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(2.) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

(3.) 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. 

(4.) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

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. 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. Draft schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three weeks prior to the 

beginning of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Jennifer 

Phillips, Youth Programs Division, 

ECA/PE/C/PY, U.S. Department of State, 

Washington, DC 20522–0503, Tel (202) 

632–9352, Fax (202) 632–9355, 

PhillipsJA@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C/ 

PY–10–41. 

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: March 31, 2010. 

Maura M. Pally, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–7971 Filed 4–7–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6948] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Trans-Saharan 

Professionals Program 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/AF–NEA–WHA–10–53. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Key Dates: 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2010. 

Application Deadline: May 20, 2010. 

Anticipated Award Date: September 

15, 2010. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

August 31, 2012. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$1,650,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 3. 

Approximate Average Award: 

$400,000–$650,000. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/ 

PE/C) announces an open competition 

for grants to conduct one of three 

professional exchange programs in the 

Trans-Sahara Africa Region. The Office 

anticipates awarding separate grants to 

three different organizations, one for 

each of the three themes presented in 

this announcement. 

U.S. public and non-profit 

organizations meeting the provisions 

described in Internal Revenue code 

section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit 

proposals that support the goals of the 

Trans-Saharan Professionals Program. 

These goals, which encompass both 

bureau and programmatic goals, are: (1) 

To provide foreign participants from 

eligible countries an opportunity for 

professional development through 

three- to four-week study tours and 

internships in the U.S.; (2) to provide 

U.S. participants the opportunity to 

share their professional expertise with 

counterparts in eligible countries while 

also learning from them; (3) to promote 

mutual understanding and partnerships 

between key professional groups in the 

United States and counterpart groups in 

eligible countries with a plan for 

working relationships to continue well 

beyond the period of ECA funding; and 

(4) encourage mass media to report on 

the program to a wider audience. 

Proposed projects should be two-way 

exchanges involving participants from 

both the U.S. and foreign countries 

traveling to each others’ countries. Each 

project should contribute to the 

strengthening of civil society where it is 

carried out. Participants in these 

projects will be provided professional 

learning programs that will enhance 

their careers with the expectation that 

they will contribute their expertise to 

the program. 

Projects should take place over the 

course of approximately two years and 

target current or up-and-coming 

professional leaders who will promote 

positive development in their 

communities. Specific themes of 

interest in this competition include: 

Elections, Business Development, and 

Community Leadership. Eligible 

countries and guidance for each theme 

are provided in Section I.7 below. 

Proposals that target themes and 

countries not specifically mentioned in 

this Request for Grant Proposals will be 

considered technically ineligible and 

receive no further consideration in the 

review process. 

Applicants may submit only one 

proposal under this competition. If 

multiple proposals are received from the 

same applicant, all submissions will be 

declared technically ineligible and 

receive no further consideration in the 

review process. No guarantee is made or 

implied that grants will be awarded in 

all themes or for all countries listed. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

I.1. Authority: Overall grant making 

authority for this program is contained 

in the Mutual Educational and Cultural 

Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87– 


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256, as amended, also known as the 

Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the 

Act is ‘‘to enable the Government of the 

United States to increase mutual 

understanding between the people of 

the United States and the people of 

other countries (* * *); to strengthen 

the ties which unite us with other 

nations by demonstrating the 

educational and cultural interests, 

developments, and achievements of the 

people of the United States and other 

nations (* * *) and thus to assist in the 

development of friendly, sympathetic 

and peaceful relations between the 

United States and the other countries of 

the world.’’ The funding authority for 

the program above is provided through 

legislation. 

I.2. Purpose and Program Description: 

In this competition, the Trans-Saharan 

Professionals Program is conceived as a 

two-way exchange involving current or 

up-and-coming professional leaders 

from both the U.S. and selected African 

countries who will effect positive 

development in their communities. 

Professional programs will be focused in 

the following themes: Elections, 

Business Development, and Community 

Leadership. One grant will be awarded 

for each of these themes. The goals of 

each program are: (1) To provide 

African participants from eligible 

countries a plan for professional 

development through three- to fourweek learning programs in the U.S.; (2) 

to provide U.S. participants a plan to 

share their professional expertise with 

counterparts in eligible countries while 

also learning from them; (3) to promote 

mutual understanding and partnerships 

between key professional groups in the 

United States and counterpart groups in 

eligible countries with a plan for 

working relationships to continue well 

beyond the period of ECA funding; and 

(4) to encourage mass media to report on 

the program to a wider audience. 

Projects will take place over the course 

of approximately two years. 

Proposals should demonstrate how 

the grantee will creatively utilize online 

networking sites such as the State 

Department’s Alumni Web site 

(alumni.state.gov) to engage with 

program participants before, during and 

after they take part in the international 

exchange and the Bureau’s new social 

networking site, Exchanges Connect 

(connect.state.gov), to highlight program 

activities and first-person participant 

experiences during the program. 

Applicants should plan to get 

participants registered on the Bureau’s 

Alumni site and assist them in using it. 

I.3. Participants. For the purposes of 

this program, ‘‘participants’’ are defined 

as those who travel under grant funding 

from their country of origin to a 

designated exchange country. The 

recommended numbers of African and 

U.S. participants are presented in 

section I.7 below for each theme. 

Although more African participants 

than American participants are 

anticipated under this program model, it 

is important to emphasize that this 

program is reciprocal in nature and 

directed to mutual understanding with 

learning and giving on both the African 

and U.S. sides. 

African participants should be 

selected through a merit-based, 

competitive process. They should be upand-coming or mid-level professionals 

with experience or responsibility 

relevant to one of the specific themes. 

