[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50575-50580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21435]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4452]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals (RFGPs): FY2004 Educational Partnerships Program

SUMMARY: The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the 
Educational Partnerships Program. Accredited U.S. post-secondary 
educational institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal 
Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to 
support the Program's goals of encouraging mutual understanding, 
educational reform, economic development, and civil society through 
educational cooperation in higher education with targeted countries and 
regions that are of high priority to the Department of State.

Program Overview

    To encourage mutual understanding, educational reform, economic 
development, and civil society in the targeted countries, the 
Educational Partnerships Program enables U.S. colleges and universities 
and foreign counterpart institutions to pursue objectives cooperatively 
through exchange visits of faculty, administrators, highly advanced 
foreign students, and advanced U.S. graduate students who can 
demonstrate the ability to work independently. The Educational 
Partnerships Program is not designed to support study abroad activities 
for undergraduate students or less advanced graduate students.
    Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their project ideas 
during the proposal development process with the relevant Bureau 
program officer for guidance. (Please see ``For further information'' 
section for contact details.)
    U.S. and foreign colleges and universities that have hosted, 
enrolled, or employed State Department sponsored grantees or alumni as 
professors, students, or administrators are especially encouraged to 
develop proposals that build on the achievements of these individual 
grantees and extend their impact.
    A separate Request for Grant Proposals under the Freedom Support 
Educational Partnerships Program with Eurasia has been issued for 
Fiscal Year 2004 and is accessible on the State Department Web site at 
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps. For information about the 
Freedom Support Educational Partnerships Program with Eurasia, which 
supports partnerships with countries previously recognized as belonging 
to the Soviet Union, contact the Humphrey Fellowships and Institutional 
Linkages Branch, Office of Global Educational Programs (ECA/A/S/U), 
Room 349, U.S. Department of State, State Annex 44, 301 4th Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20547, phone: (202) 619-5289, fax: (202) 401-1433.
    Additional RFGPs for educational partnerships to be funded in 
FY2004 with specific world regions may be published later this year or 
early in 2004 and will be accessible on the State Department Web site 
at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps.

Foreign Country and Location Eligibility

    The eligibility of foreign countries and locations is limited and 
varies from year to year. Proposals to increase the understanding of 
the United States in countries and societies with significant Muslim 
populations are especially encouraged, as are proposals to increase the 
understanding of these countries and societies in the United States. 
Except as noted below for the Western Hemisphere and for North Africa 
and the Middle East, a proposal may not include more than one of the 
foreign countries or locations listed below.

(1) East Asia and the Pacific

    Eligible for FY 2004: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines.

[[Page 50576]]

    We encourage projects that will increase the U.S. understanding of 
cultures and societies with significant Muslim populations in eligible 
East Asian countries, and the understanding of U.S. culture and society 
in East Asia. We also encourage projects that will encourage good 
governance and responsible administrative practices, and that will 
provide wider access to education, strengthen civil society, or help to 
create more transparent, market-oriented economies.

(2) North Africa and the Middle East

    Eligible for FY 2004: Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, 
Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates. We encourage 
projects that will increase the U.S. understanding of Muslim cultures 
and societies in North Africa and the Middle East, and the 
understanding of U.S. culture and society in the region. We also 
encourage projects that will strengthen civil society in eligible 
foreign countries, that will support educational reform through 
curriculum development or teacher training, or that will encourage 
economic development or responsible, transparent administration in the 
public sector. Tunisia is eligible for special funding in FY2004 for 
projects supporting modernization in higher education or the economy 
(maximum award $195,000). Proposals for North Africa and the Middle 
East may include more than one eligible country.

(3) Sub-Saharan Africa

    Eligible for FY2004: Botswana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal,
    Tanzania, Uganda. We encourage projects that will increase the U.S. 
understanding of Muslim cultures and societies in sub-Saharan Africa, 
and the African understanding of U.S. culture and society. We also 
encourage projects that will strengthen the role of African 
institutions of higher education in an eligible country's development 
and that will encourage increased involvement of African universities 
with other local and international institutions that contribute to 
African social, political or economic development.

