41134 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 147 / Thursday, July 31, 1997 / Notices

Books or records relating to a collection

of information must be retained as long

as their contents may become material

in the administration of any internal

revenue law. Generally, tax returns and

tax return information are confidential,

as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.

Request for Comments

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval. All comments will become a

matter of public record. Comments are

invited on: (a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information shall have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology; and (e) estimates of capital

or start-up costs and costs of operation,

maintenance, and purchase of services

to provide information.

Approved: July 23, 1997.

Garrick R. Shear,

IRS Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–20251 Filed 7–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4830–01–U

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Training Programs in Canada,

Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and

the United Kingdom

ACTION: Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen

Exchanges of the United States

Information Agency’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for an

assistance award program. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to

develop projects that link their

international exchange interests in

Western Europe with counterpart

institutions/groups in ways supportive

of the aims of the Bureau of Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

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

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries * * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’

The funding authority for the program

cited above is provided through the

Fulbright-Hays Act.

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

Announcement Title and Number: All

communications with USIA concerning

this RFP should refer to the

announcement’s title and reference

number E/P–98–03.

Deadline for Proposals: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time

on Friday, October 31, 1997. Faxed

documents will not be accepted at any

time. Documents postmarked by the due

date but received at a later date will not

be accepted. Grants may begin February

1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Citizen Exchanges, E/PE, Room

220, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547,

telephone: 202–619–5319, fax: 202–

619–4350, Internet Address:

[cminer@usia.gov] to request a

Solicitation Package containing more

detailed information. Please request

required application forms, and

standard guidelines for preparing

proposals, including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budget.

To Download a Solicitation Package

via Internet: The entire Solicitation

Package may be downloaded from

USIA’s website at http://www.usia.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

To Receive a Solicitation Package via

Fax on Demand: The entire Solicitation

Package may be received via the

Bureau’s ‘‘Grants Information Fax on

Demand System’’, which is accessed by

calling 202/401–7616. Please request a

‘‘Catalog’’ of available documents and

order numbers when first entering the

system.

Please specify USIA Program Officer

Christina Miner on all inquiries and

correspondences. Interested applicants

should read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Agency

staff may not discuss this competition in

any way with applicants until the

Bureau proposal review process has

been completed.

Submissions: Applicants must follow

all instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and ten copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/P–98–03,

Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5′′ diskette, formatted for DOS. This

material must be provided in ASCII text

(DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. USIA will

transmit these files electronically to

USIS posts overseas for their review,

with the goal of reducing the time it

takes to get posts’ comments for the

Agency’s grants review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. 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 the total

proposal. Pub. L. 104–319 provides that

‘‘in carrying out programs of

educational and cultural exchange in

countries whose people do not fully

enjoy freedom and democracy’’, USIA

‘‘shall take appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries’’.

Proposals should account for

advancement of this goal in their

program contents, to the full extent

deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Diminished resources have forced USIA

to limit the scope of this announcement;

regrettably, proposals for countries and

themes other than the ones described

below will not be eligible for

consideration.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 147 / Thursday, July 31, 1997 / Notices 41135

USIA is interested in proposals in the

following areas and countries:

Canada: Projects should focus on a

U.S.-Canada parliamentary staff

exchange program.

Germany: Projects should focus on a

parliamentary exchange program for

U.S. and German state legislators. The

program for German legislators should

examine such issues as the state

political process, legislative structure,

federalism, school to work transition

and immigration/multiculturalism.

Greece: Projects should focus on the

practices and ethics of journalism. The

first part of the exchange should include

an in-country seminar on the practical

techniques and ethical requirements

needed to report stories. The program

would include sessions for professional

and student journalists from Greek

newspapers and public and private

communications/journalism schools. In

the second part of the exchange up to

twelve journalists and students would

participate in a U.S. internship program.

Italy: Projects should focus on judicial

reform. Participants should include key

magistrates, academics or think tank

researchers. In part one of the exchange

a small Italian delegation would travel

to the U.S. for a program involving

meetings, shadowing, and direct

observation of the U.S. judicial system.

