Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 66769 

Primary Municipalities (Physical 

Damage and Economic Injury Loans): 

Juana Diaz, Naguabo, Yabucoa. 

Contiguous Municipalities (Economic 

Injury Loans Only): 

Puerto Rico: Ceiba, Coamo, Humacao, 

Jayuya, Las Piedras, Maunabo, 

Orocovis, Patillas, Ponce, Rio 

Grande, San Lorenzo, Santa Isabel, 

Villalba. 

The Interest Rates are: 

Percent 

For Physical Damage: 

Homeowners With Credit Available Elsewhere ........................ 5.000 

Homeowners Without Credit 

Available Elsewhere ................ 2.500 

Businesses With Credit Available 

Elsewhere ................................ 6.000 

Businesses Without Credit Available Elsewhere ........................ 4.000 

Non-Profit Organizations With 

Credit Available Elsewhere ..... 3.250 

Non-Profit Organizations Without 

Credit Available Elsewhere ......... 3.000 

For Economic Injury: 

Businesses & Small Agricultural 

Cooperatives Without Credit 

Available Elsewhere ................ 4.000 

Non-Profit Organizations Without 

Credit Available Elsewhere ..... 3.000 

The number assigned to this disaster 

for physical damage is 128978 and for 

economic injury is 128980.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Numbers 59002 and 59008) 

James E. Rivera, 

Associate Administrator for Disaster 

Assistance. 

[FR Doc. 2011–27837 Filed 10–26–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P 

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 

Military Reservist Economic Injury 

Disaster Loans; Interest Rate for First 

Quarter FY 2012 

In accordance with the Code of 

Federal Regulations 13—Business Credit 

and Assistance § 123.512, the following 

interest rate is effective for Military 

Reservist Economic Injury Disaster 

Loans approved on or after October 21, 

2011. 

Military Reservist Loan Program— 

4.000%. 

Dated: October 19, 2011. 

James E. Rivera, 

Associate Administrator for Disaster 

Assistance. 

[FR Doc. 2011–27838 Filed 10–26–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 7665] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) 

Request for Grant Proposals: The 

Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) 

Program: Host Family and School 

Placement and Monitoring 

Announcement Type: New 

Cooperative Agreement. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/PY–12–06. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Application Deadline: December 22, 

2011. 

Executive Summary: The Future 

Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program seeks 

to promote mutual understanding 

between the United States and the 

countries of Eurasia by providing 

secondary school students from the 

region the opportunity to live in 

American society for an academic year. 

In turn, these students will expose U.S. 

citizens to the culture, traditions, and 

lifestyles of people in Eurasia. Public 

and private non-profit organizations 

meeting the provisions described in 

Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3) are invited to submit proposals 

to identify host schools; vet, select, and 

monitor host families; and place and 

monitor a portion of the students 

participating in the FLEX program 

during the 2012–13 academic year. 

Pending the availability of funds, an FY 

2012 cooperative agreement will 

provide the monies required to recruit 

and screen host families; secure school 

placements; conduct student and host 

family orientations; provide cultural 

and educational enrichment activities; 

handle all counseling and programmatic 

issues; and evaluate program 

implementation. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority 

Overall grant making authority for 

this program is contained in the Mutual 

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act 

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as 

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

enable the Government of the United 

States to increase mutual understanding 

between the people of the United States 

and the people of other countries * * *; 

to strengthen the ties which unite us 

with other nations by demonstrating the 

educational and cultural interests, 

developments, and achievements of the 

people of the United States and other 

nations * * * and thus to assist in the 

development of friendly, sympathetic 

and peaceful relations between the 

United States and the other countries of 

the world.’’ The funding authority for 

the program above is provided through 

legislation. 

Purpose: The FLEX Program seeks to 

provide approximately 1,000 high 

school students from Eurasia with an 

opportunity to live in the United States 

for the purpose of promoting mutual 

understanding between our countries. 

Participants will reside with American 

host families and attend high school 

during the 2012–13 academic year. 

Qualified organizations may submit 

proposals to administer this cooperative 

agreement. This solicitation refers only 

to FLEX high school students between 

the ages of 15 and 17 from the following 

Eurasian countries: Armenia, 

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, 

Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. 

