Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices 10553

linkages among U.S. and NIS scholars

and practitioners.

5. Cost effectiveness and cost sharing:

The overhead and administrative

components of the proposals, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible. All other items

should be necessary and appropriate.

Proposals should maximize cost sharing

through other private sector support as

well as institutional direct funding

contributions.

6. Support of diversity and pluralism:

Proposals should demonstrate

substantive support of the ECA’s policy

on diversity through the recruitment,

selection, and placement of participants,

as well as through orientation

presentations, to the extent feasible for

the applicant organization.

7. Alumni tracking: Proposals should

provide a plan for effective tracking of

participants after the completion of the

program.

8. Program evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

program’s success. A results-oriented

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.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

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

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries

* * *; to strengthen the ties which unite

us with other nations by demonstrating

the educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program cited above is provided

through the Freedom Support Act.

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.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: February 7, 2001.

Helena Kane Finn,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational

and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of

State.

[FR Doc. 01–3755 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–05–U

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3572]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Request for Grant Proposals:

Regional Scholar Exchange Program;

Notice: Request for Grant Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Exchange Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

announces an open competition for

administration of the Regional Scholar

Exchange Program for the academic year

2002–2003. Public and private nonprofit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals

to administer recruitment, selection,

placement, monitoring, evaluation, and

follow-on activities.

Program Information: The Regional

Scholar Exchange Program provides

opportunities for junior and mid-level

university faculty, researchers, and

scholars in the social sciences and

humanities from the Newly

Independent States (NIS) and the United

States to receive fellowships for study at

U.S. and NIS institutions.

All RSEP fellows are matched with

host advisors who guide their research

and professional development. All

fellows conduct research on specific

topics, write academic papers, articles

and books, and deliver lectures with the

goal of contributing to the further

development of higher education and

scholarship in their home countries.

Fellowships are for a duration of four

months for scholars from the NIS and

up to nine months for scholars from the

United States.

ECA will consider awarding one or

more grants for this program. Applicant

organizations may apply to recruit and

host all fellows or a number of fellows

considered feasible and reasonable for

the organization. Should more than one

organization be selected to administer

the program, the Bureau will decide on

the distribution of fellows between

administering organizations.

Should an applicant organization

wish to work with other organizations

in the implementation of this program,

a sub grant agreement must be arranged.

Programs and projects must conform

with Bureau requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. ECA programs are subject to

the availability of funds. Programs must

comply with J–1 Visa regulations. Please

refer to Solicitation Package for further

information.

Budget Guidelines: Grants awarded to

eligible organizations with less than

four years of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000.

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive budget for the entire

program or any number of fellows that

the organization applies to administer.

The total award for the entire program

will not exceed $2,000,000. If more than

one organization is awarded a grant, the

Bureau will divide the total funding

between the organizations. There must

be a summary budget as well as

breakdowns reflecting both

administrative and program budgets.

The Bureau encourages applicants to

provide maximum levels of cost sharing

and funding from private sources in

support of its programs. Applicants may

provide separate sub-budgets for each

program component, phase, location, or

activity to provide clarification. Please

refer to the Solicitation Package for

complete budget guidelines and

formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number: All

correspondence with the Bureau

concerning this RFGP should reference

the above title and number ECA/A/E/

EUR–01–10.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Exchange Programs,

ECA/A/E/EUR, Room 246, U.S.

Department of State, 301 4th Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20547, Phone:

202–205–0525; Fax: 202–260-7985,

ljilka@pd.state.gov to request a

Solicitation Package. The Solicitation

Package contains detailed award

criteria, required application forms,

specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify Bureau

Program Manager Lucy Jilka on all other

inquiries and correspondence. Please

read the complete Federal Register

announcement before sending inquiries

or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP

10554 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may

not discuss this competition with

applicants until the proposal review

process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package

via Internet: The entire Solicitation

Package may be downloaded from the

Bureau’s website: http://

exchanges.state.gov/education/RFGPs.

Please read all information before

downloading.

Deadline for Proposals: All proposal

copies must be received at the Bureau

of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5

p.m. Washington, DC time on April 6,

2001. Faxed documents will not be

accepted at any time. Documents

postmarked the due date but received

on a later date will not be accepted.

Each applicant must ensure that the

proposals are received by the above

deadline.

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original and eight copies of the

application should be sent to: U.S.

Department of State, SA–44, Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.:

ECA/A/E/EUR–01–10, Program

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534,

301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC

20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5′′ diskette, formatted for DOS. These

documents must be provided in ASCII

text (DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs section at the US Embassy

for its review, with the goal of reducing

the time it takes to get Embassy

comments for the Bureau’s grants

review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle both in

program administration and in program

content. Please refer to the review

criteria under the ‘‘Support for

Diversity’’ section for specific

suggestions on incorporating diversity

into the total proposal. Public Law 104–

319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out

programs of educational and cultural

exchange in countries whose people do

not fully enjoy freedom and

democracy’’, the Bureau ‘‘shall take

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

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 content, to

the fullest extent deemed feasible.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt

of all proposals and will review them

for technical eligibility. Proposals will

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the Public

Affairs Sections overseas, where

appropriate. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Department of

State officers 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 (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s

Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Quality of the program plan:

Proposals should include academic

rigor, thorough conception of the

project, demonstration of meeting

participants’ needs, contributions to

understanding the partner country,

specific details of recruitment, selection,

placement, professional development,

and monitoring processes, proposed

alumni and follow-on activities, alumni

tracking, qualifications and expertise of

program staff and participants, and

relevance to ECA’s mission and U.S.

foreign policy goals and objectives.

2. Program planning and

organizational capacity: A detailed

work plan and time line 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: ECA

will consider relevant ECA 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

ECA grants as determined by ECA’s

Office of Contracts. ECA 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,

policy makers, opinion-leaders, and

public, private, and third sector

professionals 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 and cost sharing:

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.

Organizations should maximize cost

sharing through other private sector

support as well as institutional direct

funding contributions.

6. Support of diversity and pluralism:

Proposals should demonstrate

substantive support of ECA’s policy on

diversity through the recruitment,

selection and placement of participants,

to the extent feasible for the applicant

organizations.

7. Alumni and follow-on activities:

Proposals should provide a plan for

alumni and other follow-on activities

(without ECA support) which ensures

that ECA supported programs are

coordinated with and incorporated into

other ECA and PAS alumni activities so

that fellows may benefit from overall

ECA supported alumni programs.

8. Program evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

program’s success. A results-oriented

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.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices 10555

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 Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs.

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. In addition, it

reserves the right to accept proposals in

whole or in part and make an award or

awards in accordance with what serves

the best interest of the Regional Scholar

Exchange Program. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: February 7, 2001.

Helena Kane Finn,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational

and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of

State.

[FR Doc. 01–3756 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–05–U

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3577]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Request for Grant Proposals:

Internet Access and Training Program

in the Western NIS

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Exchange Programs/European Programs

Branch of the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an

open competition for the Internet

Access and Training Program in the

Western NIS. Public and private nonprofit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals

to administer the Internet Access and

Training Program (IATP) in the Western

NIS (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine).

The grantee organization will oversee

and carry out IATP operations,

including the establishment of new

IATP sites in the Western NIS, the

maintenance and enhancement of

existing sites, the development of

Internet outreach and educational

projects, and engaging ECA alumni and

other interested groups in the IATP. All

activities of the IATP will be undertaken

in regular and consistent consultation

with the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of

the U.S. Embassy in each participating

country.

Program Information

Overview

The IATP sponsors public access

Internet sites throughout the former

Soviet Union. The IATP makes e-mail

and the World Wide Web available to

ECA alumni and other target audiences

through its support of these Internet

sites. IATP sites are typically located at

public libraries, NGOs and universities

with which the IATP administering

organization has entered into mutually

beneficial agreements that govern how

the sites are managed and maintained.

In addition, the IATP serves as a means

to train its target audiences in the

effective and meaningful use of the

World Wide Web, including instruction

in the design and maintenance of

websites, databases and distance

education courses. The goals of the

program are to promote the

development of on-line information

resources in the Western NIS and to

facilitate the exposure of ECA alumni

and targeted audiences to the World

Wide Web. The IATP also sponsors a

small grants competition by which ECA

alumni and other groups may receive

funding for Internet projects of their

own design.

Subject to the availability of funds, it

is anticipated that this grant will begin

on or about September 1, 2001. Please

refer to the Solicitation Package for

further information.

Budget Guidelines

Grants awarded to eligible

organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000.

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive budget for the entire

program. ECA anticipates awarding one

grant in the amount of $1,750,000

($350,000 for Belarus; $400,000 for

Moldova; $1,000,000 for Ukraine) to

support the program and administrative

costs required to implement this

program. ECA encourages applicants to

provide maximum levels of cost sharing

and funding from private sources in

support of its programs. There must be

a summary budget as well as

breakdowns reflecting both

administrative and program budgets.

Applicants may provide separate subbudgets for each program component,

phase, location, or activity to provide

clarification.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with ECA

concerning this RFGP should reference

the above title and number ECA/A/E/

EUR–01–11.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Exchanges, ECA/A/

E/EUR, Room 246, U.S. Department of

State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington,

DC 20547, tel. (202) 205–0525, fax (202)

260–7985, exchanges@pd.state.gov to

request a Solicitation Package. The

Solicitation Package contains detailed

award criteria, required application

forms, specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify ECA

Program Officer Sheila Casey on all

other inquiries and correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFGP deadline has passed,

Department of State staff may not

discuss this competition with applicants

until the proposal review process has

been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via

Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from ECA’s website at

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

RFGPs. Please read all information

before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received

at the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington,

DC time on Friday, April 6, 2001. Faxed

documents will not be accepted at any

time. Documents postmarked the due

date but received on a later date will not

be accepted. Each applicant must ensure