The U.S. program should focus on the

U.S. white collar criminal trial process,

typical case development at the state

and federal levels and the

administration of the U.S. judicial

system, including the organization of

federal and state courts, continuing

education for judges and court

employees, the role of court and law

clerks, and the use of new technology.

In the second part of the exchange

American legal experts/practitioners

would spend time in Italy consulting

with the Ministry of Justice, the

Superior Council of the Magistracy in

Rome, and individual magistrate

associations in Milan, Rome and Naples.

Turkey: Projects should focus on local

government administration in both

eastern and western Turkey.

Participants should include mayors and

municipal officials, who are members of

the Turkish Municipal Association. In

the first part of the exchange Turkish

participants would travel to the U.S. for

a program concentrating on

administration and fiscal and

management procedures and relations

with the federal government. The

second part of the exchange would send

approximately two U.S. specialists in

administration and fiscal management

to Turkey to conduct workshops with

regional associations in at least three

key regions (Ankara, Istanbul and

Adana).

United Kingdom: Projects should

focus on student political activists. The

program would bring to the U.S. student

political activists from Great Britain,

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The exchange should concentrate on

developing political and personal skills

with no relations to Northern Ireland

specific issues. The program might

include workshops on writing and

speaking skills, media, negotiation, and

the American system of government.

Case studies and role playing could also

be included. A cultural component

which would support the development

of personal relationship is also be

recommended.

Exchange and training programs

supported by institutional grants should

operate at two levels: they should

enhance institutional relationships; and

they should offer practical and

comparative information to individuals

to assist them with their professional

responsibilities. Strong proposals

usually have the following

characteristics: An existing partner

relationship between an American

organization and a host-country

institution; a proven track record of

conducting program activity; cost

sharing from American or in-country

sources, including donations of air fares,

hotel and housing costs; experienced

staff with language facility; and a clear,

convincing plan showing how

permanent results will be accomplished

as a result of the activity funded by the

grant. USIA wants to see tangible forms

of time and money contributed to the

project by the prospective grantee

institution, as well as funding from

third party sources.

Note: Research projects or projects limited

to technical issues are not eligible for support

nor are film festivals or exhibits. Exchange

programs for students or faculty or proposals

that request support for the development of

university curricula or for degree-based

programs are also ineligible under this RFP.

Proposals to link university departments or

to exchange faculty and/or students are

funded by USIA’s Office of Academic

Programs (E/A) under the University

Affiliation Program and should not be

submitted in response to this RFP.

Guidelines

1. All grant proposals must clearly

describe the type of persons who will

participate in the program as well as the

process by which participants will be

selected. In the selection of all foreign

participants, USIA and USIS posts

retain the right to nominate participants

and to approve or reject participants

recommended by the program

institution. Programs must also comply

with J–1 visa regulations.

2. Programs that include internships

in the U.S. should provide letters

tentatively committing host institutions

to support the internships. Letters of

commitment from the hosts of study

tour site visits should also be included,

if applicable.

3. Applicants are encouraged to

consult with USIS offices regarding

program content and partner

institutions before submitting proposals.

Award-receiving applicants will be

expected to maintain contact with the

USIS post throughout the grant period.

Funding

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete package

instructions.

Applicants must submit a detailed

line item budget based on specific

instructions in the Program and Budget

Guidelines of the Proposal Submission

Instructions. Proposals for less than

$75,000 will receive preference.

Proposals with strong cost-sharing will

be given priority.

Grants awarded to eligible

organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000.

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive budget for the entire

program. There must be a summary

budget as well as a break-down

reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget. For

further clarification, applicants may

provide separate sub-budgets for each

program component, phase, location, or

activity in order to facilitate USIA

decisions on funding.

Allowable costs for the program

include the following:

(1) International and domestic air

fares; visas; transit costs; ground

transportation costs.

(2) Per Diem. For the U.S. program,

organizations have the option of using a

flat $140/day for program participants

or the published U.S. Federal per diem

rates for individual American cities. For

activities outside the U.S., the published

Federal per diem rates must be used.

Note: U.S. escorting staff must use the

published Federal per diem rates, not the flat

rate.