They should have good interpersonal 

and communication skills that will 

allow them to function effectively and 

independently in a wide variety of 

private, public, and professional settings 

in the U.S. While a command of oral 

and written English is highly desirable, 

those participants who do not possess 

strong English language skills should be 

provided with interpretation and 

translation assistance. Proposals should 

describe how participants who need 

language assistance will be 

accommodated and the costs included 

in the budget. Logistics and costs will be 

too great to recruit a separate interpreter 

for each African participant, so group 

activities with a few interpreters may be 

most practical. Participants should also 

have demonstrated leadership abilities 

and a commitment to or participation in 

a wider program, including alumni 

projects and affairs. 

U.S. participants may include 

individuals who act as hosts and 

mentors for African participants who 

travel to the U.S., and professionals 

from government and civil society 

organizations with expertise relevant to 

the project focus. While U.S. 

participants are not required to have 

relevant foreign language capability, it is 

recommended. As with the African 

participants, proposals should describe 

how language interpretation needs will 

be handled and their costs included in 

the budget. 

Applicants should plan to program 

the number of participants noted in 

section I.7 below, or more, and 

maximize the lengths of the U.S.- and 

African-based programs within the 

given funding levels. Therefore, 

applicants that use home-stays, engage 

public and private partners who provide 

programming support, maximize cost 

sharing, and employ other creative 

techniques to increase or stretch 

funding dollars will be deemed more 

competitive under the cost 

effectiveness/cost sharing review 

criterion reference below. Grantees must 

assure that home-stay lodging will be of 

appropriate good quality for safety, 

cleanliness, and comfort. 

I.4. Partner Organizations. Applicants 

must identify the U.S.-based and 

foreign-based organizations and 

individuals with whom they are 

proposing to collaborate and describe 

previous cooperative activities, if any. 

I.5. Project Activities. To be 

successful, grant applicants must 

convincingly demonstrate a capacity to 

achieve the following key activities: 

I.5a. Recruit Participants. The 

recipient of this award will recruit 

qualified individuals throughout the 

target countries for both spring and fall 

delegates. African participants should 

be selected through a merit-based, 

competitive process with the knowledge 

and participation of the Public Affairs 

Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy. An 

in-country or regional partner 

organization(s) or office is also required 

to coordinate screening, selecting, and 

preparing participants prior to departure 

for the United States including a formal 

pre-departure orientation program. 

I.5b. Facilitate the Visa Process. The 

grant recipient must work with ECA and 

the relevant Public Affairs Sections of 

U.S. embassies to secure U.S. visas for 

African participants, and work directly 

with the partner country embassy to 

secure visas for U.S. participants. ECA 

will issue the DS–2019 forms required 

for the J visas on which foreign 

participants must travel when 

participating in an ECA-sponsored 

program. 

I.5c. Arrange All Round-trip 

International Travel, complying with 

the Fly America Act, and domestic 

travel arrangements for the participants. 

I.5d. Conduct U.S.-Based Learning 

Programs. The recipient of this award 

will be responsible for designing and 

implementing learning programs from 

three to four weeks in the United States 

for African participants. ECA is open to 

creative and cost-efficient approaches 

for program content. U.S.-based homestays for African participants are 

recommended to reduce costs while 

providing cultural learning. The grantee 

may consider engaging a partner or subgrantee to arrange for internship 

placements or other specialized learning 

activities. The link of project activities 

to project objectives should be 

explained. 

I.5e. Conduct an Overseas Program for 

U.S. Participants. The recipient of this 

award will conduct an overseas program 

in which U.S. participants will travel for 

two to three weeks to conduct on-site 

consultancies and joint programming 


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with African participants and their 

colleagues, and, if appropriate and 

feasible, reciprocal internships to share 

their professional expertise and learn 

from their counterparts. Home-stays 

may also be considered. The overseas 

program should be designed to engage a 

broad audience beyond the original 

African participants. Proposals should 

demonstrate how the grantee would 

work with a community-based partner 

overseas to engage a wide range of 

people and will sustain the program 

benefits beyond the period of the grant. 

The link of project activities to project 

objectives should be explained. 

I.5f. Conduct a Second Round of U.S. 

Studies and Overseas Programs. The 

recipient of this award will conduct a 

second round of U.S.-based learning 

activities and overseas programs of a 

similar nature as described in I.5d and 

I.5e above in order to build on the work 

of the first cohorts. 

I.5g. Conduct Orientation and 

Professional Conference. The grantee 

will also be responsible for conducting 

a thorough orientation for African 

participants upon their arrival in the 

United States, as well as a concluding 

conference in Washington, DC, to be 

coordinated with the ECA’s Office of 

Citizen Exchanges and with other 

grantees in this set of three thematic 

projects. For the Professionals 

Conference, grantees will be responsible 

for providing transportation, lodging, 

per diem and miscellaneous expenses 

for all program fellows for a minimum 

of one day in Washington, DC. These 

costs should be included in the proposal 

budget. The ECA Office of Citizen 

Exchanges will work with the grantees 

to plan one day’s activities in 

Washington that will introduce the 

participants to Department leaders, 

explain support available for alumni 

activities, and arrange visits to other 

relevant Government offices. Grantees 

will be responsible for planning any 

activities in Washington, DC, beyond 

that day. 

I.5h. Monitor, Evaluate, and Report on 

Project. ECA places high importance on 

monitoring and evaluation as a means of 

ensuring and measuring a project’s 

success. Proposals must include a 

detailed monitoring and evaluation plan 

that assesses the impact of the project. 

Please refer to section. III.3d.3. Project 

Monitoring and Evaluation below. 

I.5i. Engage Media (journalists in 

press, radio, television, and Web 

activities) who will report on program 

activities to wider audiences. 

I.5j. Carry Out Follow-up Activities. 

The recipient of this award will develop 

enhancement activities that reinforce 

program goals after the participants’ 

return to their home countries. This 

commitment must include informing 

participants of the Bureau’s Alumni 

program, facilitating their enrollment, 

and developing plans for their on-going 

participation. Please refer to the PSI for 

additional information on Alumni, 

Outreach, and Engagement. 

