[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3925-3929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1177]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Sustainable Growth
ACTION: Notice--Request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/P) announces a competitive
grants program for nonprofit organizations in support of projects on
the theme of Sustainable Growth for audiences in the following
geographical areas: Sub-saharan Africa; American Republics; East Asia;
Eastern Europe and the NIS; Middle East; and Western Europe. USIA
particularly is seeking projects which link American institutions and
specialists with partners overseas. New and creative approaches to the
issue of sustainable growth will be especially welcome. Proposals which
request USIA funding of less than $135,000 and which include
significant cost sharing will be deemed more competitive.
Interested applicants are urged to read the complete Federal
Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office or
submitting their proposals.
After the deadline for submitting proposals, USIA officers may not
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until final
decisions are made.
Announcement name and number: All communications concerning this
announcement should refer to the Sustainable Growth Grant Program,
announcement number E/P-95-43. Please refer to title and number in all
correspondence or telephone calls to USIA.
DATES: Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on March 3, 1995.
Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on
March 3, 1995, but received at a later date. It is the responsibility
of each grant applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the
above deadline .
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Interested organizations/institutions must contact the Office of
Citizen Exchanges, E/P, Room 216, United States Information Agency, 301
Fourth Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone (202) 619-5326, fax
(202) 260-0437, to request detailed application packets, which include
award criteria, all application forms, and guidelines for preparing
proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal
budget. Please direct inquiries on programmatic matters to the USIA
Officer identified under each geographic heading.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Proposal Submission Instructions and send only complete applications
to: U.S. Information Agency, REF: E/P-95-43 Sustainable Growth Grant
Competition, Grants Management Division (E/XE), 301 Fourth Street, SW.,
Room 336, Washington, DC 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the legislation authorizing the
Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, 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.
Overview
The Office of Citizen Exchanges works with U.S. private sector non-
profit organizations on cooperative international group projects that
introduce American and foreign participants to each others' social,
economic, and political structures; and their international interests.
Guidelines
Applicants should carefully note the following restrictions and
recommendations for proposals in specific geographical areas:
Africa, Sub-Saharan
Economics and the Environment in Africa
Proposals are invited to conduct a person for 3-4 countries in one
subregion of Africa (Southern or Eastern or Western Africa) to address
environmental issues and their relationship to economic planning. The
program should encourage coordination of efforts among the African
countries, and it should include at least two phases, one of which
would bring African specialists to the U.S., and the other would send
U.S. specialists to the selected African subregion. Issues which might
be addressed (not necessarily all) include wildlife protection,
national parks, environmental law, population dynamics, ecosystem
protection, and relationship of such issues to national development
planning. Inquiries should be directed to Program Specialist Stephen
Taylor, (202) 619-5319, Internet [email protected]
Cultural Property, Tourism, and Economic Development
Proposals are invited to conduct a program for African specialists
which would contribute to preservation of
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cultural property and national heritage, help publicize cultural
attractions and encourage tourism, and address the relationships of
these goals to economic planning. The program should address the roles
of citizen and government action and encourage cooperation among
African countries and the U.S. on these goals. It should also analyze
relevant legislation, such as the 1970 UNESCO Convention on Cultural
Property and the U.S. Cultural Property Act of 1983. The program should
include at least two phases, one of which would bring African
specialists to the U.S., and the other would send U.S. specialists to
the selected African countries. Inquiries should be directed to Program
Specialist Charlotte Peterson, (202) 619-5319, Internet
[email protected]
Trade and Sustainable Growth
Proposals are invited to conduct a program for participants from 4-
5 African countries which would address issues of trade and investment
policies and their relation to national development planning. Issues to
be addressed might include incentives for foreign investment, local
benefits and problems from foreign investment, impact of tariffs,
currency devaluation, development of new exports, and international
marketing. Participants in the program might include entrepreneurs,
representatives of business associations, government representatives
(executive and legislative) or others with influence on these issues.
The program should be comprised of at least two phases, one of which
would bring African specialists to the U.S. and the other would send
U.S. counterparts to participating African countries. Inquiries should
be directed to Program Specialist Stephen Taylor, (202) 619-5319,
Internet [email protected]
American Republics
In most of this hemisphere, governments, economists, and various
``technocratic'' experts have come to believe that open markets and
minimal government restraint on commercial practices lead to higher
macro-economic growth rates. But others fear this approach leaves many
businesses and their employees behind, ill-equipped to respond to the
rough-and-tumble realities of domestic and international competition.
USIA seeks proposals that will utilize exchanges to demonstrate that,
while innovation and competition inevitably displace some individuals,
the increased competition usually leads to greater prosperity not just
for entrepreneurs, but for most citizens. Programs which illustrate
this through visits to and by the citizens of areas affected by
business, plant and base closings, the depletion of mineral deposits,
the imposition of new environmental standards, etc., are more likely to
have an impact than programs relying solely on extended round-table
discussions of macro-economic theory and exposure to national economic
policy. Priority will be given to projects dealing with logical sub-
regional groupings of no more than four countries (e.g., Central
America, the Caribbean, Andean nations, etc.), or to single-country
projects in large nations with enormous disparities between rich and
poor (e.g., Brazil and Mexico). Inquiries should be directed to Program
Specialist Laverne Johnson, (202) 619-5326, Internet [email protected]
East Asia
Burmese Environmental Project
Proposals are invited to conduct a project that provides an
exchange between Burmese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and U.S.
NGOs to examine, through workshops and professional consultation, the
role of NGOs in grassroots environmental education and awareness, and
the use and promotion of environmentally-appropriate technologies in
developing countries.
Burmese Cultural Heritage
Proposals are invited to conduct a project for Burmese NGO
representatives, academics, and selected government officials to
examine problems of cultural and natural heritage preservation in the
face of economic development, and the role of citizen and government
action. Projects would examine U.S. approaches to historic preservation
and rational economic development.
Thai Cultural Heritage
Project for Thai NGO activists, journalists and selected government
officials to examine problems of cultural and natural heritage
preservation in the face of economic development, and the role of
citizen and government action. Projects would examine U.S. approaches
to historic preservation and rational economic development. Inquiries
should be directed to Program Specialist Elroy Carlson, (202) 619-5326,
Internet [email protected]
Middle East
Environmental Education in the Eastern Mediterranean
Proposals are invited for a program to assist scientists and
educators in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean (Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority) in developing
national and regional approaches to incorporating environmental
research into university and secondary educational curricula,
developing formal environmental education, and promoting general public
environmental awareness. The program should include at least two
phases, one of which would bring Middle Eastern specialists to the U.S.
for approximately one month to consult and work with American
specialists on developing curricula, texts, strategies for outreach,
and the like. The other phase would send U.S. specialists who had
participated in phase one to the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct, in
collaboration with their Middle Eastern counterparts, activities such
as teacher-training workshops, network building across participant
countries, setting plans for cross-country collaboration of educators
and their outreach to communities and governments. Inquiries should be
directed to Program Specialist Thomas Johnston, (202) 619-5319,
Internet [email protected]
Water Resources Management in the Gulf States
Proposals are invited for a multi-phased program to address the
interrelated issues of water resources management, environmental
protection, and sustainable economic development in Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Emphasis should
be given to facilitating interaction among specialists in these
countries and U.S. counterparts for the sharing of ideas and to develop
a feasible plan for governmental and NGO action in addressing these
topics. The program design should include activities in both the United
States and the Gulf which would cover an assessment of needs,
development of collaborative networks and action agendas, as well as
outreach to wider audiences. At least one phase would bring specialists
from the Gulf to the U.S. and one phase would send U.S. specialists to
the Gulf. Inquiries should be directed to Program Specialist Thomas
Johnston, (202) 619-5319, Internet [email protected]
Western Europe
Pacific Northwest Environment Cooperation
USIA seeks a proposal designed to exchange environmental experts
between the states of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The
exchange would involve environmental
[[Page 3927]]
leaders, specialists in environmental law, and representatives of the
governments of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, who would
arrange for reciprocal visits to research comparative environmental law
in their jurisdictions, culminating in their drafting recommendations
to their respective governments. Inquiries should be directed to
Program Specialist Christina Miner, (202) 619-5319, Internet
[email protected]
Program Parameters
The Office of Citizen Exchanges strongly encourages the
coordination of activities with respected universities, professional
associations, and major cultural institutions in the U.S. and abroad,
but particularly in the U.S. Projects should be intellectual and
cultural, not technical. Vocational training (an occupation other than
one requiring a baccalaureate or higher academic degree; e.g., clerical
work, auto maintenance, etc. and other occupations requiring less than
two years of higher education) and technical training (special and
practical knowledge of a mechanical or a scientific subject which
enhances mechanical, narrowly scientific, or semi-skilled capabilities)
are ineligible for support. In addition, scholarship programs are
ineligible for support.
The Office does not support proposals limited to conferences or
seminars (i.e., one to fourteen-day programs with plenary sessions,
main speakers, panels, and a passive audience). It will support
conferences only insofar as they are part of a larger project in
duration and scope which is receiving USIA funding from this
competition. USIA-supported projects may include internships; study
tours; short-term, non-technical training; and extended, intensive
workshops taking place in the United States or overseas. The themes
addressed in exchange programs must be of long-term importance rather
than focused exclusively on current events or short-term issues. In
every case, a substantial rationale must be presented as part of the
proposal, one that clearly indicates the distinctive and important
contribution of the overall project, including where applicable the
expected yield of any associated conference. No funding is available
exclusively to send U.S. citizens to conferences or conference-type
seminars overseas; neither is funding available for bringing foreign
nationals to conferences or to routine professional association
meetings in the United States. Projects that duplicate what is
routinely carried out by private sector and/or public sector operations
will not be considered. The Office of Citizen Exchanges strongly
recommends that applicants consult with host country USIS posts, prior
to submitting proposals.
Selection of Participants
All grant proposals should clearly describe the types of persons
who will participate in the program as well as the process by which
participants will be selected. It is recommended that programs in
support U.S. internships include letters tentatively committing host
institutions to support the internships. In the selection of foreign
participants, USIA and USIS posts retain the right to nominate all
participants and to accept or deny participants recommended by grantee
institutions. However, grantee institutions are often asked by USIA to
suggest names of potential participants. The grantee institution will
also provide the names of American participants and brief (two pages)
biographical data on each American participant to the Office of Citizen
Exchanges for information purposes. Priority will be given to foreign
participants who have not previously traveled to the United States.
Additional Guidance
The Office of Citizen Exchanges offers the following additional
guidance to prospective applicants:
1. Except where noted in the text, the Office of Citizen Exchanges
encourages project proposals involving more than one country. Pertinent
rationale which links countries in multi-country projects should be
included in the submission. Single-country projects that are clearly
defined and possess the potential for creating and strengthening
continuing linkages between foreign and U.S. institutions are also
welcome.
2. Proposals for bilateral programs are subject to review and
comment by the USIS post in the relevant country, and pre-selected
participants will also be subject to USIS post review.
3. Bilateral programs should clearly identify the counterpart
organization and provide evidence of the organization's participation.
4. The Office of Citizen Exchanges will consider proposals for
activities which take place exclusively in other countries when USIS
posts are consulted in the design of the proposed program and in the
choice of the most suitable venues for such programs.
5. Office of Citizen Exchanges grants are not given to support
projects whose focus is limited to technical or vocational subjects, or
for research projects, for publications funding, for student and/or
teacher/faculty exchanges, for sports and/or sports related programs.
Nor does this Office provide scholarships or support for long-term (a
semester or more) academic studies.
Funding
Proposals which request USIA funding of less than $135,000 and
which include significant cost sharing will be deemed more competitive.
Organizations with less than four years of successful experience in
managing international exchange programs are limited to $60,000.
Applicants are invited to provide both an all-inclusive budget as well
as separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, location, or
activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding. While an
all-inclusive budget must be provided with each proposal, separate
component budgets are optional. Since USIA grant assistance constitutes
only a portion of total project funding, proposals should list and
provide evidence of other anticipated sources of financial and in-kind
support. 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 as being 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.
Eligible Costs
The following project costs are eligible for consideration for
funding:
1. International and domestic air fares; visas; transit costs;
ground transportation costs.
2. Per Diem. For the U.S. program, organizations have the option of
using a flat $140/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.
3. Interpreters. If needed, interpreters for the U.S. program are
provided by the U.S. State Department Language Services Division.
Typically, a pair of simultaneous interpreters is provided for every
four visitors who need interpretation. USIA grants do not pay for
foreign interpreters to accompany delegations from their home country.
[[Page 3928]]
Grant proposal budgets should contain a flat $140/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.
4. Book and cultural allowance. Participants are entitled to and
escorts are reimbursed a one-time cultural allowance of $150 per
person, plus a participant book allowance of $50. U.S. staff do not get
these benefits.
5. Consultants. May be used to provide specialized expertise or to
make presentations. Daily 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.
6. Room rental, which generally should not exceed $250 per day.
7. Materials development. Proposals may contain costs to purchase,
develop, and translate materials for participants.
8. One working meal per project. 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.
9. A return travel allowance of $70 for each participant which is
to be used for incidental expenditures incurred during international
travel.
10. In most cases, USIA-funded delegates will be covered under the
terms of a USIA-sponsored health insurance policy with the premium is
paid by USIA directly to the insurance company. For additional
information on insurance coverage, contact the E/P program officer.
11. Other costs necessary for the effective administration of the
program, including salaries for grant organization employees, benefits,
and other direct and indirect costs per detailed instructions in the
application package. Please refer to the Application Package for
complete budget guidelines.
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 established herein and in the
Application Packet. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the budget and contract offices, as well the USIA
geographic regional office and the USIS post overseas, where
appropriate. Proposals may also be reviewed by the USIA's Office of
General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Funding decisions are at
the discretion of the USIA Associate Director for Educational and
Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for grant awards resides
with USIA's contracting officer.
Review Criteria
USIA will consider proposals based on their conformance with the
objectives and considerations already stated in this RFP, as well as
the following criteria:
1. Quality of Program Idea
Proposals should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and
relevance to the Agency mission.
2. Program Planning
Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should demonstrate substance
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. Proposal
should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet the program
objectives and plan.
4. Multiplier Effect
Proposed programs should strengthen long-term mutual understanding,
including maximum sharing of information and establishment of long-term
institutional and individual linkages.
5. Value to U.S.--Partner Country Relations
Proposed projects should receive positive assessments by USIA's
geographic area desk and overseas officers of program need, potential
impact, and significance in the partner.
6. Institutional Capacity
Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate
and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goal.
7. Institution Reputation/Ability
Proposal should demonstrate an institutional record of successful
exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management and full
compliance with all reporting requirements for past Agency grants as
determined by USIA's Office of Contracts. The Agency will consider the
past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of
new applicants.
8. Follow-On Activities
Proposals should provide a plan for continued follow-on activity
(without USIA support) which ensures that USIA supported programs are
not isolated events.
9. Evaluation Plan
Proposals should provide a plan for a thorough and objective
evaluation of the program/project by the grantee institution.
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. Support of Diversity
Proposal should demonstrate the recipients' commitment to promoting
the awareness and understanding of diversity throughout the program.
This can be accomplished through documentation (such as a written
statement or account) summarizing past and/or on-going activities and
efforts that further the principle of diversity within both their
organization and their activities.
Notice
The Office of Citizen Exchanges reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase the grant award. The terms and conditions published
in the Request for Proposal (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. Final awards cannot be made until funds have been fully
appropriated by the Congress, allocated and committed through internal
USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about April 28, 1995. Awarded grants will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
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Dated: January 11, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-1177 Filed 1-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M