[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1070-1072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-315]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Future Leaders Exchange Program Civic Education Workshop; Request 
for Proposals

Program Title: Civic Education Workshop

    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 the Civic Education workshop for the Future Leaders 
Exchange (FLEX) Program. Goal of the workshop is to broaden the 
participants' knowledge and understanding of the democratic concepts 
that are integral to a civil society and provide them with tools they 
can take home to aid in the transformation of their countries. Public 
and private nonprofit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to develop and 
conduct a one-week workshop in Washington, D.C., in Spring, 1999, on 
elements of a civil society for 80-100 high school students from the 
New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union who are 
attending school in the United States during academic year 1998/99. 
Participants will be selected through an essay contest from among a 
group of 925 students who are participating in the Division's Future 
Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The maximum grant award will be 
$100,000. Provision of cost sharing to maximize the number of 
participants will be looked at very favorably.
    Program Information: The recipient of the grant is responsible for 
developing and conducting the Civic Education workshop based on 
guidelines set forth by the Division. The grantee organization will 
also be responsible for coordinating travel arrangements for each 
participant from his/her host community to Washington, D.C., and 
return, and for providing room and board for students during their time 
in Washington. The grantee must be amendable to working with USIA and 
the Department of State in arranging certain briefings and visits, as 
the opportunity arises.
    Overview: The workshop should provide an opportunity for 
participants to gain a better understanding of the democratic concepts 
and values that are such an integral part of American society and 
culture. Concepts such as citizen empowerment, volunteerism, community 
action, and debate should be included in program components. The 
program should also enable participants to learn firsthand about the 
federal system of government, observe government institutions, hear 
about and discuss issues on the federal agenda, and interact with 
government officials. Special attention should be paid to those issues 
that will be especially significant to people from the former Soviet 
Union. The program should be arranged for seven days, including arrival 
and departure.
    The grantee organization will be provided with the names of the 
students who will have been chosen through competing in an essay 
contest. The essays will have been reviewed by independent, objective 
selectors.
    Guidelines: The workshop should be held in Spring, 1999, preferably 
in March or April. Proposals must effectively describe the 
organization's ability to accomplish the following essential components 
of the program:
    1. Provide a Civic Education workshop in Washington, D.C., as 
described above and, preferably, at the time period indicated. Program 
components should include sessions on U.S. domestic and foreign policy, 
the role of the media in the United States, citizen empowerment, 
volunteerism and community activism, and federalism.
    2. Provide training for organization staff on NIS society and 
culture.
    3. Provide housing and meals for the students throughout the 
program.
    4. Arrange travel for students from their U.S. host communities to 
Washington, D.C., and return in coordination with FLEX placement 
organizations. (Note: Students will likely be coming from most of the 
50 states.) Provide ground transportation for students in the D.C. 
area, including to and from airports.
    5. Provide opportunities to attend cultural events and visit 
museums and monuments.
    6. Coordinate with USIA's Division for the NIS Secondary School 
Initiative (E/PY) and the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental 
Affairs (CL) in making appropriate arrangements for individual meetings 
for all workshop participants with their respective members of Congress 
(either Senator or Representative).
    7. Provide staff to assist in case of medical emergencies.
    8. Incorporate a program component designed to facilitate students' 
transition from the D.C. program to their host communities. Include a 
description of the ways in which students will be encouraged to share 
what they have learned, both in their U.S. host communities and when 
they return to their home countries.
    9. Provide a mechanism for evaluation of the program in terms of 
its impact on the students and its success in fulfilling the 
objectives.
    A competitive proposal will incorporate important elements of 
American culture in sessions that are largely interactive and designed 
to appeal to high school-age students. The program must be substantive 
and academic while, at the same time, be paced realistically to meet 
the needs of young people.
    Significant cost sharing is important since it will enable a 
greater number of students to participate. Therefore, those proposals 
that show more generous and creative cost sharing will be more 
favorably viewed.
    Please refer to the Program Objectives, Goals, and Implementation 
(POGI) section of the Solicitation Package for greater detail regarding 
the design of component parts as well as other program information.
    Budget guidelines: Organizations must bid on arranging a program 
for a minimum of 80 students but may increase the number of 
participants through cost sharing the additional expenses incurred. 
Proposals that maximize the number of students will be favorably 
viewed. One grant will be awarded for this activity. It is estimated 
that the total costs of the Civil Education workshop will average 
$1,000 per NIS participant for a one-week program, including domestic 
travel.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. Awards may not exceed $100,000. There must be a summary budget 
as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program 
budgets. Applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program 
component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification. 
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for further details and for 
complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
    Announcement title and number: All correspondence with USIA 
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number E/P-98-
28.
    For further information contact: The NIS Secondary School 
Initiative Division, E/PY, Room 568, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone (202) 619-6299; fax (202) 
619-5311; e-mail: <[email protected]> to request a Solicitation 
Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, 
required application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard 
guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify USIA

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Program Officer Dee Aronson on all other inquiries and correspondence.
    Please 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 with applicants 
until the proposal review process has been completed.
    To download a solicitation package via internet: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before 
downloading.
    To receive a solicitation package via fax on demand: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be requested from the Bureau's Grants 
Information Fax on Demand System, which is accessed by calling 202/401-
7616. The Table of Contents listing available documents and order 
numbers should be the first order when entering the system.
    Deadline for proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the 
U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, 
February 5, 1999. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. 
Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not 
be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received 
by the above deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/PY-98-28, Office of Grants 
Management, Room 568, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
    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 reflect advancement of this 
goal in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
    Year 2000 compliance requirement (Y2K requirement): The Year 2000 
(Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting problem that could 
potentially prohibit organizations from processing information in 
accordance with Federal management and program specific requirements 
including data exchange with USIA. The inability to process information 
in accordance with Federal requirements could result in grantees' being 
required to return funds that have not been accounted for properly.
    USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems 
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately 
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both 
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust 
for leap years.
    Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the 
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology 
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
    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. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the USIA Office of East 
European and NIS Affairs and the USIA post(s) overseas, where 
appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of USIA 
officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the 
Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Final 
funding decisions are at the discretion of USIA's 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 the Agency's 
mission, as well as the objectives of the FLEX program. Program design 
must reflect an understanding of young people and of cultural traits 
that would be specific to this population.
    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, guidelines, and timing 
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 objective and 
plan.
    4. Support of diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in selection of speakers, themes, field 
visits, and resource materials.
    5. Institutional capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    6. Organization's track record ability: Proposals should 
demonstrate a record of successful programs, including responsible 
fiscal management and full compliance with all 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.
    7. Follow-on activities: Proposals should describe how students 
will be prepared to transition back to their host communities. There 
should also be a plan for providing students with tools they can take 
back to their home countries to implement concepts and ideas they have 
gained from the workshop.
    8. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the program's success in achieving the stated objectives. USIA 
recommends that the proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or 
other technique plus description of a methodology to use in linking 
outcomes to original project objectives.
    9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposals, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate. 
Overall per-participant costs will be a factor in the review of the 
proposal.
    10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions. Organizations that choose to enhance the program by 
using private funds to increase the number of participants will be 
viewed more

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favorably than those with minimal or no cost sharing.
    Authority: 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, sympathic and peaceful relations 
between the United States and the other countries of the world.'' The 
funding authority for the program above is provided through the FREEDOM 
Support Act of 1992.
    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: December 31, 1998.
William B. Bader,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-315 Filed 1-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M