I.5k. Manage All Financial Aspects of 

the Project, including participant costs 

and transparent arrangements of subgrant relationships with partner 

organizations, if applicable. 

I.6. Projected Timeline. ECA envisions 

that the Professional Fellows program 

calendar will be approximately as 

follows: 

• September 2010—January 2011: 

Recruitment and selection of African 

participants and securing U.S.-based 

hosts and learning sites. 

• March—May 2011: Travel to the 

United States by half of the African 

participants for orientation and 

placement at learning sites for a threeto four-week program. 

• May 2011: Travel by the African 

participants to Washington, DC at or 

towards the end of their U.S.-based 

program for an enrichment conference 

arranged in conjunction with the ECA 

Office of Citizen Exchanges. 

• June—September 2011: The U.S. 

participants who were involved in the 

spring 2011 hosting and education will 

travel overseas for two-three weeks of 

programming. 

• October—December 2011: Travel to 

the United States by the remaining half 

of the African participants for 

orientation and placement at learning 

sites for a three- to four-week program. 

• November—December 2011: Travel 

by the remaining African participants to 

Washington, DC at or towards the end 

of their U.S.-based program for an 

enrichment conference arranged in 

conjunction with the ECA Office of 

Citizen Exchanges. 

• January—May 2012: The U.S. 

participants who were involved in the 

fall 2011 hosting and education will 

travel overseas for two-three weeks of 

programming. 

I.7. Themes. Specific grant awards 

will be made for Professional 

Fellowships to be carried out in the 

following themes and countries: 

I.7a. Elections Fellows: Grant not to 

exceed $650,000: Free and fair elections 

are a crucial component of democracy. 

Only as government leaders are selected 

through open procedures in which 

citizens can freely participate can the 

public have confidence in their 

government. The Elections exchange 

project should focus on six francophone 

countries that are scheduled to hold 

elections in the next couple of years: 

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, 

Niger, Senegal. This special Professional 

Exchanges initiative will engage 

governmental and nongovernmental 

leaders on the following and related 

issues at the grassroots level that 

contribute to free and fair elections: 

Voter registration and education, 

election monitoring, campaign 

guidelines, the role of media and 

citizens’ organizations, and protection 

of voter privacy. 

This will be a two-year exchange and 

education program. In the first year, a 

U.S. delegation of six experts on the 

issues noted above will travel to the six 

countries to solidify working plans with 

local partners and, with U.S. Embassy/ 

PAS assistance, recruit Africans who 

will come to the U.S. In the next phase, 

a delegation made up of three Africans 

from each of the six countries will come 

to the U.S. for 3–4 weeks of study of 

electoral processes, the role of media 

and citizens’ organizations, and the 

education and activities of voters. This 

delegation will include leaders with (a) 

community responsibilities (such as 

League of Women Voters in the U.S.) for 

informing voters and monitoring 

electoral procedures, (b) governmental 

responsibility for an aspect of elections, 

and (c) media assignment to cover 

elections. Toward the end of this 

delegation’s study in the U.S., they 

should be brought to Washington, DC, 

for a one-day conference planned in 

conjunction with the ECA Office of 

Citizen Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government. In the second year, another 

delegation of six U.S. experts will travel 

to the six partner countries to assess the 

impact of the first year’s work and to 

recruit another delegation of Africans to 

come to the U.S. That second delegation 

of Africans will again include three 

community leaders from each of the six 

countries and will be programmed to 

work with American counterparts for 3– 

4 weeks. Again, toward the end of this 

delegation’s study in the U.S., they 

should be brought to Washington, DC, 

for a one-day conference planned in 

conjunction with the Office of Citizen 

Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government, with the grantee 

responsible for any additional activities 

in DC beyond that day. Thus, over the 

two-year period of the grant, 36 Africans 

will come to the U.S. and 12 Americans 

will travel to Africa. 

I.7a.1. Trans-Saharan Africa: 

Countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, 

Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. 

Program Contact: Jim Ogul; tel: (202) 

632–6055, e-mail: ogulje@state.gov. 


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I.7b. Business Development Fellows: 

Grant not to exceed $600,000: 

Unemployment rates are high among 

young adults in Africa, and those young 

adults make up a majority of 

populations in the Trans Saharan 

countries. The lack of jobs leads to 

frustration, and vulnerability to 

extremist views is widespread. This 

new Professional Exchanges program 

will offer entrepreneurship education, 

including the skills to assess business 

risk without crushing it and an 

emphasis on creating new jobs or 

businesses. These skills will include 

identifying a market, raising start-up 

funds, designing a business plan, 

managing staff, advertising, and 

understanding the legal environment for 

business development. The focus will 

be on five francophone West African 

countries with similar colonial histories: 

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and 

Senegal. 

This will be a two-year exchange and 

education program in new business 

development. In the first year, a U.S. 

delegation of five experts on 

entrepreneurship and business 

development would travel to the five 

target countries to solidify working 

plans with local partners and, with U.S. 

Embassy/PAS assistance, recruit 

Africans who will come to the U.S. In 

the next phase, a delegation made up of 

three Africans from each of the five 

countries would come to the U.S. for 3– 

4 weeks to study new business 

development. This delegation would 

include young adults, both women and 

men, who have demonstrated an 

aptitude for entrepreneurship and 

planning. Toward the end of this 

delegation’s study in the U.S., they 

should be brought to Washington, DC, 

for a one-day conference planned in 

conjunction with the ECA Office of 

Citizen Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government, with the grantee 

responsible for arranging any activities 

in DC beyond that day. In the second 

year, another delegation of five U.S. 

experts would travel to the five partner 

countries to assess the impact of the first 

year’s work and to recruit another 

delegation of Africans to come to the 

U.S. That second delegation of Africans 

would again include three young adults 

with promising aptitudes from each of 

the five countries and would be 

programmed to work with American 

counterparts for 3–4 weeks. Again, 

toward the end of this delegation’s 

study in the U.S., they should be 

brought to Washington, DC, for a oneday conference planned in conjunction 

with the ECA Office of Citizen 

Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government, with the grantee 

responsible for arranging any activities 

in DC beyond that day. Thus, over the 

two-year period of the grant, 30 Africans 

will travel to the U.S. and 10 Americans 

will travel to Africa. 

