[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 132 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37121-37123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17856]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Civic Education Institute for the Middle East

ACTION: Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Study of the U.S. 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) may apply to conduct a 3-4 week U.S.-based institute on 
innovative approaches to curriculum development and teaching 
methodology in civic education and social studies for approximately 15 
educators from Israel, Jordan, and West Bank/Gaza (Palestinian 
Authority). The purpose of this institute is to expose participants to 
recent developments in U.S. civic education curriculum and teaching 
practice, and to enable participants to examine and discuss their 
current/projects approaches with U.S. educators and with each other. 
Anticipated outcomes of the institute would be the development/
refinement of viable curricular materials that will enable these 
educational sectors to prepare students to become responsible community 
members as the peace process develops. The long-term goal of the 
institute is to strengthen the teaching of citizenship skills in the 
region. Participants will have professional responsibilities which are 
concerned with the development/revision of up-to-date civic education 
and social studies curricular materials, and appropriate teaching 
methodologies for such materials. Overseas participants in this program 
will be identified and selected by U.S. Information Service (USIS) 
posts abroad, and will be English-speaking. The program should take 
place for 3-4 weeks during January/February of 1998.
    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 Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as 
amended, Public Law 87-256 (Fulbright Hays Act.) The Fulbright program 
seeks to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United 
States and people of other countries. 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,'' and must ``maintain 
their scholarly integrity and shall meet the highest standards of 
academic excellence * * *''
    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 RFP should refer to the announcement's title and reference number 
E/AAS-97-12.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, August 
15, 1997. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents 
postmarked by the due date but received at a later date will not be 
accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a Solicitation Package 
containing more detailed award criteria, required application forms, 
and standard guidelines for preparing proposals (including specific 
information on budget preparation), applicants should contact: Gretchen 
Christison, Study of the U.S. Branch, E/AAS, Room 256, U.S. Information 
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, tel: 202-619-4557 
fax: 202-619-6790, Internet address [email protected].

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA INTERNET: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before 
downloading.


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TO RECEIVE A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA FAX ON DEMAND: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be received via the Bureau's ``Grants 
Information Fax on Demand System'', which is accessed by calling 202/
401-7616. Please request a ``Catalog'' of available documents and order 
numbers when first entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Gretchen Christison 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.: Civic Education 
Institute E/AAS-97/12, 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, Freedom and Democracy 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. Public Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out 
programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people 
do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy'', USIA ``shall take 
appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such 
programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.'' 
Proposals should account for advancement of this goal in their program 
contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.

Proposed Budget

    Total USIA-funded budget award (program and administrative costs) 
should not exceed $125,000. USIA-funded administrative costs should be 
as low as possible and should not exceed $25,000. Please note: USIA 
will fund all international travel directly, therefore international 
travel costs should not be included in the budget submission. 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 break-
down reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. 
Please refer to the Program Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 
(``POGI'') in the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines 
and formatting instructions for proposals.

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 offices for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the USIA Office of North 
African, Near Eastern, and South Asian Affairs and the USIA post 
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.

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.
    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 institution 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 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 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 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. 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.

[[Page 37123]]

    11. 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. 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: July 2, 1997.
James D. Whitten,
Acting Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-17856 Filed 7-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M