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[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 224 (Thursday, November 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62116-62118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30523]

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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program

ACTION: Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of funds, the Academic Exchanges 
Division, European Programs Branch of the United States Information 
Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for an assistance award. Public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 
1.501(c) may apply to develop a program to recruit in an open, 
multinational competition and provide 225 to 250 students from the New 
Independent States of the former Soviet Union with full scholarships 
for one year of non-degree, undergraduate study at regionally and 
professionally accredited two- and four-year institutions throughout 
the United States in the fields of agriculture, business, computer 
science, criminal justice studies, economics, education, environmental 
management, EFL/TEFL,

[[Page 62117]]

journalism and mass communication, library and information science, 
political science, public health, and sociology.
    USIA anticipates awarding one grant for this program. Should an 
applicant organization wish to work with other organizations in the 
implementation of this program, USIA prefers that a subcontract 
arrangement be developed. USIA will entertain separately submitted 
proposals for joint program management, and the proposals must 
demonstrate a value-added relationship, and must clearly delineate 
responsibilities so as not to duplicate efforts.
    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 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 other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the 
program cited above is provided through the Freedom Support Act.
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA 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/AEE-99-01.
    Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, March 6, 
1998. 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 should begin October 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Academic Exchange Division, 
European Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 246, U.S. Information Agency, 301 
4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone (202) 205-0525 and 
fax (202) 260-7985, [email protected] 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 Jill Jarvi 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 nine copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE-99-01, Office 
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 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 56 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 
representive 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 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. 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'', 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.

SUPPELEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The purpose of the program is to support the economic and 
democratic development of the New Independent States of the former 
Soviet Union through exposing undergraduate students from the NIS to 
key transition fields and enhancing their academic education with 
practical training and involvement in a U.S. community.

Guidelines

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for 
further details. Administration of the program must be in compliance 
with reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state and local 
taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax 
regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.
    Dfafts of all printed materials developed for this program should 
be submitted to the Agency for review and approval. All official 
documents should highlight the U.S. government's role as program 
sponsor and funding source. The USIA requests that it receive the 
copyright use and be allowed to distribute the material as it sees fit.

Proposed Budget

    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. Awards may not 
exceed $3.75 million, and preference will be given to organizations 
whose requested administrative and indirect costs are below 20% of the 
total grant award. 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 breakdown 
reflecting

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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) U.S.-based administrative costs.
    (2) NIS-based administrative costs.
    (3) Program costs.
    (4) Start up recruitment costs for FY 2000.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals 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 and 
Eastern Europe and NIS Affairs 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 Education 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. Program Development and Management

    Proposals should exhibit originality, substance, precision, 
innovation, and relevance to Agency mission. Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the organization will meet the program's objectives. A 
detailed agenda and relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive 
undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda and plan should adhere to 
the program overview and guidelines described above.

2. 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. Proposals should also include 
creative ways to involve students in their U.S. communities.

3. Support of Diversity

    Proposals should demonstrate the recipient's commitment to 
promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity, and should 
include a strategy for achieving diverse applicant pools for both 
students and host institutions.

4. Institution's Record/Ability

    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. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should 
be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goals.

5. Follow-on and Alumni Activities

    Proposals should provide a plan for continued follow-on activity 
(without USIA support) which insures that USIA supported programs are 
not isolated events.

6. Project Evaluation

    Proposals should include a plan to evaluate the program's success, 
both during and after the program. USIA recommends that the proposal 
include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique, plus a 
description of methodologies that can be used to link outcomes to 
original project objectives. Award-receiving organizations/institutions 
will be expected to submit intermediate reports after each project 
component is concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.

7. Cost-Effectiveness and 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.

Option for Renewals

    Subject to the availability of funding for FY 2000 and FY 2001, and 
the satisfactory performance of grant programs, USIA may invite grantee 
organizations to submit proposals for renewals of awards.

    Dated: November 14, 1997.
Robert L. Earle,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-30523 Filed 11-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
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