I.7b.1. Trans-Saharan Africa: 

Countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, 

Niger, and Senegal. 

Program Contact: Jim Ogul; tel: (202) 

632–6055, e-mail: ogulje@state.gov. 

I.7c. Leadership Fellows: Grant not to 

exceed $400,000: This program will 

promote leadership development in 

community and governmental affairs in 

three of the five eligible countries. Grant 

applicants must choose three countries 

from the list below and explain those 

choices. The program will emphasize 

both leadership skills and ethical 

standards, while introducing 

participants to the structure and 

foundation of the U.S. government, 

emphasizing separation of powers, 

checks and balances, transparency in 

operations, as well as citizen 

participation in the decision-making 

process. Participants will observe 

diverse examples of leadership and the 

evolving role of women and minorities 

in business, government, community, 

and social affairs. This project could 

focus on leaders in dispute resolution 

and cross-cultural dialogue, community 

organizers, activists from grassroots 

organizations, business leaders, media 

representatives, and/or government 

officials. 

This will be a two-year exchange and 

education program in leadership. In the 

first year, a U.S. delegation of four 

experts on leadership would travel to 

the three target countries to solidify 

working plans with local partners and, 

with U.S. Embassy/PAS assistance, 

recruit Africans who will come to the 

U.S. In the next phase, a delegation 

made up of four Africans from each of 

the three countries would come to the 

U.S. for 3–4 weeks to study leadership 

development. This delegation will 

include young adults, both women and 

men, who have demonstrated an 

aptitude for leadership and community 

outreach. Toward the end of this 

delegation’s study in the U.S., they 

should be brought to Washington, DC, 

for a one-day conference planned in 

conjunction with the ECA Office of 

Citizen Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government, with the grantee 

responsible for any activities in DC 

beyond that day. In the second year, 

another delegation of four U.S. experts 

will travel to the three partner countries 

to assess the impact of the first year’s 

work and to recruit another delegation 

of Africans to come to the U.S. That 

second delegation of Africans will again 

include four young adults with 

promising aptitudes from each of the 

three countries and will be programmed 

to travel to the U.S. to work with 

American counterparts for 3–4 weeks. 

Again, toward the end of this 

delegation’s study in the U.S., they 

should be brought to Washington, DC, 

for a one-day conference planned in 

conjunction with the ECA Office of 

Citizen Exchanges which will introduce 

relevant elements of the Federal 

Government, with the grantee 

responsible for any activities in DC 

beyond that day. Thus, over the twoyear program, the grant will sponsor 24 

Africans coming to the U.S. and 8 

Americans going to Africa. 

I.7c.1. Trans-Saharan Africa: 

Countries: Choose three from these 

eligible countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, 

Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. 

Program Contact: Jim Ogul; tel: (202) 

632–6055, e-mail: ogulje@state.gov. 

I.8. What to Include in Your Proposal: 

I.8a. Executive Summary. The 

Executive Summary should be one-page 

in length and include the project title, 

the goals of the project, the target 

countries, the names of all partner 

organizations responsible for program 

implementation, the numbers of 

participants, both African and 

American, and the number of proposed 

exchanges and approximate dates. 

I.8b. Proposal Narrative. In no more 

than 20, double-spaced pages, the 

narrative should include: 

I.8b.1. Project Goals, Objectives, 

Anticipated Outcomes. A clear, succinct 

statement of project goals, objectives 

and anticipated outcomes that responds 

to Bureau goals as listed in this RFGP. 

Objectives should be described in 

specific, measurable, and realistic terms 

that are achievable within the scope of 

the project, both in terms of time and 

funding. Specify the project’s broader 

objectives in terms of bureau and 

overarching program outcomes. Then 

delineate the project’s main objectives 

(no more than five) and outcomes you 

expect as a result of your project’s 

activities. For each outcome, please 

state the time frame for achievement. 

They should be guided by one or more 

of the following questions. (Please see 

section III.3d.3. Project Monitoring and 

Evaluation for assistance in identifying 

and defining outcomes.) 

1. What specifically will participants, 

U.S. and African, learn as a result of this 

project? 

2. What new attitudes will 

participants, U.S. and African, develop, 


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or what new ideas will they encounter 

as a result of this project? 

3. How will the participants’ behavior 

change as a result of this project? What 

new actions will they take? 

4. How will participants be a catalyst 

for change in their businesses, schools, 

work-places, governments, 

communities, or institutions? 

Proposals that clearly delineate 

salient objectives in measurable terms 

and plan activities in a sequence that 

will progressively lead to achieving 

those objectives, will be considered 

more competitive. 

I.8b.2. Background Information on 

Implementing Organizations. 

Information on all organizations and 

staff involved in the implementation of 

the project including the mission, 

relevant expertise in the project theme 

and countries, past activities and 

accomplishments, on-going and planned 

activities not including the proposed 

project. Previous grants received from 

the Bureau should be listed by office 

(Citizen Exchanges, International 

Visitors, Academic Exchanges, etc.) 

project name, countries, year, and 

amount. 

I.8b.3. Roles and Responsibilities. A 

clear delineation of the roles and 

responsibilities of all partner 

organizations in terms of project 

logistics, management, and oversight. 

Letters of agreement and/or sub-award 

agreements with accompanying budgets 

should be included under Tab E of the 

submission. 

I.8b.4. Project Management Plan. A 

simple project management plan for the 

two-year life of the project that lists, in 

table form, dates, items (major events or 

tasks), and the person or group 

responsible. 