Organizations will be responsible for 

identifying schools and screening 

families in addition to: (1) Providing 

English language enhancement activities 

for approximately 10% of their students 

who are specially identified; (2) 

orienting all students to local 

conditions, resources and opportunities; 

(3) orienting host families to program 

specifics; (4) providing support services 

for students; (5) arranging enhancement 

activities and skill-building 

opportunities; (6) monitoring student, 

family and coordinator performance and 

progress; (7) providing mid-year 

programming and re-entry training; and 

(8) evaluating project success. 

Preference will be given to those 

organizations that offer participants 

opportunities to develop leadership 

skills and raise their awareness of 

tolerance and civic responsibility 

through community activities and 

networks. The number of students who 

will participate is subject to the 

availability of funding in fiscal year 

2012. 

Goal: The goal of the program is to 

promote mutual understanding and 

foster relationships between the people 

of Eurasia and the United States by 

enabling students to: 

• Gain an understanding of American 

culture, diversity, and respect for others 

with differing views and beliefs; 

• Teach Americans about their home 

countries and cultures; 

• Interact with Americans and 

generate enduring ties; 

• Explore and acquire an 

understanding of the key elements of 

U.S. civil society, including concepts 

such as volunteerism, the idea that 

American citizens can and do act at the 

grassroots level to deal with societal 

problems, and an awareness of and 

respect for the Rule of Law; and 


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66770 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 

• Share and apply experiences and 

knowledge in their home communities 

as FLEX alumni, initiating activities that 

focus on development and community 

service. 

Objectives: The objectives of the FLEX 

placement and monitoring component 

are: 

• To place pre-selected high school 

students from 10 Eurasian countries in 

safe, qualified, well-suited host families; 

• To place students in accredited 

schools; 

• To expose program participants to 

American culture and enable them to 

obtain a broad view of U.S. society and 

history; 

• To provide appropriate venues for 

program participants to share their 

culture, lifestyles, and traditions with 

U.S. citizens; 

• To provide participants with 

development opportunities that foster 

leadership skills they can take back with 

them and use in their home countries; 

and 

• To provide activities that will 

increase and enhance students’ 

leadership capacity, enabling them—as 

FLEX alumni—to initiate activities in 

their home countries that focus on 

development and community service. 

Other Components 

Organizational Component: One 

organization has been awarded a grant 

to administer the Organizational 

Component of the FLEX program, and 

performs the following functions: 

Recruitment and selection of Eurasian 

students; preparation of cross-cultural 

materials; pre-departure orientation; 

international travel from home to host 

community and return; facilitation of 

ongoing communication between the 

natural parents and the placement 

organization, as needed; maintenance of 

a student database; and ongoing followup with alumni after their return to 

Eurasia. 

Disability Component: Another 

organization is currently responsible for 

supporting students with disabilities. 

This includes a pre-program orientation, 

a year-end reentry training, and support 

throughout the year to both students 

and placement organizations to help 

students with disabilities cope with 

challenges specific to their 

circumstances. Students with 

disabilities may need supplementary 

independence skills training early on in 

the program. Placement organizations 

will be in direct communication with 

both the organizational and disability 

component organizations. 

Civic Education Component: An 

organization will be awarded the grant 

for the Civic Education Workshop in 

approximately February/March FY 

2012. The Workshop will include a 

week of activities in Washington, DC. 

ECA will offer all FLEX students the 

opportunity to compete for participation 

in this event. Placement Organizations 

are expected to encourage students to 

apply to this competition, and should 

help facilitate their participation if 

selected. 

Guidelines: Applicants are requested 

to submit a narrative outlining a 

comprehensive strategy for the 

administration and implementation of 

the placement component of the FLEX 

program that includes the 

responsibilities outlined in the Project 

Objectives, Goals and Implementation 

(POGI) document and in accordance 

with the J-visa regulations set forth in 

the 22 CFR part 62: http:// 

ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=

ecfr&sid=c329fb110ea15b

0bf4b16f4d88cb4d16&rgn=div5&

view=text&node=22:1.0.1.7.37&

idno=22#PartTop. 

An organization must be able to 

dedicate key staff to this program who 

possess a thorough understanding of the 

secondary school student Exchange 

Visitor (J-visa) Program regulations. 

Your application must include a plan 

to place and monitor a minimum of 30 

students; there is no maximum number 

of students that may be placed by one 

organization. Placements may be in any 

region of the United States. Strong 

preference will be given to organizations 

that choose to place participants in 

clusters of at least three students (these 

students should be from different 

countries) in a particular Local 

Coordinator’s area of responsibility. 

