[Federal Register: March 31, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 61)]
[Notices]
[Page 16541-16547]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31mr05-97]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 5037]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals: Tibet Professional, Educational and Cultural Exchange
Program
Announcement Type: New Grant.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-05-58.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: May 9, 2005.
Executive Summary
The Office of Citizen Exchanges welcomes proposals in an open
competition for Tibet Professional, Educational and Cultural Exchange
Projects that focus on the themes of Cultural Preservation and Economic
Self-sufficiency. The Office seeks proposals that train and assist
Tibetans living in Tibetan communities in China by providing
professional experience and exposure to American life and
[[Page 16542]]
culture through internships, workshops and other learning and sharing
experiences hosted by local U.S. institutions. The experiences also
will provide Americans the opportunity to learn about Tibetan culture
and the social and economic challenges Tibetans face today. These two-
way exchanges should not be simply academic in nature but should
provide practical, hands-on experience in U.S. public or private sector
settings that may be adapted to an individual's institution upon return
home. Proposals may combine elements of professional enrichment, job
shadowing and internships appropriate to the language ability and
interests of the participants.
Applicants should ensure that their proposals comply with the Tibet
Policy Act of 2002, particularly that their projects promote in all
stages the active participation of Tibetans. Section 616 (d) of the
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, 2003 (Pub. L. 107-228) defines the
Tibet Project Principles.
(d) Tibet Project Principles--Projects in Tibet supported by
international financial institutions, other international
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the United States
entities referred to in subsection (c), should (1) Be implemented only
after conducting a thorough assessment of the needs of the Tibetan
people through field visits and interviews; (2) Be preceded by cultural
and environmental impact assessments; (3) Foster self-sufficiency and
self-reliance of Tibetans; (4) Promote accountability of the
development agencies to the Tibetan people and active participation of
Tibetans in all project stages; (5) Respect Tibetan culture,
traditions, and the Tibetan knowledge and wisdom about their landscape
and survival techniques; (6) Be subject to on-site monitoring by the
development agencies to ensure that the intended target group benefits;
(7) Be implemented by development agencies prepared to use Tibetan as
the working language of the projects; (8) neither provide incentive
for, nor facilitate the migration and settlement of, non-Tibetans into
Tibet; and (9) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate the
transfer of ownership of, Tibetan land or natural resources to non-
Tibetans.
1. 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.
Purpose
The Office of Citizen Exchanges welcomes proposals that focus on
the themes of Cultural Preservation and Economic Self-sufficiency under
this competition for FY-2005 Tibet Professional, Educational and
Cultural Exchange Projects.
Cultural Preservation
Projects under this theme should aim to assist Tibetans in
preserving their cultural heritage through activities designed to
reduce the pillage of irreplaceable cultural heritage and to create
opportunities to develop long-term strategies for preserving cultural
property through training and conservation, museum development, and
public education. Projects might include supporting the preservation of
cultural sites; objects in a site, museum or similar institution; or
forms of traditional cultural expression. The proposals may encompass
topics such as museum needs, historic buildings, collections,
archaeological sites, rare manuscripts, language, or traditional arts,
crafts, or music.
Economic Self-Sufficiency
Vocational Education
Proposals are sought which emphasize vocational training or
administration and development of vocational schools targeted towards
the practical needs of Tibetan communities. Discussion of how to
integrate education with economic planning, how to diversify revenue
sources, and how to recruit, train and retain strong faculty would all
contribute towards increased emphasis on vocational education and its
importance to both Americans and Tibetans in a modern and changing
economy. Vocational education may include practical training of
entrepreneurs, development of Tibetan-language educational materials
(such as Tibetan-English teaching guides or Tibetan-language public
health education materials), or development of distance-learning
technology solutions for remote rural schools. English-language
training projects that are held in China are preferred over ones that
would bring Tibetans to the U.S. for training.
Developing Entrepreneurship
Projects under this theme may focus on the skills Tibetans, many of
whom come from rural backgrounds with rudimentary economies, need to
function effectively in a modern economy (e.g. finance, accounting, and
language skills). Projects will be favored that explore ways in which
both the government and the private sector can help promote sustainable
entrepreneurship, including access to credit, ecologically conscious
tourism policies and investment, or English language training for trade
or tourism purposes. Programs that train budding entrepreneurs and
develop micro-finance programs for them are welcome.
Sustainable Growth and Eco-Tourism
Exchanges funded under this theme would help American and Tibetan
conservationists, tourism planners, and economic planners share their
experience in managing tourism resources and development projects,
particularly in ecologically fragile areas, and would contribute to
better understanding of conservation and concepts essential to
responsible economic growth. Local community projects are invited in
fields such as eco-tourism, renewable energy, or poverty alleviation
projects, including farm technology, animal husbandry, or agricultural
marketing.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
Fiscal Year Funds: Fiscal Year 2005.
Approximate Total Funding: $500,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: Four.
Approximate Average Award: $125,000.
Floor of Award Range: $60,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $135,000.
Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2005.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2007.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible applicants
Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code
section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
[[Page 16543]]
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds
There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this
competition. However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide
maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its
proposal and later included in an approved grant agreement. Cost
sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For
accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs
that are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by
the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. 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. In the event you do not provide the minimum
amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's
contribution will be reduced in like proportion.
III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000.
IV. Application and Submission Information
Note: Please read the complete Federal Register announcement
before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP
deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition
with applicants until the proposal review process has been
completed.
IV.1 Contact Information To Request an Application Package
Please contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, Room 224,
U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20547, telephone number 202-453-8154 and fax number 202-453-8168,
McnealDB@state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to
the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-050-58 located at the
top of this announcement when making your request.
The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission
Instruction (PSI) document that consists of required application forms,
and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.
Please specify Douglas McNeal and refer to the Funding Opportunity
Number ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-05-58 located at the top of this announcement
on all other inquiries and correspondence.
IV.2. To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's
Web site at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/menu.htm. Please
read all information before downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of Submission
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and ten copies of the application should be sent
per the instructions under IV.3e. ``Submission Dates and Times
section'' below.
IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government. This number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a
DUNS number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711. Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the
appropriate box of the SF-424 which is part of the formal application
package.
IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal
narrative and budget.
Please Refer to the Solicitation Package. It contains the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document for additional
formatting and technical requirements.
IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of
application. If your organization is a private nonprofit which has not
received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three
years, or if your organization received nonprofit status from the IRS
within the past four years, you must submit the necessary documentation
to verify nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document. Failure to
do so will cause your proposal to be declared technically ineligible.
IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information
when preparing your proposal narrative:
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
grants under this RFGP will be third parties ``cooperating with or
assisting the sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor's program.'' The
actions of grantee program 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 a grant
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 great
emphasis on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J
visa) Programs and adherence by grantee program 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. If your organization has experience as
a designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should
discuss 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.
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for
issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at http://exchanges.state.gov
or from: United States Department of State, Office
of Exchange Coordination and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD--SA-44, Room 734,
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: (202) 401-9810,
FAX: (202) 401-9809.
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,
[[Page 16544]]
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. Proposals must include
a plan to monitor and evaluate 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 questionnaire or other
technique plus a description of a methodology to use to link outcomes
to original project objectives. The Bureau expects that the grantee
will track participants or partners and be able to respond to key
evaluation questions, including satisfaction with the program, learning
as a result of the program, changes in behavior as a result of the
program, and effects of the program on institutions (institutions in
which participants work or partner institutions). The evaluation plan
should include indicators that measure gains in mutual understanding as
well as substantive knowledge.
Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting
clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation
plan should include a description of your project's objectives, your
anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure
these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are
``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and
placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct
the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link
to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast,
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and
outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.
We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes,
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in
increasing order of importance):
1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange
experience.
2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude,
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community
members, and others.
4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational
improvements.
Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate
timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example,
satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.
Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be
judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e.,
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction]
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports. All
data collected, including survey responses and contact information,
must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the
Bureau upon request.
IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration
when preparing your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the
entire program. Awards may not exceed $135,000. 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.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
Travel costs: International and domestic airfares; visas; transit
costs; ground transportation costs. Please note that all air travel
must be in compliance with the Fly America Act. There is no charge for
J-1 visas for participants in Bureau sponsored programs. Please note
that Tibetan participants may not travel to the U.S. primarily for
English language instruction.
Per Diem: For the U.S. program, organizations have the option of
using a flat $160/day for program participants or the published U.S.
Federal per diem rates for individual American cities. For activities
outside the U.S., the published Federal per diem rates must be used.
NOTE: U.S. escorting staff must use the published Federal per diem
rates, not the flat rate. Per diem rates may be accessed at http://www.
policyworks.gov/.
Interpreters: If needed, interpreters for the U.S. program are
available through the U.S. Department of State Language Services
Division. Typically, a pair of simultaneous interpreters is provided
for every four visitors who need interpretation. Bureau grants do not
pay for foreign interpreters to accompany delegations from their home
country. Grant proposal budgets should contain a flat $160/day per diem
for each Department of State interpreter, as well as home-program-home
air transportation of $400 per interpreter plus any U.S. travel
expenses during the program. Salary expenses are covered centrally and
should not be part of an applicant's proposed budget. Locally arranged
interpreters with adequate skills and experience may be used by the
grantee in lieu of State Department interpreters, with the same 1:4
interpreter to participant ratio. Costs associated with using their
services may not exceed rates for U.S. Department of State
interpreters.
Book and cultural allowance: Foreign participants are entitled to
and escorts are reimbursed a one-time cultural allowance of $150 per
person, plus a
[[Page 16545]]
participant book allowance of $50. U.S. program staff members are not
eligible to receive these benefits.
Consultants: Consultants may be used to provide specialized
expertise, design or manage development projects or to make
presentations. Honoraria generally do not exceed $250 per day.
Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in which case the
written agreement between the prospective grantee and subcontractor
should be included in the proposal. Subcontracts should be itemized in
the budget.
Room rental: Room rental may not exceed $250 per day. Materials
development: Proposals may contain costs to purchase, develop, and
translate materials for participants.
Equipment: Proposals may contain limited costs to purchase
equipment crucial to the success of the program, such as computers, fax
machines and copy machines. However, equipment costs must be kept to a
minimum, and costs for furniture are not allowed.
Working Meal: The grant budget may provide for only one working
meal during the program. Per capita costs may not exceed $5-8 for a
lunch and $14-20 for a dinner, excluding room rental. The number of
invited guests may not exceed participants by more than a factor of
two-to-one. Interpreters must be included as participants.
Return travel allowance: A return travel allowance of $70 for each
foreign participant may be included in the budget. This may be used for
incidental expenses incurred during international travel.
Health Insurance: Foreign participants will be covered under the
terms of a U.S. Department of State-sponsored health insurance policy.
The premium is paid by the U.S. Department of State directly to the
insurance company. Applicants are permitted to included costs for
travel insurance for U.S. participants in the budget.
Administrative Costs: Costs necessary for the effective
administration of the program may include salaries for grant
organization employees, benefits, and other direct or indirect costs
per detailed instructions in the proposal submission instructions.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times: Application Deadline Date:
Monday, May 9, 2005.
Explanation of Deadlines: Due to heightened security measures,
proposal submissions must be sent via a nationally recognized overnight
delivery service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or
U.S. Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.) and be shipped no
later than the above deadline. The delivery services used by applicants
must have in-place, centralized shipping identification and tracking
systems that may be accessed via the Internet and delivery people who
are identifiable by commonly recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles.
Proposals shipped on or before the above deadline but received at ECA
more than seven days after the deadline will be ineligible for further
consideration under this competition. Proposals shipped after the
established deadlines are ineligible for consideration under this
competition. It is each applicant's responsibility to ensure that each
package is marked with a legible tracking number and to monitor/confirm
delivery to ECA via the Internet. ECA will not notify you upon receipt
of application. Delivery of proposal packages may not be made via local
courier service or in person for this competition. Faxed documents will
not be accepted at any time. Only proposals submitted as stated above
will be considered. Applications may not be submitted electronically at
this time.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package.
Important note: 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 ten copies of the application should be sent to:
U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-05-58, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM,
Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.
IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order
12372 does not apply to this program.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal in text (.txt) format
on a PC-formatted disk. The Bureau will provide these files
electronically to the appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at the U.S.
embassy(ies) for its (their) review.
V. Application Review Information
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. All eligible
proposals will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public
Diplomacy section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will
be subject to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and
guidelines and forwarded to Bureau grant panels 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 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. Program Planning and Ability To Achieve Objectives: Program
objectives should be stated clearly and should reflect the applicant's
expertise in the subject area and region. Objectives should respond to
the priority topics in this announcement and should relate to the
current conditions in the target country/countries. A detailed agenda
and relevant work plan should explain how objectives will be achieved
and should include a timetable for completion of major tasks. The
substance of workshops, internships, seminars and/or consulting should
be described in detail. Sample training schedules should be outlined.
Responsibilities of proposed in-country partners should be clearly
described.
2. Institutional Capacity: Proposals should include (1) the
institution's mission and date of establishment; (2) detailed
information about proposed in-country partner(s) and the history of the
partnership; (3) an outline of prior awards--U.S. government and/or
private support received for the target theme/country/region; and (4)
descriptions of experienced staff members who will implement the
program. The proposal should reflect the institution's expertise in the
subject area and knowledge of the conditions in the target country/
countries. Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of
successful exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management
and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past Bureau
grants as determined by Bureau Grants Staff. The Bureau will consider
the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential
of new
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applicants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be
adequate and appropriate to achieve the program's goals. The Bureau
strongly encourages applicants to submit letters of support from
proposed in-country partners.
3. Cost Effectiveness and Cost Sharing: Overhead and administrative
costs in the proposal budget, including salaries, honoraria and
subcontracts for services, should be kept to a minimum. Priority will
be given to proposals whose administrative costs are less than thirty
(30) percent of the total funds requested from the Bureau. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to cost share a portion of overhead and
administrative expenses. Cost sharing, including contributions from the
applicant, proposed in-country partner(s), and other sources should be
included in the budget request. Proposal budgets that do not reflect
cost sharing will be deemed not competitive in this category.
4. 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, program venue and program evaluation) and program content
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials
and follow-up activities). Applicants should refer to the Bureau's
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines in the Proposal Submission
Instructions (PSI) and the Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
section above for additional guidance.
5. Post-Grant Activities: Applicants should provide a plan to
conduct activities after the Bureau-funded project has concluded in
order to ensure that Bureau-supported programs are not isolated events.
Funds for all post-grant activities must be in the form of
contributions from the applicant or sources outside of the Bureau.
Costs for these activities should not appear in the proposal budget,
but should be outlined in the narrative.
6. Evaluation: Proposals should include a detailed plan to evaluate
the program. Applicants must identify objectives that respond to our
goals listed in the RFGP. Objectives should state what the concrete
results of the program would be. Clearly stated objectives are needed
to enable an evaluation plan to determine whether the program has done
what it has set out to do. Applicant's staff must plan to evaluate the
project's success, after each program phase and at the completion of
the program activity. As part of the evaluation process, your
evaluation plan should clearly distinguish between program outputs and
outcomes. Outputs are the units of service (number of participants,
number of events conducted, number of documents translated or
distributed). Outcomes are the impacts on individual participants in
the exchanges, the larger beneficiary audience, and institutional
structures. Findings on outputs and outcomes should both be reported,
but the focus should be on outcomes. The more that outcomes are
``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and
placed in a reasonable time frame), the stronger will be the
evaluation. The Bureau also requires that grantee institutions submit a
final narrative and financial report.
VI. Award Administration Information
VI.1. Award Notices
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.
Successful applicants will receive an Assistance Award Document (AAD)
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The AAD and the original grant
proposal with subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the
only binding authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S.
Government. The AAD will be signed by an authorized Grants Officer, and
mailed to the recipient's responsible officer identified in the
application.
Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of
the application review from the ECA program office coordinating this
competition.
VI.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Terms and Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements
include the following:
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-122, ``Cost Principles
for Nonprofit Organizations.''
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21, ``Cost Principles
for Educational Institutions.''
OMB Circular A-87, ``Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian
Governments''.
OMB Circular No. A-110 (Revised), Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, Hospitals, and other Nonprofit Organizations.
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.
Please reference the following websites for additional information:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus two copies of
the following reports:
1. A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after
the expiration of the award;
2. A program report should be submitted after each program phase.
3. A financial report will be submitted quarterly.
Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports.
(Please refer to IV. Application and Submission Instructions (IV.3.d.3)
above for Program Monitoring and Evaluation information.
All data collected, including survey responses and contact
information, must be maintained for a minimum of three years and
provided to the Bureau upon request.
All reports must be sent to the ECA Grants Officer and ECA Program
Officer listed in the final assistance award document.
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this announcement, contact: Douglas McNeal,
Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C Room 216, ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-05-58,
U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20547, telephone number 202-453-8154 and fax number 202-453-8168, e-
mail address mcnealDB@state.gov.
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C/WHA/EAP-05-58.
Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
VIII. Other Information
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.
[[Page 16547]]
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 per section VI.3
above.
Dated: March 25, 2005.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 05-6384 Filed 3-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P