[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 221 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57623-57626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28342]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Central and Eastern European Training Program

ACTION: Notice; request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The 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. Public and 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to develop training 
programs in the areas of (1) local government/public administration, 
(2) independent media development, and (3) business administration. 
These projects should link the U.S. organization's international 
exchange interests with counterpart institutions and groups in Albania, 
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, 
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic 
and Slovenia.
    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 cited above is provided 
through the Fulbright-Hayes Act.
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
    Announcement Title and Number: All communications with USIA 
concerning this announcement should refer to the above title and 
reference number E/P-96-17.
    Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, January 
12, 1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked January 12, 1996, but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline. CEETP-6 grant activity should begin after July 
15, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, European Division, E/PE, Room 
216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20547, telephone: 202-619-5319, fax: 202-619-4530, e-mail address: 
([email protected]) to request a Solicitation Package containing more 
detailed award criteria, required application forms, and standard 
guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific criteria for 
preparation of the proposal budget.

VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's 
website at http://www.usia.gov/ or from the Internet Gopher at 
gopher.usia.gov, under ``New RFPs on Educational and Cultural 
Exchanges.''
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Christina Miner on all 
inquiries and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the 
complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or 
submitting proposals. Once 

[[Page 57624]]
the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff may not discuss this 
competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal review 
process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and eight copies of the complete 
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-96-
17, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette, 
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, 
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for 
the Agency's grants review process.

DIVERSITY 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, geographic location, socio-economic 
status, and physical challenges. 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 the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Overview

    Proposals must be for projects which encourage the growth of 
democratic institutions and political and economic pluralism. The 
project may include: short-term professional training workshops 
conducted in Central/Eastern Europe; four-to-ten week internships in 
the U.S.; and professional training programs and study tours in the 
U.S. All proposals should demonstrate in-depth, substantive knowledge 
of the issues of concern to the countries listed above and the capacity 
to organize and conduct the program, including appropriate orientation 
activities for the participants; detailed work plan for all phases of 
the project; tentative agendas for study tours, workshops, and 
internships; letters of commitment from internship hosts; and selection 
procedures.
    USIA will give priority to proposals from U.S. organizations which 
have established connections with partner institutions in Central/
Eastern Europe. The in-country partners are expected to assist 
logistically and contribute to the realization of program goals and 
objectives. Applicants should demonstrate partner relationships by 
providing copies of correspondence or other materials as appendices to 
the proposals. In-country partners are encouraged to provide cost 
sharing or significant in-kind contributions such as local housing, 
transportation, interpreting, translating, and other local currency 
costs and to assist with the organization of projects.
    Applicants are encouraged to consult with USIS offices regarding 
program content and partner institutions before submitting proposals.
    Listed below in order of priority are the topics of interest for 
each of the countries included in the competition:
    Albania: (1) Independent media development, including the 
development of reporters' investigative skills and editors' need to 
meet the consumers' desires for information about non-political social 
problems and issues; and (2) business administration.
    Bosnia-Herzegovina: (1) Local government; (2) independent media 
development.
    Bulgaria: (1) Independent media; (2) local government.
    Croatia: (1) Independent media development, stressing management 
and organization; (2) local government; (3) business administration.
    Czech Republic: (1) Independent media development; (2) local 
government.
    Estonia: (1) Independent media development, particularly projects 
including U.S. internships; (2) business administration.
    Hungary: (1) Business administration; (2) independent media 
development.
    Latvia: (1) Independent media development, particularly 
investigative journalism, media ethics, photojournalism management, and 
business operations. Projects including U.S. internships are 
encouraged. (2) Business administration.
    Lithuania: (1) Independent media development, specifically projects 
on reporting, implementation of fair media laws, management, 
advertising, and economic survival.
    Macedonia: (1) Independent media development.
    Poland: (1) Local government, particularly projects on the 
electoral system; (2) independent media development, especially 
projects focusing on the coverage of elections.
    Romania: (1) Business administration; (2) local government.
    Slovak Republic: (1) Independent media development, with an 
emphasis on training in management and advertising skills.
    Slovenia: (1) Local government.

Guidelines

    1. Proposals should limit their focus to one of the CEE countries 
and to one of the specified topics. Proposals for programs that are 
broader in scope will be eligible, but are less likely to receive USIA 
support. USIA will consider geographic distribution in selecting 
grantee institutions to ensure a wide distribution of the program.
    2. All grant proposals must clearly describe the type of persons 
who will participate in the program as well as the process by which 
participants will be selected. Note that participants in CEETP-6 
programs should be professionals working in the fields of local 
government, media, or business administration and not members of 
university faculties. In the selection of all foreign participants, 
USIA and USIS posts retain the right to nominate participants and to 
approve or reject participants recommended by the program institution. 
Programs must also comply with J-1 visa regulations.
    3. Programs that include internships in the U.S. should provide 
letters tentatively committing host institutions to support the 
internships.
    4. CEETP-6 grant projects should begin after August 1, 1996.

    Note: Research projects or projects limited to technical issues 
are not eligible for support nor are film festivals or exhibits. 
Exchange programs for students or faculty or proposals that request 
support for the development of university curricula or for degree-
based programs are also ineligible under this RFP. Proposals to link 
university departments or to exchange faculty and/or students are 
funded by USIA's Office of Academic Programs (E/EA) under the 
University Affiliation Program and should not be submitted in 
response to this RFP.

Funding

    Proposals for less than $150,000 will receive preference.
    Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years 
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000.
    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. For 
better 

[[Page 57625]]
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.
    Allowable program costs include the following:
    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 4140/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. A 
pair of simultaneous interpreters is provided for every four 
participants. 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 can be used to provide specialized expertise or to 
make presentations. Daily honoraria generally do not exceed $250 per 
day.
    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. 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 Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions, including information on audit 
requirements and cost sharing.

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 stated herein and 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 Office of 
Eastern European and NIS Affairs 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 Agency mission. 
Program objectives should be reasonable, feasible, and flexible.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings, logistical capacity, and 
institution's ability to meet program objectives. 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. Cross Cultural/Area Expertise: Proposals should reflect the 
institution's expertise in the subject area and should address specific 
areas of concern facing countries involved in the project. 
Additionally, projects should show evidence of sensitivity to 
historical, linguistic and other cross cultural factors and should 
demonstrate how this sensitivity will be used in practical aspects of 
the program, such as pre-departure orientations or briefings of 
American hosts.
    5. 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).
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program's 
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. 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. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the project's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a sample of the 
questionnaire or other method of project assessment as well as a 
description of how outcomes will be linked to original project 
objectives. Successful applicants 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 projects 
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. 

[[Page 57626]]
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. Awards made will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures. 
Applicants will be notified of the results of the review process on or 
about June 10, 1996.

    Dated: November 7, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-28342 Filed 11-15-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M