[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 120 (Thursday, June 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33290-33292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15542]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3703]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Future Leaders Exchange Civic Education Workshops

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division of 
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition to conduct spring 2002 and spring 2003 Civic Education 
workshops for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. Overall goals 
of the workshops are: (1) To expose high school students from the New 
Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union to federal 
political processes and citizen participation in government at the 
national level; (2) to examine the concept of effective leadership in 
society through looking at positive and negative examples and role 
models; and (3) to provide students with specific tools they can take 
home to aid in the transformation of their home countries to democratic 
and civil societies. Public and private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may 
submit proposals to develop and conduct a one-week workshop in 
Washington, DC, in Spring 2002 and Spring 2003 that focuses on the 
basic tenets of the Constitution and the fundamental elements of a 
civil society, including the relationship between the federal 
government and state and local governments, and the rule of law in a 
civil society. Each workshop should include approximately 110 high 
school students from the NIS who are attending school in the United 
States during 2001/02 and 2002/03. Workshop participants will be 
selected through an essay contest from among a group of 1,211 students 
who are participating in the Division's FLEX program. Competitive 
proposals will demonstrate a method for substantive and specific 
measurement of whether the goals listed above have been achieved. The 
maximum grant award will be $290,000. Only one grant will be awarded. 
Provision of cost sharing to maximize the number of participants will 
be looked at very favorably.

Program Information

    The recipient of the grant is responsible for developing and 
conducting the Civic Education workshop based on guidelines set forth 
by the Division. The grantee organization will also be responsible for 
coordinating travel arrangements for each participant from his/her host 
community to Washington, DC and return, and for providing room and 
board for students during their time in Washington. Proposals must 
demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to work with the Department 
of State and the Bureau in arranging certain briefings and visits, as 
the opportunity arises.
    Overview: These workshops should enable participants to learn 
firsthand about the federal system of government, observe government 
institutions, hear about and discuss issues on the federal agenda, and 
interact with government officials. Special attention should be paid to 
those issues that will be especially significant to people from the 
former Soviet Union. The workshops should also provide an opportunity 
for participants to gain a broader understanding of democratic concepts 
and values that are such an integral part of American society and 
culture, such as citizen empowerment, volunteerism, community action, 
and debate. The program should be arranged for seven days, including 
arrival and departure.
    The grantee organization will be provided with the names of the 
students who will have been chosen through a competitive essay contest. 
The essays will have been reviewed by independent, objective selectors. 
Winning essays will be sent to the grantee organization, as well.
    Guidelines: The workshops should be held in late winter or early 
Spring 2002 and Spring 2003. Proposals must effectively describe the 
organization's ability to accomplish the following essential components 
of the program:
    1. Provide a Civic Education workshop in Washington, DC, as 
described above and held at the time period indicated. Program 
components should include sessions on federalism, U.S. domestic and 
foreign policy, the role of the media in the United States, citizen 
empowerment, volunteerism and community activism. Leadership should be 
a sub-theme throughout the program and should include the effective 
exercise of leadership in the political process.
    2. Provide pre-program training for organization staff on NIS 
society and culture.

[[Page 33291]]

    3. Provide housing and meals for the students throughout the 
program.
    4. Arrange travel for students from their U.S. host communities to 
Washington, DC, and return in coordination with FLEX placement 
organizations. (Note: Students will likely be coming from most of the 
50 states.) Provide ground transportation for students in the DC area, 
including to and from airports.
    5. Provide opportunities to attend cultural events and visit 
museums and monuments.
    6. Coordinate with the Bureau's Youth Programs Division (ECA/PE/C/
PY) and the Department's Office of Congressional Affairs (H) in making 
appropriate arrangements for individual meetings for all workshop 
participants with their respective members of Congress (either Senator 
or Representative).
    7. Provide staff to assist in case of medical emergencies.
    8. Incorporate a program component designed to facilitate students' 
transition from the DC program to their host communities. Include a 
description of the ways in which students will be encouraged to share 
what they have learned, both in their U.S. host communities and when 
they return to their home countries.
    9. Provide a mechanism for evaluation of the program in terms of 
its impact on the students and its success in fulfilling the 
objectives.
    A competitive proposal will incorporate important elements of 
American culture in sessions that are largely interactive and designed 
to appeal to high school-age students. The program must be substantive 
and academic while, at the same time, be paced realistically to meet 
the needs of young people.
    Significant cost sharing is important since it will enable a 
greater number of students to participate. Therefore, those proposals 
that show more generous and creative cost sharing will be more 
favorably viewed. Please refer to the Program Objectives, Goals, and 
Implementation (POGI) section of the Solicitation Package for greater 
detail regarding the design of component parts as well as other program 
information.

Budget Guidelines

    Organizations must arrange a program and submit a proposal and 
budget for a minimum of 110 students but may increase the number of 
participants through cost sharing the additional expenses incurred. 
Proposals that maximize the number of students will be favorably 
viewed. One grant will be awarded for this activity. It is estimated 
that the total costs of the Civic Education workshop will average 
$1,300 per NIS participant for a one-week program, including U.S. 
domestic travel costs.
    Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years 
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000. The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant in the 
amount of $290,000 to support program and administrative costs required 
to implement these two workshops. Awards will not exceed $290,000. The 
Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost-sharing 
and funding from private sources in support of its programs.
    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 
Solicitation Package for further details, including a list of allowable 
costs for the program, complete budget guidelines, and formatting 
instructions. Please note that all workshop participants will be 
covered by health insurance under separate grants to their placement 
organizations.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C/PY-02-04.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, 
Youth Programs Division (ECA/PE/C/PY), Room 568, U.S. Department of 
State, 301 4th Street, S.W., 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 Manager Diana Aronson 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 p.m. Washington, DC time on Monday, August 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 that the proposals are received by 
the above deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and 8 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/PY-02-04, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 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.'' 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.

[[Page 33292]]

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. 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 Acting 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. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission, as well as the objectives of the FLEX program. Program design 
must reflect an understanding of young people and of cultural traits 
that would be specific to this population.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact/follow on: Proposed programs should 
describe the impact that workshop participants will have on others, 
both in their U.S. host communities and in the NIS after they return 
home. There should be a plan for providing students with tools they can 
take back to their NIS home countries to implement concepts and ideas 
they have gained from the workshop. Proposals also should explain how 
students will be prepared to transition back to their host communities.
    5. Support of diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in 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).
    6. Institutional capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution's record/ability: 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.
    8. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. The successful applicant will be 
expected to submit a final report.
    9. 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. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other 
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

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. 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: June 8, 2001.
Helena Kane Finn,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 01-15542 Filed 6-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-U