[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3932-3935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1180]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Local Government

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 LOCAL GOVERNMENT for audiences in the following 
geographical areas: Sub-saharan Africa; American Republics; East Asia 
(Peoples Republic of China); and Western Europe (Italy). USIA 
particularly is seeking projects which link American institutions and 
specialists with partners overseas. New and creative approaches to the 
issue of local government 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 inquiring 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 Local Government Grant Program, 
announcement number E/P-95-41. 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 
(2020 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-95-41 Local Government 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 international interests.

Guidelines

    Applicants should carefully note the following restrictions and 
recommendations for proposals in specific geographical areas:

Africa

The Role of Local Government in a Democracy
    Proposals are initiated to conduct a program for 3-4 countries in 
one subregion of Africa (southern, eastern, central, or western) which 
would promote effective governmental administration and planning at the 
grassroots level. Issues to be addressed might include local-national 
government relations, fundraising and budgeting at the local level, 
methods for assessing local needs and resources, public-private 
partnerships for local planning and development, services at local 
level (e.g., water, health, refuse disposal, zoning, community 
planning, etc) and administrative skills. Participants would include 
local government administrators and policy makers (e.g., managers, 
mayors, local council representatives) and persons who liaise between 
localities and national governments. The program should include at 
least two phases, one of which would bring Africans to the U.S. and the 
other of which would send U.S. counterparts to participating 

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African countries. Inquiries should be directed to Program Specialist 
Stephen Taylor, (202) 619-5319, Internet [email protected]

American Republics

Good Governance in the Americas
    USIA is interested in proposals for programs which will foster 
effective administration in local and regional municipal governments. 
Programs might examine and seek to improve relationships among local 
executive, legislative, and judicial elements, or they might address 
the knowledge and skills necessary to administer one or more of these 
branches of local government. Program topics might include one or more 
of the following: judicial administration, budget development, 
financial management and oversight, professionalization of the civil 
service (e.g., the use of city managers), tax policies and mechanisms, 
election practices, management of municipal services, privatization of 
government property, consumer protection, business regulation (as 
opposed to control), licensing, and environmental protection. Inquiries 
should be directed to Program Specialist Laverne Johnson, (202) 619-
5326, Internet [email protected]

Western Europe

Italian Local Government
    USIA is interested in proposals with a focus on regional 
governments in Italy. The exchange would have three phases. In Phase 1 
a team from the American grantee institution would visit five cities in 
Italy (Rome, Palermo, Naples, Bologna, and Milan) to select, in 
conjunction with the USIS post, participants in a U.S. study tour. In 
Phase 2, fifteen participants, three from each city, would travel to 
the U.S. for a two-week study tour focussing on regional government and 
separation of powers between federal and state governments. In Phase 3, 
American participants selected from the interlocutors that the groups 
met during Phase 2 would return to Italy and conduct short (one-day) 
seminars in each of the five cities. Inquiries should be directed to 
Program Specialist Christina Miner, (202) 619-5319, Internet 
[email protected]

East Asia

Chinese Federalism Project
    Proposals are invited to conduct a project for Chinese provincial 
and municipal legislators to observe how U.S. state governments 
function and how the Federal government and state governments interact.
Chinese Local Elected Officials Project
    Proposals are invited to conduct a project to bring Chinese 
Ministry of Civil Affairs officials from the provincial level to the 
U.S. to observe how U.S. local officials are chosen, what their powers 
are, how they respond to the needs of their constituencies, and what 
happens when they are not sufficiently responsive to their 
constituencies' needs.
    Inquiries should be directed to Program Specialist Elroy Carlson, 
(202) 619-5326, 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; i.e., 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 of 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 travelled to the United States.

Additional Guidance

    The Office of Citizen Exchanges offers the following additional 
guidance to prospective applicants:
    1. 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.

[[Page 3934]]

    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 supports 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 fours 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. 
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 where 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 
Proposal Submission Instructions. Please refer to these Instructions 
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 
Proposal Submission Instructions. 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 originally, 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 

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    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

    Proposal 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 Proposals (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.

    Dated: January 11, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-1180 Filed 1-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M