[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 116 (Thursday, June 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37591-37594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14666]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3334]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: Program Title: 
Israel-Arab Peace Partners Program; Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State announces 
an open competition for grants under the Israel-Arab Peace Partners 
Program. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the 
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit 
proposals to develop and implement exchange programs involving 
participants from both Israel and one or more Arab countries/entities 
in the Middle East or North Africa. Four grant awards are anticipated, 
as outlined below.

Program Information

Overview

    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, consults with and supports 
American public and private nonprofit organizations in developing and 
implementing multi-phased, often multi-year, exchanges of 
professionals, academics, youth leaders, public policy advocates, etc. 
These exchanges are focused on issues crucial to both the United States 
and the foreign countries involved, they represent focused, 
substantive, and cooperative interaction among counterparts, and they 
entail both theoretical and experiential learning for all participants. 
A primary goal is the development of sustained, international 
institutional and individual linkages. In addition to providing a 
context for professional development and cooperative, international 
problem-solving, these projects are intended to introduce participants 
to one another's political, social, and economic structures. Desirable 
components of an exchange may be local citizen involvement and 
activities that orient foreign participants to American society and 
culture.

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    The Israel-Arab Peace Partners Program is based on the premise that 
people-to-people exchanges--particularly those that are youth oriented 
and that focus on cooperative efforts in community and institutional 
development--will contribute to enhanced mutual understanding and will 
increase the prospect for peaceful co-existence among Middle Eastern 
societies, specifically between Israel and its Arab neighbors. 
Participants should include college and graduate students as well as 
leaders and public policy advocates in various professions. In response 
to the aspirations of this program, the Office of Citizen Exchanges 
solicits proposals for four exchange projects that respond to the 
project foci and guidelines suggested below.
1. Dispute Resolution/Conflict Prevention
    This exchange should focus on pre-emotive dispute resolution, peer 
mediation, and conflict prevention and management in the context of 
school, community, and youth organization activities. Participants 
might be teacher trainers, mediators, secondary school teachers, youth 
organization leaders, and older students. The focus should be on 
initiatives and programs that have been found to be effective in 
defusing or managing conflict based on, or exacerbated by, communal 
differences. The role played by the media in communal conflict, the 
destructive effects of stereotyping and scapegoating, and the positive 
potential for youth initiative and activism are all topics that might 
be addressed. The project should entail two to three phases of 
international travel, and it should directly involve, in the course of 
its several phases, 15 to 20 foreign participants. Grant requests that 
do not exceed $135,000 will receive priority consideration.
2. Environmental Concerns and Civic Responsibility
    This exchange should engage teachers, trainers, project leaders, 
and youth, and it should focus on environmental concerns, civic 
responsibility, and activism/volunteerism. Community or school-based, 
non-governmental organizations that have engaged in grass-roots 
educational efforts and have mobilized local schools and youth groups 
to undertake projects to conserve/protect the environment, perhaps 
including or overlapping with grassroots lobbying efforts or the 
initiation of public-private cooperative projects, are a model. The 
project should entail two to three phases of international travel, and 
it should directly involve, in the course of its several phases, 15 to 
20 foreign participants. Grant requests that do not exceed $135,000 
will receive priority consideration.
3. Strengthening Non-Governmental Organizations
    This exchange should focus on developing, strengthening, and 
managing community service-oriented, youth-based, non-governmental 
organizations. The development of a sense of community service/
responsibility and a feeling of efficacy among the successor 
generations of the Middle East may nurture a broader sense of 
responsibility for cooperative efforts between/among communities. This 
project may focus on leadership and management training as well as on 
such organizational needs as education, recruitment, fundraising, 
public relations, and program development. The project should entail 
two to three phases of international travel, and it should directly 
involve, in the course of its several phases, 15 to 20 foreign 
participants. Grant requests that do not exceed $135,000 will receive 
priority consideration.
4. A Community-Based Exchange
    The applicant should propose a community-based exchange which would 
bring together, in a sustained series of discussions and site visits, 
young civic activists, organizational leaders, and public policy 
advocates in various professions from five communities: One American 
community, one Israeli community, and at least three communities 
selected from potential partners: Egypt, Jordan, the West Bank/Gaza, 
Morocco, Tunisia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, or Oman. 
This project should focus on a general theme of mutual importance to 
the participating communities, such as conflict resolution, primary and 
high school education, administration of justice, preventing corruption 
in government, social welfare, urban environment, etc. This exchange 
would involve a greater number of participants than the three projects 
suggested above. Grant requests that do not exceed $161,000 will 
receive priority consideration.
    Suggested activities for the above projects might include:
    1. Initial needs assessment/orientation travel (if necessary) by 
American organizers to develop contacts and relationships with both 
American Mission officers and counterpart organizations/individuals in 
the countries with which the exchange will be conducted.
    2. A U.S.-based program, including orientation to program purposes 
and to U.S. society, discussions, site visits, limited shadowing or 
internship opportunities.
    3. A return visit by selected American professionals/youth to 
collaborate with participants in the U.S.-based program in conducting 
workshops, seminars, on-site training, networking.
    4. Longer (two-week), intensive, joint internship in the U.S. for 
two or three selected youth leaders--one Israeli; one or more Arab--
from the Middle East.
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges encourages applicants to be 
creative in planning project implementation. Activities may include 
both theoretical orientation and experiential, community-based 
initiatives designed to achieve concrete objectives.
    Applicants should, in their proposals, identify any partner 
organizations and/or individuals in the U.S. with which/whom they are 
proposing to collaborate and justify on the basis of experience, 
accomplishments, etc.

Selection of Participants

    Successful applications should include a description of an open, 
merit-based participant selection process. Applicants should anticipate 
working closely with the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies 
(PAS) abroad in selecting participants, with Embassies retaining the 
right to nominate participants and to advise the grantee regarding 
participants recommended by other entities.

Public Affairs Section Involvement

    The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassies play an important 
role in project implementation. Posts evaluate project proposals, 
coordinate planning with the grantee organization and in-country 
partners, facilitate in-country activities, nominate participants and 
vet grantee nominations, observe in-country activities, debrief 
participants, and evaluate project impact. U.S. Missions are 
responsible for issuing IAP-66 forms in order for foreign participants 
to obtain the necessary J-1 visas for entry to the United States. They 
also serve as a link to in-country partners and participants.
    Though project administration and implementation are the 
responsibility of the grantee, the grantee is expected to inform the 
PAS in participating countries of its operations and procedures and to 
coordinate with and involve PAS officers in the development of project 
activities. The PAS should be consulted regarding country priorities,

[[Page 37593]]

current security issues, and related logistic and programmatic issues.

Visa Regulations

    Foreign participants on programs sponsored by ECA 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

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
guidance provided in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the 
Solicitation Package. Maximum award amounts are cited above. Grants 
awarded to organizations with less than four years of experience in 
conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. Awards may not exceed the amounts cited in the guidelines 
above. 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. Proposals that present evidence of 
cost sharing--in cash or in kind--representing 33% or more of the total 
cost of the exchange project will receive priority consideration.
    Allowable costs include the following:
    (1) Direct program expenses
    (2) Administrative expenses, including indirect costs
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for 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-00-68.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/
PE/C, Room 224, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20547, attention: Thomas Johnston. Telephone number 202/
260-0299 or 202/619-5325; fax number 202/619-435; Internet address to 
request a Solicitation Package, [email protected]. The Solicitation 
Package contains detailed award criteria, required application forms, 
specific budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal 
preparation. Please specify Bureau Program Officer Thomas Johnston on 
all 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 Friday, September 
8, 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 ten 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-00-68, 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 the Public Affairs section at 
the US Embassy for its review, with the goal of reducing the time it 
takes to get embassy comments for the Bureau's grants review process.

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 the Public Diplomacy section 
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.

[[Page 37594]]

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 be substantive, 
well thought out, focused on issues of demonstrable relevance to all 
proposed participants, and responsive, in general, to the exchange 
suggestions and guidelines provided above.
    2. Implementation Plan and Ability to Achieve Objectives: A 
detailed project implementation plan should establish a clear and 
logical connection between the interest, the expertise, and the 
logistic capacity of the applicant and the objectives to be achieved. 
The plan should discuss, in concrete terms, how the institution 
proposes to achieve the objectives. Institutional resources--including 
personnel--assigned to the project should be adequate and appropriate 
to achieve project objectives. The substance of workshops and site 
visits should be included as an attachment, and the responsibilities of 
U.S. participants and in-country partners should be clearly described.
    3. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should include an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, with reference to 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with reporting 
requirements. The Bureau will consider the demonstrated potential of 
new applicants and will evaluate the performance record of prior 
recipients of Bureau grants as reported by the Bureau grant staff.
    4. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
sustained follow-on activity (building on the linkages developed under 
the grant and the activities initially funded by the grant, after grant 
funds have been depleted), ensuring that Bureau-supported projects are 
not isolated events.
    5. Project Evaluation/Monitoring: Proposals should include a plan 
to monitor and evaluate the project's implementation, both as the 
activities unfold and at the end of the program. Reports should include 
both accomplishments and problems encountered. A discussion of survey 
methodology or other disclosure/measurement techniques, plus a 
description of how outcomes are defined in terms of the project's 
original objectives, is recommended. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit a report after each project component is concluded 
or semi-annually, whichever is less frequent.
    6. Impact: Proposed projects should, through the establishment of 
substantive, sustainable individual and institutional linkages and 
through encouraging maximum sharing of information and cross-boundary 
cooperation, enhance mutual understanding among communities and 
societies.
    7. Cost Effectiveness and Cost Sharing: Administrative costs should 
be kept low. Proposal budgets that provide evidence of cost sharing 
comprised of cash or in-kind contributions, representing 33 percent or 
more of the total cost of the exchange will be given priority 
consideration. Cost sharing may be derived from diverse sources, 
including private-sector contributions and/or direct institutional 
support.
    8. Support for Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate support for 
the Bureau's policy on diversity. Features relevant to this policy 
should be cited in program implementation (selection of participants, 
program venue, and program evaluation), program content, and program 
administration.

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 legislation.

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: June 5, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-14666 Filed 6-14-00; 8:45 am]
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