Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 69187 

27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and 

Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 

2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et 

seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of 

October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority 

No. 236 of October 19, 1999, as 

amended, and Delegation of Authority 

No. 257 of April 15, 2003 [68 FR 19875], 

I hereby determine that the objects to be 

included in the exhibition ‘‘Gauguin 

and Impressionism,’’ including a 

collateral work by Gauguin, Nave Nave 

Mahana, imported from abroad for 

temporary exhibition within the United 

States, are of cultural significance. The 

objects are imported pursuant to loan 

agreements with the foreign lenders. I 

also determine that the exhibition or 

display of the exhibit objects at the 

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 

Texas, from on or about December 18, 

2005 to on or about March 26, 2006, and 

at possible additional venues yet to be 

determined, is in the national interest. 

Public Notice of these Determinations is 

ordered to be published in the Federal 

Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, including a list of 

the exhibit objects, contact Wolodymyr 

R. Sulzynsky, the Office of the Legal 

Adviser, Department of State, 

(telephone: 202/453–8050). The address 

is Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th 

Street, SW., Room 700, Washington, DC 

20547–0001. 

Dated: November 1, 2005. 

C. Miller Crouch, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department 

of State. 

[FR Doc. 05–22541 Filed 11–10–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 5173] 

Request for Proposals: Program for 

Research and Training on Eastern 

Europe and the Independent States of 

the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) 

Summary: The Department of State 

invites organizations with substantial 

and wide-reaching experience in 

administering research and training 

programs to serve as intermediaries 

conducting nationwide competitive 

programs for scholars, students and 

institutions pertaining to advanced 

research and language training on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia. U.S.-based public and private 

nonprofit organizations and educational 

institutions may submit proposals to 

carry out Title VIII-funded programs 

that (1) support and sustain American 

expertise on the countries of Eurasia 

and Southeast Europe, (2) bring 

American expertise to the service of the 

U.S. Government, and (3) further U.S. 

foreign assistance goals. The grants will 

be awarded through an open, meritbased competition. The purpose of this 

request for proposals is to inform 

potential applicant organizations of 

programmatic, procedural and funding 

information for the fiscal year 2006 Title 

VIII grants competition. 

We request that applicants read the 

entire Federal Register announcement 

before addressing inquiries to the Title 

VIII Program Office or submitting a 

proposal. This notice contains three 

parts. Part I addresses Shipment and 

Deadline for Proposals. Part II consists 

of a Statement of Purpose and Program 

Priorities. Part III provides Funding 

Information for the program. 

Authority: Grantmaking authority for the 

Program for Research and Training on 

Eastern Europe and the Independent States of 

the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) is 

contained in the Soviet-Eastern European 

Research and Training Act of 1983 (22 U.S.C. 

4501–4508, as amended) and is funded 

through the FREEDOM Support Act (FSA) of 

1992 and Support for East European 

Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989. 

Part I 

Shipping and Deadline for Proposals: 

Due to security procedures proposals 

must be sent via a nationally recognized 

overnight delivery service (e.g., DHL, 

Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, 

or USPS Express Mail, etc.) or handdelivered. Proposals may not be sent by 

regular U.S. Mail. 

Proposals must have a postmark or 

invoice dated by Wednesday, January 

11, 2006 and must be received within 

seven (7) days after the deadline. Handdelivered proposals must be submitted 

no later than 4 p.m. on January 11, 2006. 

Faxed proposals will not be accepted at 

any time. Late applications will not be 

considered. It is the applicant’s 

responsibility to ensure that proposals 

are delivered on time. 

Address proposals to: Susie Baker, 

Title VIII Program Officer, U.S. 

Department of State, INR/RES, Room 

2251, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, 

DC 20520–6510. 

Applications Delivered by Hand: 

Hand-delivered proposals will be 

accepted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST 

daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and 

Federal holidays. Proposals must be 

brought to the State Department’s 21st 

Street entrance, just north of the 

intersection with C Street, NW. Contact 

the Title VIII Program office at (202) 

736–4572 or (202) 647–0243 to arrange 

a delivery time. 

Part II 

Program Information: In the SovietEastern European Research and Training 

Act of 1983 (Title VIII), the Congress 

declared that independently verified 

factual knowledge about the countries of 

that area is ‘‘of utmost importance for 

the national security of the United 

States, for the furtherance of our 

national interests in the conduct of 

foreign relations, and for the prudent 

management of our domestic affairs.’’

