21058 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices

specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify Bureau

Program Officer Carolyn Lantz on all

other inquiries and correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Bureau

staff may not discuss this competition

with applicants until the proposal

review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package

Via Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s

website at http://exchanges.state.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received

at the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington,

DC, time on Friday, June 2, 2000. Faxed

documents will not be accepted at any

time. Documents postmarked the due

date but received on a later date will not

be accepted. Each applicant must ensure

that the proposals are received by the

above deadline.

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original and eight 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–00–49, Program

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336,

301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC

20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5′′ diskette, formatted for DOS. These

documents must be provided in ASCII

text (DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs section at the U.S.

Embassy for its review, with the goal of

reducing the time it takes to get embassy

comments for the Bureau’s grants

review process.

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 physical

challenges. 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 the total

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.’’

Proposals should reflect advancement of

this goal in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees’ being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

The Bureau therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology website at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

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

the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP 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 RFP 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.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: April 10, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and

Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–9801 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3295]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Offices of the Fulbright

Representative: Moscow, Russia and

Kyiv, Ukraine; Notice: Request for

Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Exchange Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

announces an open competition for

organizations to serve as the fiscal

disbursing agent for the Offices of the

Fulbright Representative in Moscow,

Russia and in Kyiv, Ukraine. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit

proposals to provide fiscal disbursing

services to one or both Offices (Moscow

and/or Kyiv). A separate proposal must

be submitted for each country’s office,

i.e., organizations that apply as the

disbursing agent for both the Moscow

and Kyiv Offices must submit two

distinct proposals addressing the

particular budgetary guidelines and any

other country-specific requirements for

each Office as outlined in the RFP.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices 21059

Program Information

Overview

The Offices of the Fulbright

Representative are responsible for the

overseas management of the Fulbright

Program and the Junior Faculty

Development Program (JFDP), both of

which are ECA educational exchange

programs, in the Russian Federation and

Ukraine. ECA and the Public Affairs

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

full authority over all program

operations, policy issues, and

management concerns, including the

selection and supervision of the

Directors of the Fulbright Offices (who

are U.S. citizens) and their staffs. The

staffs of the Offices of the Fulbright

Representative are responsible for all

program operations of the Fulbright

Program and the JFDP in their

respective country and report first and

foremost to the PAS and ECA.

Due to legal constraints and logistical

obstacles, the U.S. Government is

unable to provide operating funds

directly to the Offices of the Fulbright

Representative in Russia and Ukraine.

Thus, through this RFP, ECA requests

the services of a recipient organization

to be responsible solely for disbursing

U.S. Government funds in support of

the activities of the Offices of the

Fulbright Representative. These services

hinge on the organization’s ability to

maintain a legal status in Russia and/or

Ukraine in order to serve as a fiscal

agent capable of disbursing, on a timely

and consistent basis, funds for the

programmatic and administrative

operations of the Offices. The specific

duties of the ECA recipient organization

requested in this RFP are outlined

below.

Guidelines

The ECA recipient organization will

be responsible for the following:

1. Performing all legal requirements

necessary to maintain the office space,

staffing, and program activities of the

Fulbright Offices in Moscow and/or

Kyiv.

2. Demonstrating the ability, in terms

of an accounting staff knowledgeable in

Russian and/or Ukrainian law, to

provide the Fulbright Offices with cash

(dollars and/or rubles and/or hryvna)

and/or pay bills directly.

3. Providing proof of legal status/

registration, as well as evidence of the

ability to handle a wide range of

payments.

4. Advancing budget funds to the

Fulbright Offices in Moscow and/or

Kyiv to conduct all activities,

programmatic as well as administrative.

5. Payment of salaries and benefits—

including housing allowance—for the

Directors of the Fulbright Offices in

Moscow and/or Kyiv. Actual salaries

will be determined by the PAS.

6. Payment of salaries and benefits for

local staff—including meal allowance

for Moscow staff only. Actual salaries

will be determined by the PAS.

7. Assisting the PAS in the

recruitment of Fulbright Offices staff

when vacancies occur. Final selection

will be made by the PAS.

8. Consulting and cooperating, on

administrative matters, with the U.S.-

based organizations responsible for the

administration of the Fulbright Program

and the JFDP in the United States.

Programs must comply with J–1 visa

regulations. Please refer to Solicitation

Package for further information.

Please note: The following

information is provided as background

only and should not be misconstrued as

the objectives of this RFP.

