[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 76 (Thursday, April 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16969-16971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9597]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Curriculm Consultants Exchange Program with the New Independent 
States

ACTION: Notice; request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs, Academic Exchange Programs 
Division, European Programs Branch of the United States Information 
Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for an assistance award program. Applications from U.S. 
educational, cultural, and other nonprofit organizations meeting the 
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply 
for assistance to exchange qualified educators or advanced graduate 
students from the United States, Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, 
Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, 
Ukraine and Uzbekistan for up to one academic year for the purposes of 
curriculum consultations and development in the fields of the 
humanities and social sciences.

    *Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan are subject to 
restrictions of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act: Employees of 
the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its instrumentalities are 
excluded from participation, and no U.S. participant

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overseas may work for the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its 
instrumentalities. In addition, the Government of Azerbaijan or any 
of its instrumentalities will have no control in the actual 
selection of participants.

    The administering organization for the Curriculum Consultants 
Exchange Program will be responsible for recruiting, selecting, 
placing, monitoring and evaluating participants. Applicants should have 
the capability to recruit foreign participants from and place U.S. 
participants in all NIS countries It is expected that USIA funding will 
contribute to the exchange, but not entirely support it. Due to 
budgetary considerations, and to encourage broad participation, on the 
cost per participant to USIA will weigh heavily in the consideration of 
organizational applications.

PROGRAM DATES: Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at 
the U.S. Information Agency by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 
Friday, May 31, 1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will 
documents postmarked May 31, 1996 but received at a later date. It is 
the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are 
received by the above deadline.

DURATION: Preference for the duration of Curriculum Consultant 
Exchanges is one academic semester, but proposals up to one academic 
year will also be considered. Programs may not start before August 31, 
1996. It is estimated that the majority of programs will begin Spring 
semester, 1997, with a minimal number of placements in Fall semester, 
1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the Office of Academic 
Programs, Academic Exchange Programs Division, European Programs 
Branch, E/AEE Room 246, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, (202) 205-0525, (202) 260-7985 (fax), to request 
a Solicitation Package, which includes more detailed award criteria, 
all applications forms, and guidelines for preparing proposals, 
including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

    The Solicitation Package maybe downloaded from USIA's website at 
http://www/usia.gov/ or from the Internet Gopher at gopher://
gopher.usia.gov. Select ``Education and Cultural Exchanges'', then 
select ``Current Request for Proposals (RFPs).'' Please read ``About 
the Following RFPs'' before beginning to download.
    Please specify the Curriculum Consultants Exchange Program--E/AEE, 
on all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read 
the complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or 
submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff 
may not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until after 
the Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

Program Authorization

    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.''
    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.

Submissions

    Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and 7 copies of the application, as well as a 
disk submission (outlined below) should be sent to U.S. Information 
Agency, Ref.: E/AEE-96-05, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
    Disk Submission: Applicants must also submit to E/XE the 
``Executive Summary'' and ``Proposal Narrative'' sections of each 
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.

Announcement Name and Number

    All communications with USIA concerning this announcement should 
refer to the above title and reference number E/AEE-96-05.

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' and `Geographic Diversity' 
sections for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into the 
total proposal. Please note that in order to increase the geographical 
and ethnic diversity of the Curriculum Consultants Exchange Program, 
not more than ten percent of the total participants exchanged can be 
from or placed in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
    Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements: Programs must comply with J-1 visa 
regulations. Please refer to program specific guidelines in the 
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.

Proposed Budget

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the budget guidelines in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI). 
Budget award may not exceed $250,000. The Agency reserves the right to 
reduce, increase or revise programs and budgets in accordance with the 
needs of the program. It is required that requested administrative 
funds not exceed twenty percent of the total amount requested, 
including administrative expenses for orientation. Cost-sharing and 
matching are expected from the administering organization and should be 
detailed in the proposed budget. Host and sponsor institutions are 
strongly encouraged to provide cost-sharing toward stipends and/or room 
and board expenses so that more may participate. Cost-sharing may also 
be in the form of direct program and participant costs.
    The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind 
contributions must be in accordance with OMB Circular A-110 (Revised), 
Subpart C.23. Grants will

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only be awarded to eligible organizations with four years or more 
experience in conducting international exchange programs.
    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.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    (1) International travel (via American flag carrier);
    (2) Domestic travel for foreign participants only;
    (3) Travel and lodging for academic or professional meetings (not 
to exceed $700 per participant);
    (4) Stipend/Maintenance costs;
    (5) Housing;
    (6) Materials allowance/curriculum translation (not 
interpretation);
    (7) Orientation costs;
    (8) Insurance;
    Please refer to the Solicitation 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 stated herein 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 program office, the appropriate geographic area office, 
the USIA post overseas, and the budget and contracts office. 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 reflect academic 
rigor and excellence, thorough conception of project, demonstration of 
meeting participants' needs, contributions to partner country, proposed 
follow-up, and qualifications of program staff and participants.
    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. Ability to achieve program objectives--Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the organization 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 
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, program meetings, resource materials and 
follow-up activities). Proposals should demonstrate organizational 
capacity to recruit from and place program participants in areas 
outside Moscow and St. Petersburg and countries in the NIS outside the 
Russian Federation.
    6. Organizational capacity--Proposed personnel and organizational 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Organization's record/ability--Proposals should demonstrate an 
organizational 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 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. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. 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, 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 organizational 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 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 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.

    Dated: April 12, 1996.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-9597 Filed 4-17-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M