[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2501-2503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-1260]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3875]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Development of a Professional Journal and Research Service 
for Overseas U.S. Educational Advising Centers

SUMMARY: The Educational Information and Resources Branch,Office of 
Global Educational Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
(the Bureau) announces an open competition for a professional journal 
and research service for overseas educational advising centers. Public 
or private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 USC 501(c)(3) are invited to submit proposals to 
produce a professional journal to provide timely and in-depth 
information on trends and developments in U.S. higher education and 
other issues and topics relevant to the Department of State-affiliated 
overseas educational advising and information centers. The selected 
organization will also answer reference inquiries from Department of 
State-designated educational advising offices overseas. The Bureau 
anticipates awarding up to $97,000 to one organization for these 
activities.

Program Information

Overview

    This grant funds a professional journal for overseas advisers to 
assist them in providing comprehensive information about the strengths 
and diversity of the U.S. higher educational system to foreign 
audiences. Proposals should illustrate how the organization will 
produce a professional journal, including an internet web site and 
publication, to provide timely and in-depth information for the staff 
of Department of State-affiliated overseas educational advising and 
information centers that advise foreign nationals about educational 
opportunities in the United States. The information provided to 
advisers should focus on the field of U.S. education and offer skill-
building content for practitioners of advising(for example, the 
resource could train advisers in the ethics of the profession and teach 
them how to enhance their communication and listening skills). The 
information should also feature current information on university 
programs, new advising resources, short-term training programs, current 
testing announcements, news briefs, reference questions of world-wide 
interest, and scholarship and financial information useful to overseas 
educational advisers in the conduct of their duties. E-mail updates on 
timely topics relating to U.S. education must be distributed regularly 
to advisers between issues of the electronic and print journals.

Guidelines

    The organization should produce four issues of the publication 
(Summer 2002, Fall 2002, Winter 2002 and Spring 2003), and describe 
what publishing capacity will be used to assure that each issue of the 
publication is produced quickly and efficiently. Five hundred copies of 
the publication must be shipped to the Department of State's

[[Page 2502]]

shipping facility for distribution to overseas educational advising 
centers. The web site must be designed in a user-friendly fashion, with 
an index of topics, and in a format that can be shared directly with 
students with minimal repackaging by the adviser. The web site should 
include additional features such as updates, reference links, and a 
possible bulletin board or chat room that increases contacts between 
advisers and U.S. university representatives. The web site may be 
password protected. The first posting to the web site and the first 
print issue should be available within 90 days of grant receipt.
    The research service will provide information regarding specific 
degree or postgraduate programs, particular types of resources, short-
term training programs, and determining institutional accreditation or 
legitimacy. Most inquiries are for information which is not readily 
available in other print or internet resources. The proposal should 
describe how this service will operate, and how it would respond 
directly to specific inquiries from Department of State-affiliated 
educational advisers overseas. An explanation of the staff's expertise 
in answering individual questions that are detailed or geographically 
specific should be included. The web site and publication must 
acknowledge that its contents were developed, in part, under a grant 
from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department 
of State. The Bureau reserves the right to use all materials produced 
for its own purposes.

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. The budget should not exceed $97,000 for the 
development of the web site, publication, and research service. The 
$97,000 should also cover all printing costs for producing the 
publication. For both the electronic and print versions, applicants are 
encouraged to sell subscriptions and use advertising to offset 
production costs in excess of the grant. The Applicants must submit a 
comprehensive line item budget based on the specific guidance in the 
Solicitation Package. There must be a summary budget as well as a 
break-down of the administrative budget. The Bureau's grant assistance 
will not exceed $97,000. The $97,000 is expected to constitute only a 
portion of the total project funding. Cost sharing is required and the 
proposal should list other anticipated sources of support. Grant 
applications should demonstrate financial and in-kind support.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) Salaries and fringe benefits
(2) Web site design costs, printing, utilities, and other direct costs
(3) Indirect expenses, auditing costs

    Applicants should refer to the Grant 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/A-2002-09.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Global Educational 
Programs, Educational Information and Resources Branch, Department of 
State, 301 4th Street, SW., (SA-44), Washington, DC 20547, Tel: (202) 
619-5549, Fax: (202) 401-1433, E-mail: [email protected]. Potential 
applicants are encouraged to contact the program office to request an 
ApplicationPackage, which includes more detailed award criteria; all 
application forms, and guidelines for preparing proposals, including 
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Please 
specify the Bureau Program Officer,Ann Prince, on all inquiries and 
correspondences. 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 
web site 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 Thursday, March 
7, 2002. 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 eleven copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/A-2002-09,Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 301 4th Street, SW.--SA-44, 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 other Department of State 
Bureaus for their 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

[[Page 2503]]

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 CulturalAffairs. Final technical authority for 
assistance awards resides with the Bureau's grants contracting 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 Planning: Proposals should exhibit originality, 
substance, precision, and relevance to design a web site, produce a 
publication, and provide e-mail updates on timely topics that will 
address the need for in-depth and balanced exploration of issues and 
topics important to overseas educational advisers. In addition, the 
proposal should demonstrate the resources and professional contacts 
necessary to respond in a timely manner to inquiries by overseas 
educational advisers.
    2. Institution's Track Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate 
an institutional record of successful programs, including responsible 
fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements 
for past grants as determined by the Bureau's Office of Contracts. 
Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and 
appropriate to achieve the program goals.
    3. Demonstrated Ability: Proposals should clearly demonstrate how 
the institution will meet the program's objectives and plan. The 
proposal should describe technological and editorial capability.
    4. Project Evaluation: Proposal should provide a plan for 
evaluation by the grantee institution that includes measures of 
success. Evaluation plan should include periodic progress reports at 
the end of the grant cycle, as well as intermediate reports describing 
results of the project.
    5. Cost-Effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries, should be kept as low as possible. 
All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    6. Cost-Sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions. For both electronic and print versions, applicants may 
sell subscriptions and use advertising to offset production costs in 
excess of the grant.
    7. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity, and to exposing readers to the widest possible range of 
views and approaches to U.S. higher education. Attention should be 
given to printing articles relating to different kinds of schools and 
universities from various regions of the U.S. The Department of State 
strives to ensure that all programs conducted under its mandate reflect 
the diversity of the intended audiences.
    The Bureau aggressively seeks and actively encourages the 
involvement of American and international participants from 
traditionally underrepresented groups in all its grants, programs and 
other activities. These include women, racial and ethnic minorities and 
people with disabilities.

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 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: January 3, 2002.
Patricia S. Harrison,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 02-1260 Filed 1-16-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P