[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 44 (Thursday, March 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10759-10762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5009]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4290]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: U.S./Ukraine Policy Dialog Exchange

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the U.S./Ukraine 
Policy Dialog Exchange. Public and private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 
U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to support a program that will 
facilitate an on-going exchange of views among policymakers and other 
leading experts from both countries. The program will focus on issues 
that affect U.S./Ukrainian relations.

Program Information

    Overview: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (The 
Bureau) invites applicants to submit a proposal for a two-year project 
that will initiate and support dialog among policymakers and leading 
experts from both countries. The purpose of the program is to

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advance constructive dialog and enhance relationships among experts in 
the two countries by providing an on-going forum through which they can 
freely exchange ideas and discuss issues and concerns of mutual 
interest in the context of the bilateral relationship between the two 
nations. Of particular interest are key issues that impact Ukraine's 
democratic and market-oriented development and its eventual integration 
into the Euro-Atlantic community. Participants should be from a range 
of organizations and sectors such as business, media, research 
institutes, as well as government.
    Guidelines: Applicants should propose four, one-week working 
sessions over the two-year grant period. Two should take place in the 
U.S. and two in Ukraine. They should not be held in the same country 
two times in a row, but alternate between the U.S. and Ukraine. Up to 
30 participants may take part in each working session. Each country 
should be as equally represented as possible with no more than 15 in 
attendance from each country. During U.S.-based working sessions, 
participants will take part in roundtable discussions. Where 
appropriate, informative lecture-style sessions on U.S.-style think 
tanks, media outlets, advocacy organizations, and non-governmental 
organizations may be provided for Ukrainian participants, with an 
emphasis on the role of these institutions in U.S. civil society, their 
relationship with the U.S. federal government, and their influence on 
policy formation. Further, consultative visits to these institutions 
may also be provided. Ukraine-based working sessions will be composed 
of roundtable discussions and other exchange activities, as 
appropriate. The proposal should provide a draft schedule with agenda 
for each working session. For participant recruitment and selection, a 
detailed plan should be provided. The Public Affairs Section at the 
U.S. Embassy in Kiev and the program office at the Bureau reserve the 
right to approve or disapprove nominated participants. Grantees will be 
required to provide a list of proposed Ukrainian participants at least 
eight weeks in advance of travel to the U.S. In the proposal, 
applicants should describe mechanisms that will be developed to 
disseminate the findings and recommendations of the participants to a 
broad audience in the U.S. and Ukraine. Competitive proposals will 
include a vision for the continuation of this exchange when U.S. 
government funding is exhausted. Pending availability of funds, 
programs should begin in June 2003.
    The Executive Summary and Narrative of the proposal should be no 
more than twenty pages in length, double-spaced, single-sided, and 
unbound. Lettered tabs should be used to divide proposal sections. 
Applicants should describe a comprehensive strategy for managing all 
logistical and substantive aspects of this program. Programs must 
comply with J-1 visa regulations. In the Solicitation Package, forms 
required by Federal regulations and Bureau policies are provided for 
applicants to complete. Please follow the guidelines; complete and 
return the necessary forms with the submission. Please refer to the 
Technical Format and Instructions page in the Proposal Submission 
Instructions (PSI) for guidance.
    Involvement of the Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Kiev: Though 
project administration and implementation are the responsibility of the 
grantee, PAS at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev will provide significant 
project oversight. As soon as a grant is awarded, the grantee must 
contact PAS for guidance on moving forward with the project. In 
addition to evaluating project proposals (for the purpose of awarding 
the grant) and approving proposed Ukrainian participants, PAS must be 
consulted on the planning and implementation of both U.S.-based and in-
country activities (including identification and selection of 
participants). PAS will also observe in-country activities, debrief 
participants, and work with the grantee to evaluate project impact.
    Program Data Requirement: The grantee will be required to maintain 
specific data on program participants and activities in an 
electronically accessible database format that can be shared with PAS 
and the program office at the Bureau, as required. As a minimum, the 
data must include the following:
    (1) Name, address, contact information and biographic sketch of all 
persons who travel internationally on funds provided by the grant.
    (2) Itineraries of international and domestic travel of all 
participants, including dates, location, and contact information.
    Bureau Acknowledgement: Applicants are required to acknowledge the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of 
State as the funder of the program in all published and broadcast 
materials, including public announcements and program schedules. Please 
note that this will be a formal requirement in all final grant awards.