Please refer to the POGI for details on 

essential program elements, permissible 

costs, and criteria used to select and 

place students. We anticipate 

cooperative agreements beginning no 

later than April 2012, subject to the 

availability of funds. 

The Bureau reserves the right to 

reduce, revise, or increase proposal 

project configurations, budgets, and 

participant numbers in accordance with 

the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. In addition, the 

Bureau reserves the right to adjust the 

participating countries should 

conditions change in a partner country 

or if other countries and/or regions are 

identified as Department priorities. 

Participants will begin to arrive in 

their host communities in late July 2012 

and remain for 10 or 11 months until 

their departure mid-May to late June 

2013. Students with disabilities and 

students requiring supplementary 

English language instruction will be 

among the first to arrive. 

Administration of the program must 

be in compliance with federal, state, and 

local tax reporting and withholding 

regulations as applicable. Recipient 

organizations must demonstrate 

regulation adherence in the proposal 

narrative and budget. 

Applicants must submit the health 

and accident insurance plans they 

intend to use for students on this 

program. The Bureau offers the 

Accident and Sickness Program for 

Exchanges (ASPE) plan for students 

participating in the program. Placement 

Organizations wishing to use a different 

plan must demonstrate that such 

alternate plan a) provides comparable or 

more comprehensive coverage and b) 

costs less. Coverage must begin when 

students depart their home countries 

and not conclude until they return 

home. Please keep in mind that the 

students with disabilities who 

participate in the July post-arrival 

workshop must be covered by the 

Placement Organization’s health 

insurance policy while they are 

participating in the workshop. 

ECA Activities and Responsibilities: 

In a cooperative agreement, ECA is 

substantially involved in program 

activities above and beyond routine 

monitoring. ECA activities and 

responsibilities for the FLEX program 

include: 

(1) Providing advice and assistance in 

the execution of all program 

components. 

(2) Serving as liaison between the 

award recipients and personnel within 

the Department of State, including ECA, 

the regional bureaus, and overseas 

posts. 

(3) Monitoring and evaluating the 

program and its participants through 

communication by email, phone, and 

site visits. 

(4) Issuing DS–2019 forms for the 

participants. All participants will travel 

on a U.S. government designation for 

the J–1 Exchange Visitor Program. 

(5) Creating and updating SEVIS 

status; maintaining all SEVIS records. 

(6) Hosting an annual meeting for all 

award recipients to provide program 

guidance. 

(7) Approving program promotional 

materials and Web site information. 

(8) Representing the U.S. Government 

as the program sponsor at exchange 

events, program events, and 

orientations. 

(9) Publicizing program highlights 

and responding to Congressional and 

Department requests for information. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: New Cooperative 

Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 66771 

in this program is listed under Section 

I above. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2012. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$8,500,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 10– 

15 cooperative agreements. 

Approximate Average Award: 

Funding level is dependent on the 

number of proposed students, 

monitoring, the quality of support, and 

volume of activities. 

Anticipated Award Date: Pending 

availability of funds, April 2012. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

August 2013. 

Additional Information: Pending 

successful implementation of this 

program and the availability of funds in 

subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA’s 

intent to renew this cooperative 

agreement for two additional fiscal 

years, before openly competing it again. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications 

may be submitted by public and private 

non-profit organizations meeting the 

provisions described in Internal 

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

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: 

There is no minimum or maximum 

percentage required for this 

competition. However, the Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. 

When cost sharing is offered, it is 

understood and agreed that the 

applicant must provide the amount of 

cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal 

and later included in an approved 

agreement. Cost sharing may be in the 

form of allowable direct or indirect 

costs. For accountability, you must 

maintain written records to support all 

costs which are claimed as your 

contribution, as well as costs to be paid 

by the Federal government. Such 

records are subject to audit. The basis 

for determining the value of cash and 

in-kind contributions must be in 

accordance with OMB Circular A–110, 

(Revised), Subpart C.23—Cost Sharing 

and Matching. In the event you do not 

provide the minimum amount of cost 

sharing as stipulated in the approved 

budget, ECA’s contribution will be 

reduced in like proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: 

Bureau grant guidelines require that 

organizations with less than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges be limited to $60,000 in 

Bureau funding. Since an award to 

support program and administrative 

costs required to implement this 

exchange program for a minimum of 30 

students will exceed $60,000, 

organizations with less than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges are ineligible to apply under 

this competition. The Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries 

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with 

applicants until the proposal review 

process has been completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information to Request 

an Application Package: Please contact 

the Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/ 

C/PY, SA–5, Floor 3, U.S. Department of 

State, Washington, DC 20037, telephone 

(202) 632–6055, fax (202) 632–9355, or 

e-mail FLEX@state.gov to request a 

Solicitation Package. Please refer to 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/ 

C/PY–12–06 (as listed at the top of this 

announcement) when making your 

request. 

