[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30246]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 9, 1994]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

 

International Creative Arts Exchanges for Public and Private Non-
Profit Organizations

AGENCY: United States Information Agency.

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Arts America Creative Arts Exchanges Division 
(E/DE) of the U.S. Information Agency's (USIA) Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an assistance 
award. Public and non-profit organizations meeting the provisions 
described in IRS regulation 501 (c) (3) may apply to develop projects 
for artists and arts administrators. These will consist of residencies 
and/or study tours in which artists from the United States and other 
countries work and learn together. Interested applicants are invited to 
request and read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
submitting their proposals.
    Overall grant making and funding authority for this program is 
contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, 
Pub. L. 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.''
    Programs and projects must conform with requirements and guidelines 
outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and programs are 
subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME & NUMBER: All communications concerning this 
announcement should refer to the title and reference number--E/DE-95-
04.

DATES: All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 
p.m. Washington, DC time on Tuesday, February 28, 1995. Faxed documents 
will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on February 28, 
1995, but received at a later date. It is the responsibility of each 
applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. 
Projects should begin between August 1, 1995 and December 31, 1995. For 
projects that begin after December 31, 1995, proposals should be 
submitted under the next award competition. The next competition will 
be announced in the Federal Register on or about June 15, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Please contact the Office of Arts America, Creative Arts Exchanges 
Division, Room 320, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, Phone: 202-619-5338, Fax: 202-619-5311, Internet: 
[email protected]. to request a Solicitation Package, which includes 
more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for 
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the 
proposal budget. Please specify Christopher Paddack on all inquiries 
and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete 
Federal Register announcement before submitting their proposals. 
Inquiries concerning technical requirements are welcome prior to 
submission of applications. Once the RFP deadline has passed, we may 
not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until after the 
proposal review process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package and send only complete applications to: U.S. 
Information Agency, REF: E/DE-95-04, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, 
room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547. Awards are 
contingent upon the availability of funds.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The Creative Arts Exchanges Division works with U.S. non-profit 
organizations on cooperative international group projects that 
introduce American and foreign participants to each other's cultural 
and artistic life and traditions. It also supports international 
projects in the United States or overseas involving composers, 
choreographers, filmmakers (see guidance below), playwrights, theater 
designers, writers and poets, visual artists, museum professionals (see 
guidance below), managers and administrators of arts institutions and 
organizations (see guidance below).
    E/DE particularly seeks projects with organizations with expertise 
in the arts as well as broad outreach and networking capabilities into 
American arts activities nationwide. These projects should involve U.S. 
Information Service (USIS) posts worldwide to carry out activities 
supportive of the USIA mission to increase mutual understanding between 
the United States and other countries and to promote international 
cooperation in educational and cultural fields. USIS' role in such 
projects should be substantive and integral and not purely 
facilitative.

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 race, 
gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and 
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to 
the advancement of this principle.
    Drafts of all printed materials developed for this program using 
USIA funds should be submitted to the Agency for review and approval. 
USIA requests that we (the Agency) receive the copyright use and be 
allowed to distribute the material as it sees fit. All official 
documents should highlight the U.S. government's role as program 
sponsor and funding source.
    Projects supported by these awards share some or all of the 
following features:
    1. An international exchange of professionals in the fields listed 
above.
    2. The development of institutional linkages between American 
organizations and their counterparts in other countries.
    3. Travel to or from the United States, preferably in both 
directions.
    4. Competition in which USIS posts nominate foreign candidates for 
awards, while the American arts organizations select the award winners.
    5. Assurances of quality, fairness, balance and openness in the 
selection of American project participants.

Special Conditions

    1. Proposals should involve more than one country. However, single-
country projects that have strong USIS-post support and clearly 
demonstrate the potential for creating and strengthening linkages 
between foreign and U.S. institutions are also welcome.
    2. Proposals are subject to review and comment by the USIS posts in 
the relevant countries.
    3. Proposals involving foreign organizations should identify them 
and clearly define their role in the project. Prospective applicants 
should consult with USIS posts regarding such organizations prior to 
submitting their proposals.
    4. Proposals centering on films or videos must deal with the 
creative aspects of film or video making. Projects should be written 
for professional partners, not for amateur or student groups. Projects 
may include story development, other aspects of the creative processes, 
or management issues like funding and distribution. They should not 
include film or video festivals, installations, seminars, competitions, 
full scale film production or distribution, or any other type of 
project prohibited in this announcement.
    5. Proposals centering on arts presenters, administrators, and 
managers should feature exchanges involving these professionals 
exclusively.
    6. Arts America is the major supporter of the American Association 
of Museums [AAM] International Partnerships Among Museums [IPAM] 
program. Museums interested in international projects should address 
queries to the Office of International Programs, American Association 
of Museums, 1225 Eye Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005; telephone: 
(202) 289-1818; FAX: (202) 289-6578. We will not accept direct 
applications from museums for international projects (see Program 
Exclusions, below).

Geographical Guidelines

    1. The Office of Arts America, Creative Arts Exchanges Division 
encourages proposals which address themselves to various geographic 
regions of the world, and allow across-the-board participation from all 
areas. In addition, preferences for specific geographic areas are:
    2. Africa, the Near/Middle East, and South Asia: Proposals are 
especially encouraged for projects in these regions. There are no 
specific preferences in terms of thematic fields.
    3. East Asia and the Pacific: Preference will be given to proposals 
that focus on the exchange of arts managers and administrators, with 
emphasis on the visual arts, and focus on two-way exchanges between the 
United States and Southeast Asia, especially Burma, Indonesia, the 
Philippines and Thailand.
    4. American Republics (South America, Central America and the 
Caribbean): Preference will be given to proposals that focus on ethnic 
and indigenous arts.
    5. Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States of the former 
Soviet Union: Proposals for projects must focus on the exchange of arts 
administrators or professionals dealing in the theatrical arts. 
Proposals should clearly demonstrate knowledge of the host country 
environment and the institutional partner in that country and provide 
evidence of long-term commitment to project goals.

Program Exclusions

    1. Projects should be artistic, intellectual, and cultural, not 
technical. Vocational and technical training projects are ineligible 
for support.
    2. Scholarship programs or proposals for long-term academic study 
or training are ineligible for support.
    3. Speaking tours, conferences or seminars, research projects, 
research for project development purposes, youth or youth-related 
activities (participants' age under 25), publications, student and/or 
faculty exchanges, or projects for the exchange of amateurs or semi-
professionals are all ineligible.
    4. The Office of Arts America does not accept proposals to support 
performing arts productions or tours, film or video festivals, film/
video installations, full-scale film production or distribution, 
international arts competitions, community-level arts presentations or 
festivals for general audiences, visual arts exhibits, museum projects 
except for those under the AAM/IPAM program (see above), or projects in 
the fields of historical and cultural conservation and preservation.
    5. USIA is a major supporter of Sister Cities International and 
Partners of the Americas. It has agreed to fund administrative expenses 
of these organizations' national offices, but will not fund projects 
arising from sister city and partner state relationships once they are 
established.

Visa Insurance/Tax Requirements

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines in Solicitation Package for further 
details. Administration of the program must be in compliance with 
reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state, and local 
taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax 
regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

Budgetary Requirements

    1. These awards are limited to $200,000. We will consider requests 
for $100,000 or more only for projects that are internationally 
regional, multi-regional or worldwide in scope. Grants awarded to 
eligible organizations with less than four years of experience in 
conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
    2. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down 
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. 
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete formatting 
instructions. For better understanding or further clarification, 
applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, 
phase, location, or activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on 
funding.
    3. There must be minimum of 33% cost sharing of the project cost. 
Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. 
The recipient must maintain written records to support all allowable 
costs which are claimed to be its contribution to cost participation, 
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, 
Attachment E--Cost Sharing and Matching--and should be described in the 
proposal. In the event the recipient does not provide a minimum of 33% 
cost sharing following the award, the Agency's contribution will be 
reduced in proportion to the recipient's contribution.
    4. Administrative costs must be no more than 20% of the total 
amount requested from USIA. Administrative costs are defined as 
salaries, benefits and other direct and indirect costs incurred. 
Important note for universities: The U.S. Information Agency defines 
American faculty salaries as an administrative expense, regardless of 
how the faculty time is to be used.
    5. Allowable costs are those defined in the application packet, 
which is available upon request.
    6. The recipient's proposal shall include the cost of an audit 
that:

--Complies with the requirements of OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of 
Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit Institutions;
--Complies with the requirements of American Institutes of Certified 
Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) No. 92-9; and
--Includes review by the recipient's independent auditor of a 
recipient-prepared supplemental schedule of indirect cost rate 
computation, if such a rate is being proposed.

    The audit costs shall be identified separately for:

--Preparation of basic financial statements and other accounting 
services;
--Preparation of the supplemental reports and schedules required by OMB 
Circular No. A-133, AICPA SOP 92-9, and the review of the supplemental 
schedule of indirect cost rate computation.

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 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 geographic area policy offices 
and the USIA post overseas, where appropriate. Proposals may also be 
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency 
elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA Associate 
Director for Education and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority 
for assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with 
the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Agency's 
mission and the goals of the Creative Arts Exchanges Program.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive artistic/organizational undertakings and 
logistical capacity. Agenda and plan should adhere to the program 
overview and guidelines described above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    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 the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity.
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution'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. USIA 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 insures that 
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to 
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Award-receiving 
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit intermediate 
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly, 
whichever is less frequent.
    10. 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.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed programs 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and 
overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and significance 
in the partner country(ies).

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by USIA 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 needs of the program may require the 
award to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made 
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed 
through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about June 15, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: December 2, 1994.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-30246 Filed 12-8-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M