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(3) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports. 

(4) Quarterly financial reports within 

thirty (30) days following the end of the 

calendar year quarter. These reports 

should itemize separately International 

Visitor costs, Voluntary Visitor costs, 

English Language Officer/Interpreter 

costs for International Visitors, English 

Language Officer/Interpreter costs for 

Voluntary Visitors, special project costs 

by projects, and administrative costs for 

the previous quarter on a cash basis. 

These reports should also list separately 

the number of English Language 

Officers/Interpreters accompanying 

International Visitors, and the number 

of English Language Officers/ 

Interpreters accompanying Voluntary 

Visitors for whom funds are expended. 

Quarterly financial reports must be 

certified by the award recipient’s chief 

financial officer or an officer of 

comparable rank. For further 

information, please refer to the Project 

Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 

(POGI) document. 

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: Patricia 

Johnson, U.S. Department of State, 

Office of International Visitors, ECA/PE/ 

V, SA–5, 3rd Floor, ECA/PE/V–12–01, 

2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20037, telephone (202) 632–3288 and 

fax (202) 632–9393, or e-mail 

JohnsonPA2@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/V– 

12–01. 

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: April 26, 2011. 

J. Adam Ereli, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau 

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10770 Filed 5–4–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice: 7437] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals; The Future Leaders 

Exchange (FLEX) Program; 

Organizational Component 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/PY–11–17. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

DATES: Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: June 07, 2011. 

Executive Summary: The Future 

Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program seeks 

to promote mutual understanding 

between the United States and the 

countries of Eurasia by providing 

secondary school students from the 

region the opportunity to live in 

American society for an academic year. 

In turn, these students will expose U.S. 

citizens to the culture, traditions, and 

lifestyles of people in Eurasia. 

Organizations are invited to submit 

proposals to recruit and select 

participants; prepare and process 

documents for approximately 1,134 

participants (1,044 academic year 

students and 90 short-term 

participants); organize and run predeparture orientations in each country; 

produce program publications; organize 

staff and student travel; manage 

information for overseas and domestic 

support; communicate with the 

students’ natural families while on 

program; provide advice and counseling 

for students and placement 

organizations; and plan and implement 

follow-up activities with alumni. 

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 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 above is provided through 

legislation. 

Purpose: The FLEX Program seeks to 

provide approximately 1,134 high 

school students from Armenia, 

Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, 

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, 

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 

Ukraine, and Uzbekistan with an 

opportunity to live in the United States 

for the purpose of promoting mutual 

understanding between our countries. 

Participants will reside with American 

host families and attend high school 

during the 2012–13 academic year or 

participate in a summer 2013 program. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2011. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$11,000,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

One. 

Anticipated Award Date: August 

2011. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

December 2012. 

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 


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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 fewer than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges be limited to $60,000 in 

Bureau funding. Since an award to 

support administrative and program 

costs for this grant will exceed $60,000, 

organizations with less than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges are ineligible to apply under 

this competition. The Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. 

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 Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/ 

PE/C/PY/F, SA–5, 3rd Floor, U.S. 

Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20037 or 

wardca@state.gov to request a 

Solicitation Package. Please refer to the 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/ 

C/PY–11–17 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 Callie Ward and refer 

to the Funding Opportunity Number 

ECA/PE/C/PY–11–17 located at the top 

of this announcement on all other 

inquiries and correspondence. 

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation 

Package Via Internet: The entire 

Solicitation Package may be 

downloaded from the Bureau’s Web site 

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

and POGI documents for additional 

formatting and technical requirements. 

IV.3c. All federal award recipients 

and sub-recipients must maintain 

current registrations in the Central 

Contractor Registration (CCR) database 

and have a Dun and Bradstreet Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number. Recipients and sub-recipients 

must maintain accurate and up-to-date 

information in the CCR until all 

program and financial activity and 

reporting have been completed. All 

entities must review and update the 

information at least annually after the 

initial registration and more frequently 

if required information changes or 

another award is granted. 

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 Department 

to OMB, along with other information 

required by the Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA), and will be made available to 

the public by the Office of Management 

and Budget on its USASpending.gov 

Web site as part of ECA’s FFATA 

reporting requirements. 

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 part 

62, which covers the administration of 

the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 


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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, you should discuss your 

record of compliance with 22 CFR part 

62 et seq., including the oversight of the 

organization’s 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. 

A copy of the complete regulations 

governing the administration of 

Exchange Visitor (J) programs is 

available at http://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: Office of Designation, Private 

Sector Programs Division, U.S. 

Department of State, ECA/EC/D/PS, SA– 

5, 5th Floor, 2200 C Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20037. 

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 

should 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 fullest extent deemed feasible. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation 

Proposals must include a plan to 

monitor and evaluate the project’s 

success, both as the activities unfold 

and at the end of the program. The 

Bureau recommends that your proposal 

include a draft survey questionnaire or 

other technique plus a description of a 

methodology to use to link outcomes to 

original project objectives. The Bureau 

expects that the recipient organization 

will track participants or partners and 

be able to respond to key evaluation 

questions, including satisfaction with 

the program, learning as a result of the 

program, changes in behavior as a result 

of the program, and effects of the 

program on institutions (institutions in 

which participants work or partner 

institutions). The evaluation plan 

should include indicators that measure 

gains in mutual understanding as well 

as substantive knowledge. 

Successful monitoring and evaluation 

depend heavily on setting clear goals 

and outcomes at the outset of a program. 

Your evaluation plan should include a 

description of your project’s objectives, 

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 both 

outputs and outcomes should 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, including 

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; and 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.) 

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 


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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 SF– 

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

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. Budget requests may not 

exceed $11,000,000. 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. 

IV.3e.2. Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission: 

Application Deadline Date: June 07, 

2011. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY– 

11–17. 

Methods of Submission: Applications 

may be submitted in one of two ways: 

(1.) In hard-copy, via a nationally 

recognized overnight delivery service 

(i.e., Federal Express, UPS, 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 5 copies of the 

application should be sent to: Program 

Management Division, ECA–IIP/EX/PM, 

Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY–11–17, SA–5, Floor 

4, Department of State, 2200 C Street, 

NW., Washington, DC 20037. 

Applicants submitting hard-copy 

applications must also submit the 

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal in 

text (.txt) or Microsoft Word format, and 

the ‘‘Budget’’ section in spreadsheet 

(Microsoft Excel) format on CD–ROM. 

As appropriate, the Bureau will provide 

these files electronically to 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 Grant Opportunities’’ page. 

Please Note: ECA bears no responsibility 

for applicant timeliness of submission or data 

errors resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes for proposals submitted 

via Grants.gov. 

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. 

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. 

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. In 

addition, ECA will review the record of 

compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. 

of applicant organizations designated as 

Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors by 

ECA’s Office of Private Sector Exchange. 

If it is determined that an applicant 

organization submitting a proposal has 

a record of not being in compliance, 

their proposal will be deemed 

technically ineligible and receive no 


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further consideration in the review 

process. If in compliance, the applicant 

organization’s record of compliance will 

be used as one factor in evaluating the 

record/ability of organizations to carry 

out successful exchange programs. 

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 also may 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 agreements resides with the 

Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below. These criteria 

are not rank ordered and all carry equal 

weight in the proposal evaluation: 

1. Program Planning and Ability to 

Achieve Program Objectives: Your 

proposal should exhibit originality, 

substance, precision, and relevance to 

the Bureau’s mission and design. 

2. Detailed agenda and relevant work 

plan should demonstrate organizational 

competency and logistical capacity. 

Agenda and plan should adhere to the 

program overview, timetable and 

guidelines described in the POGI. Your 

proposal should clearly demonstrate an 

understanding of the program’s 

objectives and how you will achieve 

them. 

3. Productivity and Innovation: Your 

proposal should specify and verify 

improved productivity as well as 

proposed program innovations in 

implementing the activity and lessons 

learned from conducting similar 

programs. 

4. Support of Diversity: Your proposal 

should demonstrate substantive support 

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity. 

Achievable and relevant features should 

be cited in both program administration 

(e.g., staffing, program venue) and 

program content (especially selection of 

participants and orientation). 

5. Organization’s Institutional 

Capacity and Record: Your proposal 

must demonstrate a well-established 

infrastructure throughout Eurasia and 

procedures for dealing with situations 

where this is a challenge (e.g., 

Uzbekistan or Belarus). The proposal 

should reflect the needs of the hosting 

community (including the American 

host schools and the placement 

organizations) and a thorough 

understanding of how to work 

effectively with Eurasian authorities, 

including proposed scenarios for 

dealing with difficulties that might arise 

as a result of challenging governments 

in any of these countries. Your proposal 

also should demonstrate an institutional 

record of successful activities that are 

relevant to this program, as well as 

responsible fiscal management and full 

compliance with all reporting 

requirements for past Bureau grants as 

determined by the Bureau’s Grants 

Division. Proposed personnel and 

institutional resources should be 

adequate and appropriate to achieve the 

program or project’s goals. Reviewers 

will assess the applicant and its partners 

to determine if they offer adequate 

resources, expertise, and experience to 

fulfill program objectives. Partner 

activities should be clearly defined. 

Proposals should demonstrate an 

institutional record of successful 

exchange programs, including 

responsible fiscal management and full 

compliance with all reporting and J–1 

Visa requirements for past Bureau grants 

as determined by Bureau Grant Staff. In 

addition, organizations designated as 

Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors 

must include a discussion of 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, recordkeeping, 

reporting and other requirements. 

Proposals that fail to include the above 

information in their narrative will be 

deemed less or not competitive under 

this review criterion. ECA will review 

the record of compliance with 22 CFR 

part 62 et seq. of organizations 

designated as Exchange Visitor Program 

Sponsors as one factor in evaluating the 

record/ability of organizations to carry 

out successful exchange programs. 

6. Project Evaluation: Your proposal 

should include a plan to evaluate the 

success of the organization in achieving 

the stated objectives. 

7. Cost-Effectiveness: The overhead 

and administrative components of your 

proposal, including salaries and 

honoraria, should be kept as low as 

possible. All other items should be 

necessary and appropriate. Your 

proposal should maximize cost-sharing 

through other private sector support as 

well as institutional direct funding and 

in-kind contributions. 

8. Value to U.S.-Partner Country 

Relations: Your activities in conducting 

similar activities under current and/or 

previous grants should receive positive 

assessments by overseas officers in the 

Public Affairs Sections (PAS) of the 

American embassies in partner 

countries. 

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.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://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. A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
25760 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 87 / Thursday, May 5, 2011 / Notices 

2. A concise, one-page final program 

report summarizing program outcomes 

no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. This one-page 

report will be transmitted to OMB, and 

be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

3. A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports, including the SF–PPR–E and 

SF–PPR–F. 

4. Quarterly program and financial 

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. 

VI.4. Optional Program Data 

Requirements: Award recipients 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 agreement or who 

benefit from the award funding but do 

not travel. 

(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: Callie Ward, 

U.S. Department of State, Youth 

Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/PY SA–5, 

3rd Floor, H–15, ECA/PE/C/PY–11–17, 

2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20037; 202–632–6431; 

wardca@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C/ 

PY–11–17. 

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: April 26, 2011. 

J. Adam Ereli, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau 

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10769 Filed 5–4–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Waiver of Aeronautical Land-Use 

Assurance Marion Municipal Airport; 

Marion, IN 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent of waiver with 

respect to land. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) is considering a 

proposal to authorize the release of 

0.683 acres of airport property at the 

Marion Municipal Airport, Marion, 

Indiana. The State of Indiana notified 

the Airport of their intent to rebuild a 

vehicle bridge on State Highway 9 

which adjoins the Airport property. The 

total amount of property which is 

sought to be purchased by the State of 

Indiana consists of approximately .683 

acres. The FAA issued a categorical 

exclusion on April 18, 2011. 

The acreage being released is not 

needed for aeronautical use as currently 

identified on the Airport Layout Plan. 

The acreage comprising this parcel 

was originally acquired with a 

combination of local and federal funds 

-ADAP. The Airport will receive the 

appraised fair market value of 

$33,630.00 

The legal description of the property 

is: A part of the Northeast Quarter of 

Section 36, Township 24 North, Range 

7 East, Grant County, Indiana, and being 

that part of the grantor’s land lying 

within the right of way lines described 

as follows: Beginning at the southeast 

corner of said quarter section, which is 

North 0 degrees 07 minutes 13 seconds 

West 2,618.30 feet from the southeast 

corner of said section, said southeast 

corner being designated as point ‘‘80’’ on 

said plat; thence South 89 degrees 19 

minutes 47 seconds West 12.00 feet 

along the south line of said quarter 

section to the west boundary of S.R.9; 

thence continuing South 89 degrees 19 

minute 47 seconds West 71.12 feet along 

said south line; thence North 0 degrees 

26 minutes 29 seconds East 317.51 feet 

to point ‘‘901’’ designated on said plat; 

thence North 31 degrees 29 minutes 14 

seconds East 76.32 feet to point ‘‘902’’ 

designated on said plat; thence North 89 

degrees 52 minutes 47 seconds East 

28.00 feet to the west boundary of said 

S.R. 9; thence continuing North 89 

degrees 52 minutes 47 seconds East 

12.00 feet to the east line of said section; 

thence South 0 degrees 07 minute 13 

seconds East 381.70 feet along said east 

line to the point of beginning and 

containing 0.683 acres, more or less, 

inclusive of the presently existing rightof-way which contains 0.105 acres, 

more or less. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before June 6, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Documents reflecting this 

FAA action may be reviewed at Chicago 

Airports District Office, 2300 E. Devon 

Suite 320, Des Plaines, IL 60018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Keefer, Manager, Chicago Airports 

District Office, Federal Aviation 

Administration, Airports Division. 

Telephone Number 847–294–7336/Fax 

Number 847–294–7046. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Issued in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 27, 

2011. 

Jack Delaney, 

Acting Manager, Chicago Airports District 

Office, FAA, Great Lakes Region. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10925 Filed 5–4–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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