(4) The Western Hemisphere

    Eligible for FY 2004: Barbados, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
    Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago. We encourage projects for the 
Caribbean basin that will strengthen civil society or effective 
administration in the public or the private sectors, with special 
interest in economic development, environmental studies, educational 
reform and teacher training, journalism, and media studies. Proposals 
for the Caribbean basin may include more than one eligible country.

(5) South Asia

    Eligible for FY 2004: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and
    Pakistan. We encourage projects that will increase the U.S. 
understanding of South Asian cultures and societies with significant 
Muslim populations, and the South Asian understanding of U.S. culture 
and society. We also encourage projects that will promote the 
development of good governance and responsible administrative practices 
in either the public sector or the private sector in an eligible 
country; that will provide wider access to education; or that will 
address issues of social or religious diversity.

(6) Europe and Eurasia

    Eligible for FY 2004: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and 
Montenegro, Turkey, and the United Kingdom as noted below. In addition, 
please consult the Request for Grant Proposals for the FY2004 Freedom 
Support Educational Partnerships Program with Eurasia.
    Eligible for special funding in FY 2004 in designated fields and 
locations are Bosnia and Herzegovina (comparative religious studies or 
American Studies, maximum request $195,000); Montenegro (university 
administration or social sciences curriculum reform, maximum request 
$150,000); and Serbia (journalism curriculum reform, maximum request 
$195,000).
    For Turkey, we encourage proposals in the field of comparative law 
with a focus on Muslim and Western legal traditions and with particular 
reference to the approaches to human rights and fair judicial 
procedures in these traditions.
    For the United Kingdom, eligibility is limited to projects that 
will study inter-ethnic or inter-religious relations and that promote 
cooperation with immigrant and minority populations in the United 
Kingdom.

Project Design

    The project should be designed to focus on specific institutional 
objectives that will support the Program's goals of encouraging mutual 
understanding, educational reform, economic development, and civil 
society with special reference to the regional needs and U.S. foreign 
policy priorities described in this document under the heading 
``Foreign Country and Location Eligibility.'' The design should include 
a series of exchange visits that will lead to the achievement of the 
project's objectives within a three-year period, and should describe a 
process for evaluating the results of project implementation. The 
design should also provide for the effective administration of the 
project.

Statement of Need

    To justify a request for support, proposals should demonstrate the 
need of the participating institutions for the project that they are 
proposing. Proposals should explain how each participating department 
and institution will utilize the project to address the institution's 
needs as well as larger needs in its country and society.
    If the proposed partnership would occur within the context of a 
previous or ongoing project, the proposal should outline distinct 
objectives and outcomes for the new project and should explain how new 
Bureau funding would build upon the previously funded activities. 
Proposals should describe the amounts and sources of support for the 
earlier projects as well as the results to date.

Project Objectives

    Proposals should explain in detail how the project will enable the 
participating institutions to achieve specific institutional or 
departmental changes that will support the goals of the Educational 
Partnerships Program. Proposals should outline a series of activities 
for meeting specific objectives for each participating institution and 
society. The benefits of the project to each of the participating 
institutions may differ significantly in nature and scope based on 
their respective needs and resource bases. Project objectives may 
include the development or revision of courses, curricula, and programs 
of study and outreach at participating institutions to support mutual 
understanding, educational reform, economic development, or civil 
society. Proposals may outline the parameters and possible content of 
new courses; new teaching specializations or methodologies; new or 
revised curricula; and new programs for outreach to educators, 
professional groups, or the general public. Proposals may also describe 
strategies to promote administrative reform through faculty or staff 
development.
    In most cases a limited number of related thematic objectives at 
each institution will be more feasible to achieve than a larger number 
of unrelated objectives.
    The following fields are eligible if they support the foreign 
policy goals previously described under the heading ``Foreign Country 
and Location Eligibility'':

[[Page 50577]]

    --The social, political, and economic sciences;
    --business administration;
    --journalism and media studies;
    --law;
    --public administration and public policy analysis;
    --library science;
    --education, continuing education, and educational administration, 
including Teaching English as a Foreign Language;
    --religious studies;
    --health policy and administration;
    --environmental studies.
    Projects in the physical, technical, and medical sciences are not 
eligible except when pertaining directly to health policy and 
administration.

