[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 32 (Thursday, February 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10555-10557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3879]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3577]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Internet Access and Training Program in the Western NIS

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Exchange Programs/European Programs 
Branch of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) 
announces an open competition for the Internet Access and Training 
Program in the Western NIS. Public and private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may 
submit proposals to administer the Internet Access and Training Program 
(IATP) in the Western NIS (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine). The grantee 
organization will oversee and carry out IATP operations, including the 
establishment of new IATP sites in the Western NIS, the maintenance and 
enhancement of existing sites, the development of Internet outreach and 
educational projects, and engaging ECA alumni and other interested 
groups in the IATP. All activities of the IATP will be undertaken in 
regular and consistent consultation with the Public Affairs Section 
(PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in each participating country.

Program Information

Overview
    The IATP sponsors public access Internet sites throughout the 
former Soviet Union. The IATP makes e-mail and the World Wide Web 
available to ECA alumni and other target audiences through its support 
of these Internet sites. IATP sites are typically located at public 
libraries, NGOs and universities with which the IATP administering 
organization has entered into mutually beneficial agreements that 
govern how the sites are managed and maintained. In addition, the IATP 
serves as a means to train its target audiences in the effective and 
meaningful use of the World Wide Web, including instruction in the 
design and maintenance of websites, databases and distance education 
courses. The goals of the program are to promote the development of on-
line information resources in the Western NIS and to facilitate the 
exposure of ECA alumni and targeted audiences to the World Wide Web. 
The IATP also sponsors a small grants competition by which ECA alumni 
and other groups may receive funding for Internet projects of their own 
design.
    Subject to the availability of funds, it is anticipated that this 
grant will begin on or about September 1, 2001. Please refer to the 
Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    Grants awarded to eligible 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. ECA anticipates awarding one grant in the amount of $1,750,000 
($350,000 for Belarus; $400,000 for Moldova; $1,000,000 for Ukraine) to 
support the program and administrative costs required to implement this 
program. ECA encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost 
sharing and funding from private sources in support of its programs. 
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 Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with ECA concerning this RFGP should reference 
the above title and number ECA/A/E/EUR-01-11.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Academic Exchanges, ECA/
A/E/EUR, Room 246, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, tel. (202) 205-0525, fax (202) 260-7985, 
[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 ECA Program Officer 
Sheila Casey 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, Department of State 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 ECA'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 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, April 6, 
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

[[Page 10556]]

that the proposals are received by the above deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and eight (8) copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/EUR-01-11, Program Management, ECA/EX/
PM, Room 534, 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. ECA will transmit 
these files electronically to the Public Affairs Sections at U.S. 
Embassies for review, with the goal of reducing the time it takes to 
obtain Embassy comments for ECA's grants review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

    Pursuant to ECA'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,'' ECA ``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

    ECA 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 by the Public Diplomacy Sections overseas, 
where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be subject to compliance 
with Federal and ECA regulations and guidelines and forwarded to 
Department of State 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 Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards 
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with ECA'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 Development and Management: The proposal should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, innovation, and relevance to ECA's 
mission. Objectives should be reasonable, feasible and flexible. The 
proposal should clearly demonstrate how the grantee organization will 
meet the program's objectives. A relevant work plan should demonstrate 
substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. The work plan should 
adhere to the program overview and guidelines described above.
    2. Multiplier Effect/Impact: The IATP should strengthen long-term 
mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of information and 
Internet expertise. The grantee organization should include ECA alumni 
as a resource for facilitating IATP outreach and education.
    3. Support of Diversity: The proposal should demonstrate the 
grantee organization's commitment to promoting the awareness and 
understanding of diversity through geographic distribution of IATP 
sites and outreach to groups identified in consultation with PAS 
officers in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
    4. Institution's Record/Ability: The proposal should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful administration of Internet programs. 
Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and 
appropriate to achieve the program's goals.
    5. Project Evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to 
evaluate the success of the IATP. ECA recommends that the proposal 
include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique, plus a 
description of methodologies that can be used to link outcomes to 
original project objectives. The grantee organization will be expected 
to submit periodic progress reports that elucidate the successes 
achieved, and obstacles encountered, by the IATP.
    6. Cost-effectiveness and 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. The proposal should maximize cost sharing 
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct 
funding contributions.
    7. Follow-on and Sustainability: The proposal should provide a plan 
for continued follow-on activity that ensures that ECA-supported 
programs are not isolated events, but have meaning and scope beyond the 
time the actual exchange took place. The proposal should address the 
feasibility of sustaining viable IATP sites and training seminars after 
ECA funding ends.

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 in part through the FREEDOM Support Act of 
1993.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may 
not be modified by any ECA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by ECA that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment 
on the part of the Government. ECA reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal

[[Page 10557]]

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 ECA procedures.

    Dated: February 9, 2001.
Helena Kane Finn,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 01-3879 Filed 2-14-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P