I.8b.5. Support of Diversity. A 

description on how the Bureau’s policy 

on Support of Diversity will be 

integrated into the project. Please refer 

to guidance in PSI under ‘‘Diversity, 

Freedom and Democracy Guidelines.’’ 

I.8b.6. Post-Grant Plan. A post-grant 

plan that demonstrates how the grantee 

and participants will collaborate and 

communicate after the ECA-funded 

grant has concluded. 

I.8b.7. Evaluation Plan. An evaluation 

plan that follows the guidance provided 

in this RFGP. Please refer to section 

III.3d.3. ‘‘Project Evaluation’’ below. 

Detailed evaluation plans that put the 

narrative over the 20-page limit and 

sample surveys or other evaluation tools 

may be included in TAB E. 

I.8b.8. Budget. Please refer to section 

IV.3e. Budget Submission in this 

document and the PSI for guidance on 

preparing your budget. 

I.8b.9. Working with the Public Affairs 

Section. An acknowledgement to 

consult closely with the Public Affairs 

Section of the U.S. Embassy in the 

relevant countries to develop plans for 

project implementation, to select project 

participants, and to invite 

representatives of the Embassies to 

participate in program sessions or site 

visits. ECA officers can provide 

information for contacts at U.S. 

Embassies. 

I.8b.10. Acknowledging ECA’s 

Financial Support. An 

acknowledgement to follow guidance in 

the PSI entitled ‘‘Acknowledgement of 

ECA’s Financial Support and Use of the 

Department Seal.’’ 

I.8b.11. Alumni Outreach. An 

acknowledgement to comply with 

‘‘ECA’s General Policy Guidance on 

Alumni Outreach/Follow-on and 

Engagement’’ provided in the PSI. 

I.8c. Attachments 

I.8c.1. Resumes. Resumes of principal 

staff of all partner organizations 

involved in the implementation of the 

project should be included in TAB E. 

These resumes should not exceed two 

pages. 

I.8c.2. Letters of Commitment and/or 

Letters of Support. Letters of 

commitment or support from partner 

institutions should demonstrate a 

capacity and commitment to arrange 

and conduct U.S. and overseas activities 

and should also be included in TAB E. 

I.8c.3. Program Materials. Materials 

that advance program design and 

implementation should be included in 

TAB E. These include: 

1. Draft agendas of professional 

workshops, conferences and seminars 

including pre-departure orientation and 

final conference activities. 

2. Draft application and recruitment 

materials. 

3. Draft selection and interview 

materials. 

4. Outline of proposed alumni 

programming. 

5. Sample evaluation and survey 

instruments. 

6. Timeline for program 

implementation. 

7. Program promotional materials. 

I.8c.4. Unsolicited Documents. 

Attachments that do not directly 

address the proposed project or 

specifically demonstrate relevant past 

performance (i.e., organization publicity 

brochures, pamphlets, unsolicited 

reports) are discouraged. 

II. Award Information 

II.1. Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

II.2. Fiscal Year Funds: FY2010. 

II.3. Approximate Total Funding: 

$1,650,000. 

II.4. Approximate Number of Awards: 

3. 

II.5. Approximate Average Award: 

$400,000–$650,000. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications 

may be submitted by public and private 

non-profit organizations meeting the 

provisions described in Internal 

Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). 

III.2. Cost-Sharing or Matching Funds: 

There is no minimum 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, the grantee 

must maintain written records to 

support all costs which are claimed as 

contributions, 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 costsharing as stipulated in the approved 

budget, ECA’s contribution will be 

reduced in like proportion. 

III.3. Four Years of Exchange 

Experience. Bureau grant guidelines 

require that organizations with less than 

four years experience in conducting 

international exchanges be limited to 

$60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA 

anticipates making awards in an amount 

from $400,000 and higher to support 

program and administrative costs 

required to implement the programs in 

this RFGP. Therefore, organizations 

with less than four years experience in 

conducting international exchanges are 

ineligible to apply under this 

competition. 

III.4. Technical Eligibility: All 

proposals must comply with the 

following or they will result in your 

proposal being declared technically 

ineligible and given no further 

consideration in the review process. 

• Eligible applicants may not submit 

more than one proposal in this 

competition. 

• If more than one proposal is 

received from the same applicant all 

submissions will be declared 

technically ineligible and will receive 

no further consideration in the review 

process. Please note: Applicant 


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organizations are defined by their legal 

name, and EIN number as stated on 

their completed SF–424 form and 

additional supporting documentation 

outlined in the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI) document. 

• Eligible applicants may only 

propose working with the countries and 

themes listed under each of the themes 

of this RFGP. 

• No funding is available exclusively 

to send U.S. citizens to conferences or 

conference type seminars overseas; nor 

is funding available for bringing foreign 

nationals to conferences or to routine 

professional association meetings in the 

United States. 

• Please refer to the Proposal 

Submission Instruction (PSI) document 

for additional requirements. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete Solicitation 

Package before sending inquiries or 

submitting proposals. All applicants are 

strongly encouraged to consult with the 

Washington, DC-based State Department 

contact for the themes and countries listed in 

this solicitation. Applicants are also strongly 

encouraged to consult with Public Affairs 

Officers at U.S. Embassies in relevant 

countries as they develop proposals 

responding to this RFGP, and the ECA 

contact person can provide contact 

information for the U.S. Embassies. Once the 

RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau and 

Embassy staff may not discuss this 

competition with applicants until the 

proposal review process has been completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information to Request 

a Solicitation Package: Please contact 

Alice Ross in the Office of Citizen 

Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, U.S. Department 

of State, SA–5, 3rd Floor, 2200 C St., 

NW., Washington, DC 20522–0503, ph: 

(202) 632–6085, RossAR@state.gov to 

request a Solicitation Package. Please 

refer to the Funding Opportunity 

Number ECA/PE/C/AF–NEA–WHA–10– 

53 located at the top of this 

announcement when making your 

request. An electronic solicitation 

package may be obtained from http:// 

www.grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f 

for further information. 

