Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 69191 

details and provide a superior-quality 

program. 

(4) Cost-Effectiveness and Cost 

Sharing: Administrative costs in the 

proposal budget should be kept to a 

minimum. All other items should be 

necessary and appropriate. Proposals 

should maximize cost sharing, 

including in-kind assistance, through 

contributions from the applicant, 

partner organizations, as well as other 

private sector support. ‘‘Applicant CostSharing’’ and ‘‘Third Party Cost 

Sharing’’ should be included as separate 

columns in the budget request. Proposal 

budgets that do not provide cost sharing 

will be deemed less competitive in this 

category. 

(5) Evaluation, Monitoring, Database, 

Reporting: Proposals should include a 

plan to evaluate and monitor program 

successes and challenges. Methods for 

linking outcomes to program objectives 

are recommended. The proposal should 

address the applicant’s willingness and 

ability to contribute to the alumni 

database. 

Part III 

Available Funds: Funding for this 

program is subject to final Congressional 

action and the appropriation of FY 2006 

funds. In Fiscal Year 2005, the program 

was funded at $4.6 million from the 

FREEDOM Support and SEED Acts, 

which funded grants to eight national 

organizations. The number of awards 

may vary each year, depending on the 

level of funding and the quality of the 

applications submitted. 

The Department legally cannot 

commit funds that may be appropriated 

in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multiyear projects cannot receive assured 

funding unless such funding is supplied 

out of a single year’s appropriation. 

Grant agreements may permit the 

expenditure from a particular year’s 

grant to be made up to three years after 

the grant’s effective date. 

The terms and conditions published 

in this Request for Proposals are binding 

and may not be modified by any 

Department representative. Issuance of 

the Request for Proposals does not 

constitute an award commitment on the 

part of the U.S. Government. The 

Department reserves the right to reduce, 

revise, or increase proposal budgets in 

accordance with the needs of the 

program and the availability of funds. 

Further Information: For further 

information or to arrange a consultation, 

contact the Title VIII Program office at 

TitleVIII@state.gov. 

Kenneth E. Roberts, 

Executive Director, Advisory Committee for 

Studies of Eastern Europe and the 

Independent States of the Former Soviet 

Union, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 05–22543 Filed 11–10–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–32–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 5213] 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 

Proposals: English Access 

Microscholarship Program 

Announcement Type: New 

Cooperative Agreement. 

Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/ 

A/L–06–02. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 00.000. 

Key Dates: 

Application Deadline: January 5, 

2006. 

Executive Summary: The English 

Access Microscholarship Program is 

designed to give non-elite, 14 to 18 year 

old students in countries with 

significant Muslim populations the 

opportunity to study English, to gain an 

appreciation for American culture and 

values, and to increase their ability to 

participate successfully in the socioeconomic development of their 

countries. The microscholarships fund 

in-country study for classes close to the 

students’ homes. While the English 

Access Microscholarship Program does 

not support study in the United States, 

the Program does provide for two 

Summer workshops, one for selected 

Directors and teachers and the other for 

selected students. In addition to 

providing quality instruction in the 

English language, all courses in which 

microscholarship students are enrolled 

must include significant U.S. content 

that gives the students insights into, and 

an appreciation for, American culture 

and values, and American democratic 

principles. Another important goal of 

the English Access Microscholarship 

Program is for a reasonable number of 

the students to acquire sufficient 

English language skills to be eligible to 

participate in traditional ECA exchange 

programs or other U.S. study 

opportunities. 

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. 

Pending availability of funds, it is 

anticipated that up to $8.75 million will 

be available to support this initiative in 

FY–2006. Middle East Partnership 

Initiative (MEPI) funds will be used to 

support the Program in the Near East/ 

North Africa region, where allowable 

(i.e., all but Syria, Iraq, Libya.) The 

Program may expand significantly in 

FY–2007. 

