Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 62 / Thursday, April 2, 2009 / Notices 15039 

Award recipients will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular program reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Carolyn Lantz, 

Program Officer, Youth Programs 

Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547. 

Telephone (202) 203–7505. Fax (202) 

203–7529. E-mail: LantzCS@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and the reference number 

ECA/PE/C/PY–09–40. 

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. 

March 24, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–7215 Filed 4–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6565] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: Young Turkey/Young 

America: A New Relationship for a New 

Age 

Announcement Type: New Grant. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/EUR–SCA–09–45. Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance Number 

00.000. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: June 4, 2009. 

Executive Summary 

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 

Clinton announced a new exchange 

program for Turkish and American 

young people while in Ankara on March 

7, 2009. This two part program, called 

‘‘Young Turkey/Young America: A New 

Relationship for a New Age,’’ will bring 

20 to 30 emerging leaders (ages 20–35) 

from the two countries together to 

develop grassroots initiatives that will 

positively impact people’s lives and will 

result in stronger ties between the two 

nations. 

ECA is seeking proposals from 

qualified applicants for two separate 

programs. The Bureau expects total 

funding in the amount of $500,000 to be 

available. ECA expects to award a total 

of two grants in this competition of up 

to $250,000, one for each topic. 

The first project, ‘‘Political Challenges 

for Future Leaders’’ will enable 10–15 

young professionals from Turkey and 

the United States to participate in a 

structured bi-national dialogue on 

foreign policy issues of importance to 

both countries, both face-to-face and via 

the full range of communication media. 

The second project, ‘‘Social and 

Economic Challenges for Future 

Leaders’’ will work to expand the 

capacity of grassroots organizations to 

empower women, to improve job skills 

for young people in economically 

disadvantaged communities and to raise 

environmental awareness and activism. 

Note: Applicants may not submit more 

than one proposal in this competition. 

Applicants that do so will be declared 

technically ineligible and will receive no 

further consideration in the review process. 

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 initiative ‘‘Young Turkey/Young 

America: A New Relationship for a New 

Age’’ is built around two new exchange 

programs that will bring emerging 

young leaders (ages 20–35) in Turkey 

and the United States together to 

develop grassroots initiatives that will 

positively impact people’s lives and 

deepen ties between the future leaders 

of both countries. It will also reach 

beyond the two new exchanges to 

network with alumni of previous 

leadership exchange programs in both 

countries to build a solid foundation of 

mutual understanding. 

Applicants must identify the U.S. and 

Turkish organizations and individuals 

with whom they are proposing to 

collaborate and describe previous 

cooperative activities, if any. 

Information about the mission, 

activities, and accomplishments of 

partner organizations should be 

included in the submission. Proposals 

should contain letters of commitment or 

support from partner organizations for 

the proposed project. Applicants should 

clearly outline and describe the role and 

responsibilities of all partner 

organizations in terms of project 

logistics, management and oversight. 

Competitive proposals will include 

the following: 

• A brief description of the theme to 

be addressed and how it relates to 

Turkey and the United States. 

(Proposals that request resources for an 

initial needs assessment will be deemed 

less competitive under the review 

criterion Program Planning and Ability 

to Achieve Objectives, per item V.1 

below.); 

• A clear, succinct statement of 

program objectives and expected 

outcomes that responds to Bureau goals 

as listed in this RFGP. Desired outcomes 

should be described in qualitative and 

quantitative terms. (See the Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation section per 

item V.1 below, for more information on 

project objectives and outcomes.); 

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• A proposed timeline; 

• A description of participant 

recruitment and selection processes; 

• Letters of support from Turkish and 

U.S. partners. (Letters from prospective 

partner institutions should demonstrate 

a capacity to arrange and conduct U.S. 

and overseas activities.); 

• An outline of the applicant 

organization’s relevant expertise in the 

project theme and working in Turkey; 

• An outline of relevant experience 

managing previous exchange programs; 

• Resumes of experienced staff who 

have demonstrated a commitment to 

implement and monitor projects and 

ensure outcomes; 

• A comprehensive plan to evaluate 

whether program outcomes will achieve 

the specific objectives described in the 

narrative. (See the Program Monitoring 

and Evaluation section [IV.3d.d below] 

for further guidance on evaluation.); 

• A post-grant plan that demonstrates 

how the grantee plans to maintain 

contacts initiated through the program. 

Applicants should discuss ways that 

U.S. and Turkish participants or host 

institutions will collaborate and 

communicate after the ECA-funded 

grant has concluded. (See Review 

Criterion #5, per item V.1 below for 

more information on post-grant 

activities.) 

• Successful projects will 

demonstrate the importance Americans 

place on community service as an 

element of active citizenship and may 

include ideas and projects to strengthen 

civil society through community service 

either during participants’ stay in the 

U.S. or upon their return to Turkey. 

• In addition to addressing the 

specific themes described below, 

proposals should develop partner 

organizations’ capacity in such areas as 

strategic planning, performance 

management, fund raising, financial 

management, human resources 

management, and decision-making. 

U.S. Embassy Involvement: Before 

submitting a proposal, all applicants are 

strongly encouraged to consult with the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs Washington, DC-based State 

Department contact, Brent Beemer; tel: 

202–453–8147; e-mail: 

BeemerBT@state.gov. Applicants are 

also strongly encouraged to consult with 

Public Affairs Officers at U.S. Embassy 

in Ankara as they develop proposals 

responding to this. For direct contact 

information at the U.S. Embassy in 

Ankara, please contact the Washington, 

DC-based State Department officer for 

this competition, Brent Beemer, listed 

above. Also, it is important that the 

proposal narrative clearly state the 

applicant’s commitment to consult 

closely with the Public Affairs Section 

of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara to 

develop plans for project 

implementation and to select project 

participants. Proposals should also 

acknowledge U.S. Embassy involvement 

in the final selection of all participants. 

Applicants should state their 

willingness to invite representatives of 

the Embassy to participate in program 

sessions or site visits. 

Project Details: 

Project 1: Political Challenges for Future 

Leaders: A Foreign Policy Dialogue 

Among Emerging Leaders 

This project is designed to support 

and to promote the participation of 

young Turkish leaders in the 

transatlantic dialogue on foreign policy 

issues. This program intends to show 

how democratic nations/governments/ 

citizens can disagree—and very 

strongly—on specific issues with other 

countries, but still maintain healthy 

bilateral and interpersonal 

relationships. The program should work 

to bring together an equal number of 

Turkish and American professionals 

who, for the duration of the project, will 

work together, for the duration of the 

project, on fostering personal and 

institutional linkages through dialogue. 

This dialogue should center on major 

foreign policy issues of importance to 

the United States and Turkey, 

specifically regional cooperation, 

conflict management and resolution, 

and policy advocacy in a modern 

democracy. Competitive proposals will 

outline a framework for this dialogue 

and activities to foster the linkages to be 

developed. ECA envisions a program 

where U.S. and Turkish professionals 

form a core dialogue group that, with 

facilitation, develops an action plan that 

will be developed and implemented 

over the course of the exchanges and 

continued post-program to maintain 

engagement between the organizations. 

The action plan might include policy 

proposals to be presented to 

governmental officials in both countries, 

the development of a free-standing 

continuous dialogue association in both 

countries, the use of ‘‘new media’’ 

outlets such as weblogs, online videos, 

and social networking for joint projects, 

etc. 

Audience: Emerging leaders selected 

through merit-based competitions (10– 

15 from the U.S. and 10–15 from 

Turkey) age 20–35 involved in 

international affairs from youth wings of 

political parties, NGOs with youth 

focus, universities, business 

organizations, active politicians, 

journalists, business people, think 

tanks, and cultural figures. Participants 

should include individuals who work at 

the local, state, and federal levels. 

A successful program will provide 

participants: 

• The opportunity to engage in 

serious, important, and productive 

dialogue on international issues in ways 

that strengthen civil society and the 

democratic process. 

• New links between a core group of 

emerging leaders in Turkey and the 

United States who will work together on 

policy formulation issues. 

• Development of negotiation and 

advocacy skills among the participants. 

• A better understanding of the 

processes involved in developing 

foreign policy including input from 

academia, think-tanks, media, interest 

groups, as well as government actors. 

• A fuller understanding of the U.S. 

and Turkish political, social, and 

cultural structures that influence and 

shape foreign policy formulation. 

Ideal Program Model: 

• An open recruitment and selection 

of a core group of participants from the 

U.S. and Turkey. In Turkey, recruitment 

and selection should include close 

consultation with the U.S. Embassy 

Public Affairs Section. 

• A two to three week U.S.-based 

program where the core group of 

American and Turkish participants 

come together as one group. The 

majority of this program should include 

‘‘hands on’’ work between the core 

group on skills trainings, leadership 

development, new technology 

opportunities, and the development of a 

joint action plan by the core group. 

Outside site visits, job-shadowing 

opportunities, and homestays—ideally 

with the U.S. participants—that 

compliment the core group work are 

encouraged. Should also include a one 

or two-day debriefing session at the end 

of the program in Washington, DC. 

• A one to two week Turkey-based 

program where the core group of 

American and Turkish participants 

come together as a follow-on to what 

was done during the previous U.S.- 

based program. The majority of this 

program should continue facilitated 

work between the core group on skills 

trainings, leadership development, and 

the completion of the joint action plan 

by the core group. Outside site visits, 

job-shadowing opportunities, and 

homestays for the U.S. participants with 

the Turkish participants that 

compliment the core group work are 

encouraged. 

• A follow-on period where the 

implementation of the joint action plan 

is completed. During this period, travel 

by select participants (one or two) to 

Turkey and/or the U.S. to further the 

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implementation plan could be planned. 

Use of new information and 

communication technologies to enhance 

and broaden the dialogue should be 

implemented at this point. 

Project 2: Social and Economic 

Challenges for Future Leaders: 

Grassroots Development in a Modern 

Democracy 

This project will work to expand the 

capacity of Turkish grassroots 

organizations (NGOs) to empower 

women, to improve job skills for young 

people in economically disadvantaged 

communities and to raise environmental 

awareness and activism. ECA envisions 

a ‘‘hands on’’ program where U.S. and 

Turkish grassroots organizations with 

similar missions will partner on joint 

projects (addressing women’s 

empowerment, job skills for young 

people, and environmental awareness) 

that will be developed and implemented 

over a series of exchanges and 

continued post-program engagement 

between the organizations. ECA seeks 

competitive proposals that will build 

NGO capacity in practice, giving NGO 

leaders from the two countries 

opportunities to adopt best practices by 

doing. Joint projects should be 

developed, implemented, monitored 

and evaluated by both sides. The 

implementing U.S. grantee will be 

required to partner and involve one or 

more Turkish grassroots organizations 

in the program that have demonstrated 

a commitment to civil society 

development and the establishment of a 

dialogue between the government and 

non-governmental sectors in Turkey. 

Applicants should consult with the U.S. 

Embassy in Ankara when selecting these 

partners. 

Audience: Emerging grassroots leaders 

(10–15 from the U.S. and 10–15 from 

Turkey selected through merit-based 

competitions) age 20–35 involved with 

grassroots efforts in empowering 

women, improving job skills for young 

people in economically disadvantaged 

communities, and environmental 

awareness and activism. 

A successful program will provide 

participants: 

• Developed leadership skills, 

including how to conceptualize and 

develop community-based projects to 

reach diverse citizenry, using clear 

objectives, solid management structures 

and evaluation feedback mechanisms at 

the local level; 

• An understanding and review of the 

impact of public interest and 

government policies on the primary 

issues, as well as a comprehensive 

discussion of proposed solutions; 

• An introduction to volunteerism 

and the ways in which different NGOs 

and charities give service to their 

communities. This includes knowledge 

of how the needs of a community are 

identified, how service organizations 

find their niches, how service projects 

are funded, and how they are organized; 

• New links between emerging 

grassroots leaders and organizations in 

Turkey and the United States; 

• A review of new technologies, such 

as weblogs, online videos, and social 

networking sites, and how these new 

media can be used to effect positive 

change in their communities. 

• A fuller understanding of American 

and Turkish policies, political 

structures, societies, and cultures. 

Ideal Program Model: 

• A two to three week U.S.-based 

program that would mainly focus on the 

development of a joint communitybased project that both Turkish and U.S. 

participants would develop and 

implement for the rest of the program. 

This program could also include 

seminars; site visits; and individual 

mentoring for the Turkish participants. 

Programs should also include a one- or 

two-day debriefing and evaluation 

session at the end of the program in 

Washington, DC. 

• A one to two week program in 

Turkey for U.S. participants. This would 

mainly focus on the continual 

implementation of the joint communitybased project originally started during 

the U.S.-based program. This program 

could also include seminars; site visits; 

and on-site consultancies by U.S. 

participants to Turkish organizations/ 

workplaces. It should also include a 

one- or two-day debriefing and 

evaluation session at the end of the 

program. 

• The project should establish a plan 

for regular communication between 

participants through electronic and 

digital image communications. Also, the 

project should reach out to participants 

in other similar ECA exchange programs 

in Turkey. Programs could also support 

materials translated into Turkish, small 

grants for projects designed to expand 

the exchange experience and support for 

the development of alumni association. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement 

ECA’s level of involvement in this 

program is listed under number I above. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2009. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$500,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 2. 

Approximate Average Award: 

$250,000. 

Ceiling of Award Range: $250,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: Pending 

availability of funds, September 1, 2009. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

August 31, 2011. 

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. ECA anticipates 

making two one awards, in an amount 

up to $250,000 to support program and 

administrative costs required to 

implement this exchange program. 

Therefore, organizations with less than 

four years experience in conducting 

international exchanges are ineligible to 

apply under this competition. The 

Bureau encourages applicants to 

provide maximum levels of cost sharing 

and funding in support of its programs. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries or 

submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not 

discuss this competition with applicants 

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until the proposal review process has been 

completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information To Request an 

Application Package 

Please contact the Office of Citizen 

Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, Room 220, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 

(202) 453–8147, gustafsondp@state.gov 

to request a Solicitation Package. Please 

refer to the Funding Opportunity 

Number ECA/PE/C/EUR–SCA–09–45 

located at the top of this announcement 

when making your request. 

Alternatively, an electronic 

application package may be obtained 

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

for further information. 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) 

document which consists of required 

application forms, and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation. 

Please specify Program Officer Brent 

Beemer and refer to the Funding 

Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/EUR– 

SCA–09–45 located at the top of this 

announcement on all other inquiries 

and correspondence. 

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation 

Package Via Internet 

The entire Solicitation Package may 

be downloaded from the Bureau’s Web 

site at http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/ 

open2.html, or from the Grants.gov Web 

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

Please read all information before 

downloading. 

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission 

Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

The application should be submitted 

per the instructions under IV.3f. 

‘‘Application Deadline and Methods of 

Submission’’ section below. 

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

and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number to 

apply for a grant or cooperative 

agreement from the U.S. Government. 

This number is a nine-digit 

identification number, which uniquely 

identifies business entities. Obtaining a 

DUNS number is easy and there is no 

charge. To obtain a DUNS number, 

access http:// 

www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1– 

866–705–5711. Please ensure that your 

DUNS number is included in the 

appropriate box of the SF–424 which is 

part of the formal application package. 

IV.3b. All proposals must contain an 

executive summary, proposal narrative 

and budget. 

Please Refer to the Solicitation 

Package. It contains the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

document for additional formatting and 

technical requirements. 

IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status 

with the IRS at the time of application. 

Please note: Effective January 7, 2009, 

all applicants for ECA federal assistance 

awards must include in their 

application the names of directors 

and/or senior executives (current 

officers, trustees, and key employees, 

regardless of amount of compensation). 

In fulfilling this requirement, applicants 

must submit information in one of the 

following ways: 

(1) Those who file Internal Revenue 

Service Form 990, ‘‘Return of 

Organization Exempt From Income 

Tax,’’ must include a copy of relevant 

portions of this form. 

(2) Those who do not file IRS Form 

990 must submit information above in 

the format of their choice. 

In addition to final program reporting 

requirements, award recipients will also 

be required to submit a one-page 

document, derived from their program 

reports, listing and describing their 

grant activities. For award recipients, 

the names of directors and/or senior 

executives (current officers, trustees, 

and key employees), as well as the onepage description of grant activities, will 

be transmitted by the State Department 

to OMB, along with other information 

required by the Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA), and will be made available to 

the public by the Office of Management 

and Budget on its USASpending.gov 

Web site as part of ECA’s FFATA 

reporting requirements. 

If your organization is a private 

nonprofit which has not received a grant 

or cooperative agreement from ECA in 

the past three years, or if your 

organization received nonprofit status 

from the IRS within the past four years, 

you must submit the necessary 

documentation to verify nonprofit status 

as directed in the PSI document. Failure 

to do so will cause your proposal to be 

declared technically ineligible. 

IV.3d. Please take into consideration 

the following information when 

preparing your proposal narrative: 

IV.3d.1 Adherence to all Regulations 

Governing the J Visa 

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs is the official program sponsor of 

the exchange program covered by this 

RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau 

will be the ‘‘Responsible Officer’’ for the 

program under the terms of 22 CFR part 

62, which covers the administration of 

the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 

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://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: United States Department of 

State, Office of Exchange Coordination 

and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD–SA–44, 

Room 734, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: 

(202) 203–5029, FAX: (202) 453–8640. 

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, 

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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. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation: 

Proposals must include a plan to 

monitor and evaluate the project’s 

success, both as the activities unfold 

and at the end of the program. The 

Bureau recommends that your proposal 

include a draft survey questionnaire or 

other technique plus a description of a 

methodology to use to link outcomes to 

original project objectives. The Bureau 

expects that the recipient organization 

will track participants or partners and 

be able to respond to key evaluation 

questions, including satisfaction with 

the program, learning as a result of the 

program, changes in behavior as a result 

of the program, and effects of the 

program on institutions (institutions in 

which participants work or partner 

institutions). The evaluation plan 

should include indicators that measure 

gains in mutual understanding as well 

as substantive knowledge. 

Successful monitoring and evaluation 

depend heavily on setting clear goals 

and outcomes at the outset of a program. 

Your evaluation plan should include a 

description of your project’s objectives, 

your anticipated project outcomes, and 

how and when you intend to measure 

these outcomes (performance 

indicators). The more that outcomes are 

‘‘smart’’ (specific, measurable, 

attainable, results-oriented, and placed 

in a reasonable time frame), the easier 

it will be to conduct the evaluation. You 

should also show how your project 

objectives link to the goals of the 

program described in this RFGP. 

Your monitoring and evaluation plan 

should clearly distinguish between 

program outputs and outcomes. Outputs 

are products and services delivered, 

often stated as an amount. Output 

information is important to show the 

scope or size of project activities, but it 

cannot substitute for information about 

progress towards outcomes or the 

results achieved. Examples of outputs 

include the number of people trained or 

the number of seminars conducted. 

Outcomes, in contrast, represent 

specific results a project is intended to 

achieve and is usually measured as an 

extent of change. Findings on 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. 

IV.3e. Please take the following 

information into consideration when 

preparing your budget: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF– 

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

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. Budget requests may not 

exceed $250,000 per proposal. 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 for the 

program include the following: 

1. 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. 

2. 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? 

programId=9704&channelId=-15943

&ooid=16365&contentId=17943& 

pageTypeId=8203&content 

Type=GSA_BASIC&program 

Page=%2Fep%2Fprogram%2FgsaBasic. 

jsp&P=MTT. 

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/ 

web920/per_diem.asp. 

3. Interpreters. For U.S.-based 

activities, ECA strongly encourages 

applicants to hire their own locally 

based interpreters. However, applicants 

may ask ECA to assign State Department 

interpreters. 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 

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15044 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 62 / Thursday, April 2, 2009 / Notices 

accompany delegations from their home 

country or travel internationally. 

4. 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. 

5. 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 costshare 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. 

6. Room rental. The rental of meeting 

space should not exceed $250 per day. 

Any rates that exceed this amount 

should be cost shared. 

7. 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. 

8. Equipment. Applicants may 

propose to use 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. 

9. 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 budget, interpreters should 

be considered ‘‘participants.’’ 

10. 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. 

11. 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. 

12. 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. 

13. 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. 

14. 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. Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission: 

Application Deadline Date: June 4, 

2009. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/EUR– 

SCA–09–45. 

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. 

Please Note: ECA strongly encourages 

organizations interested in applying for this 

competition to submit printed, hard copy 

applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1., 

below rather than submitting electronically 

through Grants.gov. This recommendation is 

being made as a result of the anticipated high 

volume of grant proposals that will be 

submitted via the Grants.gov Web portal as 

part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. 

As stated in these RFGPs, ECA bears no 

responsibility for data errors resulting from 

transmission or conversion processes for 

proposals submitted via 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 8 copies of the 

application should be sent to: U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: 

ECA/PE/C/EUER–SCA–09–45, Program 

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547. 

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 

a PC-formatted disk. The Bureau will 

provide these files electronically to the 

appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at 

the U.S. embassy(ies) for its(their) 

review. 

IV.3f.2—Submitting Electronic 

Applications 

Applicants have the option of 

submitting proposals electronically 

through Grants.gov http:// 

www.grants.gov. Complete solicitation 

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packages are available at Grants.gov in 

the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system. 

Please Note: ECA strongly encourages 

organizations interested in applying for this 

competition to submit printed, hard copy 

applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1. 

above, rather than submitting electronically 

through Grants.gov. This recommendation is 

being made as a result of the anticipated high 

volume of grant proposals that will be 

submitted via the Grants.gov webportal as 

part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. 

As stated in these RFGPs, ECA bears no 

responsibility for data errors resulting from 

transmission or conversion processes for 

proposals submitted via Grants.gov. 

Several of the steps in the Grants.gov 

registration process could take several 

weeks. Therefore, applicants should 

check with appropriate staff within their 

organizations immediately after 

reviewing this RFGP to confirm or 

determine their registration status with 

Grants.gov. 

Once registered, the amount of time it 

can take to upload an application will 

vary depending on a variety of factors 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your internet connection. 

In addition, validation of an electronic 

submission via Grants.gov can take up 

to two business days. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend 

that you not wait until the application 

deadline to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

The Grants.gov Web site includes 

extensive information on all phases/ 

aspects of the Grants.gov process, 

including an extensive section on 

frequently asked questions, located 

under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of 

the Web site. ECA strongly recommends 

that all potential applicants review 

thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, 

well in advance of submitting a 

proposal through the Grants.gov system. 

ECA bears no responsibility for data 

errors resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

Direct all questions regarding 

Grants.gov registration and submission 

to: Grants.gov Customer Support, 

Contact Center Phone: 800–518–4726, 

Business Hours: Monday—Friday, 7 

a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time, e-mail: 

support@grants.gov. 

Applicants have until midnight (12 

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

closing date to ensure that their entire 

application has been uploaded to the 

Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions 

to the above deadline. Applications 

uploaded to the site after midnight of 

the application deadline date will be 

automatically rejected by the grants.gov 

system, and will be technically 

ineligible. 

Please refer to the Grants.gov Web 

site, for definitions of various 

‘‘application statuses’’ and the 

difference between a submission receipt 

and a submission validation. Applicants 

will receive a validation e-mail from 

grants.gov upon the successful 

submission of an application. Again, 

validation of an electronic submission 

via Grants.gov can take up to two 

business days. Therefore, we strongly 

recommend that you not wait until the 

application deadline to begin the 

submission process through Grants.gov. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

electronic applications. 

It is the responsibility of all 

applicants submitting proposals via the 

Grants.gov web portal to ensure that 

proposals have been received by 

Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA 

bears no responsibility for data errors 

resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

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. 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. 

Review Criteria: 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below. These criteria 

are not rank ordered and all carry equal 

weight in the proposal evaluation: 

1. Program Planning and Ability to 

Achieve 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. 

2. Institutional Capacity: Proposals 

should include (1) the institution’s 

mission and date of establishment; (2) 

detailed information about proposed incountry 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 country/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. 

3. 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. 

4. Support of Diversity: Proposals 

should demonstrate substantive support 

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). 

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Applicants should refer to the Bureau’s 

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 

Guidelines in the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI) and the Diversity, 

Freedom and Democracy Guidelines 

section, Item IV.3d.2, above for 

additional guidance. 

5. Post-Grant 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. 

6. 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. Successful applicants 

(grantee institutions) will be expected to 

submit a report after each program 

component concludes or on a quarterly 

basis, whichever is less frequent. The 

Bureau also requires that grantee 

institutions submit a final narrative and 

financial report no more than 90 days 

after the expiration of a grant. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1a. Award Notices 

Final awards cannot be made until 

funds have been appropriated by 

Congress, allocated and committed 

through internal Bureau procedures. 

Successful applicants will receive a 

Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from 

the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA 

and the original proposal with 

subsequent modifications (if applicable) 

shall be the only binding authorizing 

document between the recipient and the 

U.S. Government. The FAA will be 

signed by an authorized Grants Officer, 

and mailed to the recipient’s 

responsible officer identified in the 

application. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive 

notification of the results of the 

application review from the ECA 

program office coordinating this 

competition. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Administration of ECA agreements 

include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’ 

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments.’’ 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and other Nonprofit 

Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please reference the following Web 

sites for additional information: 

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

grants 

http://fa.statebuy.state.gov 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

You must provide ECA with a hard 

copy original plus one electronic 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 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. 

Award recipients will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular program reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program 

Monitoring and Evaluation 

information.) 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VI.4. Optional Program Data 

Requirements 

Award recipients will be required to 

maintain specific data on program 

participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible database format 

that can be shared with the Bureau as 

required. As a minimum, the data must 

include the following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information and biographic sketch of all 

persons who travel internationally on 

funds provided by the agreement or who 

benefit from the award funding but do 

not travel. 

(2) Itineraries of international and 

domestic travel, providing dates of 

travel and cities in which any exchange 

experiences take place. Final schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three work days prior to the 

official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Brent Beemer, 

Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, 

Room 220, U.S. Department of State, 

SA–44, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547, (202) 453–8147, 

beemerbt@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/C/ 

EUR–SCA–09–45. 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. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 62 / Thursday, April 2, 2009 / Notices 15047 

Dated: March 25, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–7302 Filed 4–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Notice of Intent To Rule on Request To 

Release Airport Property at the 

Brownsville/South Padre Island 

International Airport, Brownsville, TX 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of request to release 

airport property. 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to rule and 

invites public comment on the release of 

land at the Brownsville/South Padre 

Island International Airport under the 

provisions of Title 49, U.S.C. Section 

47153(c). 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before May 4, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on this 

application may be mailed or delivered 

to the FAA at the following address: 

Mr. Mike Nicely, Manager, Federal 

Aviation Administration, 

Southwest Region, Airports 

Division, Texas Airports 

Development Office, ASW–650, 

Fort Worth, Texas 76193–0650. 

In addition, one copy of any 

comments submitted to the FAA must 

be mailed or delivered to Mr. Larry 

Brown, Director of Aviation, at the 

following address: 

City of Brownsville, Department of 

Aviation, 700 South Minnesota 

Avenue, Brownsville, Texas 78521– 

5721. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mr. Glenn Boles, Program Manager, 

Federal Aviation Administration, 

Southwest Region, Airports 

Division, Texas Airports 

Development Office, ASW–650, 

Fort Worth, Texas 76193–0650, email: Glenn.A.Boles@faa.gov, fax: 

(817) 222–5989. 

The request to release property may 

be reviewed in person at this same 

location. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA 

invites public comment on the request 

to release property at the Brownsville/ 

South Padre Island International 

Airport. 

On March 23, 2009, the FAA 

determined that the request to release 

property at Brownsville/South Padre 

Island International Airport, submitted 

by the City, met the procedural 

requirements of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations, Part 155. The FAA may 

approve the request, in whole or in part, 

30 days from the posting of this Federal 

Register Notice. 

The following is a brief overview of 

the request: 

The City of Brownsville requests the 

release of 10.971 acres of nonaeronautical airport property. The land 

is part of a War Assets Administration 

deed of airport property to the City in 

1948. The funds generated by the 

release will be used for upgrading, 

maintenance, operation and 

development of the airport. 

Any person may inspect the request 

in person at the FAA office listed above 

under ‘‘FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.’’ In addition, any person may, 

upon request, inspect the application, 

notice and other documents relevant to 

the application in person at the 

Brownsville/South Padre Island 

International Airport, telephone number 

(956) 542–4373. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas on March 24, 

2009. 

Joseph G. Washington, 

Acting Manager, Airports Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–7255 Filed 4–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[Summary Notice No. PE–2009–14] 

Petitions for Exemption; Summary of 

Petitions Received 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of petitions for 

exemption received. 

SUMMARY: This notice contains a 

summary of a petition seeking relief 

from specified requirements of 14 CFR. 

The purpose of this notice is to improve 

the public’s awareness of, and 

participation in, this aspect of FAA’s 

regulatory activities. Neither publication 

of this notice nor the inclusion or 

omission of information in the summary 

is intended to affect the legal status of 

any petition or its final disposition. 

DATE: Comments on petitions received 

must identify the petition docket 

number involved and must be received 

on or before April 22, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 

identified by Docket Number FAA– 

2006–25156 using any of the following 

methods: 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Send comments to the Docket 

Management Facility; U.S. Department 

of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 

20590. 

• Fax: Fax comments to the Docket 

Management Facility at 202–493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Bring comments to 

the Docket Management Facility in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Privacy: We will post all comments 

we receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. 

Using the search function of our docket 

Web site, anyone can find and read the 

comments received into any of our 

dockets, including the name of the 

individual sending the comment (or 

signing the comment for an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78). 

Docket: To read background 

documents or comments received, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov at any time 

or to the Docket Management Facility in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan 

Thor (425–227–2127), Transport 

Standards Staff, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA 98057–3356. 

This notice is published pursuant to 

14 CFR 11.85. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 30, 

2009. 

Pamela Hamilton-Powell, 

Director, Office of Rulemaking. 

Petitions for Exemption 

Docket No.: FAA–2006–25156. 

Petitioner: Hawker Beechcraft 

Corporation. 

Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR 

25.981(a)(3). 

Description of Relief Sought: Hawker 

Beechcraft petitions for an amendment 

to Exemption No. 8761A from the fuel 

tank safety provisions of § 25.981(a)(3), 

as amended by Amendment 25–102, 

regarding the structural lightning 

protection of wing fasteners. They 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES