[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12608-12610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5775]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3242]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; South Pacific 
Scholarship Program; Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the South 
Pacific Scholarship Program. Public and private non-profit 
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 
1.501(c) may submit proposals to organize and carry out an academic 
exchange program for students from the sovereign nations of the South 
Pacific. The grantee will be responsible for all aspects of the 
program, including publicity and recruitment of applicants; merit-based 
competitive selection; placement of students at an accredited U.S. 
academic institution; student travel to the U.S.; orientation; up to 
four years of U.S. degree study at the bachelor's or master's level; 
enrichment programming; advising, monitoring and support; pre-return 
activities; evaluation; and follow-up. The duration of the grant will 
be up to five years. The approximate level of funding in FY2000 is 
$700,000.

Program Information

    Overview: The South Pacific Scholarship Program was established by

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the United States Congress to provide opportunities for U.S. study to 
qualified students from the sovereign nations of the South Pacific, in 
fields important for the region's future development. The Fiscal Year 
2000 State Department Authorization Bill (HR-3427) and the Conference 
Report on the Fiscal Year 2000 Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR-
3194) provide for exchanges between the U.S. and South Pacific.
    This program supports increased mutual understanding between the 
people of the U.S. and those of the South Pacific Islands. Students 
from the following nations are eligible to apply for these 
scholarships: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea, 
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. This is the first 
open competition for administration of this grant.

Requirements and Implementation

    The requirements for administration of this program are outlined in 
further detail in this document and in the Program Objectives, Goals 
and Implementation document. The proposal should respond to each item 
in the POGI.
    Fields of study under the program are based on recommendations from 
Department of State geographic office representatives and U.S. 
embassies abroad and have included public administration, journalism, 
education, environmental studies, and business. Students selected for 
these scholarships have enrolled in four year undergraduate degree 
programs, or in master's degree programs. The latter have generally 
involved one year of preparatory U.S. study followed by up to two years 
of master's degree study. This grant award will cover the entire 
program in the U.S. for the students selected. Students are expected to 
return home following the completion of their U.S. programs.

Program Components

    1. Planning, implementation and monitoring of entire exchange 
program, based on guidance from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs. The proposal must demonstrate an understanding of the South 
Pacific region and culture and the needs of students coming to the U.S. 
from the region.
    2. Publicity, recruitment and application process for the program. 
The proposal should indicate specifically what methods will be used to 
carry out this process for the South Pacific Islands.
    3. Merit-based selection of principals and alternates. A pool of 
alternates should be established that may be drawn on if necessary in 
subsequent years. Communication with applicants and notification of 
selection for the program.
    4. Placement and enrollment of students at an accredited U.S. 
college/university appropriate to their academic and future 
professional goals. Students may be placed together at the same 
institution or at different institutions. The proposal should explain 
how identification with the South Pacific Scholarship program will be 
established and maintained among students.
    5. Pre-arrival information for students, assistance with visa 
application process, travel to the U.S., arrival.
    6. Orientation and settling in at U.S. institution. The proposal 
should indicate how the applicant will prepare the students for their 
exchange experience.
    7. Provision of stipends and coverage of other appropriate living/
study/enrichment expenses for participants throughout their program. 
Provision of tax withholding and health insurance.
    8. On-going monitoring, academic advising, and general support for 
students throughout the program.
    9. Management of cross-cultural issues, special situations and 
emergencies.
    10. Opportunities for transfers and exchanges to other U.S. 
universities during the program to diversify the students' experience 
and fulfill academic goals.
    11. Obtaining of tuition waivers, reduced fees, and other forms of 
cost-sharing.
    12. Cultural/community enrichment for students about U.S. society 
and culture.
    13. Internships and professional development.
    14. Pre-return and reentry activities.
    15. Evaluation and follow-on including alumni activities.
    16. Fiscal Management of any sub-contractors.
    17. Compliance with J-1 visa requirements regarding health 
insurance for participants.

Guidelines

    The amount of the grant award in FY 2000 is expected to be 
approximately $700,000, based on availability of funds. The award will 
be made in Spring/Summer 2000. The grantee should begin planning 
immediately for recruitment at that time. Participants are expected to 
begin their U.S. study programs between January 2001 and Fall 2001.
    Proposal budgets should include all costs for students to complete 
the entire three or four years of degree study in the U.S. The proposal 
should indicate how many students will be supported for a complete 
degree program with this funding. The grant will remain open for 
approximately five years.
    If performance under this grant is satisfactory, the award may be 
renewed each year for approximately two additional years at the 
Bureau's discretion, assuming that the program continues to receive 
federal funding. ]
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to the 
Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    Since grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four 
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs are 
limited to $60,000, such organizations are not eligible to compete for 
this grant.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. 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.
    Allowable costs for the program may include the following:
    (1) Publicity, recruitment, selection, placement and communication 
with applicants and participants.
    (2) Travel for student participants between home and program 
location.
    (3) Tuition and fees, stipends for living costs, book allowances, 
and other necessary expenses for the students.
    (4) Advising and monitoring of students; academic and cultural 
support and enrichment activities. May include some U.S. travel.
    (5) Pre-departure activities and evaluation.
    (6) Staff and administrative expenses to carry out the program 
activities. Administrative and overhead costs should be as low as 
possible.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
    Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau 
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number ECA/A-
SP-00-01.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marianne Craven, Managing Director of 
Academic Programs, ECA/A, Room 202, U.S. Department of State, Annex 44, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel. (202) 619-6409, fax. 
(202) 205-2452, e-mail: [email protected] to request a Solicitation 
Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award

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criteria, required application forms, specific budget instructions, and 
standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Marianne 
Craven, program officer for this activity, 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, Bureau 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 the Bureau's website at 
http://e.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 p.m. Washington, DC 
time on Friday, April 7, 2000. 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. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A-SP-00-01, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 
SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 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,'' the Bureau ``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 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 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

    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 requirements by Bureau offices 
responsible for these functions. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public Diplomacy section 
overseas, where appropriate. For program content, cost-effectiveness, 
and other criteria spelled out in the RFP, the review is conducted by 
an advisory, assistance award-review panel composed of Bureau and 
Department officers. Additional officers, including geographic area 
personnel, also review proposals for feasibility as well as potential 
for short- and long-term impact. Final funding decisions are at the 
discretion of the Department of State's Under Secretary for Public 
Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance 
awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's 
Grants Officer.

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, 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 the Fiscal Year 2000 State Department 
Authorization Bill (HR-3427) and the Conference Report on the Fiscal 
Year 2000 Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR-3194).

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau 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 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 Bureau procedures.

    Dated: February 29, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-5775 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
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