[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 72 (Thursday, April 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17716-17726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8650]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 6581]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals (RFGP): Congressionally Mandated--One-Time Grants 
Program--Competition B--Professional, Cultural, and Youth One-Time 
Grants Program

    Announcement Type: New Grant.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp. B
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
    Key Dates:
    Application Deadline: May 14, 2009.
    Executive Summary: This competition is one of two competitions that 
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is conducting as 
directed in the FY-2009 Omnibus Appropriation (Pub. L. 111-8) under 
Division H of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Act, under ``Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Programs'' in support of a $6 million ``competitive one-time grants 
program.'' All applications must be submitted by public or private non-
profit organizations, meeting the provisions described in Internal 
Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). Total funding for this ``one-
time grants program'' is $6 million dollars. $3.9 million will be 
dedicated to this competition, (Competition B--Professional, Cultural 
and Youth One-time Grants Program--reference number ECA/PE/C-09-One-
time-Comp. B), and $2.1 million will be dedicated to and announced 
simultaneously in a separate RFGP, (Competition A--Academic Programs 
One-time Grants Program--reference number ECA/A-09-One-time-Comp. A). 
Please note: The Bureau reserves the right to reallocate funds it has 
initially allocated to each of these two competitions, based upon 
factors such as the number of applications received and responsiveness 
to the review criteria outlined in each of the solicitations.
    Applicants may submit only one proposal (TOTAL) to one of the two 
competitions referenced above. In addition, applicants under this 
competition (either ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp.B or ECA/A-09-One-time-
Comp. A) may only apply to administer one of the listed activities 
(total). 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. Eligible 
applicants are strongly encouraged to read both RFGPs

[[Page 17717]]

thoroughly, prior to developing and submitting proposals, to ensure 
that proposed activities are appropriate and responsive to the goals, 
objectives and criteria outlined in each of the solicitations.
    As further directed by the Congress, ``The program shall be only 
for the actual exchange of people and should benefit a population that 
is not being addressed through existing authorized exchanges.''
    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces a 
competition for grants that support international exchanges in order to 
increase mutual understanding and build relationships, through 
individuals and organizations, between the people of the United States 
and their counterparts in other countries. The Bureau welcomes 
proposals from organizations that have not had a previous grant from 
the Bureau as well as from those which have; see eligibility 
information below and in section III.
    Organizations that received grant funding under the FY-2008 
Competitive One-time Grants Program (Reference numbers: ECA/A-08-One-
time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/C/-08-One-time-Comp. B) are not eligible to 
apply for this FY-2009 One-time Program.

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 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.

Background

    The FY-2009 Omnibus Appropriation (Pub. L. 111-8) under Division H 
of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, under ``Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Programs'' provides $6 million for a ``competitive one-time grants 
program. Grants shall address issues of mutual interest to the United 
States and other countries, consistent with the program criteria 
established in Public Law 110-161. Programs shall support the actual 
exchange of people and should benefit a population that is not being 
addressed through existing authorized exchanges.''
    Purpose: ECA anticipates awarding approximately 12-15 grants under 
this FY2009 Competition B Professional, Cultural, and Youth One-time 
Grants Program. Each grant must sponsor an exchange of approximately 
equal numbers of American participants traveling to the partner 
country(ies) and participants from the partner country(ies) traveling 
to the U.S. In addition, the projects should set clear learning 
objectives for both foreign and American participants, thereby 
supporting the Fulbright-Hays Act purpose of increasing mutual 
understanding. Also, the applicant must have the necessary capacity in 
the partner country through their own overseas offices or a partner 
institution to carry out the proposed project.
    Proposals must respond to one specific theme under one of the 
following programs:
    Emerging Youth Leaders: for high school students (ages 15-17) and 
educators
    1. Democracy and Governance in Civil Society
    2. Science and Environmental issues
    Emerging Young Professionals: for young adults (ages 22-35)
    1. Environmental issues
    2. Entrepreneurial and business management skills
    3. Post-conflict governing
    4. Development of Grassroots Organizations for Women
    Emerging Cultural Leaders: ``Rooted in the Arts'' program for U.S. 
performing artists (ages 25-35) and teachers
    Please note each of the aforementioned programs is limited to 
specific countries. More detailed descriptions of these programs, 
themes and eligible countries are included below.
    In order to emphasize ECA's interest in clarity of project purpose 
and, later, to track projects and to evaluate their results, all 
proposals must be presented in the following format:
Tab A--Application for Federal Assistance Cover Sheet
Tab B--Executive Summary
    In one double-spaced page, provide the following information:
    1. Names of the applicant organization and other participating 
institutions, both American and foreign.
    2. Beginning and ending dates of the project
    3. Grant theme being addressed
    4. Numbers of American and foreign participants
    5. Types and approximate dates of project activities and their 
venues
    6. Total number of exchange days, including only those days when 
international travelers are in program status in the partnering 
country.
Tab C--Narrative
    In no more than 20 double-spaced, single-sided pages, use the 
following format to describe the proposed project in detail:
    A. Purpose:
    1. Definition of the overall goal to be pursued through a two-way 
exchange project. Name the theme from those listed under Emerging Youth 
Leaders, Emerging Young Professionals, or Emerging Cultural Leaders 
into which this goal should fit.
    2. Country or countries to take part, and why chosen.
    3. Category of persons to participate, with explanation of why that 
category is chosen and how it fits the requirement that it is a 
population that is not being addressed through existing authorized 
exchanges.
    4. Description of program activities to take place (e.g., 
workshops, internships, community service, job shadowing, model site 
visits, cultural activities, etc).
    B. Objectives: Based on the purpose described above, delineate your 
project's main objectives (no more than five) and outcomes you expect 
as a result of your project's activities. For each outcome, please 
state the time frame for achievement. Your objectives and outcomes 
should be realistic in scope. They should be guided by one or more of 
the following questions. (Please see section IV.3d.3. Project 
Monitoring and Evaluation for assistance in identifying and defining 
outcomes.)
    1. What specifically will participants, U.S. and foreign, learn as 
a result of this project?
    2. What new attitudes will participants, U.S. and foreign, develop, 
or what new ideas will they encounter as a result of this project?
    3. How will the participants' behavior change as a result of this 
project? What new actions will they take?
    4. Will participants be a catalyst for change in their schools, 
work-places, communities, or institutions? How so?
    C. Baseline: Describe plans for baseline measurements of these 
outcomes at the project outset. Based on the time-frame for achievement 
you stipulate, what types of data will be gathered, when, by what 
methodology,

