2574 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20552,

and the Midwest Regional Office, Office

of Thrift Supervision, 122 W. John

Carpenter Freeway, Suite 600, Dallas,

Texas 75039–2010.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Nadine Y. Washington,

Corporate Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–1354 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6720–01–P

[AC–04; OTS No. 2715]

Washington Federal Savings Bank,

Washington, IA; Approval of

Conversion Application

Notice is hereby given that on January

16, 1996, the Director, Corporate

Activities, Office of Thrift Supervision,

or her designee, acting pursuant to

delegated authority, approved the

application of Washington Federal

Savings Bank, Washington, Iowa, to

convert to the stock form of

organization. Copies of the application

are available for inspection at the

Dissemination Branch, Office of Thrift

Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20552, and the

Midwest Regional Office, Office of

Thrift Supervision, 122 W. John

Carpenter Freeway, Suite 600, Dallas,

Texas 75039–2010.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Nadine Y. Washington,

Corporate Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–1355 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6720–01–P

[AC–05; OTS No. 4226]

The Citizens Loan and Savings

Company, London, OH; Approval of

Conversion Application

Notice is hereby given that on January

19, 1996, the Director, Corporate

Activities, Office of Thrift Supervision,

or her designee, acting pursuant to

delegated authority, approved the

application of The Citizens Loan and

Savings Company, London, Ohio, to

convert to the stock form of

organization. Copies of the application

are available for inspection at the

Dissemination Branch, Office of Thrift

Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20552, and the Central

Regional Office, Office of Thrift

Supervision, 200 West Madison Street,

Suite 1300, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Nadine Y. Washington,

Corporate Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–1356 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6720–01–P

[AC–06; OTS Nos. H–1935 and 00602]

Fidelity Federal, M.H.C., Cincinnati,

OH, Approval of Conversion

Application

Notice is hereby given that on January

5, 1996, the Director, Corporate

Activities, Office of Thrift Supervision,

or her designee, acting pursuant to

delegated authority, approved the

application of Fidelity Federal, M.H.C.,

Cincinnati, Ohio, to convert to the stock

form of organization. Copies of the

application are available for inspection

at the Dissemination Branch, Office of

Thrift Supervision, 1700 G Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20552, and the Central

Regional Office, Office of Thrift

Supervision, 200 West Madison Street,

Suite 1300, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Nadine Y. Washington,

Corporate Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–1357 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6720–01–P

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Russian Civic Education: Curriculum

Development and Teacher Training

ACTION: Notice—Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Programs of the United States

Information Agency’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for up

to two assistance awards. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)–1 may

apply to cooperate in the planning and

implementation of up to two curriculum

development and teacher training

projects for civic education in Russia.

The recipient organization(s) will work

with Russian partner organizations to be

selected by USIS Moscow to assist

Russian educators to draft, review, and

field-test new teacher and student

materials for secondary-level civic

education. The grant(s), to be carried out

over approximately eighteen months,

will consist of three stages: (1)

preliminary assessment and

preparation, (2) a U.S.-based curriculum

development workshop for a Russian

materials development team, and (3)

post-workshop review and field-testing

of materials. The cooperation with USIA

will include regular consultation with

USIA officers in Russia with regard to

program development, implementation,

and assessment. Applicant

organizations may propose to cooperate

with USIA on either one or both of these

projects. Proposals should demonstrate

expert knowledge of Russia and Russian

education, as well as significant

experience in civic education and

curriculum development as practiced in

the U.S.

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries* * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations* * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’

The funding authority for the program

cited above is provided through the

Freedom Support Act legislation (FSA).

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.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to the

above title and reference number E/AS–

96–04.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time

on Monday, April 1, 1996. Faxed

documents will not be accepted, nor

will documents postmarked April 1 but

received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure that proposals are received by

the above deadline. Proposals should

plan for grant activities to begin

approximately by June 1996 and to be

completed approximately by December

1997.

FOR FURTHER INFROMATION, CONTACT: The

Advising, Teaching, and Specialized

Programs Division, E/AS Room 256,

U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street,

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

telephone number 202/619–6038, fax
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices 2575

number 202/619–6790, Internet address

‘‘skux@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 budget.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE

VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation Package

may also be downloaded from USIA’s

website at http://www.usia.gov/ or from

the Internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov,

under ‘‘New RFPs on Educational and

Cultural Exchanges.’’

Please specify USIA Program

Specialist Sally Kux on all inquiries and

correspondences. 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 10 copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS–96–04,

Office of grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.4’’ 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 Moscow for review, in order to

reduce the time of 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 to 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:

Overview

The goal of theses projects is to build

on current Russian efforts to develop

appropriate and up-to-date citizenship

education programs for use in Russian

secondary schools. The project will

assist educators with the development

and implementation of new civics

materials in Russian regions in which

education officials have demonstrated a

commitment to civic education. The

project’s rationale is that improving

citizenship education at the secondary

school level will better prepare Russian

students to participate actively in

building a pluralistic, democratic

society, and will promote democratic

relations among members of the school

community, including students,

teachers, school administrators, and

parents. The recipient organization(s)

will work in partnership with the

selected Russian organization(s) and

must be willing and able to respond to

the needs of the Russian partner(s).

