, 

Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking 

Advisory Committee. 

[FR Doc. E7–3801 Filed 3–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2007–26971] 

Notice of Request for Comments on 

Renewal of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection: Medical 

Qualification Requirements 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; request for information. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

FMCSA announces its plan to submit 

the Information Collection Request (ICR) 

described below to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and approval. This information 

collection pertains to the requirements 

set forth in 49 CFR parts 391 and 398 

for the following activities: (1) A 

medical examination form and 

certificate to be completed by a licensed 

medical examiner; (2) The submission 

of an application to FMCSA for the 

Agency to resolve conflicts of medical 

evaluations between medical examiners; 

(3) A driver qualification (DQ) file for: 

(a) Motor carriers to include the medical 

certificate; (b) motor carriers of migrant 

workers to include a doctor’s certificate 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES