Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 72 / Thursday, April 16, 2009 / Notices 17741 

For Assistance Awards Involving the 

Palestinian Authority, West Bank, and 

Gaza 

All awards made under this 

competition must be executed according 

to all relevant U.S. laws and policies 

regarding assistance to the Palestinian 

Authority, and to the West Bank and 

Gaza. Organizations must consult with 

relevant Public Affairs Offices before 

entering into any formal arrangements 

or agreements with Palestinian 

organizations or institutions. 

Note: To assure that planning for the 

inclusion of the Palestinian Authority 

complies with requirements, please contact 

Patricia Johnson (ECA/PE/V/C), Office of 

International Visitors, by e-mail 

JohnsonPA2@state.gov for additional 

information. 

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://exchanges.state.gov/education/ 

grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI. 

VI.3. Mandatory Reporting 

Requirements 

Award recipients 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. This report 

must disclose cost sharing and be 

certified by the award recipient’s chief 

financial officer or an officer of 

comparable rank. 

(2) Quarterly financial reports within 

thirty (30) days following the end of the 

calendar year quarter. These reports 

should itemize separately International 

Visitor costs, Voluntary Visitor costs, 

English Language Officer/Interpreter 

costs for International Visitors, English 

Language Officer/Interpreter costs for 

Voluntary Visitors, special project costs 

by projects, and administrative costs for 

the previous quarter on a cash basis. 

These reports should also list separately 

the number of English Language 

Officers/Interpreters accompanying 

International Visitors, and the number 

of English Language Officers/ 

Interpreters accompanying Voluntary 

Visitors for whom funds are expended. 

Quarterly financial reports must be 

certified by the award recipient’s chief 

financial officer or an officer of 

comparable rank. For further 

information, please refer to the Project 

Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 

(POGI) document. 

(3) Providing ECA with Quarterly 

Projected Expenditure Reports: Due by 

the 15th day of the 3rd month of each 

quarter. These reports should indicate 

projections for the next quarter in the 

following categories: Grant Benefits: 

Regional Program Visitor Benefits (plus 

group enhancements, per diem and 

ground transportation), Voluntary 

Visitor Benefits (plus group 

enhancements, per diem and ground 

transportation), English Language 

Office/Interpreter Benefits (plus per 

diem and ground transportation), and 

Multi-Regional Projects (MRP group 

enhancements). Travel Manager 

Company (TMC): Regional/MRP 

Program domestic air travel, Voluntary 

Visitor domestic air travel and English 

Language Officers/Interpreter domestic 

air travel. Number of Visitors: Number 

of Regional/MRP Program Visitors, 

number of Voluntary Visitors, and 

number of English Language Officers/ 

Interpreters. The original hard copy of 

the reports should be sent to ECA/PE/ 

V/C—Patricia Johnson, who is 

responsible for Cooperative Agreement 

administration. The report should also 

be sent to JOHNSONPA2@state.gov. 

(4) Such operating, statistical, and 

financial information relating to the 

program as may be requested by the DoS 

to meet its reporting requirements and 

answer inquiries concerning the 

operation of the IVL Program, as 

stipulated in the FY 2010 Project 

Objectives, Goals, and Implementation. 

(5) Reports analyzing evaluation 

findings should be provided to the 

Bureau in award recipient’s 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 must be maintained 

for a minimum of three years and 

provided to the Bureau upon request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Patricia 

Johnson, Office of International Visitors, 

Community Relations Division, Room 

247, Reference Number ECA/PE/V–08– 

01, U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547, telephone 202–494–8714, fax 

202–453–8631, or e-mail 

JohnsonPA2@state.gov. 

All correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/PE/V– 

10–01. Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries 

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with 

applicants until the proposal review 

process has been completed. 

VIII. Other Information 

Notice 

The terms and conditions published 

in this RFGP are binding and may not 

be modified by any Bureau 

representative. Explanatory information 

provided by the Bureau that contradicts 

published language will not be binding. 

Issuance of the RFGP does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the Government. The Bureau 

reserves the right to reduce, revise, or 

increase proposal budgets in accordance 

with the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. Awards made will 

be subject to periodic reporting and 

evaluation requirements per section VI.3 

above. 

Dated: April 9, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 

and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–8640 Filed 4–15–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6585] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) 

Request for Grant Proposals: Youth 

Ambassadors Program With South 

America and Mexico 

Announcement Type: New Grants. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/PY–09–51. 

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17742 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 72 / Thursday, April 16, 2009 / Notices 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 19.415. 