Program Description

Phase I

Representatives of the U.S. grantee

organization(s) will make a preliminary

assessment visit to Russia. This trip will

enable the U.S. partner(s) to consult

with their Russian counterpart(s) to

identify project objectives and the scope

and themes of materials to be

developed. This visit will also enable

them to become acquainted with the

local educational system through site

visits to schools and appointments with

education officials. The Russian partner

organization(s) will select a curriculum

development team of approximately five

practitioners (e.g., classroom teachers,

curriculum specialists, and/or

educational officials) in consultation

with the recipient organization and

USIS Moscow, and will undertake

preliminary work in Russia over a

period of 3–6 months. During this time

members of the curriculum

development team(s) will familiarize

themselves with issues and materials

relevant to the project and will finalize

the choice of topics to be explored in

the draft materials.

Phase II

Members of the curriculum

development team(s) will spend

approximately two months in a highly

structured U.S.-based workshop

sponsored and organized by the U.S.

grantee organization(s). During the

workshop(s) the Russian team(s) will

complete draft teacher and student

materials. Within the framework of the

workshop, the grantee organization(s)

will be responsible for allowing

adequate time for participants to work

individually and collectively on the

materials. The Russian team(s) should

be provided access to leading U.S. civic

educators and a broad range of relevant

resources to stimulate the work of the

team(s) on materials oriented toward the

Russian situation. The workshop(s)

should include focused seminars on

topics related to the teaching of civics

and such relevant field experiences as

visits to schools and professional

associations.

Phase III

Upon completion, the draft materials

will be reviewed by Russian and

American experts. In Russia, the

curriculum development team(s) will

work with local teachers and, as

appropriate, with U.S. specialists to

provide training for a group of

practitioners in methods for

implementing and reviewing the draft

materials on a pilot basis in selected

schools in each region.

Guidelines

Programs must comply with J–1 visa

regulations. Please refer to program

specific guidelines (POGI) in the

Solicitation Package for further details.

Budget

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive as well as a summary

budget for each project. The award for

each of the two projects will not exceed

$225,000. Budget submissions should

delineate separately administrative and

program costs. For further clarification,

applicants may provide separate subbudgets for each program component,

phase, location, or activity. Budgets

should be presented in a multi-column

format that clearly identifies the

following categories: line item, amount

of USIA support, and amount of costshared support. Any relevant

calculations or explanations that do not

appear in the budget should be included

in budgetary notes. USIA is committed

to containment of administrative

expenses consistent with overall

program objectives and sound

management principles; total USIAfunded administrative expenses for this

project should not exceed 25% of the

total USIA-funded budget. Additional

budget guidelines are provided in the

Solicitation Package.

Grants awarded to eligible

organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000. Please refer to the

Solicitation Package for complete
2576 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices

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 Agency contracts office, as well as

the USIA Office of EEN and USIS

Moscow. For the review of a proposal to

be successful, it will need to receive

positive assessments by USIA’s

geographic desk officers and overseas

officers. Proposals may also be reviewed

by the Office of the General Counsel or

by other Agency elements. Final

funding decisions rest with the USIA

Associate Director for Educational and

Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

an Agency grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below.

1. Quality of the program idea:

Proposals should exhibit originality,

substance, precision, relevance to

Agency mission, and responsiveness to

the objectives and guidelines stated in

this solicitation. Proposals should

demonstrate geographic and substantive

expertise.

2. Program planning: Detailed agenda

and relevant work plan should

demonstrate substantive undertakings

and logistical capacity and should

adhere to the program overview and

guidelines described above. Proposals

should include a plan for continuous

and summative evaluations.

3. Ability to achieve program

objectives: Objectives should be

reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate

how the institution will meet program

objectives and how continuous

evaluation will be used to adjust

program plans.

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 a commitment to

promoting the awareness and

understanding of diversity with regard

to both program content and program

administration.

6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed

personnel and institutional resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

achieve the program or project’s goals.

7. Institutional’s Record/Ability:

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange programs, 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.

8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

follow-on activity (without USIA

support) which ensures that USIA

supported programs are not isolated

events.

9. Cost-effectiveness: 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.

10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as

institutional direct funding

contributions.

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: January 19, 1996.

John P. Loiello,

Associate Director, Bureau of Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96–1290 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Summer Institute for Russian

University Educators on International

Politics

ACTION: Notice—Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Advising, Teaching, and

Specialized Programs Division of the

Office of Academic Programs in the

United States Information Agency’s

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for an assistance award. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulations 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3) –1 may

apply to develop a six-week graduate

level program designed for a group of

ten Russian university educators on the

subject of contemporary international

politics. The primary purpose of the

institute is to provide participants with

a frame work for an understanding of

the field that will in turn enable them

to develop programs and courses in

their home institutions.

USIA is seeking detailed proposals

from colleges, universities, consortia of

colleges and universities, and other notfor-profit academic organizations that

have an established reputation in fields

directly related to the study of

international relations and can

demonstrate expertise in conducting

graduate-level programs for foreign

educators. Applicant institutions must

have a minimum of four years’

experience in conducting international

exchange programs. The project director

or one of the key program staff

responsible for the academic program

must have an advanced degree in the

field related to the topic of the institute.

Staff escorts traveling under the USIA

cooperative agreement must be U.S.

citizens with demonstrated

qualifications for this service.

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries * * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’

The funding authority for the program

cited above is provided through the

Freedom Support Act (FSA). 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.