Congress also declared that the 

development and maintenance of such 

knowledge and expertise ‘‘depends 

upon the national capability for 

advanced research by highly trained and 

experienced specialists, available for 

service in and out of Government.’’

The Title VIII Program provides 

financial support for advanced research, 

graduate and language training and 

other related functions on the countries 

of the region. The program operates on 

a ‘‘pass-through’’ basis in that grantee 

organizations serve as intermediaries 

and conduct nationwide competitive 

programs to distribute grant funds to 

individual scholars, language students 

or universities. The program’s goal is to 

support and sustain a cadre of U.S. 

experts by providing a full spectrum of 

financial assistance spanning the careers 

of scholars and students who have 

made, or are likely to make, a career 

commitment to the study of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia. The Department of 

State’s Title VIII Program Office brings 

this research and expertise to the service 

of the U.S. Government. The Title VIII 

Program also contributes to the overall 

objectives of the FREEDOM Support and 

SEED Acts through the Title VIII 

scholars’ and students’ participation in 

interactive educational and professional 

activities, volunteering, consulting, and 

other endeavors that further economic 

prosperity and mutual understanding in 

the region. The full purpose of the Title 

VIII Program and the eligibility 

requirements are set forth in Public Law 

98–164, 97 Stat. 1047–50, as amended. 

The following countries are eligible 

for funding under this request for 

proposals: Albania, Armenia, 

Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic 

of Macedonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, 

Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, 

Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. 

Travel to certain countries may be 

subject to restrictions due to unforeseen 

world events, Congressional restrictions, 

U.S. embassy requirements, or general 

security concerns. 

The Act established an Advisory 

Committee to recommend grant policies 

69188 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 

and recipients. The Deputy Secretary of 

State, after consultation with the 

Advisory Committee, approves policies 

and makes the final determination on 

awards. Once the proposal submission 

deadline has passed, Title VIII Program 

staff and the Title VIII Advisory 

Committee may not discuss any aspect 

of this competition with applicants until 

after the proposal review and approval 

process has been completed. 

Scope: The Title VIII legislation states 

that the program should develop a 

stable, long-term, national program of 

unclassified, advanced research and 

training on the countries of Eastern 

Europe and/or Eurasia. Applicants’

proposals should outline programs that: 

(1) Support and sustain American 

expertise on the countries of Eurasia 

and Southeast Europe, (2) bring 

American expertise to the service of the 

U.S. Government, and (3) further U.S. 

foreign assistance goals. 

Eligibility: U.S.-based public and 

private non-profit organizations and 

educational institutions with substantial 

and wide-reaching expertise in 

administering advanced research and 

training programs and conducting 

nationwide competitive programs for 

scholars, students and institutions 

pertaining to advanced research and 

language training on the countries of 

Southeast Europe and Eurasia and 

related fields may apply. To 

demonstrate eligibility, applicant 

organizations should describe their 

experience and expertise in each of the 

following: 

• Conducting national, open, meritbased competitions for the purpose of 

distributing grant funds for advanced 

research and language training at the 

graduate level and above; 

• Peer review mechanisms; 

• Recruiting individuals who are 

likely to make a career commitment to 

the study of Eastern Europe and/or 

Eurasia; 

• Federal grants policy and 

management. 

NB: Individual scholars and students 

seeking Title VIII support should refer 

to the Title VIII Program Web site for 

funding opportunities: http:// 

www.state.gov/s/inr/grants. Proposals 

from institutions or organizations to 

fund their own projects, i.e., projects 

that are not national in scope and/or do 

not involve open, merit-based 

recruitment of participants will not be 

considered. 

Guidelines: Programs proposed for 

this competition should be national in 

scope and may: 

(1) Award contracts or grants to U.S. 

institutions of higher education or 

nonprofit organizations in support of 

post-doctoral or equivalent-level 

research projects, to be cost-shared with 

partner institutions; 

(2) Offer graduate, post-doctoral and 

teaching fellowships for advanced 

training on the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia, and in related 

studies, including training in the 

languages of the region, to be costshared with partner institutions; 

(3) Provide fellowships and other 

support for American specialists 

enabling them to conduct advanced 

research on the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia, and in related 

studies; 

(4) Facilitate research collaboration 

among U.S. scholars, the U.S. 

