[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 81 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18465-18467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10239]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program

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. Public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 
1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to administer the recruitment, selection, 
placement, monitoring, evaluation, and follow-on activities for the 
Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program. Organizations with less than four 
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs are 
not eligible for this competition.
    The Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program selects outstanding 
citizens of the New Independent States (NIS) and the Baltics to receive 
scholarships for Master's-level study and professional development in 
the United States in the fields of business administration, economics, 
law, and public administration. Fellowships are awarded to qualified 
young and mid-career individuals who are citizens of Armenia, 
Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
Ukraine, or Uzbekistan. Interested organizations should read the 
complete Federal Register announcement and request a Solicitation 
Package from USIA prior to preparing a proposal.

    *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 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.

    Edmund S. Muskie Fellows enroll in graduate degree, certificate, 
and non-degree programs lasting one-to-two academic years. It is 
estimated that approximately 100-130 Fellows will participate in the 
1997 program.
    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.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AEE-97-01.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Thursday, June 
20, 1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked June 20, 1996, but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Academic Programs, 
European Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 246, U.S. Information Agency, 301 
4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, (P)202-205-0525, (F)202-260-
7985, (E-Mail) [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.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE 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. Select ``Education and 
Cultural Exchanges'', then select ``Current Request for Proposals 
(RFPs).'' Please read ``About the Following RFPs'' before beginning to 
download.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer/Specialist Laura Shane on all 
inquiries and correspondence. Interested

[[Page 18466]]

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 the Bureau proposal review process has been 
completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and 14 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE-97-01, Office 
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    The Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program is designed to foster 
democratization and the transition to market economies in the former 
Soviet Union and Baltic States though intensive academic and 
professional training. Since the program's inception in fiscal year 
1992, over 650 Fellowships have been awarded. The academic component of 
the program begins in the fall semester of the year of award and 
follows the normal one- or two-year academic cycle. Fellows take part 
in eight- to twelve-week internships during the summer following the 
first academic year. While Fellows are closely assisted in their 
internship search by host institutions, sponsoring organizations, and 
USIA, the primary responsibility for securing appropriate internships 
remains with the Fellows. Fellows placed in one-year graduate programs 
return home at the conclusion of their internship. Fellows placed in 
two-year graduate programs return to their academic placement following 
the internship. The Muskie Program is not intended as a precursor to 
doctoral studies in the United States. At the end of their designated 
academic and internship programs, Fellows are required to return to 
their home countries.
    The Muskie Program includes the fields of business administration, 
economics, law, and public administration. USIA anticipates that the 
fields of mass communications/journalism, education administration, 
library and information science, and public policy may be added to the 
1997 Muskie Program. Therefore, organizations should address their 
abilities to administer the program in these fields as well as the four 
original Muskie fields.
    In the past, the Muskie Program has been administered consortially 
by four organizations, working in close partnership for all phases of 
the program. It is anticipated that decreases in program funding will 
necessitate that the number of organizations administering the Muskie 
Program be reduced. Applicant organizations may apply to administer the 
program individually or via a consortial arrangement as long as one 
organization is designated as the recipient of the grant. Organizations 
may also indicate in their proposals a plan to work cooperatively with 
one or more applicant organizations. However, organizations must also 
clearly state their individual capabilities.
    Proposing organizations must demonstrate the ability to administer 
all aspects of the Muskie program--advertisement, recruitment, 
selection, placement, orientation. Fellow monitoring and support, 
financial management, evaluation, follow-on, and alumni tracking and 
programming. Applicant organizations should demonstrate the ability to 
recruit and select a diverse pool of candidates from various geographic 
regions within the NIS and Baltics. Additionally, organizations will be 
asked to assist in the recruitment and selection of appropriate host 
institutions from throughout the United States for pre-academic, ESL, 
and academic programs. Administering organizations will act as the 
principal liaison with Muskie host institutions. Additionally, 
organizations should demonstrate the ability to work with private 
sector organizations in the United States, NIS and Baltics to 
facilitate to Fellows' professional development and post-program re-
entry. Further details on specific program responsibilities can be 
found in the Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) 
Statement which is part of the formal Solicitation Package available 
from USIA.
    Awards will begin on or about October 1, 1996, and will be 
approximately three years in duration. Initial recruitment and 
selection activities will be performed by the current administering 
organizations.

Guidelines

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for 
further details.
    The level of funding for fiscal year 1997 is uncertain; proposal 
budgets should not exceed $5 million.
    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. There must be a 
summary budget as well as a break-down reflecting both the 
administrative budget and the program budget. Organizations whose 
proposals include an administrative budget that is less than 20% of the 
grant amount requested from USIA will be given preference. Detailed 
guidance on budget preparation is included in the Project Objectives, 
Goals and Implementation (POGI) statement. Please refer to the complete 
Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting 
instructions.

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 program office, as well as the USIA Office of Eastern 
Europe and NIS Affairs and the USIA posts overseas, where appropriate. 
Proposals may 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.

[[Page 18467]]

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 program plan: Proposed programs should include 
academic rigor, thorough conception or project, demonstration of 
meeting participant needs, contributions to understanding the partner 
country, proposed alumni activities, specific details of recruitment, 
selection and monitoring processes, a thorough evaluation plan, 
proposed follow-on, and relevance to USIA's mission.
    (2.) Program planning and institutional capacity: A detailed agenda 
and relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and 
logistical capacity. Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the 
institution and its staff will meet the program objectives and plan.
    (3.) Track record: Relevant USIA and outside assessments of the 
organization's experience with international exchanges;
    (4.) Multiplier effect/impact: The impact of the exchange activity 
on the wider community and on the development of continuing ties, as 
well as the contribution of the proposed activity in promoting mutual 
understanding will be evaluated.
    (5.) Value of U.S.-partner country relations: The assessment by 
USIA's geographic area office of the need, potential impact, and 
significance of the project with the partner countries.
    (6.) Cost-effectiveness: A key measure of cost-effectiveness is the 
unit cost to the Agency. This is the total request of USIA monies 
divided by the number of fellow-months (number of fellows multiplied by 
the number of program months). 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.
    (7.) Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    (8.) Diversity and pluralism: Preference will be given to proposals 
that demonstrate efforts to provide for the participation of students 
with a variety of major disciplines, from diverse regions, and of 
different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, to the extent feasible 
for the applicant institutions. The Agency will seek to achieve maximum 
geographic diversity in recruitment, selection and placement of 
participants through its award of grants.
    (9.) Follow-on activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity which insures that USIA-supported programs 
are not isolated events. Proposals should include a plan for alumni 
tracking and coordination that demonstrates the willingness to provide 
data to and coordinate tracking with USIA and USIS Posts overseas.
    (10.) Project evaluation: Proposals should provide a plan for 
evaluation by the grantee institution to determine the success of the 
project. Special attention should be given to measuring long-term 
program effectiveness.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published kin 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. 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 19, 1996.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-10239 Filed 4-24-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M