[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 86 (Thursday, May 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19658-19660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10817]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

United States Information Agency Regional Scholar Exchange 
Program With the New Independent States; Freedom Support Act 
Fellowships in Contemporary Issues

ACTION: Notice--Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs, Academic Exchanges Division, 
European Programs Branch of the United States Information Agency's 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for two assistance awards. Public and private non-profit 
organizations with at least four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs with the New Independent States and 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 
may apply to develop and administer one or both of the following two 
categories of academic exchange programs:
    Category A: USIA Regional Scholar Exchange Program with the New 
Independent States for approximately 60 to 70 pre-doctoral and/or post-
doctoral scholars, researchers, and university faculty in the social 
sciences and humanities who are citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan*, 
Belarus, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian 
Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and for 
approximately 10 pre- and/or post-doctoral scholars, researchers, and 
university faculty in the social sciences and humanities who are 
citizens of the United States.
    Category B: FREEDOM Support Act Fellowships in Contemporary Issues 
for approximately 60 to 70 highly qualified policymakers, public, 
private, and third sector professionals, and scholars with advanced 
degrees--Kandidat preferred--who are citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan*, 
Belarus, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian 
Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and who 
are professionally engaged in the building of democracy, free markets, 
and a civil society in their countries in the post-Soviet era. 
Interested organizations should read the complete Federal Register 
announcement and request a Solicitation Package from USIA prior to 
preparing a proposal.

    *Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan are subject to the 
restrictions of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992: 
Employees of the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its 
instrumentalities are excluded from participation and no U.S. 
participant overseas may work for the Government of Azerbaijan or 
any of its instrumentalities.

    The goals and objectives of both the USIA Regional Scholar Exchange 
Program with the NIS and the FREEDOM Support Act Fellowships in 
Contemporary Issues are to empower outstanding citizens of the 
countries of the NIS and U.S. to: (1) Obtain access to the resource 
materials and specialists of the host country so that they can conduct 
the specific research proposed in their applications; (2) Deliver 
lectures, make presentations, and write articles, books, policy papers, 
reports, and/or produce other materials that advance the state of 
knowledge and practice in their fields in their home countries and 
institutions; (3) Promote long-term collaborative research projects and 
cooperation between U.S. and NIS scholars and practitioners.
    For both categories, participants from the NIS must demonstrate a 
high level of fluency in written and spoken English at a level 
appropriate to achieve the goals and objectives of the program. 
Participants from the U.S. must demonstrate a high level of fluency in 
written and spoken Russian and/or another language of the NIS in order 
to conduct research at NIS host institutions. Escort interpreters will 
not be provided, nor funded by USIA.
    Both categories are open, merit-based competitions that must be 
conducted nationally in the home countries of the applicants and all 
applicants must be working or studying in their home countries at the 
time of application and selection. The fellowship periods for both 
categories must be for a minimum of three months (or the equivalent of 
one academic semester), but must not exceed a maximum of eight months 
(or the equivalent of one academic year). For both categories, all 
participants must be affiliated with universities, research institutes, 
or other organizations in the host country which have specialists and 
resources in the field of the fellows' research. All participants must 
be matched with a host advisor who serves as a research mentor and 
guides their professional development during the fellowship. Applicants 
who have participated in a USIA-funded academic exchange program after 
June 1994 are not eligible to receive fellowships in either category.
    Each category has separate conditions and requirements which are 
stated in this announcement and detailed in the full Solicitation 
Package. Organizations may apply for an assistance award for one or 
both categories, but must submit a separate proposal and budget for 
each category. Organizations that apply for assistance awards in both 
categories are strongly encouraged to craft each proposal and budget in 
an innovative way that maximizes resources, streamlines program and 
administrative operations, and achieves economies of scale for the 
program and administrative activities, practices, and procedures which 
are common to both categories.
    Organizations which wish to work in partnership on one or both 
categories may apply as a consortia, but must submit one proposal and 
one budget for each category. All proposals from consortia must 
identify a lead organization and cite the specific duties, 
responsibilities, division of labor, and budget for all members of the 
consortia as well as subcontracts from a lead organization to each 
member of the consortia.
    USIA anticipates awarding one assistance award for each category 
cited in this announcement. Grants awarded to organizations through 
this competition must begin no earlier than August 1, 1996 and must be 
completed by July 31, 1998. USIA expects that NIS participants will 
begin their U.S. programs as a group in late January 1997 and in late 
August 1997. However, in instances when it is feasible and advisable, 
some NIS participants may begin their U.S. programs at other 
appropriate times during the grant period. USIA expects that U.S. 
participants will begin their NIS programs at various and appropriate 
times in 1997 and 1998. At the end of their fellowships, all 
participants are required to return to their home countries so that 
they can begin to apply the knowledge, skills, and insights gained as a 
result of their academic exchange experience.
    Overall grantmaking authority for the USIA Regional Scholar 
Exchange Program for the New Independent States 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