Purpose: The English Access 

Microscholarship Program gives nonelite, 14 to 18 year old students in 

countries with significant Muslim 

populations the opportunity to study 

English, to gain an appreciation for 

American culture and values, and to 

increase their ability to participate 

successfully in the socio-economic 

development of their countries. The 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs’ Office of English Language 

Programs (ECA/A/L), based on input 

from U.S. Embassies’ Public Affairs 

sections, designates the schools or other 

educational service providers that 

conduct the classes. (Note: Throughout 

this Request for Grant Proposals, these 

schools, NGOs and other partners will 

be referred to as ‘‘in-country educational 

service providers.’’) The Embassies 

select the students to receive 

microscholarships. The 

microscholarships fund in-country 

study for classes close to the students’

homes. English Access 

Microscholarships do not support study 

in the United States. Because of the 

Program’s worldwide scope, the method 

of instruction, curriculum, textbooks, 

tests, hours of instruction, cost per 

student, and other program elements 

may vary considerably from country to 

country, and sometimes within a single 

country. 

Background: In FY–2004 the 

Department of State launched the 

English Access Microscholarship 

Program as a pilot Program in most of 

the countries of the Bureau of Near 

69192 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 

Eastern Affairs. The Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs 

subsequently expanded the pilot 

Program to include countries with 

significant Muslim populations beyond 

the Near East region. Under the pilot 

phase, over 9,000 students in 44 

countries enrolled in the Program. The 

Program currently is operating in 

Algeria, Bahrain, Gaza, Israel, Kuwait, 

Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi 

Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab 

Emirates, West Bank, Yemen, Benin, 

Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo, the 

Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, 

Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, 

Tanzania, Togo, Afghanistan, 

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Cambodia, 

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bosnia 

Herzegovina, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, 

Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

Program Goals: In addition to 

providing quality instruction in the 

English language, all courses in which 

microscholarship students are enrolled 

are required to have adequate and 

appropriate content to give the students 

insights into, and an appreciation for, 

American culture and values. Another 

important goal of the English Access 

Microscholarship Program is for a 

reasonable number of the students to 

acquire sufficient English language 

skills to be eligible to participate in 

traditional ECA exchange programs or 

other U.S. study opportunities. 

Cooperative-agreement recipient 

Responsibilities: The cooperativeagreement recipient organization that is 

awarded the English Access 

Microscholarship Program cooperativeagreement from the Bureau will be 

responsible for the following activities: 

1. Disbursing funds to in-country 

educational service providers in each of 

the participating countries. The incountry educational service providers 

are schools, NGOs or other educational 

providers selected by U.S. Embassies to 

enroll the microscholarship students. 

The amounts to be disbursed, as well as 

the in-country educational service 

providers, are determined by ECA/A/L 

in consultation with U.S. Embassies and 

the State Department’s regional bureaus’

Public Diplomacy offices. 

Note: Selection of the in-country 

educational service provider(s) in each 

country must be approved in writing by both 

the U.S. Embassy and ECA/A/L. The 

Embassy must ensure that the selection 

process is transparent and competitive, 

detailing in writing to ECA/A/L the steps it 

has taken to render it such. If the 

cooperative-agreement recipient organization 

also is selected by an Embassy to be an incountry educational service provider, strict 

internal financial and management 

procedures must be established to ensure that 

the two roles are distinct. For example, 

separate accounts must be established to 

preclude co-mingling of funds, separate 

support staff must be maintained, etc. 

Ideally, the cooperative-agreement 

recipient makes one disbursement to 

each in-country educational service 

provider per year, but ECA/A/L may 

authorize additional disbursements as 

necessary based on program 

requirements. Individual disbursements 

to in-country educational service 

providers will vary in size depending on 

the size of the Program in each country, 

ranging from a few thousand dollars up 

to several hundred thousand dollars per 

in-country educational service provider. 

Additionally, the cooperativeagreement recipient, under the close 

supervision of with ECA/A/L, will: 

2. Plan, conduct, and fund a two-week 

workshop in the U.S. for approximately 

12–15 (twelve to fifteen) teachers and 

directors of the Program, chosen by 

ECA/A/L from nominations by 

Embassies. The workshop will focus on 

developing ‘‘best practices’’ managerial 

and pedagogical recommendations. 

3. Plan, conduct, and fund a threeweek workshop in the U.S. for 

approximately 20–25 (twenty to twentyfive) English Access Microscholarship 

Program students, chosen by ECA/A/L 

from nominations by Embassies. The 

workshop will focus on giving the 

students an immersion experience in 

American culture and the English 

language and will entail travel to several 

cities and diverse regions in the United 

States. 

4. Develop and maintain a secure, 

limited-access database containing 

relevant program information for 

English Access Microscholarship 

students and in-country educational 

service providers. Database information 

on each student will include: His/her 

name, age, grade in school, contact 

information, nationality, gender, test 

scores, hours of instruction received, 

educational institution/in-country 

educational service provider, cost per 

hour of instruction, date enrolled, date 

graduated, participation in other USGfunded programs, etc. Database 

information on each in-country 

educational service provider will 

include: Contact information for the 

director; name of each teacher 

employed, his/her educational 

background and contact information 

(address, e-mail, etc.); course start and 

end dates; running, quarterly, and 

yearly cost totals for program countries, 

in-country educational service 

providers, and courses; etc. The 

database also will include additional 

information as identified by ECA/A/L, 

such as details of corporate and/or 

private partnership support for the 

Program. The cooperative-agreement 

recipient will submit quarterly and endof-year reports (soft and hard copies) of 

database information in EXCEL 

spreadsheet format to ECA/A/L. 

Cooperative Agreement: In a 

cooperative agreement, ECA/A/L is 

substantially involved in the program 

activities, above and beyond routine 

grant monitoring. ECA/A/L activities 

and responsibilities for this Program are 

as follows: 

—Selects, based on input from U.S. 

Embassies and the State Department’s 

regional bureaus’ public diplomacy 

offices, the students who receive the 

microscholarships; 

—Selects, based on input from U.S. 

Embassies and the State Department’s 

regional bureaus’ public diplomacy 

offices, the in-country educational 

service providers (schools, NGOs, incountry educational service providers, 

etc.) that will provide English 

language instruction to the 

microscholarship students; 

—Determines, based on input from U.S. 

Embassies and the State Department’s 

regional bureaus’ public diplomacy 

offices, the amount and timing of 

financial disbursements by the 

cooperative-agreement recipient to the 

in-country educational service 

providers; 

—Serves, except for routine 

disbursements and other transactions 

approved in advance by ECA/A/L, as 

the cooperative-agreement recipient’s 

primary point of contact and 

intermediary with the in-country 

educational service providers and 

teachers involved in the Program. 

Similarly, ECA/A/L serves as the 

primary point of contact and 

intermediary with the U.S. Embassies 

and students involved in the Program. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement 

in this Program is listed under number 

I above. 

Fiscal Year Funds: 2006. 

Approximate Total Funding: Pending 

availability of funds, $8.75 million, $4 

million from the FY–2006 Exchanges 

Appropriation and up to $4.75 million 

from a transfer from the State 

Department Middle East Partnership 

Initiative (MEPI). 

Approximate Number of Awards: 

One. 

Approximate Average Award: $8.75 

million. 

Floor of Award Range: $4 million. 

Ceiling of Award Range: $8.75 

million. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 69193 

Anticipated Award Date: Pending 

availability of funds, March 15, 2006. 

Anticipated Project Completion Date: 

March 15, 2007. 

Additional Information: Pending 

successful implementation of this 

Program, and the availability of funds in 

subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA’s 

intent to renew this grant/cooperativeagreement for two additional fiscal 

years, before openly competing it again. 

Subsequent grants may include 

activities to extend the Program to other 

countries with young, non-elite students 

throughout the world. Subsequent 

grants will not include start up costs for 

certain activities described in this RFGP 

and the Project Objectives, Goals, and 

Implementation (POGI) as being 

completed in FY06. 

III. Eligibility Information 

III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications 

may be submitted by public and private 

non-profit organizations meeting the 

provisions described in Internal 

Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 

501(c)(3). 

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds; 

Minimizing indirect costs: Although 

there is no minimum or maximum 

percentage required for this 

competition, the Bureau encourages 

applicants to provide maximum levels 

of cost sharing and funding in support 

of its programs. We also ask that 

proposals minimize the inclusion of 

indirect costs as a component of 

institutional cost sharing. 

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, and, as stated above, the Bureau 

encourages proposals that minimize 

indirect costs in this calculation. For 

accountability, the cooperativeagreement recipient must maintain 

written records to support all costs 

which are claimed as your contribution, 

as well as costs to be paid by the Federal 

government. Such records are subject to 

audit. The basis for determining the 

value of cash and in-kind contributions 

must be in accordance with OMB 

Circular A–110, (Revised), Subpart 

C.23—Cost Sharing and Matching. In 

the event the cooperative-agreement 

recipient does not provide the minimum 

amount of cost sharing as stipulated in 

the approved budget, ECA’s 

contribution will be reduced in like 

proportion. 

