[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 73 (Friday, April 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18969-18972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9534]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Africa Regional Internship Program; Notice: Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Africa/Near East/South Asia Division of the Office of 
Citizen Exchanges of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an 
assistance award to manage the Africa Regional internship Program 
(ARIP). One award is anticipated. Public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 
1.501(c) may submit proposals to assume management of the citizen 
exchange program. Grants are subject to the availability of funds. The 
goal of the ARIP is to promote democratic leadership and citizen 
participation among key sectors of society. The ARIP will link mid-
career professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa with U.S. counterpart 
institutions and groups for internships in the areas of education, non-
governmental organization, public administration, and business and 
trade. The grantee organization should work closely with hosts in 
planning and implementing internships to ensure rich and meaningful 
educational experiences, professionally and culturally.
    Institutions with less than four years of international exchange 
experience are not eligible to apply for a grant under this program.
    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 
with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.

Announcement Name and Number

    All correspondence with USIA concerning this RFP should reference 
the above title and number E/P-99-51.

Deadline for Proposals

    All proposal copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency 
by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Monday, May 17, 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. It is the responsibility 
of each grant applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the 
above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested organizations/institutions 
may contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, (E/P), Room 220, United 
States Information Agency, 301 Fourth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547, 
telephone (202) 260-2745, email: [email protected] to request a 
Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award 
criteria, required certification forms, specific budget instructions 
and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify USIA 
Program Officer Orna Tamches on all inquiries and correspondence.

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.

ADDRESSES: 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/P-99-51, Office of 
Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 
20547.

Program Information

Overview

    The Office of Citizen Exchanges works with U.S. private sector, 
non-profit organizations on cooperative projects that introduce 
American and foreign participants to each others' social, economic, and 
political structures, and international interests. The Office has 
launched a new Africa Regional Internship Program, a practical exchange 
program designed to promote democratic leadership and citizen 
participation among key sectors of society. the ARIP will link mid-
career professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa

[[Page 18970]]

with U.S. counterpart institutions and groups for internships in four 
broad areas: education; non-governmental organization; public 
administration; and business and trade. In FY 1999, USIA plans to place 
a minimum of 20 African participants in practical internships in U.S. 
communities.

Guidelines

    Project activity is conceived of as four- to six-week internships 
in the United States. Proposals should reflect the applicant's 
understanding of the political, economic, and social environment of 
potential African participants. Programs should be designed for English 
speakers, recognizing that some participants may have greater fluency 
in French, Portuguese or other languages. USIA is interested in 
proposal designs that take into account the need for on going sharing 
of information, training and concrete plans for self-sustainability. 
Examples include plans to create professional networks or professional 
associations to share information; establishing ongoing Internet 
communication; and/or train-the-trainers models.

Africa Regional Internship Program (ARIP)

    The ARIP should build expertise and develop skills required for 
effective leadership in a democratic society, including management, 
planning, public relations and community outreach, through a 
comprehensive, in-depth, hands-on experience. A minimum of 20 mid-
career African men and women, working in the fields of education, non-
governmental organization (NGO), public administration, and business 
and trade, will participate. Interns will be emerging professionals who 
demonstrate an interest in working with U.S. counterparts and a 
capacity to apply new skills to their jobs. These skills would be 
developed through four- to six-week internship placements in the U.S., 
matched to the participants professional development needs and directly 
related to the interns' jobs at home. It will be the grantee's 
responsibility to arrange and to ensure appropriate and valuable 
internships, professionally and culturally. The intern and 
participating organizations in the United States and in the home 
country should develop priorities and strategies to meet the training 
and development needs.
    Participants should experience the interaction among government 
agencies, the private sector, NGOs and the community at large in order 
to observe the process of policy development and implementation as well 
as examine funding, investment, administration and regulatory issues 
relevant to the specialized field. It is anticipated that relationships 
would be established that would lay the groundwork for continued 
collaboration between the interns and their professional counterparts 
in the United States, and that linkages would be established between 
institutions to promote continued professional development and training 
opportunities.
    Implementation should begin in the summer of 1999.

Participant Selection

    Close coordination and communication will be needed among the 
grantee organization, USIS posts in Africa, African nominees, and U.S. 
hosts. Nominations for participation in the program will be welcome 
from the grantee organization, but major responsibility for nominations 
and ultimate authority to approve or disapprove participation will be 
with USIS posts in Sub-Saharan African countries. Countries in Sub-
Saharan Africa which do not have USIS posts will not be eligible to 
participate.

Visa Regulations

    Foreign participants on programs sponsored by the Office of Citizen 
Exchanges are granted J-1 Exchange Visitor visas by the U.S. Embassy in 
the sending country. All programs must comply with J-1 visa 
regulations. Please refer to Solicitation Package for further 
information.

Budget Guidelines

    Since USIA grant assistance constitutes only a portion of total 
project funding, proposals should list and provide evidence of other 
sources of financial and in-kind support. Proposals with substantial 
private sector support from foundations, corporations and other 
institutions will be considered more competitive than those with less 
such support. A program of this magnitude will require more funding 
than USIA can provide, and significant cost sharing is expected; a 
minimum of 33 percent cost sharing of total program expenses is 
required.
    Applicants are requested to submit proposals not to exceed $250,000 
in funding from USIA. Applicants are invited to provide both an all-
inclusive budget as well as separate sub-budgets for each program 
component, phase, location or activity in order to facilitate USIA 
decisions on funding. While a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the model in the Solicitation Package must be submitted, separate 
component budgets are optional.
    The following project costs are eligible for consideration for 
funding:
    1. International and domestic air fares; visas; transit costs; 
ground transportation costs.
    2. Per diem. For the U.S. program, organizations have the option of 
using a flat $160/day for program participants or the published U.S. 
Federal per diem rates for individual U.S. cities. For activities 
outside of the U.S., the published Federal per diem rates must be used.

    Note: U.S. escorting staff must use the published Federal per 
diem rates, not the flat rate. Per diem rates may be accessed at 
http://www.policyworks.gov/.

    3. Book and cultural allowance. Participants are entitled to and 
escorts are reimbursed a one-time cultural allowance of $150 per 
person, plus a participant book allowance of $50. U.S. staff do not 
receive these benefits.
    4. Consultants. Consultants may be used to provide specialized 
expertise or to make presentations. Daily honoraria generally do not 
exceed $250 per day. Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in 
which case the written agreement between the prospective grantee and 
subcontractor should be included in the proposal.
    5. Room rental. Room rental for group activities should not exceed 
$250 per day.
    6. Materials development. Proposals may contain costs to purchase, 
develop and translate materials for participants.
    7. One working meal per project. Per capita costs may not exceed 
$5-$8 for a lunch and $14-20 for a dinner, excluding room rental. The 
number of invited guests may not exceed participants by more than a 
factor of two-to-one.
    8. A return travel allowance of $70 may be provided to each 
participant to be used for incidental expenditures during international 
travel.
    9. All USIA-funded delegates will be covered under the terms of 
USIA-sponsored health insurance policy. The premium is paid by USIA 
directly to the insurance company.
    10. Administrative costs. Other costs necessary for the effective 
administration of the program including salaries for grant organization 
employees, benefits and other direct and indirect costs are described 
in the detailed instructions in the application package. While this 
announcement does not prescribe a rigid ratio of administrative to 
program costs, in general priority will be given to proposals whose 
administrative costs

[[Page 18971]]

are less than twenty-five (25) percent of the total requested from 
USIA. Proposals should show costs-staring, including both contributions 
from the applicant and from other sources.
    Please refer to the Application Package for complete budget 
guidelines.

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. Pub. L. 
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 complaint 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 area office(s) 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.
    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 for 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) ensuring 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.
    11. Cost-Sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing, in cash 
or in kind, through other private sector support as well as 
institutional direct funding contributions. The grant recipient must 
provide a minimum of 33 percent cost sharing of the total program 
expense.
    12. Ability for Institutions To Develop or Enhance Linkages With 
African Institutions: Proposals should demonstrate how hosting 
institutions will develop follow-up plans with African participants, to 
further strengthen existing programs/activities that they develop 
through the ARIP.

Authority

    Overhaul 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

[[Page 18972]]

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 
above is provided through legislation.

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: April 12, 1999.
William B. Bader,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-9534 Filed 4-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M