[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 149 (Thursday, August 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40309-40312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19194]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3734]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Administration of Partnership Programs in Higher Education

SUMMARY: The Humphrey Fellowships and Institutional Linkages Branch of 
the Office of Global Educational Programs in the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State announces 
an open competition for an assistance award to cooperate with the 
Bureau in the administration of partnership programs in higher 
education in Fiscal Year 2002. These programs include the Educational 
Partnerships Program (formerly known as the College and University 
Affiliations Program), the NIS College and University Partnerships 
Program (NISCUPP), and the NIS Community College Partnerships Program 
(NISCCPP). The partnership programs in higher education award grants to 
accredited U.S. post-secondary institutions to administer projects that 
will strengthen mutual understanding and scholarly cooperation on 
subjects of enduring common interest to the United States, to other 
countries, and to the participating institutions. Contingent on the 
availability of funds, approximately 35 to 45 grant awards in an amount 
totaling between $7 million and $9 million may be issued under these 
programs during Fiscal Year 2002.
    The integrity of these programs requires that they maintain the 
highest and most consistent standards of academic and professional 
quality in the selection of proposals and the implementation of 
projects. Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the 
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit 
proposals to provide administrative and program services for the 
Bureau's educational partnership programs in Fiscal Year 2002 by 
undertaking the following activities: (1) Technical review of 
approximately 225 proposals that are expected to be submitted to the 
Bureau for these programs in Fiscal Year 2002; (2) coordinating the 
academic review of eligible proposals by independent panels of 
scholarly and professional experts in consultation with representatives 
of the Department of State, and providing expert recommendations about 
the merits of the proposals that should receive final consideration; 
(3) making substantive recommendations concerning the administration of 
the exchange projects to be funded through these programs and about the 
parameters and guidelines for these programs in future years; (4) 
dissemination of information about these programs for the FY2003 cycle; 
(5) conducting a proposal development workshop for approximately 25 
administrators and faculty members at U.S. institutions of higher 
education; (6) cooperation in announcing the issuance of the FY 2002 
grant awards and in promoting visibility for the projects funded under 
these programs; and, (7) development of an illustrated brochure for use 
in disseminating information about the purposes and achievements of 
educational partnership programs since their establishment by the 
Bureau in 1982.

Program Information

Overview

    The Bureau's international institutional partnership programs in 
higher education support cooperative partnerships of U.S. colleges and 
universities with foreign post-secondary institutions through faculty 
and staff exchanges and related activities. Competitions target 
specified themes and geographic regions and typically focus on the 
humanities, the social sciences, public administration, business, law, 
journalism and mass communications, public health policy and 
administration, or educational administration. A list of previously 
issued educational partnership and affiliations grants can be found 
online at: http://exchanges.state.gov/education/cuap/history. Programs 
for which administrative cooperation is requested through this 
solicitation include the following programs:
    (1) The Educational Partnerships Program, formerly known as the 
College and University Affiliations Program,

