[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 87 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25970-25972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11024]



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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3305]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Southeast Europe Youth 
Leadership Program; Notice: Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of 
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for the Southeast Europe Youth Leadership Program. Public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to (A) recruit 
and select youth participants in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, 
and Montenegro or (B) provide the youth with a U.S.-based project 
focused on civic education, leadership, and community activism, or (C) 
both. Organizations should apply to implement a grant for at least 24 
of the 60 participants. Priority consideration will be given to 
organizations that can do both parts and/or can manage all of the Part 
A or the Part B activities for all participants.

Program Information

Overview

    Secondary school students and adults (educators and/or community 
activists) from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro 
will participate in four-to six-week-long projects in the United States 
with a focus on civic education and youth leadership. They will 
participate in workshops, community service activities, meetings with 
community leaders, and discussion groups. This project will serve the 
emerging priorities of leadership training and civic education for 
youth in Southeast Europe, as well as providing an introduction to the 
topics of citizen activism for a civil society, conflict resolution and 
intergroup dialogue.
    The goals of the program are:
    (1) To provide a civic education program that helps the 
participants understand civic participation and the rights and 
responsibilities of citizens in a democracy;
    (2) To develop leadership skills among secondary school students 
appropriate to their needs; and
    (3) To foster relationships among youth from different ethnic and 
religious groups based on their commonalities.
    ECA expects to award approximately $294,000 for this program in 
grants to no more than three organizations. An organization may apply 
to administer ``Part A,'' ``Part B,'' or both. If necessary, ECA will 
then match selected organizations to administer the two parts of the 
program.
    Part A: An organization may apply to administer the recruitment and 
selection of participants in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and/
or Montenegro, and to conduct pre-departure orientations and follow-up 
debriefings.
    Part B: An organization may apply to implement the U.S.-based 
program for the participants, including all programmatic and logistical 
arrangements for a group of 12 to 15 participants.
    Part A and Part B: Organizations with a capacity and desire to 
administer both the in-country recruitment and selection of 
participants and the U.S. programming may apply to manage all 
components of the project.

Guidelines

    Timing: Grants should begin on or about September 1, 2000, subject 
to the availability of funds. The grant period will be 15 months in 
duration. The projects will take place in either January 2001 or during 
the summer of 2001. Each project will be four to six weeks in length 
(January projects will be no more than four weeks).
    Participants: The participants will be (1) approximately 50 
students, aged 15 to 18, who have demonstrated leadership aptitude and 
an interest in community service, and (2) approximately ten adults who 
are teachers, administrators, and/or community leaders who work with 
youth. Participants will be proficient in English. The approximate 
number of participants (both students and educators) will be as 
follows: Albania--18; Bosnia-Herzegovina--6; Kosovo--18; Montenegro--
18.
    Criteria for selection of participants will be strong leadership 
skills, an interest in service to the community, strong academic and 
social skills, overall composure, and English proficiency. It is 
important that two or three participants attend or teach at the same 
school or live in the same community so that they have the support of 
others upon their return home.
    Groups: The program will be divided into four or five teams in 
order to accommodate the proposed number of participants in reasonably 
sized groups and to offer diverse programming. Each group will be a mix 
of students and adult educators (e.g., 10 students and 2 teachers or 
community leaders). Each applicant organization should apply to 
implement a grant for at least 24 individuals.
    The size of each group will be around 12 to 15 participants. 
Ideally, each group should have participants representing at least 
three of the four geographic areas identified above, and the ethnic 
groups within them, as possible. These requirements may be adjusted 
depending on the grant recipient's resources for recruitment and 
selection, but the organizers must strive for the broadest regional and 
ethnic diversity. The Department of State and/or its overseas 
representatives reserve final approval of all selected delegations.
Part A--Recruitment and Selection
    The grant recipient will manage the recruitment and selection of 
participants in cooperation with the Public Affairs Sections (PAS) at 
the U.S. Embassies or other USG representative offices in the region.
Part B--U.S. Program
    Grants will be provided to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations for 
designing and implementing projects focusing on leadership development, 
civic education, community service, computer training, and conflict 
resolution. Each project will provide a sampling of topics for breadth, 
with a more complex exploration of one or two of these topics for 
depth. Some activities should be school-based, as feasible, and the 
project will involve as much interaction with American peers as 
possible. The projects may take place in up to three communities in 
order to offer the participants exposure to the variety of American 
life. Participants will stay with host families for at least two weeks 
of the project. Community contributions to the program will be 
expected.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please be sure to 
refer to the complete Solicitation Package--this RFP, the Project 
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI), and the Proposal 
Submission Instructions (PSI)--for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    The total amount of funding available for this project is $294,000 
and may be disbursed through grants to several organizations. 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. Organizations with less than four years of 
experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
eligible only for grants of $60,000 or less for Part A of this

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competition, and are not eligible at all for Part B of this competition 
because the minimum grant will exceed $60,000.
    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.
    Please refer to the complete Solicitation Package. The POGI 
outlines allowable costs; the PSI offers 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/PE/C-00-56.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/
PY, Room 568, U.S. Department of State, 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 Bureau Program Officer Carolyn Lantz 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://exchanges.state.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 Wednesday, June 
21, 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 nine copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C-00-56, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 
301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5" diskette, 
formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. The Bureau will 
transmit these files electronically to U.S. Department of State 
representatives overseas for their review.

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. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as Department of State 
representatives overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be 
forwarded to panels of Bureau officers for advisory review. Proposals 
may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other 
Department elements. 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 Support for Eastern European 
Democracy (SEED) legislation.
    Section 566 of the FY 2000 Foreign Operations Authorization Act 
restricts most forms of assistance to countries, entities, and 
municipalities which are determined to harbor publicly indicted war 
criminals in the former Yugoslavia. On February 9, the Secretary [of 
State] issued a determination that the Republika Srpska and Serbia 
(excluding Kosovo) were subject to Section 566

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restrictions. On March 15, the Secretary issued the determination . . . 
that waived FOAA restrictions for the RS and Serbia, but only for 
carefully targeted categories of assistance. Certain RS municipalities 
remain subject to a comprehensive assistance ban. Any assistance to 
them, except for emergency foods or medical or demining assistance, 
would require a separate waiver for specified activities, and must be 
justified on the basis that achievement of Dayton goals provide an 
overriding justification, e.g., minority returns or concrete 
democratization objectives. The assistance for Serbia is carefully 
designed to be compatible with standing U.S. policy against providing 
significant assistance until there is a transition to democracy in 
Belgrade.
    In the Republika Srpska, support for . . . USAID and State public 
diplomacy programs promoting democratization, reconciliation, and free 
and independent media . . . is exempt from these restrictions. The 
municipalities of Foca, Pale, and Prijedor are excluded from this 
waiver, because competent authorities have failed to take necessary and 
significant steps to apprehend and transfer war crimes indictees to the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. These 
municipalities will not be eligible for new U.S. assistance.

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: April 26, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-11024 Filed 5-3-00; 8:45 am]
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