[[Page 17718]]

and what plan will be used to analyze data and draw conclusions?
    D. Shorter-term Outcomes: Explain plans for measurement of shorter-
term outcomes at the end of project activities. Please note any changes 
in measurement or data collection, since baseline data were originally 
collected.
    E. Longer-term Outcomes: Provide plans for measurement of outcomes 
six months or more after the end of project activities. Explain the 
linkages between project activities and learning, and longer-term 
outcomes and achievements, in the intervening months. These outcome 
measurements should be the basis for evaluating the overall project and 
should provide the core of the final report to ECA.
Tab D--Budget
    Both a summary budget for administrative and programmatic expenses 
and a detailed, line-item budget must be presented in the three-column 
format illustrated in the PSI. Eligible expenses are described in IV.3e 
of this RFGP and in the PSI. Enough information should be provided so 
that reviewers can determine how line-item totals were calculated.
Tab E--Letters of Endorsement and Resumes
    Resumes should not exceed two pages each.
Tab F--Copy of IRS Notification of Current Tax-Exempt Status, SF-424B, 
and Other Attachments if Applicable
    Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document 
for detailed information on proposal structuring and formatting.

Emerging Youth Leaders

    Program Contact: Jon Crocitto, tel: 202-203-7501, e-mail 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d497a6bbb7bda0a0bb9e9594a7a0b5a0b1fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0a49786569637e7e65404b4a797e6b7e6f246d657c">[email protected]</span></a>.
    The Emerging Youth Leaders program provides opportunities for high 
school students (ages 15-17) and educators in the United States and in 
multiple countries around the world to participate in two-way 
exchanges, each three to four weeks in duration. Each project explores 
a specific theme designed to develop critical leadership skills for 
aspiring young leaders and encourages respect for diversity, foster 
mutual understanding, and promote critical thinking. An essential 
element of all projects is to build mutual understanding and respect 
among the people of the United States and the people of the exchange 
partner countries.
    The overarching goals are:
    1. To develop a sense of civic responsibility and commitment to the 
global community;
    2. To promote mutual understanding between the United States and 
the people of other countries around topics of common interest; and
    3. To foster personal and institutional ties between participants 
and partner countries.
    The applicant should present a program plan that allows the 
participants to thoroughly explore the project themes in a creative, 
memorable, and practical way. 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.
    Applicants will manage the design and planning of activities that 
provide a substantive, educational program on leadership, critical 
thinking, and conflict management, as well as on one of the specified 
themes, through both academic and extracurricular components. 
Activities should take place in schools and in the community. Community 
service must also be included. It is crucial that programming involve 
the participants' peers in the host countries whenever possible. The 
program will also include opportunities for the educators to work with 
their American peers and other professionals and volunteers to help 
them foster youth leadership, civic education, and community service 
programs at home.
    A successful project will be one that nurtures a cadre of students 
and educators to be actively engaged in addressing issues of concern in 
their schools and communities upon their return home. Project 
activities will equip youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence 
to become citizen activists and ethical leaders. Participants will be 
engaged in a variety of activities such as workshops, community and/or 
school-based programs, seminars, and other activities that are designed 
to achieve the program's stated goals. Multiple opportunities for 
participants to interact with youth and educators in the host country 
must be included. Participants will have homestays with local families 
for the majority of the exchange period, although participants may 
spend a modest portion of their time as a group in a hotel or dormitory 
setting. Applicants must outline their plan for recruiting, screening 
and orienting host families (who will provide both food and lodging), 
as well as a plan for appropriate supervision of participants in other 
living arrangements.
    Grant recipients will recruit and select the participants in the 
United States, as well as in the partner country(ies) through close 
consultation with the relevant U.S. Embassies; organize all exchange 
activities in the participating countries; and implement follow-on 
activities in which participants may apply at home what they have 
learned during the exchange.
    Applicants must select only one of the two themes listed below. The 
projects will provide participants with a theoretical framework that 
will be underpinned by site visits that illustrate methods and 
strategies of practical implementation. Projects will also help the 
participants develop leadership skills, such as influential public 
speaking, team-building, and goal-setting, so that they are prepared to 
take action with what they have learned. They will also learn the tools 
of persuasion, negotiation, and mediation to effectively manage 
relationships and messages in a positive manner. The exchange 
activities will also examine diversity issues and how young people can 
develop skills in critical thinking and conflict management techniques.

Themes and Eligible Partner Countries

    ECA will accept proposals in the specific themes and corresponding 
countries as indicated below. A single-country project is a two-way 
exchange between the United States and a single partner country. With a 
two-country project, participants from the partner countries should 
travel to the United States together; the American participants' 
exchange travel may be to just one or to both of the partner countries, 
depending on the applicant organization's program design and 
objectives. Applicants should present a rationale for their approach. 
Proposals that target countries or themes not listed in this 
solicitation will be deemed technically ineligible. No guarantee is 
made or implied that grants will be awarded in all themes and for all 
countries listed. Organizations should consider current U.S. Department 
of State travel advisories when selecting the countries with which they 
would like to work.
    (1) Democracy and Governance in Civil Society: ECA welcomes 
proposals that will explore the issues of citizen involvement and 
effective management in government. Projects will demonstrate how this 
can benefit individual citizens, non-governmental entities, and the 
public sector. Proposed programs will promote a respect for transparent 
governance that is responsive to citizens' concerns and increase 
participant understanding of ways that citizens can improve

[[Page 17719]]

governance, fight corruption, and ensure accountability.
    Projects should demonstrate the principles of fair and transparent 
governance and should promote dialogue among youth on this theme. 
Projects must be culturally sensitive and address specific needs of the 
partner country or countries, or regions. Individual projects might 
have the youth participants explore ways that a country's government, 
media, and NGOs can encourage and support the involvement of its 
citizenry, increase citizen trust, and expand the democratic process.
    Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries:

<bullet> Africa
    [cir] Senegal (single-country project)
<bullet> Europe and Eurasia
    [cir] Armenia and Azerbaijan (mandatory two-country project)
<bullet> Middle East and North Africa
    [cir] Egypt (single-country project)

    (2) Science and Environmental issues:
    Projects will focus on the shared scientific and environmental 
interests of the participating countries in either agriculture or 
natural resource and land management. Participants will complete 
projects that illustrate the issue through hands-on activities and 
community service. These projects will also include a review of the 
impact of public interest and government policies on the issue, as well 
as a comprehensive discussion of proposed solutions. Projects will 
demonstrate how this can benefit individual citizens, non-governmental 
entities, and the public sector. Proposed programs will promote 
scientifically-based and socially responsible decision-making regarding 
natural resources and land management that will increase participant 
understanding of the core issues that inform policy creation.
    Projects should demonstrate objectivity and should promote dialogue 
among youth on the core issues. Projects must be culturally sensitive 
and address specific needs of the partner country or countries, or 
regions. Individual projects might have the youth participants explore 
ways that a country's government, academic institutions, and NGOs can 
encourage and support the involvement of its citizenry in developing 
scientifically-based and socially responsible environmental policies.
    Geographic Regions and Eligible Countries:

<bullet> Asia
    [cir] China (Beijing Municipality only)
<bullet> South America and Caribbean
    [cir] Chile or Dominican Republic (single-country project)

    Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in 
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution 
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite 
capacity overseas includes the ability to organize substantive exchange 
activities for the American participants, provide follow-on activities, 
and handle the logistical and financial arrangements.
    Applicants should propose the time periods of the two exchanges, 
but the exact timing of the project may be altered through the mutual 
agreement of the Department of State and the grant recipient. The 
program should be no less than three weeks and up to four weeks in 
duration.
    These two-way exchanges should involve the same communities in each 
country, as the second reciprocal exchange will help reinforce the 
relationships and program content developed during the first exchange. 
Project staff should help facilitate regular program-oriented 
communication among the exchange participants between the two 
exchanges.
    The exchange participants will be high school students between the 
ages of 15 and 17 who have demonstrated leadership abilities in their 
schools and/or communities, and have at least one year of high school 
remaining after the completion of the exchange. The adult participants 
will be high school teachers or community leaders who work with youth. 
They will have a demonstrated interest in youth leadership and will be 
expected to remain in positions where they can continue to work with 
youth. The ratio of youth to adults should be between 5:1 and 10:1. 
Participants will be proficient in the English language.

Emerging Young Professionals

    Program Contact: Curt Huff, tel: 202-453-8159, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93dbe6f5f5d0d6d3e0e7f2e7f6bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8ac2ffececc9cfcaf9feebfeefa4ede5fc">[email protected]</span></a>.
    The Emerging Young Professionals program offers opportunities for 
young adults (approximately 22-35 years old) to participate in two-way 
exchanges of approximately three to four weeks or more in duration to 
develop their leadership skills and to increase mutual understanding 
between their countries and the United States. ECA is especially 
interested in engaging marginalized populations and women from both the 
U.S. and partner countries in the exchanges. Exchange projects should 
build participants' leadership skills, including how to conceptualize 
and develop projects to reach diverse citizenry, using clear 
objectives, solid management structures and evaluation feedback 
mechanisms for projects at the local level. Participants should be 
community leaders, political leaders, educators, and/or advocates for 
youth, or persons who show the capacity to become effective in those 
roles.
    Projects should be two-way in purpose and implementation, with 
approximately equal numbers of participants traveling to and from the 
United States for approximately equal periods of time. Consistent with 
this approach, project plans should promote learning and teaching by 
participants from all countries in the project to promote mutual 
understanding and build individual and institutional partnerships that 
are likely to continue beyond the grant project. Proposals that clearly 
delineate salient objectives in measurable terms and plan activities in 
a sequence that will progressively lead to achieving those objectives, 
will be considered more competitive on the review criterion of ability 
to achieve program objectives.
    Projects should be planned around one of the following themes:
    (1) Environmental issues: These projects should focus on a shared 
environmental issue of the participating countries (e.g., use of 
natural resources, pollution, sustainable energy, recycling, land 
management). Participants should jointly examine a problem or group of 
issues, through study of public interest and government policy 
statements, and then participate in experiential learning exercises to 
build mutual approaches to the issue, and develop their own 
recommendations for addressing it.
    (2) Entrepreneurial and business management skills: These projects 
should introduce participants to the identification of business 
opportunities, the writing of business plans, the calculation of risks, 
and the management of new businesses in order to maximize the 
probability of success.
    (3) Post-conflict governance: These projects are for countries that 
are emerging from regional or civil war in recent years. Projects 
should allow participants to experience creative approaches to 
governing in a post-conflict country. Developing working relationships 
with colleagues from opposite sides of a past conflict; breaking down 
barriers to implement governmental administration; and how a new post-
conflict government promotes tolerance and diversity should be 
addressed in these projects. Participants should practice different 
methods and receive hands-on experiential learning.
    (4) Development of Grassroots Organizations for Women: These 
projects should work to expand the capacity of grassroots organizations 
(NGOs) that advocate empowering women. Projects should work to build

[[Page 17720]]

NGO capacity in practice, giving NGO leaders opportunities to adopt 
best practices by doing. When possible, joint projects should be 
developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated by both the U.S. and 
international sides.

Eligible Partner Countries and Regions

    ECA will consider proposals for either single-country or multi-
country projects. A single-country project is a two-way exchange 
between the United States and a single partner country. A multi-country 
project involves participants from more than one country coming to the 
United States together, and American participants traveling to those 
countries. The Bureau prefers projects that will engage both Americans 
and international participants deeply enough that relationships will 
continue beyond the grant-funded activities. Competitive proposals will 
be those that demonstrate why any country or group of countries has 
been identified for a specific project and outline why the specific 
group of participants to be selected from that country/countries is an 
effective group to achieve project objectives. Proposals that target 
countries or themes not listed in this solicitation will be deemed 
technically ineligible. No guarantee is made or implied that grants 
will be awarded in all themes and for all countries listed. 
Organizations should consider current U.S. Department of State travel 
advisories when selecting the countries with which they would like to 
work.

Eligible Countries

    Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana
    East Asia/Pacific: China, Korea
    Europe: Armenia, Kosovo
    South and Central Asia: Afghanistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan
    Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in 
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution 
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite 
capacity overseas includes the ability to organize substantive exchange 
activities for the American participants, provide follow-on activities, 
and handle the logistical and financial arrangements.

    Please note: Because of the changing nature of the security 
situation, U.S. participants may not be able to travel to 
Afghanistan as part of a two-way exchange program. Therefore, 
proposals should include a contingency plan to bring U.S. and 
participants from Afghanistan together in a third country for those 
relevant program components.

Emerging Cultural Leaders

    Program Contact: Jill Staggs, tel: 202-203-7500, e-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2f1d6c3c5c5d1e8e8e2d1d6c3d6c78cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e0b39481878793aaaaa09394819485ce878f96">[email protected]</span></a>.
    The `Rooted in the Arts' program provides opportunities for U.S. 
performing artists (ages 25-35), teachers and students to build long-
term sustainable linkages with their counterparts in selected 
countries. The project should connect economically and socially diverse 
populations of high school social studies, music and/or art students 
and their teachers in the U.S. with comparable populations in the 
selected countries. The project must include two-way physical exchanges 
of artists and teachers (but not students), each two to four weeks in 
duration. It must also include virtual or distance projects that will 
provide the high school students an opportunity to communicate with 
their counterparts abroad. Projects must present an opportunity for 
participants to explore and learn about their own and another country's 
history and culture through the performing arts. Activities should 
include artistic performances, workshops, lecture demonstrations, 
contextual learning, and on-going virtual (internet) dialogues and 
other virtual exchanges.
    The overarching goals are:
    1. To articulate identity through artistic expression, gain respect 
for the identity and artistic expression of another culture;
    2. To learn about their own and another country's history through 
the performing arts;
    3. To incorporate cultural awareness and build mutual understanding 
and respect for other countries;
    4. To foster continuing personal and institutional ties between 
participants and partner countries.
    A successful project will equip participating artists, teachers, 
and high school students with an understanding of how the performing 
arts opens a window into a country's history. For the teachers, it will 
also provide insight on how the performing arts can be used as a tool 
to educate students about their country and their culture. During their 
exchange experience, participants should engage in a variety of 
activities such as performances, workshops, community- and/or learning-
based programs, seminars, and other activities designed to achieve the 
program's stated goals. We encourage exchange projects that require 
collaborative work across cultures, that include a public presentation, 
and that involve public schools in the U.S. and abroad.
    Proposal narratives must demonstrate the applicant's capacity in 
the partner country through their own offices or a partner institution 
to successfully conduct the proposed exchange activities. The requisite 
capacity includes the ability to recruit and select participants in 
both the United States and the partner countries in close consultation 
with the relevant U.S. Embassies; organize substantive exchange 
activities in the participating countries; handle the logistical and 
financial arrangements; and implement follow-on alumni activities in 
which participants may locally apply what they learned during the 
exchange. While Bureau funds may be used to support public programming, 
long-standing ECA practice is that Bureau funds are not to be used for 
the public presentation of art works in the United States. Cost sharing 
provided by the grantee organization may be used for presentation costs 
in the United States and should be noted in the budget.
    Proposals must describe a selection process for American and 
international participants and demonstrate how the participant group 
represents an under-served community. For example, an under-served 
community could be economically disadvantaged, geographically isolated 
or experience low literacy rates. Selected participants should 
demonstrate a commitment to leadership in their communities. If 
participants are not fluent in English, proposals should include 
provision for interpretation as necessary.
    Applicants should identify which performing arts fields will be 
included in the exchange and demonstrate how each part of the two-way 
exchange will accomplish the over-arching goals of this competition. 
Proposals might focus exclusively on an exchange in one field, such as 
music. Alternatively, a more community-based project could include 
artists from various performing arts fields, as well as a 
representative of a community arts organization. All projects must 
include an examination of cultural diversity, history and the arts as a 
means of educational outreach and civic engagement.

Proposed Partner Countries

    ECA will accept proposals for either single-country or multi-
country projects. We can only accept proposals for projects with the 
countries listed below. A single-country project is a two-way exchange 
between the United States and a single partner country. With a multi-
country project, participants from the partner countries should travel 
to the United States together; the American participants' exchange 
travel may be to just one or to all of the partner countries, depending 
on the applicant

[[Page 17721]]

organization's program design and objectives. Applicants should present 
a rationale for their approach. No guarantee is made or implied that 
grants will be awarded in all themes and for all countries listed. 
Organizations should consider current U.S. Department of State travel 
advisories when selecting the countries with which they would like to 
work.

Eligible Countries

    East Asia: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
    Western Hemisphere: Mexico, Venezuela
    Applicants should propose the period of the two exchange components 
and explain how together the exchange in each direction will accomplish 
project objectives. The exact timing of the project may be altered 
through the mutual agreement of the Department of State and the grant 
recipient. Each exchange component should be no less than two weeks and 
up to four weeks in duration. Program development should begin in late 
summer/early fall 2009. Applicants must include letters of support in 
their proposals.
    For All Themes, Grantee Responsibilities will include:
    1. Recruitment and Selection of project participants.
    (a) Conduct an open, merit-based competition for exchange 
participants. The grantee organization and its overseas partner(s) will 
recruit, screen, and select participants in consultation with ECA and 
with the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of U.S. Embassies or consulates, 
using clearly identified criteria and a formal process for the 
selection. The grantee will also develop plans for outreach and 
recruitment that will generate a strong pool of qualified candidates 
representing diverse ethnic and socio-economic groups and geographic 
areas;
    (b) Administer an effective English language screening process, if 
applicable, or provide for any interpretation services, as necessary;
    (c) Recommend participants and alternates for selection 
(Invitations to participate may not be issued without ECA and Embassy 
Public Affairs clearance).
    2. Preparation of participants.
    (a) Contact participants before the project to provide them with 
project information, pre-departure materials, and any training 
necessary for them successfully to participate;
    (b) Facilitate the visa process, working with ECA and PAS for the 
U.S. visas and directly with the embassy of the partner country for its 
visas; as indicated in IV.3.d.1 below, ECA will issue the DS-2019 forms 
required for J visas;
    (c) Conduct a pre-departure orientation for participants, including 
general and project-specific information;
    (d) Make all round-trip international travel arrangements, 
complying with the Fly America Act, and domestic travel arrangements 
for the participants.
    3. Exchange activities.
    (a) Design, plan, and implement one or more intensive and 
substantive projects in the U.S. on one of the stated themes, and one 
or more corollary projects in the partner overseas country(ies). The 
link of project activities to project objectives should be explained.
    (b) Arrange appropriate community, cultural, social, and civic 
activities, and make provisions for religious observance.
    (c) Engage both foreign and U.S. participants in at least one 
community service activity (e.g., visit to a food bank, a park clean-
up) during the U.S.-based project. The project should provide context 
for the participants, identifying community needs, volunteerism, 
charitable giving, etc., as well as a debriefing so that the service 
activity is not an isolated event and helps participants understand how 
they can apply their experience at home.
    (d) Provide day-to-day monitoring of the project, preventing and 
dealing with any misunderstandings or adjustment issues that may arise.
    (e) Provide a closing session to summarize the project activities, 
prepare participants for their return home, and to plan for the future.
    4. Follow-on activities.
    Conduct follow-on activities with project alumni, such as seminars 
and physical or virtual gatherings, to reinforce values and skills 
developed during the exchange program and to help alumni apply what 
they learned to serve their communities. Encourage participants to 
register in Alumni.state.gov.
    5. Work in consultation with ECA and the Embassy PAS in the 
implementation of the project, provide timely reporting of progress to 
ECA, and comply with financial and project reporting requirements.
    6. Manage all financial aspects of the project, including 
participant costs and transparent arrangements of sub-grant 
relationships with partner organizations, if applicable.
    7. Design and implement an evaluation plan that assesses the impact 
of the project.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY-2009.
    Approximate Total Funding: $3.9 million.
    Approximate Number of Awards: 12-15.
    Approximate Average Award: $300,000.
    Floor of Award Range: Depending upon an organization's length of 
experience in conducting international exchanges, grants could be 
awarded for less than $60,000. See section III.3.a., below.
    Ceiling of Award Range: $350,000.
    Anticipated Award Date: August 2009.
    Anticipated Project Completion Date: No later than, approximately 
20 months after the start date of the grant.
    Additional Information: As stipulated in the legislation, this is a 
competitive one-time grants program.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

    Applications must be submitted by public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code 
section 26 USC 501(c)(3).
    Organizations listed in the FY-2009 Omnibus Appropriation (Pub. L. 
111-8) under Division H of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, 
and Related Programs Appropriations Act, under ``Educational and 
Cultural Exchange Programs'' in support of a $6 million ``competitive 
one-time grants program'' are encouraged to apply.
    In addition, organizations listed in the Department of State, 
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act, 2008 
(Division J, Pub. L. 110-161) under ``Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Programs--a competitive one-time grants program'' that did not receive 
funding under the FY-2008 Competitive One-time Grants Program are 
encouraged and eligible to apply.

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 the 
highest possible levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its 
projects, noting that cost sharing is one of the criteria for reviewing 
proposals.
    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, written

[[Page 17722]]

records must be maintained to support all costs which are claimed as 
contributions, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. 
Such records are subject to audit. The basis for determining the value 
of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with OMB 
Circular A-110, (Revised), Subpart C.23--Cost Sharing and Matching. In 
the event that the minimum amount of cost sharing is not provided as 
stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's contribution will be reduced 
in like proportion.

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements

    (a) Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four 
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will 
be limited to $60,000. Therefore, applicants should explain, with 
examples, their experience in conducting international exchanges, and, 
if that experience is less than four years, should limit their proposed 
grant budgets to $60,000.
    (b) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the 
following:
--Eligible applicants may submit only ONE proposal (TOTAL) for one of 
the two competitions referenced in the Executive Summary Section of 
this document. If multiple proposals are received from the same 
applicant, all submissions from that applicant will be declared 
technically ineligible and will be given no further consideration in 
the review process. In addition, applicants under this competition 
(ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp. B) may only apply to administer one of the 
listed activities (total).
--Proposals requesting funding for infrastructure development 
activities, sometimes referred to as ``bricks and mortar support,'' are 
not eligible for consideration under this competition and will be 
declared technically ineligible and will receive no further 
consideration in the review process.
--The Bureau does not support proposals limited to conferences or 
seminars (i.e., one- to fourteen-day programs with plenary sessions, 
main speakers, panels, and a passive audience). It will support 
conferences only when they are a small part of a larger project in 
duration that is receiving Bureau funding from this competition.
--No funding is available exclusively to send U.S. citizens to 
conferences or conference-type seminars overseas; nor is funding 
available for bringing foreign nationals to conferences or to routine 
professional association meetings in the United States.
--Organizations that received funding for a grant under the FY-2008 
Competitive One-time Grants Program (Reference numbers: ECA/A-08-One-
time-Comp. A or ECA/PE/C/-08-One-time-Comp. B) are not eligible to 
apply for this FY-2009 One-Time Program. In the event a proposal is 
received from a FY-2008, One-Time grant recipient, the proposal will be 
declared technically ineligible and will receive no further 
consideration in the review process. Please note: A FY-2008, One-time 
grant recipient, per above, is defined by the DUNS number of the 
organization and by the signature of the authorized representative 
contained on ``Application for Federal Assistance Form'' (SF-424) that 
was submitted under the FY-2008 Competitive One-time Grants Program.
    Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document 
for additional requirements.

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 Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, Room 220, 
U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 Fourth Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20547, tel 202-453-8176, fax 202-453-8169, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7624190505372436050217021358111900"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6b390418182a392b181f0a1f0e450c041d">[email protected]</span></a>, to request 
a Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number 
ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp. B also located at the top of this 
announcement when making your request.
    The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission 
Instructions (PSI) document which consists of required application 
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.
    Please specify Program Coordinator Alice Ross, and refer to the 
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp. B 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/education/rfgps/menu.htm. Please 
read all information before downloading.

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission

    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and seven copies of the application should be 
sent per the instructions under IV.3e. ``Submission Dates and Times 
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. The summary and narrative must be presented in 
double-spaced typing.
    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 project reporting requirements, award 
recipients will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived 
from their project reports, listing and describing their grant 
activities. For award recipients, the names of directors and/or senior 
executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as 
the one-page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by 
the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by 
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and 
will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and 
Budget on its USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting 
requirements.


[[Page 17723]]


    Please Note: 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 grants under this RFGP will be third parties ``cooperating 
with or assisting the sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor's 
program.'' The actions of grantee program 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 a grant 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 grantee project 
organizations and project 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 the applicant organization 
has experience as a designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the 
applicant should describe 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, record-keeping, reporting and other requirements.
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for 
issuing DS-2019 forms to foreign 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 Fourth 
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, projects must 
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and 
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and 
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest 
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to, 
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic 
status, and disabilities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere 
to the advancement of this principle both in project administration and 
in project 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 project contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
IV.3d.3 Project Monitoring and Evaluation
    This section of the RFGP amplifies the direction given in section I 
above on proposal format, which calls for the delineation of objectives 
and planning for baseline, early results, and longer-term measurements. 
Proposals must include a plan to monitor and evaluate the project's 
success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the project. 
The Bureau recommends that each proposal include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other instruments plus a description of a methodology 
to use to link outcomes to original project objectives. The Bureau 
expects that the grantee will track participants or partners and be 
able to respond to key evaluation questions, including satisfaction 
with the project, learning as a result of the project, changes in 
behavior as a result of the project, and effects of the project on 
institutions (institutions in which participants work or partner 
institutions). The evaluation plan should include indicators that 
measure gains in mutual understanding as well as substantive knowledge.
    Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting 
clear goals and intended outcomes at the outset of a project. Your 
evaluation plan should include a description of your project's 
objectives, your anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you 
intend to measure these outcomes (performance indicators). (Note the 
call for measurements at the baseline and for early results and longer-
term results.) The more that outcomes are ``smart'' (specific, 
measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and placed in a reasonable 
time frame), the easier it will be to conduct the evaluation. You 
should also show how your project objectives link to the goals of the 
program described in this RFGP.
    Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish 
between project outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services 
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important 
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot 
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the 
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people 
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast, 
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is 
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and 
outcomes should both be reported, but the emphasis should be on 
outcomes.
    We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes, 
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in 
increasing order of impact):
    1. Participant satisfaction with the project and exchange 
experience.
    2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, 
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both 
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
    3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in 
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic 
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new 
knowledge gained;

[[Page 17724]]

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 short-term outcome, whereas 
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.

    Overall, the quality of each monitoring and evaluation plan will be 
judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when 
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear 
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (e.g., 
surveys, interviews, tests, or focus groups). (Please note that 
evaluation plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes 
[satisfaction] will be deemed less competitive under the present 
evaluation criteria.)
    Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their 
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular project reports. All 
data collected, including survey responses and contact information, 
must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the 
Bureau upon request.
    IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration 
when preparing the proposal budget:
    IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF-424A--``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs'' along with a comprehensive budget for the 
entire project. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns 
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may 
provide separate sub-budgets for each project component, phase, 
location, or activity to provide clarification.
    IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the project include the following:
    (1) Travel. International and domestic airfare; 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?contentId=17943&contentType=GSA--BASIC. Living 
costs during foreign-based activities must not exceed USG-approved per 
diem rates, which can be found at http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=81.
    (3) Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times
    Application Deadline Date: May 14, 2009.
    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, 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 this RFGP, 
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 
competition Reference Number (ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp. B) 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''.

