[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 173 (Thursday, September 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46683-46685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22192]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Program Title NIS Secondary School Initiative; Inbound Academic 
Year Placement

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The NIS Secondary School Initiative Division, Office of 
Citizen Exchanges, of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an 
assistance award program. Public and private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 
may apply to place high school students between the ages of 15 and 17 
from the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union in 
homestays and schools for the 1996/97 academic year. Organizations will 
be responsible for orienting students at the local level and for 
monitoring them during their time in the U.S.
    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 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 number of grant awards in 
this competition will likely be 15-20. All grants are subject to the 
availability of funds in Fiscal Year 1996.
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/P-96-12. This is a request for proposals only for the activities 
described above. Requests for proposals in support of other youth 
exchange programs with the NIS are being published separately.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5:00 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, October 
19, 1995. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked October 19 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline. Notification of awards will be announced after 
January 8, 1996. Grant funds should be available by April 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Division for the Secondary School 
Initiative, E/PY, Room 314, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone: 202/619-6299; 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 USIA Program 
Specialist Diana Aronson on all inquiries and correspondence. 
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register 
announcement before addressing inquiries to the Division for the NIS 
Secondary School Initiative or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP 
deadline has passed, Agency representatives may not discuss this 
competition in any way with applicants until after the Bureau proposal 
review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and ten copies of the complete 
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-96-
12, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing 
legislation, programs must maintain a non-political 

[[Page 46684]]
character and should be balanced and representative of the diversity of 
American political, social, and cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be 
interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including 
but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic 
location, socio-economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants 
are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle. 
Organizations are encouraged to seek diverse communities and host 
families in which to place students. Orientation programming should 
include information on diversity issues as part of American culture and 
should touch on current laws that mandate equal treatment of all people 
regardless of race, gender, national origin, or disabling condition.

Overview

    Academic year 1996-97 will be the fourth year of the program, which 
is part of the NIS Secondary School Initiative. It was originally 
funded under the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992, and in fiscal year 1996 
will be funded out of the USIA appropriation for educational and 
cultural exchanges. The goals of the program are to: promote mutual 
understanding between the people of the NIS and the U.S.; instill in 
the participants democratic values and provide experience living in a 
democracy; establish a critical mass of young people in the NIS capable 
of transforming their societies.

Purpose

    To place approximately 1,200 pre-selected high school students from 
the 12 New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union in the 
United States to study and live for one academic year. To place 
students in qualified, well-motivated host families and welcoming 
schools. To enable the students to attain a broad view of the society 
and culture of the U.S. and to share their cultures with Americans.

Guidelines

    Three organizations have been awarded grants to perform the 
following functions: recruitment and selection of students; assistance 
in documentation and preparation of IAP 66 forms; preparation of cross-
cultural materials; pre-departure and arrival orientation; 
international travel from home to the host community and return; 
ongoing communication with natural parents; tracking of all students 
during their stay in the U.S. and provision of data to USIA; and 
ongoing follow-up with alumni following their return to the NIS. 
Separate grants will be awarded for a one-week mid-year Washington DC 
civics education program for all students and for intensive English 
training for those students who need to improve their English before 
going to their host communities. The announcements of the competitions 
for these grants are being published separately.
    Organizations chosen under this competition are responsible for the 
following: Recruitment, selection, and orientation of host families; 
school placement; local orientation; specialized training of local 
staff and volunteers to work with NIS students; preparation and 
dissemination of materials to students pertaining to the placement 
organization; program enhancement activities; supervision and 
monitoring of students, trouble-shooting, and periodic reporting on 
their progress; communication with the organizations conducting other 
program components, when appropriate; evaluation of the students' 
performance and the success of the organization in achieving program 
goals; and re-entry training to prepare students for readjustment to 
their native culture.
    Applicants may request a grant for the placement of at least 20 
students. There is no ceiling on the number of students who may be 
placed by one organization. It is anticipated that 15 to 20 grants will 
be awarded for this component of the program. Placements will be spread 
all across the U.S. Students may be clustered in one or more regions or 
dispersed. If dispersed, applicants should demonstrate that local 
staffing and training of local staff is adequate to ensure their 
competence in supervising and counseling students from the NIS. Please 
refer to the Guidelines for Proposals--available on request from the 
address listed above--for details on essential program elements and 
permissible costs.
    Programming begins at the point that the complete applications on 
selected finalists are delivered to the placement organizations, 
approximately on April 1, 1996. Participants arrive in their host 
communities in the month of August and remain for 10 to 11 months until 
their departure during the period mid-June to early July 1997.

Eligibility

    Private legally incorporated not-for-profit--IRS-designated 
501(c)(3)--organizations and public institutions are eligible for 
consideration under this competition. Organizations with less than four 
years experience conducting youth exchange programs will be eligible 
for grants not to exceed $60,000.

Participants

    Finalists are secondary school students aged 15-17 who have been 
tested, interviewed and thoroughly screened in an elaborate, merit-
based process. Some may be completing their studies in their home 
schools in May of 1996. Applicants are referred to the Guidelines for 
Proposals for additional details on student selection criteria.

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    Participants will travel on J-1 visas issued by USIA using a 
government program number. Organizations must comply with all pertinent 
J-1 visa regulations in carrying out their responsibilities. 
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. Applicants should 
submit the health and accident insurance plans they intend to use for 
students on this program. USIA will compare the plan with the Agency 
plan and make a determination of which will be applicable.

Materials

    Drafts of all printed materials developed specifically for this 
program paid for with grant funds should be submitted to the Agency for 
review and approval. All official documents should highlight the U.S. 
government's role as program sponsor and funding source. The USIA will 
determine the disposition of the copyrights on any materials so funded.

Proposed Budget

    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
guidelines in the Solicitation Package. Applicants must submit a 
comprehensive budget for the entire program. There must be a summary 
budget as well as a breakdown reflecting both the administrative budget 
and the program budget. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for 
complete formatting instructions and for allowable costs. 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.

Review Process

    The 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 stated herein 

[[Page 46685]]
and in the Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded 
to panels of USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals 
will also be reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as USIA's 
East European and NIS Area Office 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 Educational 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 USIA's mission to 
promote mutual understanding.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. 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.
    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 and host families, program venue, and program evaluation) 
and program content (orientation and wrap-on sessions, programs 
meetings, resource materials and follow-up activities).
    5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to carry out the 
responsibilities listed above.
    6. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful administration of 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.
    7. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
both the performance of the students and the grantee organization's 
success in achieving the goals of the program as outlined above. USIA 
recommends that the proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or 
other evaluation technique plus description of a methodology to use. 
Award-receiving organizations/institutions will be expected to submit 
quarterly reports.
    8. 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.
    9. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative.
    Explanatory information provided by the Agency 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 
Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal 
budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the 
availability of funds. 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 after January 8. Awards made will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: September 1, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-22192 Filed 9-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M