[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71538-71541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33061]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3181]


FY 2000 Ron Brown Fellowship Program; Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of funds for FY 2000, the Office 
of Academic Programs of the United States Department of State's Bureau 
of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition 
for the Ron Brown Fellowship Program. The Bureau solicits detailed 
proposals from U.S. public or private non-profit organizations with at 
least four years of experience in conducting international academic 
exchange programs and meet the provisions described in IRS regulation 
26 CAR 1.501c to develop and administer the FY 2000 Ron Brown 
Fellowship Program. Preference will be given to organizations that have 
placement experience at the graduate level and a demonstrated ability 
to conduct academic exchange programs. The level of funding for FY 2000 
will be approximately $2,500,000. Organizations are invited to submit a 
proposal to conduct the final selection (from a pool of well-qualified 
candidates), placement, orientation, monitoring, evaluation and follow-
on/alumni activities for approximately 42 Fellows from Albania, Bosnia 
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia, 
Kosovo and Montenegro) (FRY), and Slovenia. Participants will be 
enrolled in two-year degree programs, or in one-year non-degree 
professional development programs (except for the one-year degree 
programs in law) at accredited U.S. academic institutions for study at 
the Masters' degree level in the fields of business administration, 
economics, educational administration, environmental management, 
journalism/mass communication, law, public administration, and public 
policy. Preference will be given to proposals with budgets that do not 
exceed $2,500,000.

    Please note: This program will not support Ph.D. studies. 
Programs and projects must conform with Bureau requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. Bureau projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.

Authority

    The funding authority for the Ron Brown Fellowship Program is 
provided through the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 
1989, targeted to advance the democratic and economic transition of 
Central and Eastern Europe. In order to comply with mandates for this 
program, the grantee organization is required to keep track of the 
spending for each of the participating countries under the FY 2000 Ron 
Brown Fellowship Program. Funds allocated for one country should not be 
used to support Fellows from other countries. Specific country 
allocations will be provided at the time of the award.
    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.''

Program Information

Overview

    The FY 2000 Ron Brown Fellowship Program will provide funding for 
approximately 42 fellowships to citizens from Albania, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYROM, Romania, FRY, and Slovenia. 
Fellowships will be distributed according to specified country-quotas. 
The goal of the Ron Brown program is to provide an opportunity for 
university graduates and young professionals who are selected through 
open merit-based competition in the aforementioned European countries 
to participate in quality graduate study programs at accredited 
universities throughout the United States. The fields of study are: 
business administration, economics, educational administration, 
environmental management, journalism/mass communication, law, public 
administration, and public policy. Fellowships will be awarded for one-
year, non-degree professional development programs, except for one-year 
degree programs in law, or for two-year degree granting programs. 
Program

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enhancements such as workshops, professional development and cultural 
enrichment activities, internships, alumni conferences, networking, 
etc. are integral components of the Ron Brown Fellowship Program and 
highly encouraged. Internships of up to three months for Fellows in 
both one-year and two-year degree programs and from three-to-five-
months for non-degree professional development programs are also key 
components of the program. Our goal for FY 2000 is to award a greater 
number of Fellowships for two-year degree programs, and to attain 
equitable representation of the eight eligible fields while achieving 
wide distribution among the U.S. host universities. Fast-track 
placement ability is essential to enable the greater number of Fellows 
to start their academic program in the fall 2000. Clustering of Fellows 
should be avoided with no more than three Fellows at any one 
university. The Ron Brown Fellowship Program will not support Ph.D 
programs.

