Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/11/16/2010-28832/bureau-of-educational-and-cultural-affairs-eca-request-for-grant-proposals-the-future-leaders
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Federal Register :: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program: Host Family and School Placement and Monitoring
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program: Host Family and School Placement and Monitoring
A Notice by the State Department on 11/16/2010
Pending availability of funds, April 2011.
70061-70067 (7 pages)
Public Notice: 7225
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2010-28832 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2010-28832
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04.
Application Deadline: January 5, 2011.
Executive Summary: The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program seeks to promote mutual understanding between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by providing secondary school students from the region the opportunity to live in American society for an academic year. In turn, these students will expose U.S. citizens to the culture, traditions, and lifestyles of people in Eurasia.
Organizations are invited to submit proposals to identify host schools; vet, select, and monitor host families; and place and monitor a portion of the students participating in the FLEX program during the 2011-12 academic year. Pending the availability of funds, an FY 2011 grant will provide the monies required to recruit and screen host families; secure school placements; conduct student and host family orientations; provide cultural and educational enrichment activities; handle all counseling and programmatic issues; and evaluate program implementation.
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, Start Printed Page 70062developments, 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.
Purpose: The FLEX Program seeks to provide approximately 1,000 high school students from Eurasia with an opportunity to live in the United States for the purpose of promoting mutual understanding between our countries. Participants will reside with American host families and attend high school during the 2011-12 academic year. Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to recruit and select host families and schools for high school students between the ages of 15 and 17 from Eurasia. This solicitation refers only to FLEX students from the following Eurasian countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
In addition to identifying schools and screening families, organizations will be responsible for: (1) Providing English language enhancement activities for approximately 10% of their students who are specially identified; (2) orienting all students to local conditions, resources and opportunities; (3) orienting host families to program specifics; (4) providing support services for students; (5) arranging enhancement activities and skill-building opportunities; (6) monitoring student, family and coordinator performance and progress; (7) providing mid-year programming and re-entry training; and (8) evaluating project success. Preference will be given to those organizations that offer participants opportunities to develop leadership skills and raise their awareness of tolerance and civic responsibility through community activities and networks. The number of students who will participate is subject to the availability of funding in fiscal year 2011.
During the year, FLEX participants will be engaged in a variety of activities, such as community and school-based programs, skill-building workshops, and cultural events. Academic year 2011-12 will be the 19th year of the FLEX program, with more than 20,000 students having been awarded scholarships since the program's inception.
Explore and acquire an understanding of the key elements of U.S. civil society, including concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that American citizens can and do act at the grassroots level to deal with societal problems, and an awareness of and respect for the Rule of Law; and
Another organization is currently responsible for supporting students with disabilities. This includes a pre-program orientation, a year-end reentry training, and support throughout the year in order to help them cope with challenges specific to their circumstances. Students with disabilities may need supplementary independence skills training early on in the program. Placement organizations will be in direct communication with both organizations.
1. Recruitment, screening, selection, and FLEX-specific orientation of local coordinators and host families;
2. Enrollment of participants in an accredited school;
3. Post-arrival orientation for participants;
4. Placement of a small number of students with disabilities;
5. Pre-program specialized English language programming for pre-selected students who require focused preparation for their academic year;
6. Preparation and dissemination of placement organization materials to the organization administering the “Organizational Components” by May 1, 2011 (these materials will be distributed to the students at the Pre-Departure Orientation);
8. Monitoring of students, host families and local coordinators;
9. Quarterly evaluation of the organization's success in achieving program goals;
10. Mid-year programs to assess progress; and
11. Re-entry training to prepare students for readjustment to their home environments.
Applicants must request a grant for placement and monitoring of at least 30 students; there is no maximum number of students that may be placed by one organization. Placements may be in any region of the United States. Strong preference will be given to organizations that choose to place participants in clusters of at least three students (these students should be from different countries) in a particular Local Coordinator's area of responsibility. Please refer to the POGI for details on essential program elements, permissible costs, and criteria used to select and Start Printed Page 70063place students. We anticipate grants beginning no later than April 2011, subject to the availability of funds.
Participants will begin to arrive in their host communities in late July 2011 and remain for 10 or 11 months until their departure mid-May to late June 2012. Students with disabilities and students requiring supplementary English language instruction may arrive earlier.
Type of Award: New Grant.
Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, April 2011.
III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with fewer than four years experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. Since an award to support program and administrative costs required to implement this exchange program for a minimum of 30 students will exceed $60,000, organizations with less than four years experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
IV.1 Contact Information to Request an Application Package: Please contact The Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, SA-5, Floor 3, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20037, telephone (202) 632-6416, and fax (202) 632-9355, e-mail Amrote Molla at MollaAB@state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04 located at the top of this announcement when making your request.
Please specify the Funding Opportunity Number (ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04) at the top of this announcement on all inquiries and correspondence.
IV.2. To Download a Solicitation Package via the Internet: The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's Web site at http://exchanges.state.gov/​grants/​open2.html or from the Grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov.
IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please note: Effective January 7, 2009, all applicants for ECA federal assistance awards must include in their application the names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers, Start Printed Page 70064trustees, and key employees, regardless of amount of compensation). In fulfilling this requirement, applicants must submit information in one of the following ways: Those who file Internal Revenue Service Form 990, “Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,” must include a copy of relevant portions of this form. Those who do not file IRS Form 990 must submit information above in the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting requirements, award recipients will be required to submit a one-page document, derived from their program reports, listing and describing their grant activities. For award recipients, the names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as the one-page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by the State Department to OMB, along with other information required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and will be made available to the public by the Office of Management and Budget on its USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting requirements.
IV.3d.1 Adherence To All Regulations Governing The J-Visa: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the official program sponsor of the exchange program covered by this RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau will be the “Responsible Officer” for the program under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, which covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J-visa program). Under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, organizations receiving awards (either a grant or cooperative agreement) under this RFGP will be third parties “cooperating with or assisting the sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor's program.” The actions of recipient organizations shall be “imputed to the sponsor in evaluating the sponsor's compliance with” 22 CFR part 62. Therefore, the Bureau expects that any organization receiving an award under this competition will render all assistance necessary to enable the Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR part 62 et seq.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs places critically important emphases on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J-visa) Programs and adherence by recipient organizations and program participants to all regulations governing the J-visa program status. Therefore, proposals should explicitly state in writing that the applicant is prepared to assist the Bureau in meeting all requirements governing the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs as set forth in 22 CFR part 62.
Please Note: The Department of State is revising existing Secondary School Student regulations regarding the screening, selection, school enrollment, orientation, and quality assurance monitoring of exchange students as well as the screening, selection, orientation, and quality assurance monitoring of host families and field staff. Regulation revisions will be effective as of November 26, 2010. For more details, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/​jexchanges. Any organization approved for funding will be responsible for complying with all regulations in effect during the time of the award.
If your organization has experience as a designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, you should discuss your record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq., including the oversight of Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers, screening and selection of program participants, provision of pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, monitoring of participants, proper maintenance and security of forms, record-keeping, reporting and other requirements. ECA will review the record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. of applicant organizations designated as Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors by ECA's Office of Private Sector Exchange as one factor in evaluating the record/ability of organizations to carry out successful exchange programs.
A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at http://exchanges.state.gov or from: Office of Designation, ECA/EC/D, SA-5, Floor C2, Department of State, Washington, DC 20037.
IV.3d.2 Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and cultural life. “Diversity” should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and disabilities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program administration and in program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the ``Support for Diversity'' section for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into your proposal. Public Law 104-319 provides that “in carrying out programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy,” the Bureau “shall take appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.” Public Law 106-113 requires that the governments of the countries described above do not have inappropriate influence in the selection process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and Evaluation: Program Monitoring includes Participant Monitoring, which focuses specifically on ensuring students' safety and well-being throughout the year; see Review Criterion #5 for details and instructions. This section focuses on other aspects of Program Monitoring.
Program Monitoring: Proposals must include a plan to monitor and report on the project's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program. The Bureau recommends that your proposal include a draft survey Start Printed Page 70065questionnaire or other technique, plus a description of a methodology that will be used to link outcomes to original project objectives. The Bureau expects that the grantee will track participants and be able to respond to key monitoring questions throughout the year, particularly concerning effects of the program on program participants, their host families and communities.
Evaluation: The Bureau's Office of Policy and Evaluation will conduct evaluations of the FLEX program through E-GOALS, its online system for surveying program participants and collecting data about program performance. These evaluations assist ECA and its program grantees in meeting the requirements of the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. This Act requires federal agencies to measure the results of their programs in meeting pre-determined performance goals and objectives. Please see specific responsibilities in the accompanying POGI document.
IV.3e. Please consider the following information when preparing your budget: Applicants must submit SF-424A—“Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs” along with a comprehensive budget for the entire program. The budget must reflect costs for a minimum of 30 participants. Please indicate clearly the number of students funded. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification.
Application Deadline Date: January 5, 2011.
Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04.
When preparing your submission please make sure to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it in an envelope addressed to “ECA/EX/PM.” The original and eight (8) copies of the application should be sent to: Program Management Division (ECA-IIP/EX/PM), Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04, SA-5, Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037.
IV.3f.2 Submitting Electronic Applications: Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation packages are available at Grants.gov in the “Find” portion of the system.
Due to Recovery Act related opportunities, there has been a higher than usual volume of grant proposals submitted through Grants.gov. Potential applicants are advised that the increased volume may affect the grants.gov proposal submission process. As stated in this RFGP, ECA bears no responsibility for applicant timeliness of submission or data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes for proposals submitted via Grants.gov. Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started' portion of the site http://www.grants.gov/​GetStarted.
Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could take several weeks. Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate staff within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP to confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov. Once registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. In addition, validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes extensive information on all phases/aspects of the Grants.gov process, including an extensive section on frequently asked questions, located under the “For Applicants” section of the Web site. ECA strongly recommends that all potential applicants review thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, well in advance of submitting a proposal through the Grants.gov system. ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Direct all questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission to: Grants.gov Customer Support; Contact Center Phone: 800-518-4726; Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.- 9 p.m. Eastern Time; E-mail: support@grants.gov
Applicants have until midnight (12 a.m.), Washington, DC time of the closing date to ensure that their entire application has been uploaded to the Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions to the above deadline. Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of the application deadline date will be automatically rejected by the grants.gov system, and will be technically ineligible. Please refer to the Grants.gov website, for definitions of various “application statuses” and the difference Start Printed Page 70066between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Again, validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to begin the submission process through Grants.gov. ECA will not notify you upon receipt of electronic applications. It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via the Grants.gov web portal to ensure that proposals have been received by Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
V.1. Review Process: The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package. In addition, ECA will review the record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. of applicant organizations designated as Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors by ECA's Office of Private Sector Exchange. If it is determined that an applicant organization submitting a proposal has a record of not being in compliance, their proposal will be deemed technically ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process. If in compliance, the applicant organization's record of compliance will be used as one factor in evaluating the record/ability of organizations to carry out successful exchange programs.
1. Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: Your proposal narrative should exhibit originality, substance, and relevance to the Bureau's mission. Reviewers will assess the degree to which proposals engage participants in community activities that involve skills development and leadership training. A detailed agenda and work plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described in the solicitation package. Reviewers also will assess the degree to which the proposed outcomes of the project are realistic and measurable. Strategies should creatively utilize resources at the local level to ensure an efficient use of program funds.
2. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant features should be cited in both program administration (selection of participants, host families, schools, program venue and program evaluation) and program content (orientations, program meetings, resource materials and follow-up activities).
3. Organization's Record/Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goals. Reviewers will assess the applicant and its partners to determine if they offer adequate resources, expertise, and experience to fulfill program objectives. Partner activities should be clearly defined. Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting and J-1 Visa requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by Bureau Grant Staff. In addition, organizations designated as Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors must include a discussion of their record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq., including the oversight of their Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers, screening and selection of program participants, provision of pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, monitoring of participants, proper maintenance and security of forms, record-keeping, reporting and other requirements. Proposals that fail to include the above information in their narrative will be deemed less or not competitive under this review criterion. ECA will review the record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq. of organizations designated as Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors as one factor in evaluating the record/ability of organizations to carry out successful exchange programs.
5. Participant Monitoring: Proposals must include a detailed monitoring plan that addresses Student, Local Coordinator (LC) and Host Family (HF) monitoring. Given the importance the Department places on this criterion, you should dedicate a significant percentage of the narrative to explaining how you will achieve the Department's goals in regard to monitoring. You may use the appendices to house additional details and supporting documentation. Please see the Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) for additional details regarding this review criterion.
6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to monitor and evaluate the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program. Reviewers will assess your plans to monitor student progress and program activities, particularly in regard to intended outcomes indicated in your proposal. Grantees will be expected to submit quarterly reports, which should be included as an inherent component of the work plan. Your primary method of evaluation is E-GOALS; other organization-specific instruments are encouraged.
Proposals should also specify ways in which students will be encouraged to complete the mandatory end-of-the-year surveys administered through the E-GOALS system.
7. Cost-effectiveness/Cost Sharing: Reviewers will analyze the budget for clarity and cost-effectiveness. They also will assess the rationale of the proposed budget and whether the allocation of funds is appropriate to complete tasks outlined in the project narrative. 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. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding contributions. Preference will be given Start Printed Page 70067to organizations whose proposals demonstrate a quality, cost-effective program.
OMB Circular No. A-102, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants-in-Aid to State and Local Governments. OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Government, and Non-profit Organizations.
A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after the expiration of the award.
A concise, one-page final program report summarizing program outcomes no more than 90 days after the expiration of the award. This one-page report will be transmitted to OMB, and be made available to the public via OMB's USAspending.gov website—as part of ECA's Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting requirements.
An SF-PPR, “Performance Progress Report” Cover Sheet with all program reports, including the SF-PPR-E and SF-PPR-F. Quarterly program and financial reports which should include both quantitative and qualitative data you have available.
For questions about this announcement, contact: Callie Ward (wardca@state.gov; 202-632-6431), Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C/PY, SA-5, Floor 3, Department of State, Washington, DC 20037. All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should reference the above contact and ECA/PE/C/PY-11-04.
[FR Doc. 2010-28832 Filed 11-15-10; 8:45 am]