Application Deadline: May 28, 2009. 

Executive Summary: The Office of 

Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs 

Division, of the Bureau of Educational 

and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces 

an open competition for the Youth 

Ambassadors Program with Argentina, 

Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, 

Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, 

Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, 

and the United States. Public and 

private non-profit organizations meeting 

the provisions described in Internal 

Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3) may submit proposals to 

recruit and select youth and adult 

participants and to provide the 

participants with three-week exchanges 

focused on civic education, community 

service, and leadership along with 

follow-on projects in their home 

communities. For planning purposes, it 

is anticipated that exchange delegations 

will travel from all 13 countries to the 

United States, and U.S. exchange 

delegations will travel to six South 

American countries. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority 

Overall grant making authority for 

this program is contained in the Mutual 

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act 

of 1961, as amended, Public Law 87– 

256, also known as the Fulbright-Hays 

Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to 

enable the Government of the United 

States to increase mutual understanding 

between the people of the United States 

and the people of other countries * * *; 

to strengthen the ties which unite us 

with other nations by demonstrating the 

educational and cultural interests, 

developments, and achievements of the 

people of the United States and other 

nations * * * and thus to assist in the 

development of friendly, sympathetic, 

and peaceful relations between the 

United States and the other countries of 

the world.’’ The funding authority for 

the program above is provided through 

legislation. 

Overview: This Youth Ambassadors 

Program enables youth (ages 15–18) and 

adult educators to participate in 

intensive, thematic, three-week 

exchange projects that are designed to 

promote high-quality leadership, civic 

responsibility, and civic activism among 

future leaders of their communities. 

Projects involve a practical examination 

of the principles of democracy and civil 

society and provide participants with 

training that allows them to develop 

their leadership skills. Participants 

engage in a variety of activities such as 

workshops, community and schoolbased programs, seminars, and other 

activities that are designed to achieve 

the program’s stated goals. Multiple 

opportunities for participants to interact 

with American youth and educators are 

included. 

The goals of the program are: 

1. To promote mutual understanding 

between the people of the United States 

and the people of South America and 

Mexico; 

2. To prepare youth leaders to become 

responsible citizens and contributing 

members of their communities; 

3. To significantly influence the 

attitudes of the leaders of a new 

generation; and 

4. To foster relationships among 

youth from different ethnic, religious, 

and national groups and create networks 

of hemispheric youth leaders, both 

within the participating countries and 

internationally. 

With the specific focus of this 

program, the following outcomes will 

indicate a successful project: 

• Participants will demonstrate a 

better understanding of the elements of 

a participatory democracy as practiced 

in the United States. 

• Participants will demonstrate 

critical thinking and leadership skills. 

• Participants will demonstrate skill 

at developing project ideas and 

planning a course of action to bring the 

projects to fruition. 

For each project, applicant 

organizations must focus on the primary 

themes of civic education (grassroots 

democracy and rule of law), leadership 

development, and community service. 

Secondary themes are the environment, 

drug and alcohol abuse prevention, 

business and entrepreneurship, or 

alternatives to violence. Secondary 

themes will be used as a tool to 

illustrate the more abstract concepts of 

the primary themes. For instance, the 

secondary theme of care for the 

environment can be used to examine 

youth leadership and community 

service through sessions with students 

who have founded a recycling club in 

their school or to examine grassroots 

democracy by meeting with citizens 

who have sought to have a county 

commission block development on 

environmentally sensitive land. 

Using the goals and the themes above, 

applicant organizations should identify 

their own specific objectives and 

measurable outcomes based on these 

program goals and the project 

specifications provided in this 

solicitation. 

Projects and Application Options 

The total amount of funding available 

is $3,000,000. ECA anticipates awarding 

approximately three grants. The Bureau 

intends to have exchange activity with 

all of 13 countries. The Bureau reserves 

the right to reduce, revise, or increase 

proposal project configurations and 

budgets in accordance with the needs of 

the program and the availability of 

funds. 

Organizations may submit only one 

proposal under this competition. If 

multiple proposals are received from the 

same applicant, all submissions will be 

declared technically ineligible and will 

be given no further consideration in the 

review process. 

Applicant organizations may apply 

for one, two, or all three of the options 

outlined below. These options will 

allow applicants the flexibility to 

propose working with the countries in 

which they have the best infrastructure. 

The Bureau strongly urges organizations 

to limit their applications to the 

option(s) where they have the strongest 

institutional capacity in every country; 

this capacity must be thoroughly 

described in the proposal. Please note 

the funding range for each option. 

Option One: Southern Cone regional 

project (Project A). $900,000– 

$1,000,000. 

Option Two: Andean regional project 

(Project B) PLUS a single-country or 

joint project (one of Projects C through 

F below). $850,000–$1,000,000. 

Option Three: Three or four singlecountry projects or joint project 

(Projects C through G below). $750,000– 

$1,000,000. 

If an organization chooses Option 

Two or Option Three, please note that 

our intention is to have these projects 

conducted separately and distinctly 

from one another. If, however, an 

applicant proposes to conduct two or 

more projects at the same time, or 

connect them in some way, it should 

provide justification for doing so. 

The list below identifies the project 

name, the language in which the 

exchange will be conducted, the 

requested secondary themes (of which 

applicants choose one), and whether an 

exchange to the partner country by U.S. 

students and teachers is requested. 

Project A: Southern Cone (Argentina, 

Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay). Regional 

project. English. Secondary theme: 

Environment, Drug and alcohol abuse 

prevention, Business and 

entrepreneurship, or Alternatives to 

violence. U.S.-to-Chile and U.S.-toParaguay exchanges. 

Project B: Andean (Bolivia, Ecuador, 

and Peru). Regional project. Spanish. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 72 / Thursday, April 16, 2009 / Notices 17743 

Secondary theme: Environment, 

Business and entrepreneurship, or 

Drug and alcohol abuse prevention. 

U.S.-to-Ecuador exchange. 

Project C: Colombia. Single-country 

project. English. Secondary theme: 

Drug and alcohol abuse prevention. 

Project D: Venezuela. Single-country 

project. English. Secondary theme: 

Environment, Drug and alcohol abuse 

prevention, or Business and 

entrepreneurship. 

Project E: Suriname and Guyana. Joint 

project. English. Secondary theme: 

Environment, Business and 

entrepreneurship, or Drug and alcohol 

abuse prevention. U.S.-to-Suriname/ 

Guyana exchange. 

Project F: Mexico. Single-country 

project. Spanish. Secondary theme: 

Alternatives to violence. 

Project G: Brazil. Single-country project. 

English. Secondary theme: Business 

and entrepreneurship. U.S.-to-Brazil 

exchange [Note: Please see details on 

the Brazil project below.] 

The grant period will span two or 

more years. Each project will have at 

least two delegations of exchange 

participants to the United States over 

those two years. In the case of two 

regional projects, there will be four 

exchange delegations. For some 

specified countries, the grant will also 

support two U.S. exchange delegations 

to the partner country in South 

America. 

Exchanges to the United States: For a 

single-country project and the 

Suriname/Guyana project, an exchange 

delegation may range from 12–15 

participants. For Brazil only, the 

delegation will be 37 participants. For a 

regional project (Southern Cone and 

Andean), an exchange delegation may 

range from 20–30 participants. 

Exchanges to South America: 

Approximately 15% of the total amount 

of funding is to be dedicated to the 

exchange of U.S. students and teachers 

to the following countries: Brazil, Chile, 

Ecuador, Suriname and Guyana, and 

Paraguay. U.S. delegations may range 

from 10 to 14 participants, though larger 

delegations may be possible if funding 

allows, including supplemental funding 

from private sources. Participants 

traveling to Chile, Ecuador, and 

Paraguay should be able to 

communicate in Spanish. Those 

traveling to Brazil and Suriname/ 

Guyana do not have any language 

requirements. 

The successful applicant organization 

will present a program plan that allows 

the participants to thoroughly explore 

civic education, leadership and 

community service in creative, 

memorable, and practical ways. 

Activities should be designed to be 

replicable and provide practical 

knowledge and skills that the 

participants can apply to school and 

civic activities at home. These projects 

will offer bright and ambitious youth 

and teachers who work with youth the 

opportunity to develop their personal 

skills in a positive and productive way. 

Proposals must clearly indicate the 

project names specifying the country or 

countries with which the applicant 

plans to work and budgets should be 

appropriately scaled to the projects. 

Since cost effectiveness is one of the 

proposal review criteria, the number of 

participants that can be accommodated 

in each project will be a factor in the 

proposal review process, though this 

will be balanced with program quality 

and a realistic budget. 

Special Instructions for ‘‘Project G: 

Brazil’’: The project with Brazil is 

structured differently than the other 

projects. The U.S. Embassy in Brasilia 

will serve as the in-country partner and 

will manage the recruitment and 

selection of the Brazilian participants, 

their follow-on activities, and the Brazilbased exchange activities for the U.S. 

participants. The total number of 

participants each year will be 37 (35 

high school students plus 2 educators). 

For the Brazilians, the grant recipient 

for this project will be organizing and 

funding the U.S. domestic program 

only; the Embassy will cover in-country 

expenses and will arrange and purchase 

the international airline tickets. These 

exchanges to the U.S. will take place in 

January 2010 and January 2011. For the 

U.S. exchange participants, who do not 

have to speak Portuguese, the grant 

recipient will cover all costs, except the 

administrative costs necessary to 

organize the activities in Brazil. 

Organizational Capacity 

Applicant organizations must 

demonstrate their capacity for doing 

projects of this nature, focusing on three 

areas of competency: (1) Provision of 

programs that address the goals and 

themes outlined in this document; (2) 

age-appropriate programming for youth; 

and (3) previous experience working on 

programs with Mexico or South 

America. 

With the exception of Brazil, 

applicant organizations must have an 

established presence and the 

administrative capacity in each of the 

partner countries necessary to 

implement the in-country activities. 

This may be a branch office of the U.S. 

applicant organization, a nongovernmental partner organization, or 

other associates with demonstrated 

experience in educational exchange that 

can coordinate the program nationally. 

Grant recipients will be responsible for 

their partners’ activities under the grant, 

both programmatically and financially. 

The partners must have the requisite 

capacity to recruit and select 

participants for the program, to provide 

follow-on activities, and to organize a 

program for the U.S. participants, if 

specified. 

Organizations must convincingly 

demonstrate their capacity to manage a 

complex, multi-phase program with 

several separate projects. Their 

proposals must also thoroughly 

demonstrate their institutional capacity 

(infrastructure and experiences); if 

necessary, applicants may insert 

supplemental information that 

demonstrates their capacity and 

experience under TAB E of their 

proposal submission to elaborate. ECA 

is interested in proposals that 

demonstrate in the narrative and 

supporting documentation the 

organization’s capacity and ability to 

sustain and expand the Youth 

Ambassador Program in future years. 

Guidelines 

The grants will begin on or about 

September 15, 2009. The grant period 

will be 24 to 34 months in duration, as 

appropriate for the applicant’s program 

design. Each U.S. applicant organization 

must work with its partner 

organizations in the participating 

countries to propose appropriate dates 

for the exchanges, which may take place 

throughout 2010 and 2011 and into 

2012. The exact timing of the project 

may be adjusted through the mutual 

agreement of the Department of State 

and the grant recipient. 

The grant recipients will be 

responsible for the following, and 

therefore applicant organizations should 

describe these components in detail in 

their proposals: 

• Recruitment and selection of youth 

and adult educators from diverse 

geographic regions in the partner 

countries, with the exception of Brazil. 

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. 

Embassy in the partner country will 

have a key role in developing a 

recruitment strategy and deciding how 

finalists are chosen. Activities for some 

projects may also include the 

recruitment and selection of U.S. youth 

and educators for exchanges to South 

America. 

• Providing orientations for exchange 

participants and for those participating 

in the host communities. 

• Designing and planning of activities 

that provide a substantive project on the 

theme of civic education, leadership 

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17744 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 72 / Thursday, April 16, 2009 / Notices 

development, and community service, 

plus a secondary theme. Some activities 

should be school and community-based 

and the projects will involve as much 

sustained interaction with the exchange 

participants’ peers as possible. 

• Arranging homestays with properly 

screened and selected host families. 

• Logistical arrangements, including 

visa applications, interpretation 

services, international and domestic 

travel, accommodations, and 

disbursement of stipends. 

• Follow-on activities for exchange 

alumni that reinforce the ideas, values 

and skills imparted during the exchange 

through community projects. 

Recruitment and Selection: In all of 

the partner countries except Brazil, the 

grant recipients must manage the 

recruitment and merit-based selection of 

participants in cooperation with the 

Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. 

Embassies in the participating countries. 

Once a grant is awarded, the grant 

recipient must consult with the Public 

Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy to 

review a recruitment and participant 

selection plan and to determine the 

degree of Embassy involvement in the 

process. For those implementing 

projects with a U.S. to South American 

exchange component, the grant 

recipients must manage the recruitment 

and open, merit-based selection of U.S. 

participants as well. 

Organizers must strive for regional, 

socio-economic, and ethnic diversity, as 

well as gender balance. Collaboration 

with Bi-National Centers (BNCs) is 

suggested, if possible. The Department 

of State and/or its overseas 

representatives are responsible for final 

approval of all selected delegations. 

Participants: The youth participants 

must be high school students aged 15 to 

18 years old who have demonstrated 

leadership aptitude and a commitment 

to their communities. Participants will 

be sought primarily through public high 

schools in order to reach beyond the 

elite. Geographic and ethnic diversity is 

important, including outreach to 

indigenous, Afro-descendents, and rural 

populations. The exchange participants 

will also include adults who are 

teachers, school administrators, and/or 

community leaders who work with 

youth; they will have the dual role of 

both exchange participant and 

chaperone. The ratio of youth to adults 

should be between 5:1 and 10:1. 

For those projects that will be 

conducted in English, the South 

American and Mexican participants 

must have sufficient language 

proficiency to participate fully in 

interactions with their host families and 

their peers and in educational activities. 

A similar level of Spanish language 

ability is required for the American 

participants traveling to Chile, Ecuador, 

and Paraguay. For the U.S. projects that 

will be conducted in Spanish, the grant 

recipient will provide interpretation and 

will place the participants with host 

families with someone who speaks 

Spanish. 

Exchange Program: High schools 

students and educators will spend three 

weeks on an intensive program that is 

designed to develop the participants’ 

knowledge and skill base in civic 

education and community service as 

well as in youth leadership 

development. The exchange will take 

place in the capital city and in one or 

two other communities. 

The exchanges will focus primarily on 

interactive activities, practical 

experiences, and other hands-on 

opportunities related to the program 

themes. All programming should 

include substantive interaction with 

teenagers of the host country whenever 

possible. The program will also provide 

opportunities for the adult educators to 

work with their peers. Cultural, social, 

and recreational activities will balance 

the schedule. In the United States, 

participants will live with host families 

in homestays for at least half of the 

exchange period. In South America, 

homestays are desired, but not required. 

Follow-on Activities and In-Country 

Programming: Exchange participants 

should go home from the exchange 

prepared to conduct projects that serve 

a need in their schools or communities. 

The design, planning, and 

implementation of these projects will 

allow participants to apply what they 

have learned and enable to them to 

instigate community action on a modest 

scale. Applicant organizations should 

plan follow-on activities that focus on 

reinvigorating and inspiring the alumni 

group and assist them in furthering their 

action plans. In South America, these 

activities may be implemented by U.S. 

staff or trainers who travel there several 

months after the exchange and/or by 

staff or educators in the partner country 

(in Brazil, the U.S. Embassy will play 

this role). The activities will involve 

some practical skills training in addition 

to reinforcing the topics of the 

exchange. ECA strongly recommends 

additional in-country programming on 

the project themes for not only the 

program participants who travel but also 

their peers at home. Alumni will also be 

encouraged to make presentations to 

share their experience with their peers. 

Grant recipients will retain the name 

‘‘Youth Ambassadors Program’’ to 

identify their program. Materials 

produced for grant activities need to 

acknowledge the Department of State as 

the sponsor and reflect the Department 

of State’s goals for the program. 

Proposals must demonstrate how the 

stated objectives will be met. The 

proposal narrative should provide 

detailed information on the major 

program activities, and applicants 

should explain and justify their 

programmatic choices. Programs must 

comply with J–1 visa regulations for the 

International Visitor category. Please be 

sure to refer to the complete Solicitation 

Package—this RFGP, the Project 

Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 

(POGI), and the Proposal Submission 

Instructions (PSI)—for further 

information. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Grant Agreement. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2009. 

Approximate Total Funding: 

$3,000,000. 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

Three. 

Floor of Award Range: $750,000. 

Ceiling of Award Range: $3,000,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: September 

15, 2009. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

24–34 months after start date, to be 

specified by applicant based on project 

plan. 

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 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). 

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds 

There is no minimum or maximum 

percentage required for this 

competition. However, the Bureau 

encourages applicants to provide 

maximum levels of cost sharing and 

funding in support of its programs. Costsharing from private sources may be 

used to augment the ECA funding, 

including increasing the number of 

exchange participants. 

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 grant 

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 that 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 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 72 / Thursday, April 16, 2009 / Notices 17745 

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 

III.3.a. Bureau grant guidelines require 

that applicant organizations with less 

than four years experience in 

conducting international exchanges be 

limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. 

ECA anticipates making an award in an 

amount exceeding $60,000 to support 

program and administrative costs 

required to implement this exchange 

program. Therefore, organizations with 

less than four years experience in 

conducting international exchanges at 

the time of application are not eligible 

to apply under this competition. 

III.3.b. Proposed sub-award recipients 

are also limited to grant funding of 

$60,000 or less if they do not have four 

years of experience in conducting 

international exchanges. 

III.3.c. The Bureau encourages 

applicants to provide maximum levels 

of cost sharing and funding in support 

of its programs. 

III.3.d. Organizations may submit only 

one proposal (total) under this 

competition. If multiple proposals are 

received from the same applicant, all 

submissions will be declared 

technically ineligible and will be given 

no further consideration in the review 

process. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries or 

submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not 

discuss this competition with applicants 

until the proposal review process has been 

completed. 

IV.1. Contact Information To Request an 

Application Package 

Please contact the Youth Programs 

Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges, 

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

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547. 

Telephone (202) 453–8171, Fax (202) 

453–8169; E-mail: 

PiersonCompeauHM@state.gov to 

request a Solicitation Package. Please 

refer to the Funding Opportunity 

Number ECA/PE/C/PY–09–51 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 Program Officer 

Carolyn Lantz and refer to the Funding 

Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/PY–09– 

51 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 and the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

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, the award recipient will 

also be required to submit a one-page 

document, derived from program 

reports, listing and describing grant 

activities. For the award recipient, 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 

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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 

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, record-keeping, 

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, 

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.) 

The Recipient organization will be 

required to provide reports analyzing 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

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: 

Applicants must submit a 

comprehensive budget for the entire 

program. There must be a summary 

budget as well as breakdowns reflecting 

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both administrative and program 

budgets. Applicants may provide 

separate sub-budgets for each program 

component, phase, location, or activity 

to provide clarification. 

Please refer to the POGI and PSI for 

complete budget guidelines and 

formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Application Deadline and 

Methods of Submission 

Application Deadline Date: Thursday, 

May 28, 2009. 

Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY– 

09–51. 

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 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 

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, one fully-tabbed copy, 

and six (6) copies with Tabs A–E and 

appendices (no Tab F) should be sent to: 

U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY–09–51, 

Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, 

Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547. 

With the submission of the proposal 

package, please also e-mail the 

Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, 

and Budget sections of the proposal, as 

well as any attachments essential to 

understanding the program, in Microsoft 

Word and/or Excel to the program 

officer at LantzCS@state.gov. The 

Bureau will provide these files 

electronically to the Public Affairs 

Section at the U.S. Embassies for their 

review. 

IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic 

Applications 

Applicants have the option of 

submitting proposals electronically 

through Grants.gov (http:// 

www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation 

packages are available at Grants.gov in 

the ‘‘Find’’ portion of the system. 

Please Note: 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. 

Please follow the instructions 

available in the ‘Get Started’ portion of 

the site (http://www.grants.gov/ 

GetStarted). 

Several of the steps in the Grants.gov 

registration process could take several 

weeks. Therefore, applicants should 

check with appropriate staff within their 

organizations immediately after 

reviewing this RFGP to confirm or 

determine their registration status with 

Grants.gov. 

Once registered, the amount of time it 

can take to upload an application will 

vary depending on a variety of factors 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your internet connection. 

In addition, validation of an electronic 

submission via Grants.gov can take up 

to two business days. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend 

that you not wait until the application 

deadline to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

The Grants.gov Web site includes 

extensive information on all phases/ 

aspects of the Grants.gov process, 

including an extensive section on 

frequently asked questions, located 

under the ‘‘For Applicants’’ section of 

the Web site. ECA strongly recommends 

that all potential applicants review 

thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, 

well in advance of submitting a 

proposal through the Grants.gov system. 

ECA bears no responsibility for data 

errors resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

Direct all questions regarding 

Grants.gov registration and submission 

to: Grants.gov Customer Support, 

Contact Center Phone: 800–518–4726, 

Business Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 

a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time, E-mail: 

support@grants.gov. 

Applicants have until midnight (12 

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

closing date to ensure that their entire 

application has been uploaded to the 

Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions 

to the above deadline. Applications 

uploaded to the site after midnight of 

the application deadline date will be 

automatically rejected by the grants.gov 

system, and will be technically 

ineligible. 

Please refer to the Grants.gov Web 

site, for definitions of various 

‘‘application statuses’’ and the 

difference between a submission receipt 

and a submission validation. Applicants 

will receive a validation e-mail from 

grants.gov upon the successful 

submission of an application. Again, 

validation of an electronic submission 

via Grants.gov can take up to two 

business days. Therefore, we strongly 

recommend that you not wait until the 

application deadline to begin the 

submission process through Grants.gov. 

ECA will not notify you upon receipt of 

electronic applications. 

It is the responsibility of all 

applicants submitting proposals via the 

Grants.gov web portal to ensure that 

proposals have been received by 

Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA 

bears no responsibility for data errors 

resulting from transmission or 

conversion processes. 

IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications: Executive Order 12372 

does not apply to this program. 

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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 

awards (grants) resides with the 

Bureau’s Grants Officer. 

Review Criteria 

Technically eligible applications will 

be competitively reviewed according to 

the criteria stated below. 

1. Quality of the program idea: 

Objectives should be reasonable, 

feasible, and flexible. The proposal 

should clearly demonstrate how the 

institution will meet the program’s 

objectives and plan. The proposed 

program should be creative, ageappropriate, respond to the design 

outlined in the solicitation, and 

demonstrate originality. It should be 

clearly and accurately written, 

substantive, and with sufficient detail. 

Proposals should also include a plan to 

support participants’ community 

activities upon their return home. 

2. Program planning: A detailed 

agenda and work plan should clearly 

demonstrate how project objectives 

would be achieved. The agenda and 

plan should adhere to the program 

overview and guidelines described 

above. The substance of workshops, 

seminars, presentations, school-based 

activities, and/or site visits should be 

described in detail. 

3. Support of diversity: The proposal 

should demonstrate the recipient’s 

commitment to promoting the 

awareness and understanding of 

diversity in participant recruitment and 

selection and in program content. 

Applicants should demonstrate 

readiness to accommodate participants 

with physical disabilities. 

4. Institutional capacity and track 

record: Proposed personnel and 

institutional resources in both the 

United States and in the partner 

countries should be adequate and 

appropriate to achieve the program 

goals. The proposal should demonstrate 

an institutional record, including 

responsible fiscal management and full 

compliance with all reporting 

requirements for any past Bureau grants 

as determined by the Bureau’s Office of 

Contracts. The Bureau will consider the 

past performance. 

5. Program evaluation: The proposal 

should include a plan to evaluate the 

program’s success in meeting its goals, 

both as the activities unfold and after 

they have been completed. The proposal 

should include a draft survey 

questionnaire or other technique, plus a 

description of a methodology to link 

outcomes to original project objectives. 

The grant recipient will be expected to 

submit intermediate reports after each 

project component is concluded. 

6. Cost-effectiveness and cost sharing: 

The applicant should demonstrate 

efficient use of Bureau funds. The 

overhead and administrative 

components of the proposal, including 

salaries and honoraria, should be kept 

as low as possible. All other items 

should be necessary and appropriate. 

The proposal should maximize costsharing through other private sector 

support as well as institutional direct 

funding contributions, which 

demonstrates institutional and 

community commitment. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VI.1a. Award Notices 

Final awards cannot be made until 

funds have been appropriated by 

Congress, allocated and committed 

through internal Bureau procedures. 

Successful applicants will receive a 

Federal Assistance Award (FAA) from 

the Bureau’s Grants Office. The FAA 

and the original proposal with 

subsequent modifications (if applicable) 

shall be the only binding authorizing 

document between the recipient and the 

U.S. Government. The FAA will be 

signed by an authorized Grants Officer, 

and mailed to the recipient’s 

responsible officer identified in the 

application. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive 

notification of the results of the 

application review from the ECA 

program office coordinating this 

competition. 

VI.2. Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements 

Terms and Conditions for the 

Administration of ECA agreements 

include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’ 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’ 

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments’’. 

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative 

Requirements for Grants and 

Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and 

other Nonprofit Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please reference the following Web sites 

for additional information: 

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

http://fa.statebuy.state.gov. 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements 

You must provide ECA with a hard 

copy original plus one copy of the 

following reports: 

1. Interim reports, as required in the 

Bureau grant agreement. 

2. A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award; 

3. A concise, one-page final program 

report summarizing program outcomes 

no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award. This one-page 

report will be transmitted to OMB, and 

be made available to the public via 

OMB’s USAspending.gov Web site—as 

part of ECA’s Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act 

(FFATA) reporting requirements. 

4. A SF–PPR, ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report’’ Cover Sheet with all program 

reports. 

Award recipients will be required to 

provide reports analyzing their 

evaluation findings to the Bureau in 

their regular program reports. (Please 

refer to IV. Application and Submission 

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

Monitoring and Evaluation 

information.) 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Carolyn Lantz, 

Program Officer, Youth Programs 

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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–09–51. 

Please read the complete 

announcement before sending inquiries 

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP 

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may 

not discuss this competition with 

applicants until the proposal review 

process has been completed. 

VIII. Other Information 

Notice 

The terms and conditions published 

in this RFGP are binding and may not 

be modified by any Bureau 

representative. Explanatory information 

provided by the Bureau that contradicts 

published language will not be binding. 

Issuance of the RFGP does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the Government. The Bureau 

reserves the right to reduce, revise, or 

increase proposal budgets in accordance 

with the needs of the program and the 

availability of funds. Awards made will 

be subject to periodic reporting and 

evaluation requirements per section VI.3 

above. 

Dated: April 9, 2009. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Acting Secretary for Educational and Cultural 

Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–8745 Filed 4–15–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6579] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) 

Request for Grant Proposals: Visual 

Arts Initiative Program. 

Announcement Type: New 

Cooperative Agreements. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

PE/C/CU–09–50. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: May 19, 

2009. 

Executive Summary: The Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) 

of the U.S. Department of State seeks an 

organization to assist the Cultural 

Programs Division of the Office of 

Citizen Exchanges in all logistical and 

administrative aspects related to its 

support of U.S. Embassy sponsored 

visual arts programs. The visual arts 

programs to be supported are intended 

to foster good will, engage foreign 

audiences, and provide insight into 

American culture and values. The 

Visual Arts Initiative (VAI) program will 

provide funding on a competitive basis 

for posts to showcase American talent 

overseas. Over a period of two years, 

grantee will be responsible for one-way 

exchanges in the visual arts, providing 

support to ECA to include cyclical 

solicitation and review of proposals 

received from U.S. Missions abroad 

using ECA-established criteria; 

packaging and submitting proposals to 

ECA for final decision; extending 

financial support to selected U.S. 

partners, and; to reporting on program 

results. The Bureau anticipates that 

approximately $500,000 will be 

available to support this program. 

The Bureau is interested in receiving 

proposals from organizations with a 

strong background/thematic expertise in 

the visual arts, institutional 

commitment to cultural diplomacy and 

the role of the United States in the arts, 

and a successful track-record in 

conducting international programs in 

the arts. Organizations that have the 

expertise, interest, and institutional 

commitment but lack the required 

experience of conducting exchanges 

may wish to consider developing 

proposals based on consortia type 

relationships with more experienced, 

eligible organizations. Please note that 

for these proposals, the role of each 

organization must be clearly defined 

and any sub-granting agreements must 

be included in the proposal submission. 

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 

Goals and Objectives 

This competition is based on the 

premise that the arts provide an ideal 

vehicle for communication between 

people in the United States and other 

countries and is well-suited to highlight 

American innovation, creativity, and 

democratic values. Cultural exchanges 

strengthen discourse, nurture the social 

growth of societies, help counter 

negative stereotypes and demonstrate 

U.S. commitment to the arts and to 

artistic and educational projects of high 

quality. Under this premise, the Bureau 

and Public Affairs Sections of U.S. 

Missions abroad look for opportunities 

to support selected exhibitions or other 

projects that showcase the work of U.S. 

artists abroad and that can be the basis 

for outreach beyond exhibition halls 

and into the community. The Bureau 

therefore offers this new funding 

opportunity for an organization that will 

help facilitate this type of cultural 

diplomacy abroad. 

Desired Grantee Qualifications 

Applicants should have extensive 

expertise in the visual arts and in the 

organization of international programs. 

Proposals must therefore describe this 

expertise and reflect a practical 

understanding of global issues, and 

demonstrate sensitivity to cultural, 

political, economic, and social 

differences. Special attention should be 

given to describing the applicant 

organization’s experience with planning 

and implementing international cultural 

exchange projects. Applicants should 

outline their project team’s capacity for 

successfully implementing projects of 

this nature, provide a detailed sample 

program and timeline to illustrate 

planning capacity and ability to achieve 

overall objectives. Applicants must 

identify all U.S. and foreign partner 

organizations and/or venues with whom 

they are proposing to collaborate, and 

describe previous cooperative projects 

in the section on ‘‘Institutional 

Capacity.’’ For this competition, 

applicants must include in their 

proposal supporting materials or 

documentation that demonstrates a 

minimum of five years experience in 

conducting international arts programs 

and four years experience in conducting 

exchange programs with the U.S. 

Government. Proposals must include 

references with name and contact 

information for other assistance awards 

the applicant has received in the event 

the Bureau chooses to be in touch 

directly. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES