[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 241 (Thursday, December 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78243-78246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31911]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3507]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: NIS Secondary School Partnership Program

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of 
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for the NIS Secondary School Partnership Program. Public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to either 
enhance or expand existing partnerships or develop new school 
partnership programs with Russia or Ukraine. All proposals must have a 
thematic focus and feature on-going joint project activity between the 
schools, a student exchange component, and an educator (teacher/
administrator) exchange component. The maximum grant award will be 
$150,000.
    Program Information: The Secondary School Partnership Program is 
funded under the Freedom Support Act to assist young people in building 
an open society and developing democratic processes and institutions in 
the New Independent States (NIS). This program provides grants to link 
schools in the three countries noted above with schools in the United 
States. The U.S. recipient of the grant is responsible for recruiting, 
selecting, and organizing a U.S. network of a minimum of two secondary 
schools; strengthening an existing working relationship with an 
organization or agency of government in the NIS responsible for a 
network of at least two schools there; and linking the two networks in 
one-to-one school partnerships through thematic projects and 
substantive exchange activities.
    Overview: The short-term goal of the school partnership program is 
to provide partial funding for linkages between U.S. and NIS schools 
featuring collaborative substantive projects and reciprocal student and 
educator exchanges with strong academic content. The long-term goals 
are to: (1) Develop lasting, sustainable institutional ties between 
U.S. and NIS schools and communities; (2) support democracy and 
educational reform in the NIS; (3) advance mutual understanding between 
the youth and teachers of the U.S. and the NIS; and (4) promote 
partnerships developed through governmental, educational, and not-for-
profit sector cooperation that serve the needs and interests of the 
schools.
    The program has several defining features to help the participating 
schools develop their partnership:
--Each partnership has a project theme and the students and teachers in 
the two paired schools work on a joint project throughout the school 
year related to this theme;
--The two schools develop a relationship over the course of an academic 
year, through the planning process and the work on their joint project, 
which is highlighted by exchanges from three weeks to ten months in 
duration. Exchanges take place while the host school is in session.
--The student and teacher exchanges must be reciprocal.
--The program includes educators (teachers and/or administrators) in 
order to involve them in all aspects of the partnership and to provide 
them access to resources for curriculum development and educational 
training.
--During the exchange, participants attend class, are involved in 
school-based activities, work on their joint project, perform community 
service, visit educational and cultural sites, and reside with host 
families.

DATES: Grants may begin on or about July 15, 2001, and cover the 2001-
2002 academic year. The exact starting date of the grant will be 
dependent on availability of funds.
    Guidelines: A competitive proposal will present a project that 
builds upon previous contacts and interaction between the proposed 
schools to help ensure a solid foundation for the partnership. 
Partnerships should have an existence beyond the scope of this 
initiative; that is, there should be an inherent reason for the linkage 
apart from the availability of grant funds. Organizers and school 
networks in the U.S. and NIS should collaborate in planning and 
preparation. Applicants must have an NIS organizational partner that 
has its base of operation in the partner country and not in another 
country. Proposals should support a working relationship that will 
produce something tangible and lasting in addressing the interests of 
both sides, beyond the confines of the funded project, such as the 
development of educational materials. The proposal should specify 
measurable goals and objectives of the program.

[[Page 78244]]

    In general, the Bureau seeks school partnerships that target under-
served countries or regions. For programs with Russia and Ukraine, 
priority will be given to partnerships with schools located outside of 
the Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev regions. The Bureau particularly 
welcomes proposals that feature schools in the Russian Far East (east 
of Lake Baikal), western Siberia (e.g., Altay Kray, Gorniy Altay 
Republic, Kemerovo and Tyumen oblasts), Central Russia (e.g., Orel, 
Lipetsk, Tambov, Kursk oblasts), and Novgorod, Samara, and Tomsk.
    Proposals must clearly describe and define substantive 
thematically-based projects for each school partnership that are the 
focus of the exchange for both students and educators and on-going 
joint project activity between the two schools. Specific activities, 
products, curriculum materials, and pre-planning are areas that can be 
addressed. For example, what will the participants be doing and how is 
it relevant to the thematic focus of the program? Applicants should 
present a program that involves the greater school community. All 
participating schools must be identified. Proposals should describe the 
selected theme, its importance to the schools and communities, the 
specific academic activities, and the expected outcome or product of 
the project. Possible themes include civic education, such as citizen 
activism, volunteerism or community service, youth leadership training, 
multicultural education, rule of law, and free press.
    Proposals must clearly present independent educator programs for 
teachers/administrators. These programs could include curriculum 
development seminars, shadowing of host peers in the classroom, 
university-level courses, or other substantive activities, with an 
emphasis on such themes as parent-teacher cooperation, model schools, 
teacher training, and collaboration with local businesses. A program 
that relies on the educator to act as just an escort will not be 
competitive.
    Competitive proposals will demonstrate a solid and comprehensive 
follow-on plan to sustain the partnerships after the grant has expired.
    Responsibilities: The U.S. organization receiving the grant will 
(1) design the overall plan that integrates the joint project activity 
and the exchange components of the partnership; (2) ensure quality 
control for all program elements; (3) keep the Bureau informed of its 
progress; (4) manage all travel arrangements, logistics, travel 
documents, etc.; (5) provide competent and informed escorts for student 
groups; and (6) disburse and account for grant funds. Recipients of a 
grant are responsible for ensuring the selection of exchange 
participants who are most suited for the program and for providing them 
with a meaningful pre-departure orientation. Selection of individual 
participants from the U.S. and the NIS in the exchange components of 
the program must be open, competitive, and merit-based; the proposal 
should describe the mechanisms used for participant selection. All 
participants from the U.S. and the NIS should represent the full 
diversity of their communities (racial, ethnic, economic status, 
religious, etc.) to give greater understanding to the culture and 
society as a whole.
    Preference will be given to proposals that include schools that 
have not already received funding under the NIS Secondary School 
Initiative for a total of three years or more.
    Significant cost-sharing is mandatory in all proposals, and those 
that show more generous and creative cost-sharing will be more 
favorably viewed. Proposals that contain non-Bureau funded items such 
as additional students and/or educators on the exchange, U.S. 
participants paying for some of their own costs, computer software 
purchases, cultural excursions, capital city civics programs, and other 
significant items will be more competitive proposals than those that do 
not. However, NIS participants may not be charged to participate in the 
program, aside from paying for home country costs (such as 
transportation to the point of departure), the costs of hosting the 
U.S. students and educators, and miscellaneous expenses such as pocket 
money.
    Please be sure to refer to the Project Objectives, Goals, and 
Implementation (POGI) section of the Solicitation Package for greater 
detail regarding the design of the component parts as well as other 
program information. Also consult the Proposal Submission Instructions 
(PSI) for information on budget presentation and required forms.
    Budget Guidelines: Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget 
for the entire program. Awards may not exceed $150,000. Only 
partnerships between secondary schools in the United States and these 
two countries are eligible for this competition.
    Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years 
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000.
    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. All program costs should clearly 
indicate whether they cover U.S. or NIS participants. Be sure to note 
the statement on cost-sharing in the Guidelines section. Please refer 
to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and 
formatting instructions.
    Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau 
concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/
PE/C/PY-01-26.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Youth Programs Division, Office 
of Citizen Exchanges, 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 RFGP 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/rfgps. 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 Friday, February 9, 2001. 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 proposal, one fully-tabbed copy, and seven copies 
including tabs A-E and appendices should be sent to: U.S. Department of 
State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/PY-
01-26, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal

[[Page 78245]]

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 U.S. 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.'' Public Law 106-113 requires that 
the governments of the countries described above do not have 
inappropriate influence in the selection process. Proposals should 
reflect advancement of these goals in their program contents, to the 
full extent deemed feasible.

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 subject to 
compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and 
forwarded to Bureau grant panels 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 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. Proposals should adequately 
address each area of review. These criteria are not rank ordered.
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission.
    2. Program planning and ability to achieve program objectives: 
Program objectives should be stated clearly and precisely and should 
reflect the applicant's understanding of the project. Objectives need 
to be reasonable, attainable, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution would meet the program's objectives. A 
detailed agenda and work plan should explain how the objectives will be 
achieved and the expected outcomes realized. The proposal should 
describe the academic substance of the project in detail. The agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposals should show how the program 
would strengthen long-term mutual understanding, including maximum 
sharing of information and establishment of long-term institutional and 
individual linkages. Programs that include convincing plans for 
sustainability will be given preference.
    4. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Both program 
administration (selection of participants, program venue and program 
evaluation) and program content (orientation and wrap-up sessions, 
program meetings, resource materials and follow-up activities) should 
address diversity in a comprehensive and innovative manner.
    5. Institutional Capacity and Record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the program or project's goals. The proposal should reflect 
institutional expertise in the subject area and knowledge of the 
conditions in the target country. 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 Bureau Grant 
Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior 
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    6. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support) ensuring that 
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events. Follow-on activities 
should be clearly outlined.
    7. Program Evaluation: Proposals must include a plan and 
methodology to evaluate the program's successes, both as the activities 
unfold and at the end of the program. The Bureau recommends that the 
proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique. The 
evaluation plan should show a clear link between program objectives and 
expected outcomes in the short- and medium-term, and provide a well-
thought-out description of performance indicators and measurement 
tools.
    8. Cost-effectiveness/cost-sharing: The overhead and administrative 
components of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be 
kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and 
appropriate. Administrative costs should account for 20% or less of the 
funding requested from the Bureau. Applicants are encouraged to cost 
share a portion of overhead and administrative expenses. Cost-sharing, 
such as auditable contributions from the applicant, the NIS partner, 
and other sources, should be included in the budget.

    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 FREEDOM Support Act of 1992.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP 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.

[[Page 78246]]

Issuance of the RFGP 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: December 8, 2000.
William B. Bader,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-31911 Filed 12-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-U