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation 

Package Via the Internet: The entire 

Solicitation Package may be 

downloaded from the Bureau’s Web site 

at http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/ 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 Solicitation Package includes both 

the Request for Grant Proposals (RFGP) 

and the Proposal Submission 

Instruction (PSI) document, which 

consists of required application forms, 

and standard guidelines for proposal 

preparation. Applicants should assure 

that proposals respond to guidance 

provided in both documents. 

IV.3a. DUNS number. 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 ninedigit identification number which 

uniquely identifies business entities. 

Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and 

there is no charge. 

To obtain a DUNS number, go to 

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. Proposal Components: All 

proposals must contain an executive 

summary, proposal narrative and 

budget. Please refer to the PSI document 

for additional formatting and technical 

requirements. 

IV.3c. Non-Profit Status and 

Documentation: 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 

one-page 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. Additional Information. 

IV.3d1. 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 

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, the applicant should discuss 

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. The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be 

responsible for issuing DS–2019 forms 

to participants in this program. A copy 

of the complete regulations governing 

the administration of Exchange Visitor 

(J) programs is available at http:// 

travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/ 

types_1267.html or from: United States 


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Department of State, Office of Exchange 

Coordination and Designation, (ECA/ 

EC/D), SA–5, Floor C2, Department of 

State, Washington, DC 20522–0582. 

IV.3d2. Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines. Pursuant to the 

Bureau’s authorizing legislation, 

programs must maintain a non-political 

character and should be balanced and 

representative of the diversity of 

American political, social, and cultural 

life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be interpreted in 

the broadest sense and encompass 

differences including, but not limited to 

ethnicity, race, gender, religion, 

geographic location, socio-economic 

status, and disabilities. Applicants are 

strongly encouraged to adhere to the 

advancement of this principle both in 

program administration and in program 

content. Please refer to the review 

criteria under the ‘Support for Diversity’ 

section for specific suggestions on 

incorporating diversity into your 

proposal. Public Law 104–319 provides 

that ‘‘in carrying out programs of 

educational and cultural exchange in 

countries whose people do not fully 

enjoy freedom and democracy,’’ the 

Bureau ‘‘shall take appropriate steps to 

provide opportunities for participation 

in such programs to human rights and 

democracy leaders of such countries.’’ 

Public Law 106–113 requires that the 

governments of the countries described 

above do not have inappropriate 

influence in the selection process. 

Proposals should reflect advancement of 

these goals in their program contents, to 

the full extent deemed feasible. 

IV.3d3. Project Monitoring and 

Evaluation. This section of the RFGP 

amplifies the direction given in section 

I above on proposal framework, which 

calls for the delineation of objectives 

and planning for baseline, short term 

and long term outcome measurement. 

Proposals must include a plan to 

monitor and evaluate the project’s 

success, both as the activities unfold, at 

the end of the project and beyond. The 

Bureau recommends that each proposal 

include a draft survey questionnaire or 

other instruments plus a description of 

a methodology to use to link outcomes 

to original project objectives. The 

Bureau expects that the grantee will 

track participants or partners and be 

able to respond to key evaluation 

questions, including satisfaction with 

the project, learning as a result of the 

project, changes in personal behavior as 

a result of the project, and effects of the 

project 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 

objectives and intended outcomes at the 

outset of a project. 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). Note that ECA 

recommends measurements at three 

points: the baseline (beginning of grant 

program) and for short term (end of 

grant activities) and longer-term 

outcomes (2–4 months after grant 

activities are completed). 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 

project 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 outputs 

and outcomes should both be reported, 

but the emphasis 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 impact): 

1. Participant satisfaction with the 

project and exchange experience. 

2. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

3. Participant behavior, concrete 

actions to apply knowledge in work or 

community; greater participation and 

responsibility in civic organizations; 

interpretation and explanation of 

experiences and new knowledge gained; 

continued contacts between 

participants, community members, and 

others. 

4. Institutional changes, such as 

increased collaboration and 

partnerships, policy reforms, new 

programming, and organizational 

improvements. 

Please note: Consideration should be given 

to the appropriate timing of data collection 

for each level of outcome. For example, 

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

institutional changes are normally 

considered longer-term outcomes. Overall, 

the quality of each 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 (e.g., surveys, 

interviews, tests, or focus groups). (Please 

note that evaluation plans that deal only with 

the first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) Grantees will be 

required to provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in their 

regular project reports. All data collected, 

including survey responses and contact 

information, must be maintained for a 

minimum of three years and provided to the 

Bureau upon request. 

IV.3e. Budget Submission. Please 

follow the guidelines in this section and 

consult the PSI when preparing the 

budget submission. 

IV.3e.1. Form SF–424A. Applicants 

must submit SF–424A—‘‘Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs’’ along with a comprehensive 

budget for the entire program. There 

must be a summary budget as well as 

breakdowns reflecting both 

administrative and program budgets. 

Applicants may provide separate subbudgets for each program component, 

phase, location, or activity to provide 

clarification. 

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs. Allowable 

costs for the program include the 

following: 

IV.3e.2a. Travel. International and 

domestic airfare; airline baggage and 

seat fees; visas; transit costs; ground 

transportation costs. Please note that all 

air travel must be in compliance with 

the Fly America Act. There is no charge 

for J–1 visas for participants in Bureau 

sponsored programs. 

IV.3e.2b. Per Diem. For U.S.-based 

programming, organizations should use 

the published Federal per diem rates for 

individual U.S. cities. Domestic per 

diem rates may be accessed at: http:// 

www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/

contentView.do?content

Type=GSA_BASIC&contentId=17943. 

ECA requests applicants to budget 

realistic costs that reflect the local 

economy and do not exceed Federal per 

diem rates. Foreign per diem rates can 

be accessed at: http://aoprals.state.gov/ 

content.asp?content_

id=184&menu_id=78. 