(3) Interpreters. If needed, interpreters

for the U.S. program are provided by the

U.S. State Department Language

Services Division. Typically, a pair of

simultaneous interpreters is provided

for every four visitors. USIA grants do

not pay for foreign interpreters to

accompany delegations from their home
41136 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 147 / Thursday, July 31, 1997 / Notices

country. Grant proposal budgets should

contain a flat $140/day per diem for

each Department of State interpreter, as

well as home-program-home air

transportation of $400 per interpreter

plus any U.S. travel expenses during the

program. Salary expenses are covered

centrally and should not be part of an

applicant’s proposed budget.

(4) Book and cultural allowance.

Participants are entitled to and escorts

are reimbursed a one-time cultural

allowance of $250 per person, plus a

participant book allowance of $50. U.S.

staff do not get these benefits.

(5) Consultants. May be used to

provide specialized expertise or to make

presentations. Daily honoraria generally

do not exceed $250 per day.

Subcontracting organizations may also

be used, in which case the written

agreement between the prospective

grantee and subcontractor should be

included in the proposal.

(6) Room rental, which generally

should not exceed $250 per day.

(7) Materials development. Proposals

may contain costs to purchase, develop,

and translate materials for participants.

(8) One working meal per project. Per

capita costs may not exceed $5–8 for a

lunch and $14–20 for a dinner,

excluding room rental. The number of

invited guests may not exceed

participants by more than a factor of

two-to-one.

(9) All USIA-funded delegates will be

covered under the terms of a USIAsponsored health insurance policy. The

premium is paid by USIA directly to the

insurance company.

(10) Other costs necessary for the

effective administration of the program,

including salaries for grant organization

employees, benefits, and other direct

and indirect costs per detailed

instructions in the application package.

Review Process

USIA will acknowledge receipt of all

proposals and will review them for

technical eligibility. Proposal will be

deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the USIA

Office of Western European and

Canadian Affairs and the USIA post

overseas, where appropriate. Proposals

may be reviewed by the Office of the

General Counsel or by other Agency

elements. Funding decisions are at the

discretion of the USIA Associate

Director for Educational and Cultural

Affairs. Final technical authority for

assistance awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the USIA

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 program idea:

Proposals should respond to the

program requirements of the RFP.

2. Program planning and ability to

achieve objectives: Program objectives

should be stated clearly and precisely

and should reflect the applicant’s

expertise in the subject area and the

region. Goals should be reasonable and

attainable. A detailed agenda and

relevant work plan should demonstrate

how objectives will be achieved. A

timetable indicating when major

program tasks will be undertaken

should be provided. The substance of

seminars, presentations, consulting,

internships and itineraries should be

spelled out in detail. Responsibilities of

incountry partners should be clearly

described.

3. Support of diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate substantive support

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity.

Achievable and relevant features should

be cited in both program administration

(selection of participants, program

venue and program evaluation) and

program content (orientation and wrapup sessions, program meetings, resource

materials and follow-up activities).

4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed

programs should strengthen long-term

mutual understanding, including

maximum sharing of information and

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual linkages.

5. Institutional capacity: Proposed

personnel and institutional resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

achieve the program or project’s goals.

The narrative should demonstrate

proven ability to handle logistics.

Proposal should reflect the institution’s

expertise in the subject area and

knowledge of the country. Proposals

should demonstrate an institutional

record of successful exchange programs,

including responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

Agency grants as determined by USIA’s

Office of Contracts. The Agency will

consider the past performance of prior

recipients and the demonstrated

potential of new applicants.

6. Follow-on Activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

follow-on activity (without USIA

support) which ensures that USIA

supported programs are not isolated

events.

7. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activity’s success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program. A

draft survey questionnaire or other

technique plus description of a

methodology to use to link outcomes to

original project objectives is

recommended. Successful applicants

will be expected to submit intermediate

reports after each project component is

concluded or quarterly, whichever is

less frequent.

8. Cost-effectiveness/cost sharing: 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.

Proposals should maximize cost-sharing

through other private sector support as

well as institutional direct funding

contributions.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Agency 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.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Dated: July 28, 1997.

James D. Whitten,

Acting Deputy Associate Director for

Educational and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–20183 Filed 7–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M