[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 27, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60322-60324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30261]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Office of Citizens Exchange; NIS Secondary School Initiative; 
Secondary School Linkage Program

ACTION: Notice--Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Division of the NIS Secondary 
School Initiative, of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an 
assistance award to conduct exchanges through the multiple secondary 
school linkage program with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Public or private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 
may apply either to enhance/expand existing linkages or to develop new 
school linkage programs. All submissions must contain a Student 
exchange component and an Educator (teacher and/or administrator) 
exchange component. The maximum grant award will be $400,000.
    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 was 
originally provided through the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992. 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-97-13.

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 
31, 1997. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked January 31, 1997 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline. Subject to the availability of funding, grants 
will be awarded by April 1997, for programs to begin after September 1, 
1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The NIS Secondary School Initiative E/PY, Room 320, U.S. Information 
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, Telephone: (202) 
619-6299; fax: (202) 619-5311; 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 entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/ or from the Internet Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov. 
Under the heading ``International Exchanges/Training,'' select 
``Request for Proposals (RFPs).'' Please read ``About the Following 
RFPs'' before downloading.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Brent Beemer 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 the Bureau 
proposal review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and 10 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/PY-97-13, 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.
    Overview: The short-term goal of the school linkage program is to 
provide partial funding for linkages between U.S. and NIS schools 
featuring student and educator exchanges for the purpose of 
collaborative substantive projects. Grant-funded exchanges must have a 
thematic focus and have tangible outcomes (such as development and use 
of educational materials). The long term goals are to:
    (1) Advance mutual understanding between the U.S. and the NIS;
    (2) develop lasting institutional ties between U.S. and NIS schools 
and communities;
    (3) promote U.S. government/educational and not for profit sector 
cooperation by supporting linkages which hold promise for a sustainable 
program beyond the grant term and serve the needs and interests of the 
schools.
    The linked networks of secondary schools in the U.S. and networks 
of schools in the NIS must establish ties between the schools in the 
network through two sets of exchange programs: 1) the exchange of 
secondary school students, from 14 to 18 years of age, between the U.S. 
and participating NIS countries; and 2) the exchange of secondary 
school educators between the U.S. and NIS countries.
    Guidelines: USIA funding may not be used to supplant existing 
private sector funding. Applicants must indicate how activities have 
been funded in the past and how the activities will be expanded with 
assistance from USIA. Proposals that successfully address the following 
factors will receive priority consideration:
    (1) All school linkages must clearly describe and define 
substantive thematically based projects that are the focus of the 
exchange for both students

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and educators. This applies to the United States portion of the program 
as well as the NIS portion. Specific activities, products, curriculum 
materials, and pre-planning are areas that can be addressed. For 
example, what will the participants be doing? Where will they be doing 
this? Why is it important and relevant to the thematic focus of the 
program? Proposals that clearly answer these questions will be more 
competitive. In an effort to clarify possible thematic foci, suggested 
themes for exchange projects include but are not limited to the 
following: civic education, health education (including the issues of 
alcohol abuse and other substance abuse), environmental issues, youth 
leadership training, volunteerism, computer technology, agriculture, 
and business administration/management (including entrepreneurship).
    (2) Significant cost-sharing is mandatory in ALL proposals. 
Moreover, those proposals that show more generous and creative cost-
sharing will be more favorably viewed. Proposals that contain non-USIA 
funded items such as: additional students and/or educators on the 
exchange, U.S. participants paying for some of their own costs, 
computer software purchases, cultural excursions, state/national 
capital civics programs, and other significant items will be more 
competitive proposals than those that do not. However, NIS participants 
may not be charged to participate in the program, aside from paying for 
in-country costs (such as transportation to the point of departure), 
the costs of hosting the U.S. students and educators, and miscellaneous 
expenses such as pocket money.
    (3) Proposals that clearly present independent educator programs 
for teachers/administrators will be more competitive than those that do 
not. These programs could include curriculum development seminars, 
``shadowing'' host peers in the classroom, university-level courses, or 
other substantive activities. A program that relies on the educator to 
act as just an escort will be viewed much less favorably. Although 
educators can certainly travel with student groups, a group of 
educators could travel separately if an organization developed such a 
program.
    The U.S. recipient of the grant is responsible for recruiting/
selecting/organizing a minimum of three U.S. secondary schools to form 
the U.S. network, strengthening an existing working relationship with 
an organization or agency of government in the NIS responsible for a 
network of schools there, and linking the two networks through 
substantive exchange activities.
    Because the ultimate goal of this program is self-sufficiency, 
individual schools that have received USIA funding under the NIS 
Secondary School Initiative for a total of three years are not eligible 
for USIA funding for participant travel costs, per diem, or allowances 
under this grant.
    Partnerships should have an existence beyond the scope of this 
initiative; that is, there should be an inherent reason for their 
linkage apart from the availability of grant funds. Competitive 
proposals must demonstrate a solid and comprehensive follow-on plan to 
continue after the grant has expired.
    An ideal project builds upon previous contacts and interaction 
between the proposed networks to help ensure a solid foundation for the 
linkage. The U.S. schools should collaborate with the NIS schools in 
planning and preparation. Proposals should support a working 
relationship that will produce something tangible and lasting in 
addressing the interests of both sides, beyond the confines of the 
exchange. The proposal should specify up front what the measurable 
goals and objectives of the program will be. Each school partnership 
must also provide a statement of goals and objectives for their 
exchange.
    In general, new school linkages should target under-served 
countries or regions. For programs with Russia, priority will be given 
to linkages with schools located outside of the Moscow and St. 
Petersburg regions. Programs in Ukraine must have a Ukrainian partner 
organization that has its base of operation in Ukraine and not in 
another country.
    The U.S. recipient of the grant will: design the overall plan that 
integrates the two components of the linkage, ensure quality control 
for all program elements, manage all travel arrangements, logistics, 
passports, visas, etc., provide competent and informed escorts for 
student groups, and disburse and account for grant funds. Recipients of 
the assistance award are responsible for ensuring the selection of 
exchange participants who are most suited for the program. Participants 
(both Educators and Students) from the U.S. and NIS countries should 
represent a diversity of backgrounds (racial, geographic, economic 
status, religious, etc.) to give greater understanding to the culture 
and society as a whole. Selection of individual participants from the 
U.S. and the NIS in the exchange components of the program must be 
merit-based; the proposal should describe the mechanisms used for 
participant selection.
    Applicants should be familiar with the ``General Provisions'' of J-
1 visa regulations. The Agency will process the IAP-66 forms for travel 
to the U.S. Applicant organizations are required to use the USIA 
Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) for participants in 
USIA funded exchanges. Applicants who choose not to use the USIA plan 
must demonstrate that an alternative plan: (1) provides comparable or 
better coverage and (2) costs less. Please refer to the Program 
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation section of the Solicitation 
Package for greater detail regarding the design of the component parts 
as well as other program information.
    Proposed budget: Awards may not exceed $400,000. 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. All program costs should 
clearly indicate whether they cover U.S. or NIS participants. The cost 
per NIS student, NIS educator, U.S. student, U.S. educator should be 
listed separately. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with fewer 
than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs will be limited to $60,000. Be sure to note the statement on 
cost-sharing in the Guidelines section. Please refer to the POGI and 
Proposal Submission Instructions sections of the Solicitation Package 
for complete budget guidelines and format 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 East 
European Affairs (EEN) and the USIA posts overseas. 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.

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Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered:

1. Programmatic Planning, Objectives, and Quality

    Proposed programs should strengthen long-term mutual understanding, 
including maximum sharing of information and establishment of long-term 
individual and institutional linkages. A detailed agenda and plan 
should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described above. 
Proposals must provide a plan for continued follow-on activity (without 
USIA support) that ensures that USIA-supported programs are not 
isolated events.

2. Organizational Capacity and Track Record

    Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate 
and appropriate to achieve the Program or project's goals. 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. An organization's track record will be evaluated based on 
the achievement of stated goals and impact on schools in the U.S. and 
NIS.

3. Support of Diversity

    Proposals should demonstrate the recipient's commitment to 
promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity. Applicants 
should review the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
``diversity flyer.'' Additionally, the geographic diversity of programs 
in both the U.S. and the NIS will be a significant factor in USIA's 
award decisions.

4. Cost-effectiveness/Sharing

    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. Overall costs of 
participants will be a major factor in the review of the proposal. 
Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through United States 
participant contributions and other private sector support as well as 
institutional direct funding contributions. Source of funds for cost-
sharing should be indicated.

5. Project Evaluation

    Proposals must include a plan to evaluate the program, both as the 
activities unfold and at the end. USIA recommends that the proposal 
include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology for use in linking outcomes to original 
project objectives for each school linkage. Award-receiving 
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit reports on each 
separate linkage.

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. Awards made will be subject 
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements. Organizations will 
be expected to cooperate with USIA in evaluating their programs under 
the principles of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, 
which requires federal agencies to measure and report on the results of 
their programs and activities.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

    Dated: November 20, 1996.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-30261 Filed 11-26-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M