IV.3e.2c. Interpreters. We encourage 

recruitment of participants coming to 


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the U.S. on this program who will have 

good English skills. However, if 

circumstances warrant the use of 

interpretation, ECA strongly encourages 

applicants to hire their own locally 

based interpreters but they may ask ECA 

to assign State Department interpreters 

for U.S.-based activities. One interpreter 

is typically needed for every four 

participants who require interpretation. 

When an applicant proposes to use State 

Department interpreters, the following 

expenses should be included in the 

budget: Published Federal per diem 

rates (both ‘‘lodging’’ and ‘‘M&IE’’) and 

‘‘home-program-home’’ transportation in 

the amount of $400 per interpreter. 

Salary expenses for State Department 

interpreters will be covered by the 

Bureau and should not be part of an 

applicant’s proposed budget. Bureau 

funds cannot support interpreters who 

accompany delegations from their home 

country or travel internationally. For 

activities in Africa involving U.S. 

participants, grantees should work with 

African-based partners to recruit 

interpreters and build those costs into 

their budgets. Eligible costs for 

interpreters in Africa would include 

necessary travel, per diem, and 

honoraria. 

IV.3e.2d. Book and Cultural 

Allowances. Foreign participants are 

entitled to a one-time cultural allowance 

of $150 per person, plus a book 

allowance of $50. Interpreters should be 

reimbursed up to $150 for expenses 

when they escort participants to cultural 

events. U.S. program staff, trainers or 

participants are not eligible to receive 

these benefits. 

IV.3e.2e. Consultants. Consultants 

may be used to provide specialized 

expertise or to make presentations. 

Honoraria rates should not exceed $250 

per day. Organizations are encouraged 

to cost-share rates that would exceed 

that figure. Subcontracting organizations 

may also be employed, in which case 

the written agreement between the 

prospective grantee and sub-grantee 

should be included in the proposal. 

Such sub-grants should detail the 

division of responsibilities and 

proposed costs, and subcontracts should 

be itemized in the budget. 

IV.3e.2f. Room rental. The rental of 

meeting space should not exceed $250 

per day. Any rates that exceed this 

amount should be cost shared. 

IV.3e.2g. Materials. Proposals may 

contain costs to purchase, develop and 

translate materials for participants. 

Costs for high quality translation of 

materials should be anticipated and 

included in the budget. Grantee 

organizations should expect to submit a 

copy of all program materials to ECA, 

and ECA support should be 

acknowledged on all materials 

developed with its funding. 

IV.3e.2h. Equipment. Applicants may 

propose to use a small amount of grant 

funds to purchase equipment, such as 

computers and printers; these costs 

should be justified in the budget 

narrative. Costs for furniture are not 

allowed. 

IV.3e.2i. Working meal. Normally, no 

more than one working meal may be 

provided during the program. Per capita 

costs may not exceed $15–$25 for lunch 

and $20–$35 for dinner, excluding room 

rental. The number of invited guests 

may not exceed participants by more 

than a factor of two-to-one. When 

setting up a ‘‘working meal’’ budget, 

interpreters should be considered 

‘‘participants.’’ 

IV.3e.2j. Return travel allowance. A 

return travel allowance of $70 for each 

foreign participant may be included in 

the budget. This allowance would cover 

incidental expenses incurred during 

international travel. 

IV.3e.2k. Health Insurance. Foreign 

participants will be covered during their 

participation in the program by the 

ECA-sponsored Accident and Sickness 

Program for Exchanges (ASPE), for 

which the grantee must enroll them. 

Details of that policy can be provided by 

the contact officers identified in this 

solicitation. The premium is paid by 

ECA and should not be included in the 

grant proposal budget. However, 

applicants are permitted to include 

costs for travel insurance for U.S. 

participants in the budget. 

IV.3e.2l. Wire transfer fees. When 

necessary, applicants may include costs 

to transfer funds to partner 

organizations overseas. Grantees are 

urged to research applicable taxes that 

may be imposed on these transfers by 

host governments. 

IV.3e.2m. In-country travel costs for 

visa processing purposes. Given the 

requirements associated with obtaining 

J–1 visas for ECA-supported 

participants, applicants should include 

costs for any travel associated with visa 

interviews or DS–2019 pick-up. 

IV.3e.2n. Administrative Costs. Costs 

necessary for the effective 

administration of the program may 

include salaries for grantee organization 

employees, benefits, and other direct 

and indirect costs per detailed 

instructions in the Application Package. 

While there is no rigid ratio of 

administrative to program costs, 

proposals in which the administrative 

costs do not exceed 25% of the total 

requested ECA grant funds will be more 

competitive under the cost effectiveness 

and cost sharing criterion, per item V.1 

below. Proposals should show strong 

administrative cost sharing 

contributions from the applicant, the incountry partner and other sources. 

Please also include in the administrative 

portion of your budget plans to travel to 

Washington, DC, to meet with your 

program officer within the first 45 days 

after the grant has been awarded. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission. 

Application Deadline Date: May 20, 

2010. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/AF– 

NEA–WHA–10–53. 

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 eight (8) copies of 

the application should be sent to: 

Program Management Division, ECA– 

IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/PE/C–10–01, SA– 


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5, Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522– 

0504. 

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 on 

CD–ROM. As appropriate, the Bureau 

will provide these files electronically to 

Public Affairs Sections at the U.S. 

embassies for their review. 

IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic 

Applications. 

Applicants have the option of 

submitting proposals electronically 

through Grants.gov (http:// 

www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation 

packages are available at Grants.gov in 

the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system. 

Please Note: Due to Recovery Act related 

opportunities, there has been a higher than 

usual volume of grant proposals submitted 

through Grants.gov. Potential applicants are 

advised that the increased volume may affect 

the grants.gov proposal submission process. 

As stated in this RFGP, 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. 

