[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 208 (Thursday, October 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58119-58122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28208]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3144]


Discretionary Grant Programs Application Notice Establishing 
Closing Date for Transmittal of Certain Fiscal Year 2000 Applications

AGENCY: The Department of State invites applications from national 
organizations with interest and expertise in conducting research and 
training to serve as intermediaries administering national competitive 
programs concerning the countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, 
and Eurasia. The grants will be awarded through an open, national 
competition among applicant organizations.
    Authority for this Program for Research and Training on Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union is 
contained in the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 
1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended).


[[Page 58120]]


SUMMARY: The purpose of this application notice is to inform potential 
applicant organizations of fiscal and programmatic information and 
closing dates for transmittal of applications for awards in Fiscal Year 
2000 under a program administered by the Department of State. The 
program seeks to build and sustain expertise among Americans willing to 
make a career commitment to the study of Central and East Europe, 
Russia, and Eurasia.

Organization of notice:  This notice contains three parts. Part I lists 
the closing date covered by this notice. Part II consists of a 
statement of purpose and priorities of the program. Part III provides 
the fiscal data for the program.

Part I

Closing Date for Transmittal of Applications

    An application for an award must be mailed or hand-delivered by 
January 28, 2000.

Applications Delivered by Mail

    An application sent by mail must be addressed to W. Kendall Myers, 
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 
6841, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 
20520-6510.
    An applicant must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the 
following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
center.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Department of 
State.
    If any application is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Department of State does not accept either of the following as proof of 
mailing: (1) A private metered postmark, or (2) a mail receipt that is 
not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not 
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an 
applicant should check with the local post office.
    An applicant is encouraged to use registered or at least first 
class mail. Late applications will not be considered and will be 
returned to the applicant.

Applications Delivered by Hand

    An application that is hand delivered must be taken to W. Kendall 
Myers, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, 
Room 6841, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC. Please phone first at 
(202) 736-4572 to gain access to the building.
    The Advisory Committee staff will accept hand-delivered 
applications between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST daily, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    An application that is hand delivered will not be accepted after 4 
p.m. on the closing date.

Part II

Program Information

    In the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983, 
the Congress declared that independently verified factual knowledge 
about the countries of that area is ``of utmost importance for the 
national security of the United States, for the furtherance of our 
national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and for the 
prudent management of our domestic affairs.'' Congress also declared 
that the development and maintenance of such knowledge and expertise 
``depends upon the national capability for advanced research by highly 
trained and experienced specialists, available for service in and out 
of Government.'' The program provides financial support for advanced 
research, training and other related functions on the countries of the 
region. By strengthening and sustaining in the United States a cadre of 
experts on Central and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia, the program 
contributes to the overall objectives of the FREEDOM Support and SEED 
Acts.
    The full purpose of the Act and the eligibility requirements are 
set forth in Public Law 98-164, 97 Stat. 1047-50, as amended. The 
countries include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia 
(including Kosovo and Montenegro), Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, 
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
    The Act establishes an Advisory Committee to recommend grant 
policies and recipients. The Secretary of State, after consultation 
with the Advisory Committee, approves policies and makes the final 
determination on awards.
    Applications for funding under the Act are invited from U.S. 
organizations prepared to conduct competitive programs on Central and 
East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia and related fields. Applying 
organizations or institutions should have the capability to conduct 
competitive award programs that are national in scope. Programs of this 
nature are those that make awards based upon an open, nationwide 
competition, incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Individual 
end-users of these funds--those to whom the applicant organizations or 
institutions propose to make awards--must be at the graduate or post-
doctoral level, and must have demonstrated a likely career commitment 
to the study of Central and East Europe, Russia, and/or Eurasia.
    Applications sought in this competition among organizations or 
institutions are those that would contribute to the development of a 
stable, long-term, national program of unclassified, advanced research 
and training on the countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, and/
or Eurasia by proposing:
    (1) National programs which award contracts or grants to American 
institutions of higher education or not-for-profit corporations in 
support of post-doctoral or equivalent level research projects, such 
contracts or grants to contain shared-cost provisions;
    (2) National programs which offer graduate, post-doctoral and 
teaching fellowships for advanced training on the countries of Central 
and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia, and in related studies, including 
training in the languages of the region, with such training to be 
conducted on a shared-cost basis, at American institutions of higher 
education;
    (3) National programs which provide fellowships and other support 
for American specialists enabling them to conduct advanced research on 
the countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia, and in 
related studies; and those which facilitate research collaboration 
between Government and private specialists in these areas;
    (4) National programs which provide advanced training and research 
on a reciprocal basis in the countries of Central and East Europe, 
Russia, and Eurasia by facilitating access for American specialists to 
research facilities and resources in those countries;
    (5) National programs which facilitate the public dissemination of 
research methods, data and findings; and those which propose to 
strengthen the national capability for advanced research or training on 
the countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia in ways 
not specified above.


[[Page 58121]]


    Note: The Advisory Committee will not consider applications from 
individuals to further their own training or research, or from 
institutions or organizations whose proposals are not for 
competitive award programs that are national in scope as defined 
above. Support for specific activities will be guided by the 
following policies and priorities:

     Support for Transitions. The Advisory Committee strongly 
encourages support for activities which, while building expertise among 
US specialists on the region, also (1) promote fundamental goals of US 
assistance programs such as helping establish market economies and 
promoting democratic governance and civil societies, and (2) provide 
knowledge related to current US policy interests in the region, broadly 
defined. This includes, but is not limited to, such topics as ethnic 
conflict, post-Soviet economics, and political participation. The 
Advisory Committee gives priority to programs on Central Asia, the 
Caucasus, and the Balkans, where gaps in knowledge exist, and 
encourages research on Russia's regions and other areas outside capital 
cities. Historical or cultural research that promotes understanding of 
current events in the region also is encouraged if an explicit 
connection can be made to contemporary political and/or economic 
transitions.
     Publications. Funds awarded in this competition should not 
be used to subsidize journals, newsletters and other periodical 
publications except in special circumstances, in which cases the funds 
should be supplied through peer-review organizations with national 
competitive programs.
     Conferences. Proposals for conferences, like those for 
research projects and training programs, should be assessed according 
to their relative contribution to the advancement of knowledge and to 
the professional development of cadres in the fields. Therefore, 
requests for conference funding should be directed to one or more of 
the national peer-review organizations receiving program funds, with 
proposed conferences being evaluated competitively against research, 
fellowship or other proposals for achieving the purposes of the grant.
     Library Activities. Funds may be used for certain library 
activities that clearly strengthen research and training on the 
countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia and benefit 
the fields as a whole. Such programs must make awards based upon open, 
nationwide competition, incorporating peer group review mechanisms. 
Funds may not be used for activities such as modernization, 
acquisition, or preservation. Modest, cost-effective proposals to 
facilitate research, by eliminating serious cataloging backlogs or 
otherwise improving access to research materials, will be considered.
     Language Support. The Advisory Committee encourages 
attention to the non-Russian languages of Eurasia and the less commonly 
taught languages of the Central and East Europe. Support provided for 
Russian language instruction/study normally will be only for advanced 
level. Applicants proposing to offer language instruction are 
encouraged to apply to a national program as described above that has 
appropriate peer group review mechanisms.
     Support for Non-Americans. The purpose of the program is 
to build and sustain U.S. expertise on the countries of Central and 
East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia. Therefore, the Advisory Committee has 
determined that highest priority for support always should go to 
American specialists (i.e., U.S. citizens or permanent residents). 
Support for such activities as long-term research fellowships, i.e., 
nine months or longer, should be restricted solely to American 
scholars. Support for short-term activities also should be restricted 
to Americans, except in special instances where the participation of a 
non-American scholar has clear and demonstrable benefits to the 
American scholarly community. In such special instances, the applicant 
must justify the expenditure. Despite this restriction on support for 
non-Americans, collaborative projects are encouraged--where the non-
American component is funded from other sources--and priority is given 
to institutions whose programs contain such an international component.
    In making its recommendations, the Committee will seek to encourage 
a coherent, long-term, and stable effort directed toward developing and 
maintaining a national capability on the countries of Central and East 
Europe, Russia, and Eurasia. Program proposals can be for the conduct 
of any of the functions enumerated, but in making its recommendations, 
the Committee will be concerned to develop a balanced national effort 
that will ensure attention to all the countries of the area. 
Legislation requires and this announcement indicates under Program 
Information of this section that in certain cases grantee organizations 
must include shared-cost provisions in their arrangements with end-
users. Cost-sharing is encouraged, whenever feasible, in all programs.

Part III

Available Funds

    Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funding may 
be available at a level up to $4.8 million. The precise level of 
funding will not be known until legislative action is complete. In 
Fiscal Year 1999, the Congress appropriated to the program $4.8 million 
from the FREEDOM Support and Support for East European Democracies 
(SEED) Acts, which funded grants to 9 national organizations, with $3.3 
million for activities on Russia and Eurasia and $1.5 million for those 
on Central and East Europe, including the Baltic states. The number of 
awards varies each year, depending on the level of funding and the 
quality of the applications submitted.
    The Department legally cannot commit funds that may be appropriated 
in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multi-year projects cannot receive 
assured funding unless such funding is supplied out of a single year's 
appropriation. Grant agreements may permit the expenditure from a 
particular year's grant to be made up to three years after the grant's 
effective date.

Applications

    Applications must be prepared and submitted in 20 copies in 12 
pitch in the following format: one-page, single-spaced Executive 
Summary; Budget presentation; narrative description of proposed 
programs not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages; one-page, single-spaced 
vitae of key professional staff; and required certifications. 
Applicants may append other information they consider essential, 
although bulky submissions are discouraged and run the risk of not 
being reviewed fully.

Budget

    Because funds will be appropriated separately for Central and East 
Europe (including the Baltic states) and New Independent States 
programs, proposals must indicate how the requested funds will be 
distributed by region, country (to the extent possible), and activity. 
Subsequently, grant recipients must report expenditures by region, 
country, and activity.
    Applicants should familiarize themselves with Department of State 
grant regulations contained in 22 CFR part 145, ``Grants and 
Cooperative Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, 
Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations,'' OMB Circular 
A-110, ``Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education * 
* * Uniform Administrative Requirements,'' and OMB Circular A-133, 
``Audits of

[[Page 58122]]

Institutions of Higher Learning and Other Non-Profit Institutions'' and 
indicate or provide the following information:
    (1) Whether the organization falls under OMB Circular No. A-21, 
``Cost Principles for Educational Institutions,'' or OMB Circular No. 
A-122, ``Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations;''
    (2) A detailed program budget indicating direct expenses with 
clearly identified administrative costs by program element and by 
region (NIS or Central and East Europe), indirect costs, and the total 
amount requested. The budget also should reflect administrative costs 
as a percentage of the total requested funding. NB: Indirect costs are 
limited to 10 percent of total direct program costs. Applicants 
requesting funds to supplement a program having other sources of 
support should submit a current budget for the total program and an 
estimated future budget for it showing how specific lines in the budget 
would be affected by the allocation of requested grant funds. Other 
funding sources and amounts, when known, should be identified.
    (3) The applicant's cost-sharing proposal, if applicable, 
containing appropriate details and cross references to the requested 
budget;
    (4) The organization's most recent audit report (the most recent 
U.S. Government audit report, if available) and the name, address, and 
point of contact of the audit agency. N.B.: The threshold for grants 
that trigger an audit requirement has been raised from $25,000 to 
$300,000.
    (5) An indication of the applicant's priorities if funding is being 
requested for more than one program or activity.
    All payments will be made to grant recipients through the 
Department of State.

Narrative Statement

    The Applicant must describe fully the proposed programs, including 
detailed information about plans for advertising programs, peer review 
and selection procedures and identification of anticipated selection 
committee participants, estimates of the types and amounts of 
anticipated awards, and benefits of these programs for the Central and 
East European, Russian, and Eurasian fields.
    Applicants who have received previous grants from this State 
Department program should provide detailed information on the awards 
made, including, where applicable, names/affiliations of recipients, 
and amounts and types of awards. Applicant's should specify both past 
and anticipated applicant to award ratios. A summary of an 
organization's past grants under this State Department program also 
should be included.
    Proposals from national organizations involving language 
instruction programs should provide, for those programs supported in 
the past year, information on the criteria for evaluation, including 
levels of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, facilities, methods 
for measuring language proficiency (including pre- and post-testing), 
instructors' qualifications, and budget information showing estimated 
costs per student.

Certifications

    Applicants must include a description of affirmative action 
policies and practices and certifications of compliance with the 
provisions of: (1) The Drug-Free Workplace Act (Public Law 100-690), in 
accordance with Appendix C of 22 CFR part 137, Subpart F; and (2) 
Section 319 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act (Public Law 101-121), in accordance with Appendix A 
of 22 CFR part 138, New Restrictions on Lobbying Activities.

Technical Review

    The Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union will evaluate 
applications on the basis of the following criteria:
    (1) Responsiveness to the substantive provisions set forth above in 
Program Part II, Information (45 points);
    (2) The professional qualifications of the applicant's key 
personnel and selection committees, and their experience conducting 
national competitive award programs of the type the applicant proposes 
on the countries of Central and East Europe, Russia, and Eurasia (35 
points); and
    (3) Budget presentation and cost effectiveness (20 points).

Further Information

    For further information, contact W. Kendall Myers, Executive 
Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 6841, U.S. 
Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520-6510. 
Telephone: (202) 736-4572 or 736-4386, fax: (202) 736-4851 or (202) 
736-4807.

    Dated: October 21, 1999.
W. Kendall Myers,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union.
[FR Doc. 99-28208 Filed 10-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-32-P