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supports partnerships with institutions in selected countries in every 
world region except the New Independent States of the former Soviet 
Union (NIS). Funding is currently provided from the Bureau's exchanges 
appropriation or through interagency transfers, for example, under the 
Support for East European Democracies (SEED) Act or the U.S.-North 
African Economic Partnership (USNAEP). Under this program, colleges and 
universities conduct exchanges of professors and administrators in 
projects designed to ensure a broad and coherent impact.
    (2) On a parallel track and with funding provided through 
interagency transfers under the FREEDOM Support Act, the NIS College 
and University Partnerships Program (NISCUPP) supports partnerships 
with institutions in the NIS with an emphasis on projects that will 
assist countries in that world region in their transitions toward 
market-oriented economies and democratic political practices.
    (3) Also with funding under the FREEDOM Support Act, the NIS 
Community College Partnerships Program (NISCCPP) supports the 
partnerships of U.S. community colleges with institutions in selected 
countries of the NIS with the same emphasis as in the NIS College and 
University Partnerships Program.
    Based on recent experience, the Bureau anticipates receiving from 
100 to 120 proposals for the Educational Partnerships Program; from 60 
to 85 for the NISCUPP; and from 10 to 20 for the NISCCPP. The deadline 
for the submission of applications in these competitions is anticipated 
for January 2002. All competitions for which cooperation is invited in 
this solicitation will be announced in the Federal Register as Requests 
for Grant Proposals.
    Applicant organizations should explain how they will administer the 
technical review in a fast and efficient manner, and how they will 
organize the independent review of eligible proposals by qualified 
experts in terms of the review criteria specified in the Requests for 
Grant Proposals. In addition, the proposal should explain how the 
applicant organization will utilize the expertise of panelists and its 
own knowledge of educational exchange programs to formulate 
recommendations for the administration of the FY2002 exchange projects 
and for the guidelines and parameters for these programs in future 
years. The proposal should also outline a strategy designed to ensure 
that information about these programs is widely disseminated to 
potential applicants for the FY2003 application cycles. An application 
workshop should be designed in consultation with the Bureau to increase 
the competitiveness of proposals submitted for these competitions. The 
proposal should outline a strategy for announcing the issuance of the 
FY2002 grant awards for these Programs in order to give appropriate 
visibility to funded projects and to the partnership programs within 
the U.S. and foreign academic communities. Finally, the proposal should 
outline a plan to prepare and publish a brochure about the purposes and 
achievements of educational partnership projects during the twenty 
years since the establishment of the College and University 
Affiliations Program in 1982.
    Approximate Program Dates: Pending the availability of FY-2002 
funds, the grant should begin on or about December 1, 2001 and end 
approximately November 30, 2002.

Guidelines

Project Description

    The Humphrey Fellowships and Institutional Linkages Branch of the 
Bureau's Office of Global Educational Programs will work closely with 
the recipient of the cooperative agreement and will maintain a regular 
dialogue on administrative issues and questions as they arise over the 
duration of the award. In consultation with the Branch, the award 
recipient shall undertake the following tasks:
    (1) Review approximately 225 proposals for compliance with the 
technical eligibility factors published in the appropriate Request for 
Grant Proposals (RFGP) for FY 2002 competitions. Copies of previous 
year RFGPs for the three partnership programs listed in this 
solicitation document will be provided in the application package. In 
addition, copies of the FY 2002 RFGPs will be made available if they 
are published prior to the deadline for this competition. Currently 
open RFGPs may also be accessed online at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps. RFGPs generally provide guidelines about eligible 
countries, fields, types of institutions, funding levels, deadlines and 
other requirements. Proposals may be declared ineligible due to: (a) 
Ineligibility of a U.S. or foreign partner institutions; (b) submission 
by an organization other than the U.S. partner; (c) ineligibility of 
the foreign country or location for the competition in question; (d) 
ineligibility of the amount of funding requested, or other factors. 
Upon completion of the technical review, the recipient should provide 
the Bureau with a list of eligible proposals, organized by foreign 
country or location.
    (2) Coordinate the independent review of technically eligible 
proposals in meetings of scholarly and professional experts who are 
qualified by their regional and subject expertise to evaluate the 
proposals in terms of the published review criteria. The recipient of 
the cooperative agreement shall organize the meetings to review the 
proposals regionally or thematically in consultation with the program 
office. Applicants are encouraged to discuss and to recommend, in their 
submissions, options for organizing the review of proposals. Following 
the panel meetings, the cooperating agency shall promptly provide the 
Bureau with a detailed appraisal report, including a summary of the 
panel discussion, to facilitate the Department of State's review of 
those proposals recommended for its consideration. The appraisal 
reports shall also provide an adequate basis for the Bureau's program 
office to provide constructive suggestions for improving the proposals 
under review.
    (3) Provide, based on discussions with the independent reviewers 
and on its own knowledge of international scholarly and educational 
exchange programs, substantive and broad-ranging recommendations to the 
Bureau regarding the proposed exchange projects and for program 
guidelines and parameters in future years.
    (4) Disseminate information to institutions that have not 
previously applied to receive grants through the educational 
partnership programs administered by the Office of Global Educational 
Programs. Proposals should include creative strategies for identifying 
and communicating effectively with appropriate institutional officials 
as well as potential project directors with subject and regional 
interests that coincide with eligible competition themes and regions.
    (5) Conduct one one-day proposal development workshop for 
approximately 25 representatives of institutions that submitted 
proposals in FY2000, FY2001, or FY2002 but which were not funded. The 
purpose of the workshop would be to enable these institutions to 
improve the quality of their submissions in the future. The proposal 
should outline a strategy for sharing the costs of this workshop with 
the participating institutions and for developing an appropriate agenda 
that will meet their needs as well as those of the program office.
    (6) In coordination with the Bureau, announce the issuance of the 
FY2002 grant awards in order to achieve greater

[[Page 40311]]

visibility for the educational partnership programs.
    (7) In consultation with the Bureau, develop a brochure about the 
educational partnership programs, which have been administered by the 
Bureau since 1982. Summarize and highlight their objectives and 
achievements and, using information available on the program's website, 
report on the distribution of grants by field, country, and world 
region over more than twenty years of program activity.
    In its submission, the applicant shall designate a coordinator to 
cooperate with the Bureau in overseeing the process for identifying 
qualified panelists, the technical reviews, the independent panel 
review meetings, the preparation of the detailed summaries of the 
academic review discussions, the provision of recommendations to the 
Bureau for the administration of these Programs, the dissemination of 
information about the FY2003 programs, the design and administration of 
the proposal development workshop, the announcement of the issuance of 
the FY2002 grant awards, and the preparation of the brochure.

Eligibility

    To facilitate the observation of the panel review meetings by U.S. 
Department of State representatives, applicants should have the 
capacity to conduct the panel meetings in the Washington, D.C. 
metropolitan area.

Budget Guidelines

    Because grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than 
four years of experience in conducting international exchange programs 
will be limited to $60,000, such organizations are not encouraged to 
apply in this competition.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. The total request to the Bureau, including any amount 
requested for a Travel Management Center (TMC) account, may not exceed 
$225,000. Please note that the Proposal Submission Instructions explain 
the use of TMC accounts and that a minimum travel budget of $20,000 is 
required to establish a TMC account. There must be a summary budget as 
well as separate sub-budgets for each program component to provide 
clarification.
    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/A/
S/U-02-02 (Administration of Partnerhsip Programs in Higher Education).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Global Educational 
Programs, ECA/A/S/U, room 349, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th 
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: 202-619-4126; fax: 
202-401-1433; 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 Jonathan Cebra on all 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, D.C. time on Friday, October 
19, 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 seven copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-02-02, 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.

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 Program Plan/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: 
Agenda and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines 
described above and in the Application Package. Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. The proposal should clearly 
demonstrate how the organization will meet the program's objectives and 
plan, including the coordination of staffing for overlapping review 
schedules.
    2. Institution's Record/Ability/Capacity: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be

[[Page 40312]]

adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's goals. The proposal 
should demonstrate responsible fiscal management and full compliance 
with all reporting requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by 
Bureau's Grants Division.
    3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. The proposal should 
describe the process for ensuring diversity among the review panelists. 
In addition to knowledge of eligible regions and subjects, panelists 
should also have appropriate experience with or knowledge of the types 
of institutions represented in the proposals to be reviewed.
    4. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the success of each program component. Draft survey questionnaires for 
the use of panelists and workshop participants should be provided.
    5. Cost-effectiveness: 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 
portions of the program cited above is provided through the Freedom for 
Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act 
of 1992 (FREEDOM Support Act) and through the Support for East European 
Democracies Act.

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: July 24, 2001.
Brian J. Sexton,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional Exchanges, Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 01-19194 Filed 8-1-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P