V. Application Review Information 

V.1. Review Process. The Bureau will 

review all proposals for technical 

eligibility. Proposals will be deemed 

ineligible if they do not fully adhere to 

the guidelines stated herein and in the 

Solicitation Package. All eligible 

proposals will be reviewed by the 

program office, as well as the Public 

Diplomacy section overseas, where 

appropriate. Eligible proposals will be 

subject to compliance with Federal and 

Bureau regulations and guidelines and 

forwarded to Bureau grant panels for 

advisory review. 

Proposals may also be reviewed by 

the Office of the Legal Adviser or by 

other Department elements. Final 

funding decisions are at the discretion 

of the Department of State’s Assistant 

Secretary for Educational and Cultural 

Affairs. Final technical authority for 

assistance award grants resides with the 

Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

V.2 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: 

V.2a. Quality of Program Idea: 

Proposals should exhibit originality, 

substance, precision, and relevance to 

the Bureau’s mission. 

V.2b. Program Planning and Ability to 

Achieve Objectives: Program objectives 

should be stated clearly and should 

reflect the applicant’s expertise in the 

subject area and region. Objectives 

should respond to the topics in this 

announcement and should relate to the 

current conditions in the target country/ 

countries. A detailed agenda and 

relevant work plan should explain how 

objectives will be achieved and should 

include a timetable for completion of 

major tasks. The substance of 

workshops, internships, seminars and/ 

or consulting should be described in 

detail. Sample schedules should be 

outlined. Responsibilities of proposed 

in-country partners should be clearly 

described. A discussion of how the 

applicant intends to address language 

issues should be included, if needed. 

V.2c. Institutional Capacity and Track 

Record: Proposals should include (1) the 

institution’s mission and date of 

establishment; (2) detailed information 

about proposed in-country partner(s) 

and the history of the partnership; (3) an 

outline of prior awards—U.S. 

government and/or private support 

received for the target theme/country/ 

region; and (4) descriptions of 

experienced staff members who will 

implement the program. The proposal 

should reflect the institution’s expertise 

in the subject area and knowledge of the 

conditions in the target countries. 

Proposals should demonstrate an 

institutional record of successful 

exchange programs, including 

responsible fiscal management and full 

compliance with all reporting 

requirements for past Bureau grants as 

determined by Bureau Grants Staff. The 

Bureau 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’s goals. The Bureau strongly 

encourages applicants to submit letters 

of support from proposed in-country 

partners. 

V.2d. Cost Effectiveness and Cost 

Sharing: Overhead and administrative 

costs in the proposal budget, including 

salaries, honoraria and subcontracts for 

services, should be kept to a minimum. 

Proposals in which the administrative 

costs do not exceed 25% of the total 

requested ECA grant funds will be more 

competitive (see IV.3e.2 14 for 

clarification on this). Applicants are 

strongly encouraged to cost share a 

portion of overhead and administrative 

expenses. Cost-sharing, including 

contributions from the applicant, 

proposed in-country partner(s), and 

other sources should be included in the 

budget request. Proposal budgets that do 

not reflect cost sharing will be deemed 

not competitive on this criterion. 

V.2e. Support of Diversity: Proposals 

should demonstrate substantive support 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 67 / Thursday, April 8, 2010 / Notices 18005 

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). 

Applicants should refer to the Bureau’s 

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 

Guidelines in the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI). 

V.2f. Follow-on Activities: Applicants 

should provide a plan to conduct 

activities after the Bureau-funded 

project has concluded in order to ensure 

that Bureau-supported programs are not 

isolated events. Funds for all post-grant 

activities must be in the form of 

contributions from the applicant or 

sources outside of the Bureau. Costs for 

these activities must not appear in the 

proposal budget, but should be outlined 

in the narrative. 

V.2g. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation: Proposals should include a 

detailed plan to monitor and evaluate 

the program. Program objectives should 

target clearly defined results in 

quantitative terms. Competitive 

evaluation plans will describe how 

applicant organizations would measure 

these results, and proposals should 

include draft data collection 

instruments (surveys, questionnaires, 

etc.) in Tab E. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1. 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 

(OMB) guidance: 

• Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

• Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’ 

• Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

State, Local and Indian Governments.’’ 

• Circular A–110 (Revised), ‘‘Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for Grants 

and Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and other 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

• Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

• Circular A–133, Audits of States, 

Local Government, and Non-profit 

Organizations. 

Please reference http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ 

grants_circulars/for additional 

information: 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements. You 

must provide ECA with a hard copy 

original plus one electronic copy of the 

following reports: 

VI.3a. Final Reports. A final program 

and financial report no more than 90 

days after the expiration of the award; 

VI.3b. One-page Report. 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. 

VI.3c. SF–PPR. A SF–PPR, 

‘‘Performance Progress Report’’ Cover 

Sheet should be submitted with all 

program reports. 

VI.3d. Quarterly reports. Quarterly 

program and financial reports should be 

submitted for the duration of the 

program. For program reports, award 

recipients will be required to provide 

reports analyzing their evaluation 

findings to the Bureau. (Please refer to 

section IV.3.d.3, ‘‘Program Monitoring 

and Evaluation’’). 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. Additional Program Data 

Requirements: 

VI.4a. Data on Program participants 

and activities. 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. At a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 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. 

VI.4b. Travel. 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: Jim Ogul, Office 

of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–5, 3rd Floor, 

2200 C St., NW., Washington, DC 

20522–0503, ph. tel: (202) 632–6055, email: ogulje@state.gov. All 

correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C– 

10–01. 

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.4 

above. 

Dated: March 31, 2010. 

Maura M. Pally, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2010–7981 Filed 4–7–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6950] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: The U.S./Afghanistan 

Professional Partnership Program 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/EUR–SCA–10–52. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: May 21, 2010. 

Executive Summary: In his December 

1, 2009, speech in West Point, New 

York, President Obama said that a new 


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