[[Page 19659]]

and peaceful relations between the United States and the other 
countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the program cited 
above is provided through the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256, as amended. Programs shall also 
maintain their scholarly integrity and shall meet the highest standards 
of academic excellence. . . .
    Overall grantmaking authority for the FREEDOM Support Act 
Fellowships in Contemporary Issues is made possible through legislation 
sponsored by the U.S. Congress and incorporated in the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act of FY 1993. The legislation was established 
to assist the economic and democratic development of the New 
Independent States of the former Soviet Union. The funding authority 
for the program cited above is provided through the FREEDOM Support 
Act.
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds. USIA reserves the 
right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance 
with the needs of the programs.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AEE-04.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Thursday, June 13, 
1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked June 13, 1996 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Academic Programs, 
Division of Academic Exchanges, European Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 
246, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20547; telephone number (202) 205-0525; fax (202) 260-7985; Internet 
address rboris @usia.gov to request a Solicitation Package containing 
more detailed award criteria, required application forms, and standard 
guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific criteria for 
preparation of the proposal budgets.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation 
Package may be download from USIA's website at http://www.usia.gov/ or 
from the Internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov. Select ``Education and 
Cultural Exchanges'', then select ``Current Request for Proposals 
(RFPs).'' Please read ``About the Following RFPs'' before beginning to 
download.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Rhonda E. Boris on all 
inquiries and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the 
complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or 
submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff 
may not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the 
Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and ten copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE-96-04, Office 
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 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. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, 
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for 
the Agency's grants review process.

DIVERSITY 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 the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For both categories, U.S. organizations will 
be required to: advertise, announce, and explain the program to target 
audiences in the U.S. and NIS; recruit a large, diverse group of 
qualified applicants from each eligible country; select finalists via 
merit-based open competition that incorporates peer group review 
mechanisms; affiliate participants with diverse host institutions and 
place participants with host advisors who are knowledgeable about the 
participants' field of research; arrange program logistics in a timely 
and effective manner, track and monitor participants; develop alumni 
and other follow on activities; evaluate programs for short-term and 
long-term evidence of effectiveness and in support of the requirements 
of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA); and 
conduct other required program activities and operations.
    Organizations are required to plan and implement all program 
activities and operations in close coordination with USIA in Washington 
and USIS posts in the NIS. Further details about specific program 
requirements and additional information can be found in the Project 
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) Statement which are part 
of the full Solicitation Package.

Guidelines

    Visa/Health Insurance/Tax Requirements: Programs must comply with 
J-1 visa regulations. Exchange program regulations require that all J 
visa holders carry health and accident insurance. Please refer to the 
guidelines in the Solicitation Package for further details. 
Administration of the program must be in compliance with reporting and 
withholding regulations for federal, state, and local taxes as 
applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax regulation 
adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

Proposed Budget

    For Category A: FY 1996 USIA funding is anticipated at $1,000,000.
    For Category B: FY 1996 FREEDOM Support Act funding is anticipated 
at $960.000.
    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. There must be a 
summary budget as well as a break-down reflecting both the 
administrative budget and the program budget. It is required that 
requested administrative funds, including indirect costs and 
administrative expenses, not exceed 20 percent of the grant amount 
requested from USIA. Preference will be given to organizations whose 
administrative cost request is below 20 percent.
    Administrative and program expenses should be cost-shared to 
maximize all available program resources from the private sector, host 
institutions, and applicant organization.
    Allowable costs for each category include the following:
    (1) General Program Costs (program materials; advertising and 
outreach; recruitment travel and per diem in the NIS; application 
review and/or selection

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committee; finalist interviews in the NIS; group program orientation 
for NIS participants, listserv; on-line journal, alumni data base, 
alumni activities for NIS participants, follow on e-mail/Internet 
assistance for selected NIS participants);
    (2) Participant Program Costs (visas; roundtrip travel to and from 
home city to host institution via American flag carrier; monthly 
maintenance (based on average MMR); stipend; professional development 
for NIS participants; participant taxes)
    (3) Administrative Costs (staff salaries and benefits; 
communications, facilities (U.S. and NIS), office supplies audit, and 
indirect costs).
    Please refer to the full Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Review Process

    USIA 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. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the USIA Office of East 
European and NIS Affairs and the USIA post overseas, where appropriate. 
Proposals may be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by 
other Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the 
USIA Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final 
technical authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative 
agreements) resides with the USIA 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 Plan

    Proposals should include academic rigor and scholarly excellence, 
thorough conception of program, demonstration of meeting participants' 
needs, contributions to understanding the partner country, specific 
details of recruitment, selection, affiliation, placement, professional 
development, and monitoring processes, proposed alumni activities, 
alumni tracking, and follow on activities, qualifications and expertise 
of program staff and participants, and relevance of program plan to 
USIA's mission and U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives in the NIS.

2. Program Planning and Organizational Capacity

    A detailed work plan and timeline should demonstrate the 
organization's logistical and administrative capacity to implement the 
program. Proposals must demonstrate how the organization and its staff 
will meet the program's objectives and work plan. Proposed personnel 
and organizational resources should be adequate and appropriate to 
implement the program requirements and achieve program objectives.

3. Organization's Track Record

    Relevant USIA and outside assessments of the organization's 
experience in developing, implementing, administering, and evaluating 
scholarly research exchanges with the NIS, including responsible fiscal 
management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past 
Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of Contracts. The Agency 
will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the 
demonstrated potential of new applicants.

4. Multiplier Effect/Impact

    Proposed programs must demonstrate an impact on the wider community 
of scholars, students, policymakers, opinion-leaders, and public, 
private, and third sector professionals and organizations through the 
sharing of information and the establishment of long-term institutional 
and individual linkages among U.S. and NIS scholars and practitioners.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

    A key measure of cost-effectiveness is USIA's cost per participant. 
This is the total funds requested from USIA divided by the number of 
participant-months (number of participants multiplied by the number of 
program months). The overhead and administrative components of the 
proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as low as 
possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.

6. Cost-Sharing

    Preference will be given to outstanding proposals that also seek to 
maximize cost-sharing through other private sector support as well as 
institutional direct funding contributions.

7. Value of U.S.-Partner Country Relations

    The assessment by USIA's geographic area office of the need 
potential impact, and significance of the project with the partner 
country.

8. Support of Diversity and Pluralism

    Proposals should demonstrate substantive support of the Bureau's 
policy on diversity through the recruitment, selection, affiliation, 
and placement of participants, to the extent feasible for the applicant 
organizations.

9. Alumni and Follow-On Activities

    Proposals should provide a plan for alumni and other follow on 
activities (without USIA support) which ensures that USIA supported 
programs are not isolated events.

10. Program Evaluation

    Proposals should include a plan to evaluate the program in ways 
that support the requirements of the Government Performance and Results 
Act of 1993. An evaluation plan and draft survey questionnaire or other 
technique plus a description of a methodology to be used to link 
outcomes to original project objectives is required as well as a 
comprehensive plan to track participants before, during, and after 
their fellowships. Organizations will be expected to submit 
intermediate programmatic and financial reports after each project 
component is concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency 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 Agency 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 USIA procedures.

    Dated: April 25, 1996.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-10817 Filed 5-1-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M