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: 

Bureau grant guidelines require that 

organizations with less than four years 

experience in conducting international 

exchanges be limited to $60,000 in 

Bureau funding. ECA anticipates 

awarding one grant, in an amount up to 

$8.75 million to support program and 

administrative costs required to 

implement this exchange program. 

Therefore, organizations with less than 

four years experience in conducting 

international exchanges are ineligible to 

apply under this competition. The 

Bureau encourages applicants to 

provide maximum levels of cost sharing 

and funding in support of its programs. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Note: Please read the complete 

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. 

IV.1 Contact Information to Request 

an Application Package: Please contact 

the Office of English Language 

Programs, ECA/A/L, Room 304, U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 

(202) 453–8843, fax (202) 453–8854, email: uzarskij@state.gov to request a 

Solicitation Package. Please refer to the 

Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/ 

L–06–02 located at the top of this 

announcement when making your 

request. 

The Solicitation Package contains the 

Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) 

document which consists of required 

application forms, and standard 

guidelines for proposal preparation. 

It also contains the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document, which provides specific 

information, award criteria and budget 

instructions tailored to this competition. 

Please specify Ms. Joe ̈lle Uzarski and 

refer to the Funding Opportunity 

Number ECA/A/L–06–02 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 15 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. 

Please Refer to the Solicitation 

Package. It contains the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

document—and the Project Objectives, 

Goals and Implementation (POGI) 

document—for additional formatting 

and technical requirements. 

IV.3c. An applicant must have 

nonprofit status with the IRS at the time 

of application. 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 Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs is 

placing renewed emphasis on the secure 

and proper administration of Exchange 

Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence 

by grantees and sponsors to all 

regulations governing the J visa. 

Therefore, proposals should 

demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to 

meet all requirements governing the 

administration of the Exchange Visitor 

Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 62, 

including the oversight of Responsible 

Officers and Alternate Responsible 

Officers, screening and selection of 

program participants, provision of prearrival information and orientation to 

participants, monitoring of participants, 

proper maintenance and security of 

forms, record-keeping, reporting and 

other requirements. The cooperativeagreement recipient will be responsible 

for issuing DS–2019 forms to foreign 

participants in this Program traveling to 

the United States. 

A copy of the complete regulations 

governing the administration of 

69194 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 

Exchange Visitor (J) programs is 

available at http://exchanges.state.gov 

or from: United States Department of 

State, Office of Exchange Coordination 

and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD–SA–44, 

Room 734, 301 4th Street, 

SW.,Washington, DC 20547. Telephone: 

(202) 203–5029. FAX: (202) 453–8640. 

Please refer to Solicitation Package for 

further information. 

IV.3d.2. Diversity, Freedom and 

Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the 

Bureau’s authorizing legislation, 

programs must maintain a non-political 

character and should be balanced and 

representative of the diversity of 

American political, social, and cultural 

life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be interpreted 

in the broadest sense and encompass 

differences including, but not limited to 

ethnicity, race, gender, religion, 

geographic location, socio-economic 

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 your proposal. Public Law 

104–319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out 

programs of educational and cultural 

exchange in countries whose people do 

not fully enjoy freedom and 

democracy,’’ the Bureau ‘‘shall take 

appropriate steps to provide 

opportunities for participation in such 

programs to human rights and 

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Public Law 106–113 requires that the 

governments of the countries described 

above do not have inappropriate 

influence in the selection process. 

Proposals should reflect advancement of 

these goals in their program contents, to 

the full extent deemed feasible. 

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and 

Evaluation: Proposals must include a 

plan to monitor and evaluate the 

project’s success, both as the activities 

unfold and at the end of the Program. 

The Bureau recommends that your 

proposal include a draft survey 

questionnaire or other technique plus a 

description of a methodology to use to 

link outcomes to original project 

objectives, capturing data regarding 

hours of instruction, costs per hour of 

instruction, student-teacher ratios, 

teacher qualifications, significant 

program enhancements, textbook types, 

student placement and achievement test 

scores, impact of American-based 

curriculum on students’ attitudes and 

activities, etc. 

The Bureau specifically recommends 

that applicants submit a plan and 

budget for both of the two-week 

workshops to be conducted under the 

terms of this cooperative-agreement: a 

workshop in the U.S. for approximately 

12–15 (twelve to fifteen) teachers and 

directors of overseas English Access 

Microscholarship Program in-country 

educational service providers to be 

selected by ECA/A/L; and a three-week 

workshop in the U.S. for approximately 

20–25 (twenty to twenty-five) English 

Access Microscholarship Program 

students focusing on American culture 

and the English language. ECA/A/L will 

closely supervise the cooperativeagreement recipient’s activities in the 

development of these plans and will 

have final approval authority of same. 

The Bureau expects that the 

cooperative-agreement recipient will 

track data regarding microscholarship 

recipients and in-country educational 

service providers and be able to respond 

to key evaluation questions, including 

satisfaction with the Program, learning 

as a result of the Program, changes in 

attitude and behavior as a result of the 

Program, and effects of the Program on 

institutions (institutions in which 

participants work or partner 

institutions). The evaluation plan 

should include indicators that measure 

gains in mutual understanding as well 

as substantive knowledge. 

Successful monitoring and evaluation 

depend heavily on setting clear goals 

and outcomes at the outset of a program. 

Your evaluation plan should include a 

description of your project’s objectives, 

your anticipated project outcomes, and 

how and when you intend to measure 

these outcomes (performance 

indicators). The more that outcomes are 

‘‘smart’’ (specific, measurable, 

attainable, results-oriented, and placed 

in a reasonable time frame), the easier 

it will be to conduct the evaluation. You 

should also show how your project 

objectives link to the goals of the 

Program described in this RFGP. 

Your monitoring and evaluation plan 

should clearly distinguish between 

program outputs and outcomes. Outputs 

are products and services delivered, 

often stated as an amount. Output 

information is important to show the 

scope or size of project activities, but it 

cannot substitute for information about 

progress towards outcomes or the 

results achieved. Examples of outputs 

include the number of people trained or 

the number of seminars conducted. 

Outcomes, in contrast, represent 

specific results a project is intended to 

achieve and is usually measured as an 

extent of change. Findings on outputs 

and outcomes should both be reported, 

but the focus should be on outcomes. 

We encourage you to assess the 

following four levels of outcomes, as 

they relate to the program goals set out 

in the RFGP (listed here in increasing 

order of importance): 

1. Participant satisfaction with the 

Program and exchange experience. 

2. Participant learning, such as 

increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, 

and changed understanding and 

attitude. Learning includes both 

substantive (subject-specific) learning 

and mutual understanding. 

3. Participant behavior, concrete 

actions to apply knowledge in work or 

community; greater participation and 

responsibility in civic organizations; 

interpretation and explanation of 

experiences and new knowledge gained; 

continued contacts between 

participants, community members, and 

others. 

4. Institutional changes, such as 

increased collaboration and 

partnerships, policy reforms, new 

programming, and organizational 

improvements. 

Please note: Consideration should be 

given to the appropriate timing of data 

collection for each level of outcome. For 

example, satisfaction is usually 

captured as a short-term outcome, 

whereas behavior and institutional 

changes are normally considered longerterm outcomes. 

Overall, the quality of your 

monitoring and evaluation plan will be 

judged on how well it (1) specifies 

intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 

descriptions of how each outcome will 

be measured; (3) identifies when 

particular outcomes will be measured; 

and (4) provides a clear description of 

the data collection strategies for each 

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

focus groups). (Please note that 

evaluation plans that deal only with the 

first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will 

be deemed less competitive under the 

present evaluation criteria.) 

Grantees will be required to provide 

reports analyzing their evaluation 

findings to the Bureau in their regular 

program reports. All data collected, 

including survey responses and contact 

information, must be maintained for a 

minimum of three years and provided to 

the Bureau upon request. 

IV.3d.4. Describe your plans for: i.e. 

sustainability, overall program 

management, staffing, coordination with 

ECA and U.S. Embassies public affairs 

sections, or any other requirements etc. 

IV.3e. Please take the following 

information into consideration when 

preparing your budget: 

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a 

comprehensive budget for the entire 

Program (not to exceed $8.75 million). 

There must be a summary budget as 

well as breakdowns reflecting both 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 69195 

administrative and program budgets. 

Applicants may provide separate subbudgets for each program component, 

phase, location, or activity to provide 

clarification. 

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the 

Program include the following: The 

Bureau’s goal is to maximize the 

number of microscholarships being 

made available and expects that 

approximately 85 (eighty-five) percent 

or more of the funds provided through 

this grant will be used for issuance of 

microscholarships and for 

implementation of other mandatory 

program elements described under 

section 1 of this RFGP. 

(1) Administrative costs may include 

staff salaries, including staff to carry out 

develop and maintain the database and 

plan and conduct the workshop aspects/ 

elements of the Program, including the 

Program Monitoring and Evaluation in 

IV.3d.3. of the RFGP. 

(2) Travel costs should include two 

visits by the cooperative-agreement 

recipient’s project director or 

appropriate designee to in-country 

educational service providers in 

‘‘benchmark’’ countries to monitor the 

Program, one in the Middle East and 

one in another region, to be determined 

and conducted in consultation and 

coordination with ECA/A/L. 

(3) The budget for planning, 

conducting and funding the two 

workshops—one for Program Directors 

and teachers, and the other for Program 

students—should include: the 

participants’ international and domestic 

transportation, U.S. per diem, space 

rental, workshop materials, etc. For 

travel budgeting purposes, at least half 

of the participants likely will be from 

countries in the State Department’s 

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA). 

Please refer to the Solicitation 

Package for complete budget guidelines 

and formatting instructions. 

IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times: 

Application Deadline Date: January 5, 

2006. 

Explanation of Deadlines: 

Due to heightened security measures, 

proposal submissions must be sent via 

a nationally recognized overnight 

delivery service (i.e., DHL, Federal 

Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. 

Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, 

etc.) and be shipped no later than the 

above deadline. The 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. 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. ECA will not notify you upon 

receipt of application. 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. Applications may not be 

submitted electronically at this time. 

Applicants must follow all 

instructions in the Solicitation Package. 

Important note: When preparing your 

submission please make sure to include 

one extra copy of the completed SF–424 

form and place it in an envelope 

addressed to ‘‘ECA/EX/PM’’. 

The original and 15 copies of the 

application should be sent to: U.S. 

Department of State, SA–44, Bureau of 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: 

ECA/A/L–06–02, Program Management, 

ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 4th Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20547. 

Along with the Project Title, all 

applicants must enter the above 

Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF–

424 contained in the mandatory 

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) 

of the solicitation document. 

IV.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 Public 

Diplomacy sections 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 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. Quality of the program idea: 

Proposals should exhibit originality, 

substance, precision, and relevance to 

the Bureau’s mission. 

2. Program planning: Detailed agenda 

and relevant work plan should 

demonstrate substantive undertakings 

and logistical capacity. Agenda and plan 

should adhere to the Program overview 

and guidelines described above. 

3. Ability to achieve Program 

objectives: Objectives should be 

reasonable, feasible, and flexible. 

Proposals should clearly demonstrate 

how the institution will meet the 

Program’s objectives and plan. 

4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed 

programs should strengthen long-term 

mutual understanding, including 

maximum sharing of information and 

establishment of long-term institutional 

and individual linkages. 

5. Support of Diversity: Proposals 

should demonstrate the recipient’s 

commitment to promoting the 

awareness and understanding of 

diversity. Achievable and relevant 

features should be cited in both program 

administration (selection of 

participants, program venue and 

program evaluation) and program 

content (orientation and wrap-up 

sessions, program meetings, resource 

materials and follow-up activities). 

6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed 

personnel and institutional resources 

should be adequate and appropriate to 

achieve the Program’s goals, and should 

demonstrate an institutional record of 

successful exchange programs, 

including responsible fiscal 

management and full compliance with 

all reporting requirements for past 

Bureau grants as determined by Bureau 

Grants Staff. The Bureau will consider 

the past performance of prior recipients 

and the demonstrated potential of new 

applicants. 

7. Project Evaluation: Proposals 

should include a plan to evaluate the 

activity’s success, both as the activities 

unfold and at the end of the Program. 

The Bureau recommends that the 

proposal include a draft survey 

questionnaire or other technique plus 

description of a methodology to use to 

link outcomes to original project 

objectives. Award-receiving 

organizations/institutions will be 

expected to submit intermediate reports 

after each project component is 

concluded or quarterly, whichever is 

less frequent. 

69196 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 

8. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead 

and administrative components of the 

proposal, including salaries and 

honoraria, should be kept as low as 

possible. 

9. Cost sharing: Proposals should 

maximize cost sharing through other 

private sector support as well as 

institutional direct funding 

contributions. The Bureau encourages 

applicants to provide maximum levels 

of cost sharing and funding in support 

of its programs. We also ask that 

proposals minimize the inclusion of 

indirect costs as a component of 

institutional cost sharing. See also 

IV.3e.2 in this RFGP regarding cost 

sharing. 

10. Value to U.S.-Partner Country 

Relations: Proposed projects should 

receive positive assessments by the U.S. 

Department of State’s regional public 

diplomacy and country desks and 

overseas officers of program need, 

potential impact, and significance in the 

partner country(ies). 

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 an 

Assistance Award Document (AAD) 

from the Bureau’s Grants Office. The 

AAD 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 

AAD will be signed by an authorized 

Grants Officer, and mailed to the 

recipient’s responsible officer identified 

in the application. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive 

notification of the results of the 

application review from the ECA 

program office coordinating this 

competition. 

VI.2 Administrative and National 

Policy Requirements: Terms and 

Conditions for the Administration of 

ECA agreements include the following: 

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–122, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Nonprofit Organizations.’’

Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A–21, ‘‘Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions.’’

OMB Circular A–87, ‘‘Cost Principles 

for State, Local and Indian 

Governments.’’

OMB Circular No. A–110 (Revised), 

Uniform Administrative Requirements 

for Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals, and other Nonprofit 

Organizations. 

OMB Circular No. A–102, Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for 

Grants-in-Aid to State and Local 

Governments. 

OMB Circular No. A–133, Audits of 

States, Local Government, and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Please reference the following 

websites for additional information: 

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

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/ 

grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI. 

VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You 

must provide ECA with a hard copy 

original, two copies of same, and an 

electronic copy on disc in EXCEL and 

WORD formats of the following reports: 

Mandatory: 

(1.) A final program and financial 

report no more than 90 days after the 

expiration of the award including the 

information detailed in VI.3.2 below; 

(2.) Quarterly program and financial 

reports in WORD and EXCEL formats 

(soft and hard copies) including contact 

information and total dollars awarded to 

each in-country partner organization, 

hours of student instruction, costs per 

hour of instruction, student-teacher 

ratios, teacher qualifications, significant 

program enhancements, textbook types, 

student placement and achievement test 

scores, and other data outlined in 

IV.3d.3. above and VI.4 below. 

(3.) A summary report of any 

program-related travel. 

Grantees will be required to provide 

reports analyzing their evaluation 

findings to the Bureau in their regular 

program reports. (Please refer to IV. 

Application and Submission 

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

Monitoring and Evaluation information. 

All data collected, including survey 

responses and contact information, must 

be maintained for a minimum of three 

years and provided to the Bureau upon 

request. 

All reports must be sent to the ECA 

Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer 

listed in the final assistance award 

document. 

VI.4. Program Data Requirements: 

Organizations awarded grants will be 

required to maintain specific data on 

program participants and activities in a 

secure, limited-access, electronically 

accessible database format that can be 

shared with the Bureau as required. At 

a minimum, the data must include the 

following: 

(1) Name, address, contact 

information, and other data specified by 

ECA/A/L for all persons who receive an 

English Access Microscholarship, to be 

provided to the cooperative-agreement 

recipient by in-country educational 

service providers. See also specific data 

requirements as outlined in VI.3.2. 

(2) 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. 

(3) Itineraries of international and 

domestic travel, providing dates of 

travel and cities in which any exchange 

experiences take place. Final schedules 

for in-country and U.S. activities must 

be received by the ECA Program Officer 

at least three work days prior to the 

official opening of the activity. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For questions about this 

announcement, contact: Ms. Joe ̈lle 

Uzarski, Office of English Language 

Programs, ECA/A/L, Room 304, ECA/A/ 

L–06–02, U.S. Department of State, SA–

44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20547, (202) 453–8854, fax (202) 453–

8858, e-mail: uzarskij@state.gov. All 

correspondence with the Bureau 

concerning this RFGP should reference 

the above title and number ECA/A/L–

06–02 

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: November 2, 2005. 

Dina Habib Powell, 

Assistant Secretary for Educational and 

Cultural Affairs, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 05–22459 Filed 11–10–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P