Budget Guidelines

    The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant not exceeding $231,000, 
to support program and administrative costs required to implement this 
program. Bureau grant guidelines state that organizations with less 
than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs are limited to $60,000 in Bureau support. Therefore, 
organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchanges would not be eligible to apply under this 
competition. Competitive proposals will provide maximum levels of cost-
sharing and funding from private sources in support of this program. 
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. ECA funding may support the following costs:
    (1) Travel Costs. International and domestic airfares (per the 
``Fly America Act''), transit costs, ground transportation costs, and 
visas for U.S. participants. (Ukrainian participants will be issued J-1 
at no charge to the grantee organization.)
    (2) Per Diem. For U.S.-and Ukraine-based programming, organizations 
should not exceed the published Federal per diem rates for individual 
U.S. cities.
    (3) Interpreters. Salary costs for local interpreters in Ukraine 
should be included in the budget. Bureau grants do not pay for foreign 
interpreters to accompany delegations from their home country. U.S. 
Department of State Interpreters should be used for U.S.-based working 
sessions. Applicants should budget $400 per interpreters' r/t 
transportation from their home base to the program site, for 
reimbursements for taxi fares, plus any other transportation expenses 
during the program. Interpreters' per diem should exceed the maximum 
allowable USG rate. Salary expenses are covered centrally and should 
not be part of an applicant's proposed budget.
    (4) Book and cultural allowance. Foreign participants are entitled 
to a one-time cultural allowance of $150 per person, plus a book 
allowance of $50. Interpreters should be reimbursed up to $150 for 
expenses when they escort participants to cultural events. U.S. program 
staff, trainers or participants are not eligible to receive these 
benefits.
    (5) Consultants. Consultants may be used to provide specialized 
expertise or

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to make presentations. Daily honoraria cannot exceed $250 per day. 
Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in which case the 
written agreement between the prospective grantee and subcontractor 
should be included in the proposal. Subcontracts should be itemized in 
the budget.
    (6) Room rental. Room rental should not exceed $250 per day. 
Applicants should cost-share higher room rental costs for rates above 
$250 per day.
    (7) Materials development and publication. Proposals may contain 
costs to purchase, develop, translate, and/or distribute findings and 
recommendations that are a result of the four working sessions. Grantee 
organizations should expect to submit a copy of all program materials 
to the Bureau.
    (8) Return travel allowance. A return travel allowance of $70 for 
each foreign participant may be included in the budget. The allowance 
may be used for incidental expenses incurred during international 
travel.
    (9) Health Insurance. Foreign participants will be covered under 
the terms of a Bureau-sponsored health insurance policy. The premium is 
paid by the Bureau directly to the insurance company. Applicants are 
permitted to include costs for travel insurance for U.S. participants 
in the budget.
    (10) Wire transfer fees. When necessary, applicants may include 
costs to transfer funds to partner organizations overseas.
    (11) Administrative Costs. Costs necessary for the effective 
administration of the program may include salaries for grantee 
organization employees, benefits, and other direct and indirect costs 
per detailed instructions in the Application Package. 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/
PE/C/EUR-03-37.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested organizations should 
contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C/EUR, Room 224, U.S. 
Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
telephone 202-619-5327, fax number 202-619-4350, e-mail 
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package. Please specify 
Bureau Program Officer Henry Scott 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 
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 April 30, 2003. 
Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked 
on 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 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/PE/C/EUR-03-37, 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. The Bureau will 
transmit these files electronically to the Public Affairs section at 
the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine for its 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.

Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa

    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs is the official program sponsor of the exchange 
program covered by this RFGP, and an employee of the Bureau will be the 
``Responsible Officer'' for the program under the terms of 22 CFR part 
62, which covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J 
visa program). Under the terms of 22 CFR part 62, organizations 
receiving grants under this RFGP will be third parties ``cooperating 
with or assisting the sponsor in the conduct of the sponsor's 
program.'' The actions of grantee program organizations shall be 
``imputed to the sponsor in evaluating the sponsor's compliance with'' 
22 CFR part 62. Therefore, the Bureau expects that any organization 
receiving a grant under this competition will render all assistance 
necessary to enable the Bureau to fully comply with 22 CFR part 62 et 
seq. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs places great 
emphasis on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J 
visa) Programs and adherence by grantee program organizations and 
program participants to all regulations governing the J visa program 
status. Therefore, proposals should explicitly state in writing that 
the applicant is prepared to assist the Bureau in meeting all 
requirements governing the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs 
as set forth in 22 CFR part 62. If the applicant has experience as a 
designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should 
discuss their record of compliance with 22 CFR part 62 et seq., 
including the oversight of their Responsible Officers and Alternate 
Responsible Officers, screening and selection of program participants, 
provision of pre-arrival information and orientation to participants, 
monitoring of participants, proper maintenance and security of

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forms, record-keeping, reporting and other requirements.
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA will be responsible for 
issuing DS-2019 forms to participants in this program.
    A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of 
Exchange Visitor (J) programs is available at http://exchanges.state.gov or from: United States Department of State, Office 
of Exchange Coordination and Designation, ECA/EC/ECD--SA-44, Room 734, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, Telephone: (202) 401-9810, 
Fax: (202) 401-9809.

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 at the Bureau, as well as PAS/Kiev. 
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 Assistant 
Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical 
authority for assistance awards grants 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. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    4. 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 and program 
content.
    5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals. Applicants must demonstrate significant expertise with 
Ukrainian contemporary issues, experience working with high-level 
Ukrainian and U.S. policymakers and experts, and experience and ability 
to conduct all required logistics in Ukraine.
    6. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should show what mechanisms will 
be put in place to ensure that communication and dialog among 
participants continue after the grant has expired.
    7. 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 a 
description of a methodology used to link outcomes to the original 
project objectives, are recommended.
    8. 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 FREEDOM Support Act 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: February 26, 2003.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 03-5009 Filed 3-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P