Alternatively, an electronic 

application package may be obtained 

from Grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f 

for further information. 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) 

document, which consists of required 

application forms and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation. It 

also contains the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document, which provides specific 

information, award criteria and budget 

instructions tailored to this competition. 

Please specify the Funding 

Opportunity Number (ECA/PE/C/PY– 

12–06) at the top of this announcement 

on all inquiries and correspondence. 

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/ 

open2.html or from the Grants.gov Web 

site at http://www.grants.gov. 

Please read all information before 

downloading. 

IV.3. Content and Form of 

Submission: Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

The application should be submitted 

per the instructions under IV.3f. 

Application Deadline and Methods of 

Submission section below. 

IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun 

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number to 

apply for a grant or cooperative 

agreement from the U.S. Government. 

This number is a nine-digit 

identification number, which uniquely 

identifies business entities. Obtaining a 

DUNS number is easy and there is no 

charge. To obtain a DUNS number, 

access http:// 

www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 

1–866–705–5711. Please ensure that 

your DUNS number is included in the 

appropriate box of the SF–424 which is 

part of the formal application package. 

IV.3b. All proposals must contain an 

executive summary, proposal narrative, 

budget and budget narrative. 

Please Refer to the Solicitation 

Package. It contains the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

document and the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document for additional formatting and 

technical requirements. 

IV.3c. All federal award recipients 

and sub-recipients must maintain 

current registrations in the Central 

Contractor Registration (CCR) database 

and have a Dun and Bradstreet Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number. Recipients and sub-recipients 

must maintain accurate and up-to-date 

information in the CCR until all 

program and financial activity and 

reporting have been completed. All 

entities must review and update the 

information at least annually after the 

initial registration and more frequently 

if required information changes or 

another award is granted. 

You must have nonprofit status with 

the IRS at the time of application. Please 

note: Effective January 7, 2009, all 

applicants for ECA federal assistance 

awards must include in their 

application the names of directors and/ 

or senior executives (current officers, 

trustees, and key employees, regardless 

of amount of compensation). In 

fulfilling this requirement, applicants 

must submit information in one of the 

following ways: 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. 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 be 

required to submit a one-page 

document, derived from their program 

reports, listing and describing their 

activities. For award recipients, the 

names of directors and/or senior 

executives (current officers, trustees, 

and key employees), as well as the onepage description of cooperative 

agreement activities, will be transmitted 

by the State Department to OMB, along 

with other information required by the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 


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66772 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 

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 that 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. If you 

fail to include this documentation, your 

proposal will be declared technically 

ineligible. 

IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1. Adherence to All Regulations 

Governing the J-Visa 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is the official program sponsor of 

the exchange program covered by this 

RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau 

will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the 

program under the terms of 22 CFR part 

62, which covers the administration of 

the Exchange Visitor Program (J-visa). 

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 J-visa programs as set 

forth in 22 CFR part 62. If your 

organization has experience as a 

designated J-visa program sponsor, you 

should discuss your 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. ECA 

will review the record of compliance 

with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. of applicant 

organizations designated as Exchange 

Visitor Program Sponsors by ECA’s 

Office of Private Sector Exchange as one 

factor in evaluating the record/ability of 

organizations to carry out successful 

exchange programs. 

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://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: Office of Designation, Private 

Sector Programs Division, U.S. 

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

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

Washington, DC 20037. 

IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines 

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing 

legislation, programs must maintain a 

non-political character and should be 

balanced and representative of the 

diversity of American political, social, 

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be 

interpreted in the broadest sense and 

encompass differences including, but 

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, 

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic 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. 

Funds provided through this award 

may not be used to promote 

participation in, or to purchase 

equipment or supplies intended for, 

activities related to religious worship or 

proselytization. Host families, school 

officials, and placement organizations 

shall not require program participants to 

attend religious services. However, as 

part of their exchange experience, 

participants may be offered the 

opportunity to take part voluntarily in 

this facet of their host culture, at their 

own discretion. Volunteer host families 

(who receive no financial benefit from 

cooperative agreement funds) are 

encouraged to enable participants living 

with them to attend services of the 

participant’s religion, if the participant 

so desires and the services are available 

within a reasonable distance of the host 

family’s residence. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation 

Program Monitoring includes 

Participant Monitoring, which focuses 

specifically on ensuring students’ safety 

and well-being throughout the year; see 

Review Criterion #5 for details and 

instructions. This section focuses on 

other aspects of Program Monitoring. 

Proposals must include a plan to 

monitor and evaluate the project’s 

success, both as the activities unfold 

and at the end of the program. The 

Bureau recommends that your proposal 

include a draft survey questionnaire or 

other technique plus a description of a 

methodology to use to link outcomes to 

original project objectives. The Bureau 

expects that the recipient organization 

will track participants or partners and 

be able to respond to key evaluation 

questions, including satisfaction with 

the program, learning as a result of the 

program, changes in behavior as a result 

of the program, and effects of the 

program on institutions (institutions in 

which participants work or partner 

institutions). The evaluation plan 

should include indicators that measure 

gains in mutual understanding as well 

as substantive knowledge. 

Successful monitoring and evaluation 

depend heavily on setting clear goals 

and outcomes at the outset of a program. 

Your evaluation plan should include a 

description of your project’s objectives, 

your anticipated project outcomes, and 

how and when you intend to measure 

these outcomes (performance 

indicators). The more that outcomes are 

‘‘SMART’’ (specific, measurable, 

attainable, results-oriented, and placed 

in a reasonable time frame), the easier 

it will be to conduct the evaluation. You 

should also show how your project 

objectives link to the goals of the 

program described in this RFGP. 

Your monitoring and evaluation plan 

should clearly distinguish between 

program outputs and outcomes. Outputs 

are products and services delivered, 

often stated as an amount. Output 

information is important to show the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 66773 

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 focus should be on outcomes. 

We encourage you to assess the 

following four levels of outcomes, as 

they relate to the program goals set out 

in the RFGP (listed here in increasing 

order of importance): 

1. Participant satisfaction with the 

program and exchange experience. 

2. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

3. Participant behavior, 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 your 

monitoring and evaluation plan will be 

judged on how well it (1) specifies 

intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 

descriptions of how each outcome will 

be measured; (3) identifies when 

particular outcomes will be measured; 

and (4) provides a clear description of 

the data collection strategies for each 

outcome (i.e., surveys, interviews, or 

focus groups). (Please note that 

evaluation plans that deal only with the 

first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) 

Recipient organizations will be 

required to provide reports analyzing 

their evaluation findings to the Bureau 

in their regular program reports. All 

data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

Evaluation: The Bureau’s Office of 

Policy and Evaluation will conduct 

evaluations of the FLEX program 

through E-GOALS, its online system for 

surveying program participants and 

collecting data about program 

performance. These evaluations assist 

ECA and its program awardees in 

meeting the requirements of the 

Government Performance Results Act 

(GPRA) of 1993. This Act requires 

federal agencies to measure the results 

of their programs in meeting predetermined performance goals and 

objectives. Please see specific 

responsibilities in the accompanying 

POGI document. 

IV.3e. Please consider the following 

information when preparing your 

budget: Applicants must submit SF– 

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

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. The budget must reflect costs 

for a minimum of 30 participants. Please 

indicate clearly the number of students 

funded. There must be a summary 

budget as well as breakdowns reflecting 

both administrative and program 

budgets. Applicants may provide 

separate sub-budgets for each program 

component, phase, location, or activity 

to provide clarification. Proposals that 

demonstrate low costs per participant 

will be deemed more competitive. 

Allowable costs for the program and 

additional budget guidance are outlined 

in detail in the POGI document. 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission: Application 

Deadline Date: December 22, 2011. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY–12– 

06 

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 

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– 

IIP/EX/PM. The original and seven (7) copies 

of the application should be sent to: Program 

Management Division (ECA–IIP/EX/PM), 

Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY–12–06 SA–5, Floor 4, 

Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20037. 

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: 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 


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66774 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 

application deadline to begin the 

submission process through Grants.gov. 

The Grants.gov Web site includes 

extensive information on all phases/ 

aspects of the Grants.gov process, 

including an extensive section on 

frequently asked questions, located 

under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of 

the Web site. ECA strongly recommends 

that all potential applicants review 

thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, 

well in advance of submitting a 

proposal through the Grants.gov system. 

ECA bears no responsibility for data 

errors resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. Direct all 

questions regarding Grants.gov 

registration and submission to: 

Grants.gov Customer Support; Contact 

Center Phone: 800–518–4726; Business 

Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. 

Eastern Time; E-mail: 

support@grants.gov 

Applicants have until midnight (12 

a.m.), Washington, DC time of the 

closing date to ensure that their entire 

application has been uploaded to the 

Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions 

to the above deadline. Applications 

uploaded to the site after midnight of 

the application deadline date will be 

automatically rejected by the Grants.gov 

system, and will be technically 

ineligible. Please refer to the Grants.gov 

Web site, for definitions of various 

‘‘application statuses’’ and the 

difference between a submission receipt 

and a submission validation. Applicants 

will receive a validation e-mail from 

Grants.gov upon the successful 

submission of an application. Again, 

validation of an electronic submission 

via Grants.gov can take up to two 

business days. Therefore, we strongly 

recommend that you not wait until the 

application deadline to begin the 

submission process through Grants.gov. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

electronic applications. It is the 

responsibility of all applicants 

submitting proposals via the Grants.gov 

Web portal to ensure that proposals 

have been received by Grants.gov in 

their entirety, and ECA bears no 

responsibility for data errors resulting 

from transmission or conversion 

processes. 

IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications: Executive Order 12372 

does not apply to this program. 

V. Application Review Information 

V.1. Review Process 

The Bureau will review all proposals 

for technical eligibility. Proposals will 

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully 

adhere to the guidelines stated herein 

and in the Solicitation Package. In 

addition, ECA will review the record of 

compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. 

of applicant organizations designated as 

Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors by 

ECA’s Office of Private Sector Exchange. 

If it is determined that an applicant 

organization submitting a proposal has 

a record of not being in compliance, 

their proposal will be deemed 

technically ineligible and receive no 

further consideration in the review 

process. If in compliance, the applicant 

organization’s record of compliance will 

be used as one factor in evaluating the 

record/ability of organizations to carry 

out successful exchange programs. 

All eligible proposals will be 

reviewed by the program office, as well 

as the Public Diplomacy section 

overseas, where appropriate. Eligible 

proposals will be subject to compliance 

with Federal and Bureau regulations 

and guidelines and forwarded to Bureau 

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 awards (cooperative 

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s 

Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below and explained 

in detail in the POGI. These criteria are 

not rank ordered and all carry equal 

weight in the proposal evaluation: 

1. Program Planning/Ability to 

Achieve Program Objectives 

2. Support of Diversity 

3. Organization’s Record/Institutional 

Capacity 

4. Multiplier Effect 

5. Participant Monitoring 

6. Project Evaluation 

7. Cost-effectiveness/Cost Sharing 

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 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

• Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’ 

• OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost 

Principles for State, Local and Indian 

Governments.’’ 

• OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and other Nonprofit 

Organizations. 

• OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

• OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations 

Please reference the following Web 

sites for additional information: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ 

grants 

http://fa.statebuy.state.gov 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You 

must provide ECA with a hard copy 

original plus one copy of the following 

reports: 

(1) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. 

(2) A concise, one-page final program 

report summarizing program outcomes 

no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. This one-page 

report will be transmitted to OMB, and 

be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

(3) A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports, including the SF–PPR–E and 

SF–PPR–F. 

(4) Electronic quarterly program and 

financial reports, which should include 

both quantitative and qualitative data. 

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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2011 / Notices 66775 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Amy Schulz 

(SchulzAJ@state.gov, 202–632–6052) or 

Amy Simms (SimmsAA@state.gov, 202– 

632–6368), Office of Citizen Exchanges, 

ECA/PE/C/PY, SA–5, Floor 3, 

Department of State, Washington, DC 

20037. All correspondence with the 

Bureau concerning this RFGP should 

reference the above title and number 

ECA/PE/C/PY–12–06. 

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: October 20, 2011. 