The Fulbright Program offers research

and lecture opportunities at universities

in the United States to leading scholars

from Russia and Ukraine, whereas the

JFDP supports the training of young

university faculty from Russia and

Ukraine to audit courses and work

closely with faculty mentors at U.S.

universities in order to upgrade their

teaching skills and develop new

curricula in designated fields of study.

The Offices of the Fulbright

Representative ensure the successful

and open competition for both Fulbright

and JFDP grants, and provide logistical

assistance to program participants while

they are in Russia or Ukraine. In

addition, the Offices of the Fulbright

Representative are responsible for

supporting U.S. Fulbright scholars in

Russia and Ukraine, in order to ensure

their well being, and the well being of

their dependents while overseas.

Budget Guidelines

Grants awarded to eligible

organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000.

Applicants must submit

comprehensive budgets with each

proposal. Awards may not exceed

$308,000 for the Moscow Office and

$210,000 for the Kyiv Office. The total

of any administrative pass through

charges, including indirect costs, may

not exceed 15% of the total budget for

each Office. There must be a summary

budget as well as breakdowns reflecting

both administrative and program

budgets. Applicants may provide

separate sub-budgets for each program

component, phase, location, or activity

to provide clarification.

In order to propose accurate budget

figures, applicants are encouraged to

contact ECA directly and request an

information sheet detailing actual

Fulbright Office costs.

Allowable costs include, but are not

limited to:

(1) Staff salaries and benefits.

(2) Rent and utilities for the Moscow

and/or Kyiv Offices.

(3) Necessary office supplies and

equipment.

(4) Shipment of program materials

from Russia and/or Ukraine to the

United States.

(5) Maintenance of a reliable

communications system (telephone, fax,

and e-mail).

(6) Recruitment and any other

necessary travel by program staff,

including per diem.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with the Bureau

concerning this RFP should reference

the above title and number ECA/A/E/

EUR 00–07.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Exchange Programs,

ECA/A/E/EUR, SA–44, Room 246, U.S.

Department of State, 301 4th Street,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547,

telephone: 202–205–0525; fax: 202–

260–7985, or E-mail: nsargent@usia.gov

to request a Solicitation Package. The

Solicitation Package contains detailed

award criteria, required application

forms, specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify Bureau

Program Officer Nadine Asef-Sargent on

all inquiries and correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Bureau

staff may not discuss this competition

with applicants until the proposal

review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package via

Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s

website at http://exchanges.state.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received

at the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs by 5:00 p.m.

Washington, DC time on Thursday, May

25, 2000. Faxed documents will not be

21060 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices

accepted at any time. Documents

postmarked the due date but received

on a later date will not be accepted.

Each applicant must ensure that its

proposal(s) is/are received by the above

deadline. There are no exceptions to

this deadline.

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original and nine (9) unbound

copies of the proposal(s) should be sent

to: U.S. Department of State, SA–44,

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/EUR–00–07,

Program Management, ECA/EX/PM,

Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5’’ diskette, formatted for DOS. These

documents must be provided in ASCII

text (DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs Section at the US

Embassy for its review; with the goal of

reducing the time it takes to receive

embassy comments for the Bureau’s

grants review process.

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 physical

challenges. 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 the total 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.’’

Proposals should reflect advancement of

this goal in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees’ being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

ECA therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology website at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt

of all proposals and will review them

for technical eligibility. Proposals will

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package.

The program office, as well as the

Public Affairs Section overseas, where

appropriate will review all eligible

proposals. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Bureau officers

for advisory review. Proposals may also

be reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Adviser or by other Bureau elements.

Final funding decisions are at the

discretion of the Department of State’s

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy

and Public Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

the Bureau’s Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Program Management: Proposals

should exhibit substance, precision,

innovation, and relevance to the

Bureau’s mission. Objectives should be

reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

Proposals should demonstrate the

organization’s ability to cooperate with

a variety of entities, including the U.S.

Government, non-profit organizations,

foreign banking institutions, and others.

Relevant work plan should demonstrate

substantive undertakings and logistical

capacity. Work plan should adhere to

the program overview and guidelines

described above.

2. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate substantive support

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity.

3. Institution’s Record/Ability:

Proposed personnel and institutional

resources should be adequate and

appropriate to achieve the program’s

goals. Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange program administration,

particularly responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for any past

Bureau grants as determined by Bureau

Grant Staff. The Bureau will consider

the past performance of prior recipients

and the demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

4. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing:

The overhead and administrative

components of the proposal, including

salaries, should be kept as low as

possible. All other items should be

necessary and appropriate.

5. Project evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

success of the fiduciary arrangement

and make recommendations for

improving the process in the future.

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.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP 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 RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Bureau reserves the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Notices 21061

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.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: April 13, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and

Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–9802 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3293]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs; Program Title: Small Grants

Competition; Grassroots Citizen

Participation in Democracy; Request

for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen

Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department

of State, announces a small grants

competition on Citizen Participation in

Democracy. U.S. public and private

non-profit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals

to develop exchanges and training

programs in the below mentioned

countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, the

Middle East or Latin America (countries

listed under guidelines.)

Program Information

Overview

The Office of Citizen Exchanges,

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs of the U.S. Department of State,

announces an FY2000 small grants

competition for local community-based

organizations interested in

internationalizing their educational,

professional and cultural efforts or

gaining support for ongoing

international exchange programs. This

competition is aimed at local-level

grassroots organizations that have not

received prior funding directly from the

Bureau. Creative and innovative ideas

are sought.

One goal of this initiative is to

encourage smaller organizations or local

units of national groups to expand the

scope of their work by building linkages

with counterparts in certain other

countries. This may be accomplished by

providing professional experience and

exposure to American life and culture

through internships, workshops and

other learning-sharing experiences

hosted by local institutions and home

stays with members of the community.

The experiences also will provide

Americans the opportunity to learn

about different cultures. Travel under

these grants may constitute a two-way

exchange or provide only for foreigners

to visit the United States. The program

is not academic in nature; it is designed

to provide practical, hands-on

experience in U.S. public/private sector

settings that may be adapted to an

individual’s institution upon return

home. Proposals may combine elements

of professional enrichment, job

shadowing and internships appropriate

to the language ability and interests of

the participants.

Exchanges and training programs

supported by the institutional grants

from the Bureau should operate at two

levels: they should enhance

partnerships, and they should offer

practical information to individuals and

groups to assist them with their

professional and volunteer

responsibilities. Viable proposals

usually have the following

characteristics:

• A strong existing partnership

between a U.S. organization and an incountry institution;

• A proven track record of working in

the proposed issue area;

• Cost-sharing from U.S. and/or incountry sources, including donations of

air fares, hotel and/or housing costs,

ground transportation, interpreters, etc.;

• Experienced staff with language

facility; a clear, convincing plan

showing how long-term results will be

accomplished as a result of the activity

funded by the grant;

• A follow-on plan beyond the scope

of the Bureau grant.

The Bureau wants to see tangible

forms of time and money contributed to

the project by the prospective grantee

institution, as well as funding from

third party sources. If proposals

received are of equal strength,

preference will go to those with higher

cost-sharing.

Exchanges should be two-to-three

weeks in length. It is anticipated that

programs will be conducted between

September 2000 and August 2001.

Successful projects will enhance the

participants’ skills in leadership,

participatory democracy, NGO

development, and open the potential for

longer-term partnerships.

Applicants should identify the local

organizations and individuals in the

counterpart country with whom they are

proposing to collaborate and describe in

detail previous cooperative

programming and/or contacts. Specific

information about the counterpart

organizations’ activities and

accomplishments is required and

should be included in the section on

Institutional Capacity.

This year the small grants competition

will be focused on one over-all theme of

Grassroots Citizen Participation in

Democracy. Under this theme,

consideration will be given to related

priority topics. Suggestions are listed

below.

Grassroots Citizen Participation in

Democracy

Democracy takes root and flourishes

where there is grass-roots participation

in decision-making and citizen

participation is valued and practiced.

Since most civic activities are

concerned with community-based

issues that directly affect individuals’

lives, local issues and institutions

should be the focus of the exchange

program. Single-country activities

should be built around a specific theme

or target audience. Target audiences

may include, but are not limited to:

women in business, NGO leaders,

professional women, special interest

groups (i.e. ethnic minorities, people

with disabilities, economically

disadvantaged persons). The Bureau is

looking for programs that will result in

the creation of a sustainable

professional association or coalition

with activities continuing after the grant

period.

Priority Topics

Strengthening Grassroots Democracy:

Training NGO leadership and

addressing organizational governance

issues; building coalitions; networking;

lobbying elected officials; media

strategies; fund raising; volunteerism;

addressing civic values; NGO roles in

mediating conflict in the community.

Equal Treatment of Women Under the

Law: Educating women about existing

anti-discriminatory laws, including

domestic violence legislation;

understanding legal rights and options;

addressing attitudes of the judiciary;

building community support to combat

violence against women, including

trafficking in Women and children.

Women and Political Leadership:

running for elective office and/or

managing electoral campaigns;

developing a media strategy; public

speaking/communication skills; meeting

challenges and responsibilities of public

office once elected.

Local Governance: strengthening local

governments and making them more

responsive to local needs; local