    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' and budget sections of the proposal as well as 
any essential attachments, in Microsoft Word and/or Excel on a PC-
formatted disk. The Bureau will provide these files electronically to 
the appropriate Public Affairs Sections at the U.S. Embassies for their 
review.
    The original and seven 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-09-One-time-Comp. B, 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'' and ``Budget'' 
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 
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 this RFGP, 
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

[[Page 17725]]

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 lengthy 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#15666065657a6761557267747b61663b727a63"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="03707673736c7177436471626d77702d646c75">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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.3f.3 Once again, please note that an applicant may submit only 
one proposal in this competition.
    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 of the relevant U.S. Embassy 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 project idea and project planning: The project's 
purpose should clearly fit one of the eligible themes described above, 
and the proposal should clearly demonstrate how the institution plans 
to pursue the project's objectives. The proposed project should be 
creative and well developed, respond to the design outlined in the 
solicitation, and demonstrate originality. It should be clearly and 
accurately written, substantive, and with sufficient detail to ensure 
practical success. The project plan should adhere to the program 
overview and guidelines described above.
    2. Ability to achieve project objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and relevant to the proposed theme. Proposals 
should clearly plan activities in a sequence that will progressively 
lead to achieving those objectives.
    3. Support of diversity: The proposal should acknowledge ECA's 
policy on diversity and should demonstrate the recipient's commitment 
to promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity in 
participant selection and exchange project design and content.
    4. Institutional capacity and track record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the project goals. The proposal should demonstrate an institutional 
record, including solid programming and responsible fiscal management. 
The Bureau will consider past performance, including compliance with 
all reporting requirements for past Bureau grants.
    5. Project evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to 
evaluate the project's success, both as the activities unfold and at 
the end of the program. The proposal should include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other data-collection technique plus description of a 
methodology to link outcomes to original project objectives. Please see 
Section IV.3d.3. of this announcement for more information.
    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 cost-sharing 
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct 
funding contributions.

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 grant 
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.

VI.1b. Special Provision for Performance in a Designated Combat Area 
(Currently Iraq and Afghanistan)

    All Recipient personnel deploying to areas of combat operations, as 
designated by the Secretary of Defense (currently Iraq and 
Afghanistan), under assistance awards over $100,000 or performance over 
14 days must register in the Department of Defense maintained 
Synchronized Pre-

[[Page 17726]]

deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) system. Recipients of federal 
assistance awards shall register in SPOT before deployment, or if 
already in the designated operational area, register upon becoming an 
employee under the assistance award, and maintain current data in SPOT. 
Information on how to register in SPOT will be available from your 
Grants Officer or Grants Officer Representative during the final 
negotiation and approval stages in the federal assistance awards 
process. Recipients of federal assistance awards are advised that 
adherence to this policy and procedure will be a requirement of all 
final federal assistance awards issued by ECA.
    Recipient performance may require the use of armed private security 
personnel. To the extent that such private security contractors (PSCs) 
are required, grantees are required to ensure they adhere to Chief of 
Mission (COM) policies and procedures regarding the operation, 
oversight, and accountability of PSCs.
    VI.1c. 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 Non-
profit Organizations.
    Please refer to the following Web sites for additional information: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants. http://fa.statebuy.state.gov.

VI.3. Reporting Requirements

    You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus one copy of the 
following reports:
    1. A final project and financial report no more than 90 days after 
the expiration of the award;
    2. A concise, one-page final project report summarizing project 
outcomes no more than 90 days after the expiration of the award. This 
one-page report will be transmitted to OMB, and be made available to 
the public via OMB's USAspending.gov Web site--as part of ECA's Federal 
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting 
requirements.
    3. A SF-PPR, ``Performance Progress Report'' Cover Sheet with all 
project reports.
    4. Interim project and financial reports after each project phase, 
as required in the Bureau grant agreement.
    Award Recipients will be required to provide reports analyzing 
their evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular project 
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. Project Data Requirements

    Organizations awarded grants will be required to maintain specific 
data on project 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 grant or 
who benefit from the grant 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, please contact: Curt Huff, 
Professional Programs, Tel: (202) 453-8159; E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#703805161633353003041104155e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0f8c5d6d6f3f5f0c3c4d1c4d59ed7dfc6">[email protected]</span></a>.
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C-09-One-time-Comp.B.
    Please read the complete Federal Register 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 8, 2009.
C. Miller Crouch,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. E9-8650 Filed 4-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P


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