[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68167-68170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29088]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice # 3473]


Discretionary Grant Programs Application Notice Establishing 
Closing Date for Transmittal of Certain Fiscal Year 2001 Applications

AGENCY: The Department of State invites applications from national 
organizations with interest and expertise in conducting research and 
training to serve as intermediaries administering national competitive 
programs concerning the countries of Central and East Europe and the 
New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. The grants 
will be awarded through an open, national competition among applicant 
organizations.
    Authority for this Program for Research and Training on Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union is 
contained in the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 
1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended).

SUMMARY: The purpose of this application notice is to inform potential 
applicant organizations of fiscal and programmatic information and 
closing dates for transmittal of applications for awards in Fiscal Year 
2001 under a program administered by the Department of State. The 
program seeks to build and sustain expertise among Americans willing to 
make a career commitment to the study of Central and East Europe and 
the NIS.
    Organization of Notice: This notice contains three parts. Part I 
lists the closing date covered by this notice. Part II consists of a 
statement of purpose and priorities of the program. Part III provides 
the fiscal data for the program.

Part I

Closing Date for Transmittal of Applications

    An application for an award must be mailed or hand-delivered by 
February 2, 2001.

Applications Delivered by Mail

    An application sent by mail must be addressed to W. Kendall Myers, 
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 
2251, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 
20520-6510.
    An applicant must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the 
following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
center.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Department of 
State.
    If any application is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Department of State does not accept either of the following as proof of 
mailing: (1) A private metered postmark; or (2) a mail receipt that is 
not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not 
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an 
applicant should check with the local post office.
    An applicant is encouraged to use registered or at least first 
class mail. Late applications will not be considered and will be 
returned to the applicant.

Applications Delivered by Hand

    An application that is hand delivered must be taken to W. Kendall 
Myers, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, 
Room 2251, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC. Please phone first at 
(202) 736-4572 to gain access to the building.
    The Advisory Committee staff will accept hand-delivered 
applications between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST daily, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    An application that is hand delivered will not be accepted after 
4:00 p.m. on the closing date.

Part II

Program Information

    In the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983, 
the Congress declared that independently verified factual knowledge 
about the countries of that area is ``of utmost importance for the 
national security of the United States, for the furtherance of our 
national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and for the 
prudent management of our domestic affairs.'' Congress also declared 
that the development and maintenance of such knowledge and expertise 
``depends upon the national capability for advanced research by highly 
trained and experienced specialists, available for service in and out 
of Government.'' The program provides financial support for advanced 
research, training and other related functions on the countries of the 
region. By strengthening and sustaining in the United States a cadre of 
experts on Central and East Europe and the NIS, the program contributes 
to the overall objectives of the FREEDOM Support and SEED Acts.
    The full purpose of the Act and the eligibility requirements are 
set forth in Pub. L. 98164, 97 Stat. 1047-50, as amended. The countries 
include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of 
Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia (including Kosovo and 
Montenegro), Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan.
    The Act establishes an Advisory Committee to recommend grant 
policies and recipients. The Secretary of State, after consultation 
with the Advisory Committee, approves policies and makes the final 
determination on awards.
    Applications for funding under the Act are invited from U.S. 
organizations prepared to conduct competitive programs on Central and 
East Europe and the NIS and related fields. Applying organizations or 
institutions should have the capability to conduct competitive award 
programs that are national in scope. Programs of this nature are those 
that make awards based upon an open, nationwide competition, 
incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Individual end-users of 
these funds--those to whom the applicant organizations or institutions 
propose to make awards--must be at the graduate or post-doctoral level, 
and must have demonstrated a likely career commitment to the study of 
Central and East Europe and/or the NIS.
    Applications sought in this competition among organizations or 
institutions are those that would

[[Page 68168]]

contribute to the development of a stable, long-term, national program 
of unclassified, advanced research and training on the countries of 
Central and East Europe and/or the NIS by proposing:
    (1) National programs which award contracts or grants to American 
institutions of higher education or not-for-profit corporations in 
support of post-doctoral or equivalent level research projects, such 
contracts or grants to contain shared-cost provisions;
    (2) National programs which offer graduate, post-doctoral and 
teaching fellowships for advanced training on the countries of Central 
and East Europe and the NIS, and in related studies, including training 
in the languages of the region, with such training to be conducted on a 
shared-cost basis, at American institutions of higher education;
    (3) National programs which provide fellowships and other support 
for American specialists enabling them to conduct advanced research on 
the countries of Central and East Europe and the NIS, and in related 
studies; and those which facilitate research collaboration between 
Government and private specialists in these areas;
    (4) National programs which provide advanced training and research 
on a reciprocal basis in the countries of Central and East Europe and 
the NIS by facilitating access for American specialists to research 
facilities and resources in those countries;
    (5) National programs which facilitate the public dissemination of 
research methods, data and findings; and those which propose to 
strengthen the national capability for advanced research or training on 
the countries of Central and East Europe and the NIS in ways not 
specified above.

    Note: The Advisory Committee will not consider applications from 
individuals to further their own training or research, or from 
institutions or organizations whose proposals are not for 
competitive award programs that are national in scope as defined 
above. Support for specific activities will be guided by the 
following policies and priorities:

<bullet> Support for Transitions

    The Advisory Committee strongly encourages support for research 
activities which, while building expertise among U.S. specialists on 
the region, also: (1) Promote fundamental goals of U.S. assistance 
programs such as helping establish market economies and promoting 
democratic governance and civil societies; and (2) provide knowledge to 
both U.S. and foreign audiences related to current U.S. policy 
interests in the region, broadly defined.
    This includes, but is not limited to, such topics as resolution of 
ethnic and other conflict, transition economics, media studies, women's 
issues, human rights, and citizen participation in politics and civil 
society. For on-site research, applicants are encouraged to think 
creatively about how individuals' work may complement democratization 
and marketization assistance activities in the region. Examples might 
include lecturing at a university or participating in workshops with 
host government and parliamentary officials, nongovernmental 
organizations, and other assistance target audiences on issues related 
to market and democratic transitions.
    The Advisory Committee gives priority to programs on Ukraine, 
Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, especially the former 
Yugoslavia, where gaps in knowledge exist. Proposals for research on 
Russia should focus on the regions and areas outside capital cities. 
Historical or cultural research that promotes understanding of current 
events in the region also is encouraged if an explicit connection can 
be made to contemporary political and/or economic transitions.

<bullet> Publications

    Funds awarded in this competition should not be used to subsidize 
journals, newsletters and other periodical publications except in 
special circumstances, in which cases the funds should be supplied 
through peer-review organizations with national competitive programs.

<bullet> Conferences

    Proposals for conferences, like those for research projects and 
training programs, should be assessed according to their relative 
contribution to the advancement of knowledge and to the professional 
development of cadres in the fields. Therefore, requests for conference 
funding should be directed to one or more of the national peer-review 
organizations receiving program funds, with proposed conferences being 
evaluated competitively against research, fellowship or other proposals 
for achieving the purposes of the grant.

<bullet> Library Activities

    Funds may be used for certain library activities that clearly 
strengthen research and training on the countries of Central and East 
Europe and the NIS and benefit the fields as a whole. Such programs 
must make awards based upon open, nationwide competition, incorporating 
peer group review mechanisms. Funds may not be used for activities such 
as modernization, acquisition, or preservation. Modest, cost-effective 
proposals to facilitate research, by eliminating serious cataloging 
backlogs or otherwise improving access to research materials, will be 
considered.

<bullet> Language Support

    The Advisory Committee encourages attention to the non-Russian 
languages of Eurasia and the less commonly taught languages of the 
Central and East Europe. Support provided for Russian language 
instruction/study normally will be only for advanced level. Applicants 
proposing to offer language instruction are encouraged to apply to a 
national program as described above that has appropriate peer group 
review mechanisms.

<bullet> Support for Non-Americans

    The purpose of the program is to build and sustain U.S. expertise 
on the countries of Central and East Europe and the NIS. Therefore, the 
Advisory Committee has determined that highest priority for support 
always should go to American specialists (i.e., U.S. citizens or 
permanent residents). Support for such activities as long-term research 
fellowships, i.e., nine months or longer, should be restricted solely 
to American scholars.
    Support for short-term activities also should be restricted to 
Americans, except in special instances where the participation of a 
non-American scholar has clear and demonstrable benefits to the 
American scholarly community. In such special instances, the applicant 
must justify the expenditure. Despite this restriction on support for 
non-Americans, collaborative projects are encouraged--where the non-
American component is funded from other sources--and priority is given 
to institutions whose programs contain such an international component.
    In making its recommendations, the Committee will seek to encourage 
a coherent, long-term, and stable effort directed toward developing and 
maintaining a national capability on the countries of Central and East 
Europe and the NIS. Program proposals can be for the conduct of any of 
the functions enumerated, but in making its recommendations, the 
Committee will be concerned to develop a balanced national effort that 
will ensure attention to all the countries of the area. Legislation 
requires and this announcement indicates under Program Information of 
this section that in certain cases grantee organizations must include 
shared-cost provisions in their arrangements with end-users. Cost-

[[Page 68169]]

sharing is encouraged, whenever feasible, in all programs.

Part III

Available Funds

    Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funding may 
be available at a level up to $4.5 million. The precise level of 
funding will not be known until legislative action is complete. In 
Fiscal Year 2000, the Congress appropriated to the program $4.5 million 
from the FREEDOM Support and Support for East European Democracies 
(SEED) Acts, which funded grants to 9 national organizations, with $3.0 
million for activities on the NIS and $1.5 million for those on Central 
and East Europe, including the Baltic states. The number of awards 
varies each year, depending on the level of funding and the quality of 
the applications submitted.
    The Department legally cannot commit funds that may be appropriated 
in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multi-year projects cannot receive 
assured funding unless such funding is supplied out of a single year's 
appropriation. Grant agreements may permit the expenditure from a 
particular year's grant to be made up to three years after the grant's 
effective date.

Applications

    Applications must be prepared and submitted in 20 copies in 12 
pitch in the following format: one-page, single-spaced Executive 
Summary; Budget presentation; narrative description of proposed 
programs not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages; one-page, single-spaced 
vitae of key professional staff; and required certifications. 
Applicants may append other information they consider essential, 
although bulky submissions are discouraged and run the risk of not 
being reviewed fully.

Budget

    Because funds will be appropriated separately for Central and East 
Europe (including the Baltic states) and New Independent States 
programs, proposals must indicate how the requested funds will be 
distributed by region, country (to the extent possible), and activity. 
Subsequently, grant recipients must report expenditures by region, 
country, and activity.
    Applicants should familiarize themselves with Department of State 
grant regulations contained in 22 CFR 145, ``Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Non-Profit Organizations''; 22 CFR 137, ``Department of State 
Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-Procurement) and 
Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)''; OMB 
Circular A-110, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Non-profit Organizations''; and OMB Circular A-133, ``Audits of 
Institutions of Higher Learning and Other Non-Profit Institutions''; 
and indicate or provide the following information:
    (1) Whether the organization falls under OMB Circular No. A-21, 
``Cost Principles for Educational Institutions,'' or OMB Circular No. 
A-122, ``Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations;''
    (2) A detailed program budget indicating direct expenses with 
clearly identified administrative costs by program element and by 
region (NIS or Central and East Europe), indirect costs, and the total 
amount requested. The budget should indicate clearly the total amount 
requested as a sum of the amount requested for NIS activities plus the 
amount requested for Central and East Europe activities. The budget 
also should reflect administrative costs as a percentage of the total 
requested funding . NB: Indirect costs are limited to 10 percent of 
total direct program costs. Applicants requesting funds to supplement a 
program having other sources of support should submit a current budget 
for the total program and an estimated future budget for it showing how 
specific lines in the budget would be affected by the allocation of 
requested grant funds. Other funding sources and amounts, when known, 
should be identified.
    (3) The applicant's cost-sharing proposal, if applicable, 
containing appropriate details and cross references to the requested 
budget;
    (4) The organization's most recent audit report (the most recent 
U.S. Government audit report, if available) and the name, address, and 
point of contact of the audit agency. N.B.: The threshold for grants 
that trigger an audit requirement has been raised from $25,000 to 
$300,000.
    (5) An indication of the applicant's priorities if funding is being 
requested for more than one program or activity.
    All payments will be made to grant recipients through the 
Department of State.

Narrative Statement

    The Applicant must describe fully the proposed programs, including 
detailed information about plans for advertising programs, peer review 
and selection procedures and identification of anticipated selection 
committee participants, estimates of the types and amounts of 
anticipated awards, and benefits of these programs for the Central and 
East European, Russian, and Eurasian fields.
    Applicants who have received previous grants from this State 
Department program should provide detailed information on the end-user 
awards made, including, where applicable, names/affiliations of 
recipients, and amounts and types of awards. Applicants should specify 
both past and anticipated applicant to award ratios. A summary of an 
organization's past grants under this State Department program also 
should be included.
    Proposals from national organizations involving language 
instruction programs should provide, for those programs supported in 
the past year, information on the criteria for evaluation, including 
levels of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, facilities, methods 
for measuring language proficiency (including pre-and post-testing), 
instructors' qualifications, and budget information showing estimated 
costs per student.

Certifications

    Applicants must include a description of affirmative action 
policies and practices and certifications of compliance with the 
provisions of: (1) The Drug-Free Workplace Act (Pub. L.100-690), in 
accordance with Appendix C of 22 CFR 137, Subpart F; and (2) Section 
319 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 101-121), in accordance with Appendix A of 
22 CFR 138, New Restrictions on Lobbying Activities.

Technical Review

    The Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union will evaluate 
applications on the basis of the following criteria:
    (1) Responsiveness to the substantive provisions set forth above in 
Program Part II, Information (45 points);
    (2) The professional qualifications of the applicant's key 
personnel and selection committees, and their experience conducting 
national competitive award programs of the type the applicant proposes 
on the countries of Central and East Europe and/or the NIS (35 points); 
and
    (3) Budget presentation and cost effectiveness (20 points).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact W. 
Kendall Myers, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of 
Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the

[[Page 68170]]

Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 2251, U.S. Department of State, 2201 
C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520-6510. Telephone: (202) 736-4572 or 
736-4386, fax: (202) 736-4851 or (202) 736-4807.

    Dated: November 6, 2000.
W. Kendall Myers,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union.
[FR Doc. 00-29088 Filed 11-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-32-P