Government, and private specialists on 

Southeast Europe and Eurasia studies; 

(5) Provide field-strengthening 

activities that stimulate interaction and 

sustained relationships among junior 

and senior scholars; 

(6) Provide advanced training and 

research in the countries of Southeast 

Europe and Eurasia by facilitating 

access for American specialists to 

research facilities and resources in those 

countries; 

(7) Facilitate the accessibility and 

dissemination of research findings, 

methods and data, and policy papers 

among U.S. Government agencies and 

the public; 

(8) Strengthen the national capability 

for advanced research or training on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia; 

(9) Bring Title VIII scholarship to the 

service of the U.S. Government in ways 

not specified above. 

In addition to the above guidelines, 

support for specific activities will be 

guided by the following policies and 

priorities: 

• Support for Transitions and U.S. 

Assistance Goals: Program activities are 

strongly encouraged that build expertise 

among U.S. specialists on the region, 

and also: (1) Promote fundamental goals 

of U.S. foreign assistance programs such 

as establishing functioning market 

economies and promoting democratic 

governance and civil societies, and (2) 

provide knowledge to both U.S. and 

foreign audiences related to current U.S. 

policy interests in the region, broadly 

defined. This includes, but is not 

limited to, such topics as resolution of 

ethnic, religious, and other conflict; 

terrorism; transition economics; access 

to information; youth and women’s 

issues; human rights; and citizen 

participation in politics and civil 

society. For overseas research, 

applicants are asked to propose effective 

means through which individual grant 

recipients’ work may complement 

assistance activities in the region. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

propose programs where grants for 

overseas work include a service 

component such as lecturing at a 

university or participating in workshops 

with host government and 

parliamentary officials, 

nongovernmental organizations, and 

other relevant audiences on issues 

related to transitions in the region. 

• Research Topics: The Title VIII 

Program supports research topics that 

strengthen the fields of Eurasian and 

East European Studies (and related 

fields), and address U.S. policy interests 

in the region, broadly defined. 

Historical or cultural research that 

promotes understanding of current 

events in the region is acceptable if an 

explicit connection is made to policy 

relevant issues, broadly defined. 

Technical research in fields such as 

mathematics is not eligible for funding 

under Title VIII. 

• Regional Focus: Priority will be 

given to programs that focus on gaps in 

knowledge on Central Asia, the 

Caucasus, Ukraine and Belarus, and the 

Balkans, especially the former 

Yugoslavia. The greater Central Asia 

region is critical in the global war on 

terrorism, therefore also eligible are 

proposals that incorporate a focus on 

‘‘Cross-Regional Issues’’ and include 

specifically the countries of Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan 

and/or Uzbekistan, relative to their 

shared historical, ethnic, linguistic, 

political, economic, and cultural ties 

with such countries as Iraq, Iran, 

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, China and 

Turkey. 

• Balanced National Program: In 

making its recommendations, the 

Advisory Committee will seek to 

encourage a coherent, long-term and 

stable effort directed toward developing 

and maintaining a national capability on 

the countries of Southeast Europe and 

Eurasia. Program proposals can be for 

the conduct of any of the functions 

enumerated, but in making its 

recommendations, the Committee will 

concern itself particularly with the 

development of a balanced national 

effort that will ensure attention to all 

eligible countries, as well as to the 

broad spectrum of students, scholars 

and researchers in various sectors and 

career stages. 

• Promoting Federal Service for Title 

VIII Grant Recipients: Although the 

Title VIII Program does not require a 

federal service commitment for 

individuals receiving funding, the 

Advisory Committee urges grantees to 

encourage individuals receiving Title 

VIII funding to pursue U.S. Government 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 69189 

career opportunities, internships, or 

short-term sabbaticals after completing 

their awards, and to otherwise bring 

their research to the service of the U.S. 

Government. Grant recipient 

organizations are encouraged to: (1) 

Identify individuals for funding who 

have an interest in pursuing careers in 

the U.S. Government; and (2) provide 

opportunities for individuals in 

disciplines with Eurasian and/or 

Southeast European studies 

concentrations to serve on a temporary 

basis as a policy or other expert in U.S. 

Embassies, U.S. Government agencies 

and/or with NGOs in the region; and (3) 

provide opportunities for students and 

researchers to submit and present their 

research in a variety of formats, 

including policy briefs, white papers 

and policy forums. Applications 

proposing more productive interaction 

among U.S. Government agencies, 

universities and non-government 

organizations (NGOs) in the U.S. and 

overseas are strongly encouraged. 

• Publications: Funds awarded in this 

competition should not be used to 

subsidize journals, newsletters and 

other periodical publications. 

• Conferences: Proposals to fund 

conferences will be considered for 

funding only if the conference is an 

interactive, field-strengthening activity 

and if it is a component of a larger 

program with greater duration and 

scope. Conference panelists must be 

selected through an open, merit-based 

selection process. In addition, 

conference proposals will be assessed 

according to their relative contribution 

to the advancement of knowledge and to 

the professional development of cadres 

in the fields, and will be competed and 

evaluated against research, fellowship 

or other proposals for achieving the 

objectives of this grant competition. 

• Language Support: The Advisory 

Committee encourages a focus on the 

non-Russian languages of Eurasia and 

the less-commonly-taught languages of 

Southeast Europe. For Russian-language 

instruction and study, support may be 

provided only at the advanced level. 

Institutions seeking funding in order to 

offer language instruction are 

encouraged to apply to one or more of 

the national programs with appropriate 

peer review and selection mechanisms. 

• Support for Non-Americans: The 

purpose of the program is to build and 

sustain U.S. expertise on the countries 

of Southeast Europe and Eurasia. 

Therefore, the Advisory Committee has 

determined that highest priority for 

support always should go to American 

specialists (i.e., U.S. citizens or 

permanent residents). Support for such 

activities as long-term research 

fellowships (i.e., nine months or longer), 

should be restricted solely to American 

scholars. Support for short-term 

activities also should be restricted to 

Americans, except in special instances 

where the participation of a nonAmerican scholar has clear and 

demonstrable benefits to the U.S. 

scholarly community and/or the U.S. 

Government. In such special instances, 

the applicant will be required to notify 

the Title VIII Program office prior to the 

activity and justify the expenditure by 

clearly describing the expected benefit 

to the field(s) and/or the U.S. 

Government. Despite this restriction, 

collaborative projects are encouraged—

where the non-American component is 

funded from other sources—and priority 

is given to institutions whose programs 

contain such an international 

component. 

• Cost-sharing: (1) Title VIII 

legislation requires cost-sharing for 

projects involving post-doctoral or 

equivalent-level research projects; and 

graduate, post-doctoral and teaching 

fellowships for advanced training or 

language studies for institutions or 

individuals. Cost sharing is strongly 

encouraged in all programs. (2) Research 

solely on, and/or travel to, the countries 

of ‘‘greater Central Asia’’ or Central and 

East Europe outside of Southeast Europe 

as outlined in this request for proposals, 

is not eligible for FSA or SEED funding. 

Proposals may include a plan to support 

research projects on, and travel to, 

countries eligible and ineligible for FSA 

or SEED funding, to address crossborder issues, regional or comparative 

studies, etc., in which case travel to 

ineligible countries would be costshared with funding from other sources. 

(3) All proposed cost sharing should be 

included in the budget request in a 

separate column, and explained in the 

budget notes. 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. 

• Program Data Requirements: 

Organizations awarded grants will be 

required to provide data on program 

participants and activities in an 

electronically accessible format for the 

Title VIII Alumni Database. Requested 

information would include the 

following: Name; Institution; Address; 

Contact Information; Field(s) of 

Expertise; Type/Title of Award; 

Location(s) of Research, Fellowship, or 

other Activity; Research Products/Titles; 

Service to the U.S. Government; 

Contribution to U.S. Assistance Goals; 

etc. 

• Reporting and Funding 

Acknowledgement: Successful 

applicants will be required to submit 

quarterly financial and program reports, 

and will be expected to acknowledge 

the Department of State and the Title 

VIII Program in all Title VIII-supported 

research products, advertising, 

recruitment tools, announcements, and 

other related electronic or written 

communications. 

Applications 

Application Format: Applicants must 

submit 15 copies of the proposal (a 

clearly marked original and 14 copies) 

in Times New Roman, 12-point font. 

The ‘‘Executive Summary,’’ ‘‘Proposal 

Narrative,’’ ‘‘Budget Presentation’’ and 

‘‘Resumes’’ must be submitted on a PCformatted disk or CD. Proposals should 

include the following elements: 

TAB 1: SF424 ‘‘Application for 

Federal Assistance’’ and Cover Letter 

with primary point of contact for 

questions if different than ‘‘Authorized 

Representative.’’ SF424 is online: 

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

grants/sf424.pdf); 

TAB 2: Executive Summary (one page, 

single-spaced, see below); 

TAB 3: Proposal Narrative (not to 

exceed 20 double-spaced pages), and 

calendar or timeline of major program 

activities; 

TAB 4: Budget Presentation (Detailed 

Budget, Budget Notes, and Budget 

Summary—see below for explanation); 

TAB 5: Resumes (one page each for 

key professional staff); 

TAB 6: Letters of Support and/or 

Partnership; and 

TAB 7: Certifications of Compliance 

with Federal Regulations (see below). 

Applicants may append other 

information they consider essential, 

although bulky submissions are 

discouraged and run the risk of not 

being reviewed fully. 

Executive Summary: A one page, 

single-spaced summary to include: two 

separate dollar figures indicating the 

amount of funding requested for Eurasia 

and Southeast Europe, respectively; a 

list of each proposed program 

component in priority order; DUNS 

number; and any additional information 

the applicant wishes to provide. 

Budget: Because funds will be 

appropriated separately for Southeast 

Europe (SEED) and Eurasia (FSA) 

programs, proposals and budgets must 

delineate how the requested funds will 

be distributed by region, country (to the 

extent possible), and activity. Successful 

grant recipients will be required to 

report expenditures by region, country 

and activity. Applicants must provide 

the following Budget Presentation 

69190 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 218 / Monday, November 14, 2005 / Notices 

(budget templates are available by 

request from the Title VIII Program 

Office). 

(1) Summary Budget, with one 

column each for the following: (1) DOS/ 

Title VIII Costs; (2) Applicant Cost 

Sharing; (3) Third Party Cost Sharing, if 

applicable; and (4) Total Costs, with the 

following headings: 

Southeast Europe (SEED) 

Program Costs. 

Administrative Costs. 

TOTAL Southeast Europe. 

Eurasia (FSA) 

Program Costs. 

Administrative Costs. 

TOTAL Eurasia. 

SEED + FSA Totals 

TOTAL Program Costs (SEED + FSA). 

TOTAL Administrative Costs (SEED + 

FSA). 

(Percentage Of Total Admin Costs To 

Total Requested Funding:%). 

TOTAL COSTS (SEED + FSA). 

(2) Detailed Line-Item Budget with 

one column each for the following: (1) 

DOS/Title VIII Costs; (2) Applicant Cost 

Sharing; (3) Third Party Cost Sharing, if 

applicable; and (4) Total Costs. The 

budget must include the headings 

‘‘Program Costs’’ and ‘‘Administrative 

Costs,’’ and both administrative and 

program costs must be listed separately 

according to region (Eurasia or 

Southeast Europe). Sub-budgets for each 

separate program component, phase, 

location or activity should be included 

to provide clarification. Administrative 

Costs include the following: ‘‘Staff 

Requirements’’ (each person/position 

should be listed as a separate line item 

as follows: Annual salary/12 months × 

percentage of time × number of months 

devoted to program), ‘‘Benefits,’’ ‘‘Direct 

Costs,’’ and ‘‘Indirect Costs.’’ Indirect 

costs are limited to 10 percent of total 

direct program costs. The ‘‘Total 

Amount Requested’’ should be the sum 

of the amount requested for Eurasia 

activities plus the amount requested for 

Southeast Europe activities. 

(3) Budget Notes should clarify each 

line item, as necessary. Explain cost 

sharing with appropriate details and 

cross-references to the budget request. 

(4) For applicants requesting funds to 

supplement a program having other 

sources of funding, submit a current 

budget for the total program and an 

estimated future budget for it, showing 

how specific lines in the budget would 

be affected by the allocation of 

requested grant funds. Other funding 

sources and amounts should be 

identified. 

(5) Append the most recent audit 

report (the most recent U.S. Government 

audit report, if available) and the name, 

address, and point of contact of the 

audit agency. 

(6) Include a prioritized list of 

proposed programs if funding is being 

requested for more than one program or 

activity. 