Guidelines

    For FY 2000, as in previous years, program advertisement and 
participant recruitment will be the responsibility of the Public 
Affairs Sections (PAS) of the U.S. Embassies and/or the Fulbright 
commissions. PAS and/or commissions will screen applications for 
eligibility, arrange for TOEFL, GMAT and GRE testing where possible, 
conduct personal interviews, and compile a dossier on each qualified 
applicant. Each FAS and/or commission will compile a pool of applicants 
to be forwarded to the administering organization in early spring for 
the final selection.
    Applicants are asked to develop a program plan to conduct the final 
selection, placement, monitoring, follow-on and alumni activities. The 
duration of the program should be for two academic years, 2000-2001 and 
2001-2002. The program may not begin before May 1, 2000, and must be 
completed by December 31, 2002. Proposals should address and discuss in 
detail the following areas:
    1. Final selection: describe in detail the process for the final 
selection of Fellows including method of reviewing a pool of qualified 
applications submitted by PAS' and/or Fulbright commissions, and 
specific details about the final selection panel.
    2. Placement of Fellows: describe criteria for selecting host 
universities and measures to ensure participants' academic and cultural 
needs are met. A list of universities your organization works with to 
place scholars should be included.
    3. Notification: describe plans for notifying applicants who have 
been selected for an award, including timely confirmation of placement, 
scheduling of pre-departure orientation, and all logistical 
arrangements.
    4. Special programs: describe provisions for ESL or pre-academic 
programs, if necessary;
    5. Orientation: describe plans for pre-departure, post-arrival and/
or pre-academic orientation programs.
    6. Enrichment activities: describe arrangements for cultural and 
professional development activities, internships, and other program 
enhancements including recommendations for workshops and alumni 
activities.
    7. Monitoring/evaluating/tracking: describe methodologies for on-
going monitoring and evaluation and adjustment of program accordingly. 
Mechanisms for alumni networking and alumni tracking should also be 
detailed.
    8. Alumni Activities: Over 180 Fellows have completed the Ron Brown 
Fellowship Program since it was established in 1994. Alumni 
Associations have been formed in several participating countries. 
Describe plans to assist the development and expansion of these 
fledgling associations.
    9. Program Identity: Describe ways to ensure that participants and 
alumni identify themselves as Ron Brown Fellows or Ron Brown Alumni.
    10. Personnel: proposals should include curriculum vitae of 
personnel assigned to administer the Ron Brown program.

Participants

    Fellows will be selected from a pool of applicants with a variety 
of professional and educational backgrounds. Since one of the purposes 
of the fellowships is to promote the development of professional 
expertise among the future leaders of central and eastern Europe, grant 
recipients should ideally be in the early stages of their careers, with 
perhaps a few years of work experience, a demonstrated ability for 
leadership, a clearly expressed purpose for studying in the United 
States, and a commitment to return home at the end of their fellowships 
to share their knowledge, skills and experience in the development of 
their countries. Fellows must be under the age of forty, possess the 
equivalent of a bachelor's degree, and demonstrate fluency in spoken 
and written English with a minimum TOEFL score of 550 or 213 on the 
computer-based test (or the ability to attain such a level following a 
limited ESL program prior to the beginning of their studies).

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    All foreign participants must be sponsored under an Exchange 
Visitor Program on a J visa. Programs must comply with J-1 visa 
regulations and should reference this adherence in the proposal 
narrative. Ron Brown Fellows must comply with the two-year home 
residency requirement as stipulated by the J-visa guidelines. It is the 
expressed intent of this program that Fellows return immediately to 
their home country following completion of the academic and practical 
components of their program. Please refer to program specific 
guidelines in the Application Package for further details. 
Administration of the program must be in compliance with reporting and 
withholding regulations for federal, state, and local taxes, as 
applicable. Organizations should demonstrate tax regulation adherence 
in the proposal narrative and budget.
    Participants will be covered by Department of State-sponsored 
Medical Insurance. The administering organization will be responsible 
for enrolling the participants in the insurance program.

Budget Guidelines

    Funding for the FY 2000 Ron Brown Fellowship Program is anticipated 
at $2,500,000. Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget 
for general program costs, participant program costs, alumni costs, and 
administrative costs. There must be a summary budget as well as a 
breakdown reflecting both the administrative budget and the program 
budget. Please refer to the application packet for complete formatting 
instructions. Administrative costs, including indirect costs, should 
not exceed 20% of the total request.
    The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase the 
proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the program.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) General Program Costs
(2) Participant Program Costs
(3) U.S. Administrative Costs
(4) Overseas Administrative Costs
(5) Alumni Activities

    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
    Medical insurance for participants will be paid directly by the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and,

[[Page 71540]]

therefore, should not be included as a line-item cost in the program 
budget. However, a modest line-item may be included for health 
insurance for universities not accepting the ECA policy.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

    Pursuant to 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 in the program. 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, the Bureau shall take 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 content, to the full 
extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 (Y2K) Compliance 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 the Bureau. 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.
    The Bureau 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 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.otpolicy.gsa.gov.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFP should refer 
to: The Ron Brown Fellowship Program, reference number ECA/A/E/EUR-00-
05.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The U.S. Department of State, Annex 
44, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Office of Academic 
Exchange Programs, European Branch, ECA/A/E/EUR Room 238, 301 4th 
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547; Telephone: (202) 619-4420; Fax: 
(202) 619-4927; 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 Bureau Program 
Officer Ms. Effie Wingate on all inquiries and correspondence.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has 
passed, staff may not discuss this competition in any way with 
applicants until the Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet

    The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the 
following website: http://www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all 
information before downloading.

Deadline For Proposals

    All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs by 5:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Thursday, 
February 3, 2000. 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.
    Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and nine copies of the completed application, 
including required forms, should be sent to: U.S. Department of State, 
Annex 44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/
EUR-00-05, Office of Program Management, ECA/XE/PM, Room 336, 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) 
formatted with a maximum line length of 65 characters. These files will 
be transmitted electronically to the Public Affairs Sections and 
Fulbright Commissions overseas for their review, with the goal of 
reducing the time it takes to receive their comments for the grant 
review process.

Review Process

    The Bureau 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 Department of State's 
Office of the Coordinator for SEED programs and the Offices of Public 
Affairs and Fulbright commissions overseas where appropriate. Proposals 
may also be reviewed by the Department of State, Office of the Legal 
Adviser or by other Bureau elements. Final funding decisions are at the 
discretion of the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for 
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for 
assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the 
Bureau's 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. Program Planning and Management: Proposals should exhibit 
substance, precision, innovation, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission. Objectives should be reasonable, feasible, and flexible and 
proposals should clearly demonstrate how the organization will meet 
these objectives. A detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and work plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines 
described above.
    2. Institutional Capacity and Record: Proposals should demonstrate 
an institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by the grants staff. 
The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and 
the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the program or project's goals.
    3. Multiplier Effect/Impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and

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establishment of long-term institutional and individual linkages.
    4. Cost-effectiveness/Cost-sharing: The overhead and administrative 
components of the proposal, including salaries should be kept as low as 
possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate. 
Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other private sector 
support as well as institutional direct funding contributions.
    5. Placement experience: Proposals should demonstrate the 
organization's ability and experience with graduate level, fast-track 
placements at U.S. universities.
    6. Professional and Academic Contacts: Proposals should demonstrate 
substantive staff knowledge of the relevant academic fields and 
professions to ensure productive engagement with professional and 
academic contacts in every phase of program planning and 
implementation, including the arrangement of internships and selection 
panels.
    7. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
organization's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding 
of diversity and should include a strategy for achieving diverse group 
of Fellows and host institutions.
    8. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the project's success, both during and after the program. A draft 
survey questionnaire or other technique and a description of 
methodologies that can be used to link the outcomes to original project 
objectives should also be included. Grantee organization will be 
expected to submit quarterly program and financial reports.
    9. Alumni Tracking and Follow-on Activities: Proposals should 
provide a plan for effective tracking of current and future Alumni and 
demonstrate the organization's willingness to provide data to and 
coordinate tracking with the Bureau, Public Affairs Sections and/or 
Fulbright commissions. Proposals may also include a plan for continued 
follow-on activity (without Bureau support) which insures that Bureau-
supported programs are not isolated events.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any ECA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposed budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program and the availability of funds.
    Awards made will be subject to quarterly reporting and evaluation 
requirements.
    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal State Department 
procedures.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about March 31, 2000.

    Dated: December 14, 1999.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-33061 Filed 12-20-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-11-M