J. Adam Ereli, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau 

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2011–27731 Filed 10–26–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice: 7666] 

Defense Trade Advisory Group; Notice 

of Open Meeting 

Summary: The Defense Trade 

Advisory Group (DTAG) will meet in 

open session from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. 

on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, in 

the East Auditorium, U.S. Department of 

State, Harry S. Truman Building, 

Washington, DC. Entry and registration 

will begin at 12 p.m. Please use the 

building entrance located at 21st Street, 

NW., Washington, DC, between C & D 

Streets. The membership of this 

advisory committee consists of private 

sector defense trade representatives, 

appointed by the Assistant Secretary of 

State for Political-Military Affairs, who 

advise the Department on policies, 

regulations, and technical issues 

affecting defense trade. The purpose of 

the meeting will be to discuss current 

defense trade issues and topics for 

further study. Agenda topics will be 

posted on the Directorate of Defense 

Trade Controls’ Web site, at http:// 

www.pmddtc.state.gov approximately 

10 days prior to the meeting. Members 

of the public may attend this open 

session and will be permitted to 

participate in the discussion in 

accordance with the Chair’s 

instructions. Members of the public 

may, if they wish, submit a brief 

statement to the committee in writing. 

As access to the Department of State 

facilities is controlled, persons wishing 

to attend the meeting must notify the 

DTAG Alternate Designated Federal 

Officer (DFO) by close of business 

Friday, November 4, 2011. If notified 

after this date, the Department’s Bureau 

of Diplomatic Security may not be able 

to complete the necessary processing 

required to attend the plenary session. 

A person requesting reasonable 

accommodation should notify the 

Alternate DFO by the same date. 

Each non-member observer or DTAG 

member that wishes to attend this 

plenary session should provide: His/her 

name; company or organizational 

affiliation; phone number; date of birth; 

and identifying data such as driver’s 

license number, U.S. Government ID, or 

U.S. Military ID, to the DTAG Alternate 

DFO, Patricia Slygh, via email at 

SlyghPC@state.gov. A RSVP list will be 

provided to Diplomatic Security. One of 

the following forms of valid photo 

identification will be required for 

admission to the Department of State 

building: U.S. driver’s license, passport, 

U.S. Government ID or other valid photo 

ID. Personal data is requested pursuant 

to Public Law 99–399 (Omnibus 

Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism 

Act of 1986), as amended; Public Law 

107–56 (USA PATRIOT Act); and 

Executive Order 13356. The purpose of 

the collection is to validate the identity 

of individuals who enter Department 

facilities. The data will be entered into 

the Visitor Access Control System 

(VACS–D) database. Please see the 

Privacy Impact Assessment for VACS–D 

at http://www.state.gov/documents/ 

organization/100305.pdf for additional 

information. 

For additional information, contact 

Patricia Slygh, PM/DDTC, SA–1, 12th 

Floor, Directorate of Defense Trade 

Controls, Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs, U.S. Department of State, 

Washington, DC 20522–0112; telephone 

(202) 663–2830; FAX (202) 261–8199; or 

email SlyghPC@state.gov. 

Dated: October 21, 2011. 

Robert S. Kovac, 

Designated Federal Officer, Defense Trade 

Advisory Group, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2011–27804 Filed 10–26–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2011–0104] 

Emergency Temporary Closure of the 

I–64 Sherman-Minton Bridge Over the 

Ohio River Between Indiana and 

Kentucky 

AGENCIES: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Announcement for the Indiana 

Department of Transportation to 

continue temporary closure of the I–64 

Sherman-Minton Bridge over the Ohio 

River between Indiana and Kentucky for 

an indefinite period of time due to 

safety considerations. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 658.11 of 

title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, the 

Indiana Division of the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) announces the 

continued closure of the I–64 ShermanMinton Bridge over the Ohio River 

between Indiana and Kentucky which 

the Indiana Governor closed on 

September 9, 2011, for safety 

considerations. After consultation with 

the Indiana Department of 

Transportation (INDOT), the Kentucky 

Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and the 

FHWA, it was recommended that the 

bridge be closed after the discovery of 

a crack in a critical load-carrying 

element of the bridge. The closure is for 

an indefinite period of time. 

The INDOT is detouring eastbound I– 

64 traffic onto I–265 eastbound to I–65 

southbound to cross the Ohio River and 

rejoin I–64 eastbound in Kentucky. The 

KYTC is detouring westbound I–64 

traffic, bound for destinations beyond 

Louisville, onto northbound I–264 (or I– 

265) to southbound I–71 to northbound 

I–65 to cross the Ohio River and follow 

the Indiana detour. 

Under title 23 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations, section 658.11 (Additions, 

deletions, exceptions, and restrictions), 

the FHWA can grant the closing of the 

Interstate system or other National 

Network route based upon specified 


wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES