[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69798-69801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-29350]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4207]


Discretionary Grant Programs Application Notice Establishing 
Closing Date for Transmittal of Certain Fiscal Year 2003 Applications

AGENCY: The Department of State invites applications from national 
organizations with interest and expertise in conducting research and 
training to serve as intermediaries administering national competitive 
programs concerning the countries of Central and East Europe and 
Eurasia. The grants will be awarded through an open, national 
competition among applicant organizations.
    Authority for this Program for Research and Training on Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union is 
contained in the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 
1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended).

SUMMARY: The purpose of this application notice is to inform potential 
applicant organizations of fiscal and programmatic information and 
closing dates for transmittal of applications for awards in Fiscal Year 
2003 under a program administered by the Department of State. The 
program seeks to build and sustain expertise among Americans willing to 
make a career commitment to the study of Central and East Europe and 
Eurasia.
    Organization of Notice: This notice contains three parts. Part I 
lists the closing date covered by of this notice. Part II consists of a 
statement of purpose and priorities of the program. Part III provides 
the fiscal data for the program.

Part I

Closing Date for Transmittal of Applications

    Applications for an award must be sent by Express Mail, commercial 
courier (e.g. FEDEX, UPS, or DHL), or hand-delivered by February 14, 
2003.
    Applications must be addressed to Kenneth E. Roberts, Executive 
Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 2251, U.S. 
Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520-6510.
    An applicant must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the 
following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
center.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Department of 
State.
    If any application is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Department of State does not accept either of the following as proof of 
mailing: (1) A private metered postmark, or (2) a mail receipt that is 
not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not 
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an 
applicant should check with the local post office.
    Late applications will not be considered and will be returned to 
the applicant.

Applications Delivered by Hand

    An application that is hand delivered must be taken to Kenneth E. 
Roberts, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern 
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, 
Room 2251, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC. Please use the entrance 
on 21st St., just north of the intersection with C St., and phone at 
(202) 736-4572 for pick up at the entrance.
    The Advisory Committee staff will accept hand-delivered 
applications between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. e.s.t. daily, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    An application that is hand delivered will not be accepted after 4 
p.m. on the closing date.

Part II

Program Information

    In the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983, 
the Congress declared that independently verified factual knowledge 
about the countries of that area is ``of utmost importance for the 
national security of the United States, for the furtherance of our 
national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and for the 
prudent management of our domestic affairs.'' Congress also declared 
that the development and maintenance of such knowledge and expertise 
``depends upon the national capability for advanced research by highly 
trained and experienced specialists, available for service in and out 
of Government.'' The program provides financial support for advanced 
research, training and other related functions on the countries of the 
region. By strengthening and sustaining in the United States a cadre of 
experts on Central and East Europe and the NIS, the program contributes 
to the overall objectives of the FREEDOM Support and SEED Acts.
    The full purpose of the Act and the eligibility requirements are 
set forth in Pub. L. 98-164, 97 Stat. 1047-50, as amended. The 
countries include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia 
(including Kosovo and Montenegro), Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, 
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

[[Page 69799]]

    The Act establishes an Advisory Committee to recommend grant 
policies and recipients. The Secretary or Deputy Secretary of State, 
after consultation with the Advisory Committee, approves policies and 
makes the final determination on awards.
    Applications for funding under the Act are invited from U.S. 
organizations prepared to conduct competitive programs on Central and 
East Europe and Eurasia and related fields. Applying organizations or 
institutions should have the capability to conduct competitive award 
programs that are national in scope. Programs of this nature are those 
that make awards based upon an open, nationwide competition, 
incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Individual end-users of 
these funds--those to whom the applicant organizations or institutions 
propose to make awards--must be at the graduate or post-doctoral level, 
and must have demonstrated a likely career commitment to the study of 
Central and East Europe and/or Eurasia.
    Applications sought in this competition among organizations or 
institutions are those that would contribute to the development of a 
stable, long-term, national program of unclassified, advanced research 
and training on the countries of Central and East Europe and/or Eurasia 
by proposing:
    (1) National programs that award contracts or grants to American 
institutions of higher education or not-for-profit corporations in 
support of post-doctoral or equivalent level research projects, such 
contracts or grants to contain shared-cost provisions;
    (2) National programs that offer graduate, post-doctoral and 
teaching fellowships for advanced training on the countries of Central 
and East Europe and Eurasia, and in related studies, including training 
in the languages of the region, with such training to be conducted on a 
shared-cost basis, at American institutions of higher education;
    (3) National programs that provide fellowships and other support 
for American specialists enabling them to conduct advanced research on 
the countries of Central and East Europe and Eurasia, and in related 
studies; and those which facilitate research collaboration between 
Government and private specialists in these areas;
    (4) National programs that provide advanced training and research 
on a reciprocal basis in the countries of Central and East Europe and 
Eurasia by facilitating access for American specialists to research 
facilities and resources in those countries;
    (5) National programs that facilitate the public dissemination of 
research methods, data and findings; and those which propose to 
strengthen the national capability for advanced research or training on 
the countries of Central and East Europe and Eurasia in ways not 
specified above.

    Note: The Advisory Committee will not consider applications from 
individuals to further their own training or research, or from 
institutions or organizations whose proposals are not for 
competitive award programs that are national in scope as defined 
above. Support for specific activities will be guided by the 
following policies and priorities:

    [sbull] Support for Transitions. The Advisory Committee strongly 
encourages support for research activities which, while building 
expertise among U.S. specialists on the region, also: (1) Promote 
fundamental goals of U.S. assistance programs such as helping establish 
market economies and promoting democratic governance and civil 
societies, and (2) provide knowledge to both U.S. and foreign audiences 
related to current U.S. policy interests in the region, broadly 
defined. This includes, but is not limited to, such topics as 
resolution of ethnic, religious, and other conflict; terrorism; 
security and defense reform; transition economics; media studies; 
women's issues and trafficking in persons; human rights; and citizen 
participation in politics and civil society. For on-site research, 
applicants are encouraged to think creatively about how individuals' 
work may complement democratization and marketization assistance 
activities in the region. Examples might include lecturing at a 
university or participating in workshops with host government and 
parliamentary officials, nongovernmental organizations, and other 
assistance target audiences on issues related to market and democratic 
transitions.
    The Advisory Committee gives priority to programs on Central Asia, 
the Caucasus, Ukraine and the Balkans, especially the former 
Yugoslavia, where gaps in knowledge exist. The Advisory Committee 
encourages research on Russia that focuses on regions and areas outside 
capital cities. Historical or cultural research that promotes 
understanding of current events in the region is acceptable if an 
explicit connection can be made to contemporary political and/or 
economic transitions. Research on such topics as musicology or 
mathematics generally is not appropriate for funding.
    [sbull] Promoting Federal Service for Title VIII Grant Recipients. 
Although the title VIII program does not have a federal service 
commitment for individuals receiving funding, the Advisory Committee 
would like grantees to explore ways to encourage end-users, where 
appropriate, to pursue U.S. Government career opportunities, 
internships, or short-term sabbaticals after completing their awards.
    In this competition, the Advisory Committee welcomes proposals that 
promote opportunities for individuals in disciplines with Eurasian and/
or East European studies concentrations to serve on a temporary basis 
as policy or other experts in U.S. Embassies and/or with Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the region.
    Publications. Funds awarded in this competition should not be used 
to subsidize journals, newsletters and other periodical publications 
except in special circumstances, in which cases the funds should be 
supplied through peer-review organizations with national competitive 
programs.
    [sbull] Conferences. Proposals for conferences, like those for 
research projects and training programs, should be assessed according 
to their relative contribution to the advancement of knowledge and to 
the professional development of cadres in the fields. Therefore, 
requests for conference funding should be directed to one or more of 
the national peer-review organizations receiving program funds, with 
proposed conferences being evaluated competitively against research, 
fellowship or other proposals for achieving the purposes of the grant.
    [sbull] Library Activities. Funds may be used for certain library 
activities that clearly strengthen research and training on the 
countries of Central and East Europe and Eurasia and benefit the fields 
as a whole. Such programs must make awards based upon open, nationwide 
competition, incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Funds may not 
be used for activities such as modernization, acquisition, or 
preservation. Modest, cost-effective proposals to facilitate research, 
by eliminating serious cataloging backlogs or otherwise improving 
access to research materials, will be considered.
    [sbull] Language Support. The Advisory Committee encourages 
attention to the non-Russian languages of Eurasia and the less commonly 
taught languages of Central and East Europe. Support provided for 
Russian language instruction/study normally will be only for advanced 
level. Applicants proposing to offer language instruction are 
encouraged to apply to a national program as described above that has 
appropriate peer group review mechanisms.

[[Page 69800]]

    [sbull] Support for Non-Americans. The purpose of the program is to 
build and sustain U.S. expertise on the countries of Central and East 
Europe and Eurasia. Therefore, the Advisory Committee has determined 
that highest priority for support always should go to American 
specialists (i.e., U.S. citizens or permanent residents). Support for 
such activities as long-term research fellowships, i.e., nine months or 
longer, should be restricted solely to American scholars. Support for 
short-term activities also should be restricted to Americans, except in 
special instances where the participation of a non-American scholar has 
clear and demonstrable benefits to the American scholarly community. In 
such special instances, the applicant must justify the expenditure. 
Despite this restriction on support for non-Americans, collaborative 
projects are encouraged--where the non-American component is funded 
from other sources--and priority is given to institutions whose 
programs contain such an international component.
    [sbull] Balanced National Program. In making its recommendations, 
the Committee will seek to encourage a coherent, long-term, and stable 
effort directed toward developing and maintaining a national capability 
on the countries of Central and East Europe and Eurasia. Program 
proposals can be for the conduct of any of the functions enumerated, 
but in making its recommendations, the Committee will be concerned to 
develop a balanced national effort that will ensure attention to all 
the countries of the area.
    [sbull] Cost-sharing. Legislation requires and this announcement 
indicates under Program Information of this section that in certain 
cases grantee organizations must include shared-cost provisions in 
their arrangements with end-users. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged, 
whenever feasible, in all programs.

Part III

Available Funds

    Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funding may 
be available at a level up to $5.0 million. The precise level of 
funding will not be known until legislative action is complete. In 
Fiscal Year 2002, the Congress appropriated to the program $5.0 million 
from the FREEDOM Support and Support for East European Democracies 
(SEED) Acts, which funded grants to 8 national organizations, with $3.4 
million for activities on Eurasia and $1.6 million for those on Central 
and East Europe, including the Baltic states. The number of awards 
varies each year, depending on the level of funding and the quality of 
the applications submitted.
    The Department legally cannot commit funds that may be appropriated 
in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multi-year projects cannot receive 
assured funding unless such funding is supplied out of a single year's 
appropriation. Grant agreements may permit the expenditure from a 
particular year's grant to be made up to three years after the grant's 
effective beginning date.

Applications

    Applications must be prepared and submitted in 20 copies in Times 
New Roman font, 12 pitch in the following format: One-page, single-
spaced Executive Summary; budget presentation with footnotes detailing 
line items; narrative description of proposed programs not to exceed 20 
double-spaced pages; one-page, single-spaced vitae of key professional 
staff; and required certifications. Applicants may append other 
information they consider essential, although bulky submissions are 
discouraged and run the risk of not being reviewed fully.

Budget

    Because funds will be appropriated separately for Central and East 
Europe (including the Baltic states) and Eurasia programs, proposals 
must indicate how the requested funds will be distributed by region, 
country (to the extent possible), and activity. Subsequently, grant 
recipients must report expenditures by region, country, and activity.
    Applicants should familiarize themselves with Department of State 
grant regulations contained in 22 CFR part 145, ``Grants and 
Cooperative Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, 
Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations''; 22 CFR part 137, 
``Department of State Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-
Procurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace 
(Grants)''; OMB Circular A-110, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements 
for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, 
Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations''; and OMB Circular A-
133, ``Audits of Institutions of Higher Learning and Other Non-Profit 
Institutions''; and indicate or provide the following information:
    (1) Whether the organization falls under OMB Circular No. A-21, 
``Cost Principles for Educational Institutions,'' or OMB Circular No. 
A-122, ``Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations'';
    (2) A detailed program budget indicating direct expenses with 
clearly identified administrative costs by program element and by 
region (Eurasia or Central and East Europe), indirect costs, and the 
total amount requested. The budget should indicate clearly the total 
amount requested as the sum of the amount requested for Eurasia 
activities plus the amount requested for Central and East Europe 
activities. The budget also should reflect administrative costs as a 
percentage of the total requested funding. NB: Indirect costs are 
limited to 10 percent of total direct program costs. Applicants 
requesting funds to supplement a program having other sources of 
support should submit a current budget for the total program and an 
estimated future budget for it, showing how specific lines in the 
budget would be affected by the allocation of requested grant funds. 
Other funding sources and amounts, when known, should be identified.
    (3) The applicant's cost-sharing proposal, if applicable, 
containing appropriate details and cross references to the requested 
budget;
    (4) The organization's most recent audit report (the most recent 
U.S. Government audit report, if available) and the name, address, and 
point of contact of the audit agency. N.B.: The threshold for grants 
that trigger an audit requirement has been raised from $25,000 to 
$300,000.
    (5) An indication of the applicant's priorities if funding is being 
requested for more than one program or activity.
    All payments will be made to grant recipients through the U.S. 
Government-run Payment Management System (PMS).

Narrative Statement

    The Applicant must describe fully the proposed programs, including 
detailed information about plans for advertising and recruiting for 
programs, peer review and selection procedures and identification of 
anticipated selection committee participants, estimates of the types 
and amounts of anticipated awards, and benefits of these programs for 
the Central and East European and Eurasian fields.
    Applicants who have received previous grants from this State 
Department program should provide detailed information on the end-user 
awards made, including, where applicable, names/affiliations of 
recipients, and amounts and types of awards. Applicants should specify 
both past and anticipated applicant to award ratios. A summary of an 
organization's past grants under this State Department program also 
should be included.

[[Page 69801]]

    Proposals from national organizations involving language 
instruction programs should provide, for those programs supported in 
the past year, information on the criteria for evaluation, including 
levels of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, facilities, methods 
for measuring language proficiency (including pre- and post-testing), 
indications of progress achieved by title VIII-funded students, 
instructors' qualifications, and budget information showing estimated 
costs per student.

Certifications

    Applicants must include a description of affirmative action 
policies and practices and certifications of compliance with the 
provisions of: (1) The Drug-Free Workplace Act (Pub. L. 100-690), in 
accordance with appendix C of 22 CFR part 137, subpart F; and (2) 
section 319 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 101-121), in accordance with appendix A of 
22 CFR part 138, New Restrictions on Lobbying Activities.

Technical Review

    The Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union will evaluate 
applications on the basis of the following criteria:
    (1) Responsiveness to the substantive provisions set forth above in 
Program part II, Information (45 points);
    (2) The professional qualifications of the applicant's key 
personnel and selection committees, and their experience conducting 
national competitive award programs of the type the applicant proposes 
on the countries of Central and East Europe and/or the Eurasia (35 
points); and
    (3) Budget presentation and cost effectiveness (20 points).

Further Information

    For further information, contact Kenneth E. Roberts, Executive 
Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the 
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Room 2251, U.S. 
Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520-6510. 
Telephone: (202) 736-4572 or 736-4386, fax: (202) 736-4851 or (202) 
736-4557.

    Dated: November 13, 2002.
Kenneth E. Roberts,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe 
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 02-29350 Filed 11-18-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-32-P