All payments will be made to grant 

recipients through the U.S. 

Government’s Payment Management 

System (PMS). Applicants should 

familiarize themselves with Department 

of State grant regulations contained in 

22 CFR 145, ‘‘Grants and Cooperative 

Agreements with Institutions of Higher 

Education, Hospitals, and Other NonProfit Organizations’’; 22 CFR 137; OMB 

Circular A–110, ‘‘Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for Grants 

and Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 

Non-Profit Organizations’’; and OMB 

Circular A–133, ‘‘Audits of Institutions 

of Higher Learning and Other Non-Profit 

Institutions.’’ Organizations can receive 

a DUNS number at no cost: call the tollfree DUNS Number request line at (866) 

705–5711 or apply online at http:// 

www.dnb.com/us/duns_update/. 

Proposal Narrative: The Applicant 

must describe the proposed program(s), 

in no more than 20 double-spaced 

pages, including the benefits of these 

programs for the Southeast European 

and Eurasian fields, estimates of the 

types and amounts of anticipated 

awards, peer review procedures, 

recruitment plan for open, merit-based 

selection of participants with detailed 

information about advertising of 

program opportunities to eligible 

individuals and/or institutions, and 

anticipated selection committee 

participants. The narrative should 

address the applicant’s plan to 

encourage policy relevant research, 

methods for dissemination of research 

products to academic and non-academic 

audiences, and plans for bringing Title 

VIII to the service of the U.S. 

Government, where applicable. 

Applicants who have received 

previous grants from the Title VIII 

Program should provide the following 

detailed information: Names/affiliations 

of individual and institutional award 

recipients and amounts and types of 

awards from the past year; and a 

summary of the applicant’s past grants 

under the Title VIII Program specifying 

both past and anticipated applicant to 

award ratios. 

Proposals from national organizations 

involving language instruction programs 

should provide information on 

programs supported in the past year, 

including: Indications of progress 

achieved by Title VIII-funded students; 

criteria for evaluation, including levels 

of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, 

facilities, and methods for measuring 

language proficiency (including preand post-testing); instructors’

qualifications; and budget information 

showing estimated costs per student. 

Certifications: Applicants must 

include three Certifications of 

Compliance with Federal Regulations: 

(a) Certification Regarding Drug-Free 

Workplace Requirements for Grantees 

Other Than Individuals http:// 

foia.state.gov/forms/grants/ds2012.pdf; 

(b) Certification Regarding Debarment, 

Suspension and Other Responsibility 

Matters for Lower Tier and Primary 

Covered Transactions http:// 

foia.state.gov/forms/grants/ds2015.pdf; 

(c) New Restrictions on Lobbying 

http://foia.state.gov/forms/grants/ 

ds2018.pdf. 

Review Process: The program office, a 

grant review panel and the Title VIII 

Advisory Committee will review all 

eligible proposals. Proposals also may 

be reviewed by the Office of the Legal 

Advisor or by other Department 

elements. Final funding decisions are at 

the discretion of the Department of 

State’s Deputy Secretary. Final technical 

authority for grants resides with the 

Department of State’s Grants Officers. 

Review Criteria: Technically eligible 

proposals will be competitively 

reviewed according to the following 

criteria: 

(1) Quality of the Program Idea: 

Proposals should be responsive to the 

guidelines provided in this request for 

proposals, and should exhibit 

originality, substance, precision, and 

relevance to the State Department’s 

mission, the legislation supporting the 

Title VIII Program, and the FREEDOM 

Support and SEED Acts. 

(2) Program Plan: Program objectives 

should be stated clearly. Objectives 

should respond to priorities and address 

gaps in knowledge for particular fields 

and/or regions. A calendar or timeline 

of major program activities should be 

included. Responsibilities of partner 

organizations, if any, should be 

described clearly. 

(3) Institutional Capacity: Proposed 

personnel and selection committees 

should be adequate and appropriate to 

achieve the program’s goals. The 

proposal should reflect the applicant’s 

expertise and knowledge in managing 

federal grants and in conducting 

national competitive award programs of 

the type the applicant proposes on the 

countries of Southeast Europe and/or 

Eurasia. Past performance of prior 

recipients and the demonstrated 

potential of new applicants will be 

considered, including both the ability to 

handle technical grants management 

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