Exchange Activities and Project Implementation

    Proposals should demonstrate that a project's objectives are 
feasible to achieve within a three-year period through a series of 
exchange activities that take into account prevailing conditions in the 
participating countries. For example, projects focusing on curricular 
reform should describe the existing curriculum and the courses targeted 
for revision, and should explain how exchange activities will result in 
the restructuring of the current content to incorporate the new 
academic themes. The proposal should describe the topics and content of 
any new courses or educational materials that will be developed and 
introduced, and should identify those persons who will be responsible 
for developing the new courses and for teaching them. If the project 
proposes to develop a new degree or certificate program, the proposal 
should outline the steps being taken to secure approval for the new 
program from the institution itself and from all relevant educational 
authorities. The proposal should also describe the composition and size 
of the student population and any other group that will benefit from 
the innovations to be introduced through the project.
    Except for translators, interpreters, and outside evaluators, 
participation in the exchange visits is limited to teachers, 
researchers, advanced foreign students, advanced U.S. graduate 
students, and administrators from the participating institution(s). 
Advanced graduate students at the U.S. institution(s) are eligible to 
participate as visiting instructors at a foreign partner institution. 
Advanced foreign students are eligible to participate in exchange 
visits if they have teaching or research responsibilities or are 
preparing for such responsibilities. Applicants planning to submit 
proposals with advanced foreign students or advanced U.S. graduate 
students as exchange participants are encouraged to contact the program 
office to discuss the rationale for their participation.
    Foreign participants must be both qualified to receive U.S. J-1 
visas and willing to travel to the U.S. under the provisions of a J-1 
visa during the exchange visits funded by this Program. Foreign 
participants may not be U.S. citizens.

Material and Technical Support for Exchange Activities

    To increase the feasibility and impact of the project's exchange 
activities, a proposal may include a request for funding for 
educational materials (including books and periodical subscriptions) 
and technical components (including the establishment or maintenance of 
Internet and/or electronic mail facilities and of interactive 
technology-based distance-learning programs). The funding requested for 
educational and technical materials should supplement the project's 
exchange activities by reinforcing their impact on project objectives. 
Proposals with distance learning components should describe pertinent 
course delivery methods, audiences, and technical requirements. 
Proposals that include the introduction of Internet, electronic mail, 
and other interactive technologies for long-term use in countries where 
these technologies are not easily maintained or financed should discuss 
how the foreign partner institution will cover their costs after the 
project ends.
    Applicants may propose other project components not specifically 
mentioned in this solicitation document if the activities will increase 
the impact on project objectives.

Project Duration

    Pending the availability of funds, grant activities should begin on 
or about September 1, 2004 for a three-year period. Grant activities 
are expected to be completed within the three-year timeframe.

Project Evaluation

    Proposals should describe and budget for a methodology for project 
evaluation. Institutions that are awarded partnership grants must 
formally submit periodic reports to the Bureau on the project's 
activities in relation to its objectives. The formal evaluation reports 
should include an assessment of the current status of each 
participating department's and institution's needs at the time of 
program inception with specific reference to project objectives; 
formative evaluation to allow for mid-course revisions in the 
implementation strategy; and, at the conclusion of the project, 
summative evaluation of the degree to which the project's objectives 
have been achieved. The proposal should discuss how the issues raised 
throughout the formative evaluation process will be assessed and 
addressed. The summative evaluation should describe the project's 
influence on the participating institutions and their surrounding 
communities or societies. The summative evaluation should also include 
recommendations about how to build upon project achievements. 
Evaluative observations by external consultants with appropriate 
subject, cultural, and regional expertise are especially encouraged. 
Copies of evaluation reports must be provided to the Department of 
State.
    In addition to the formally scheduled reports, the evaluation 
strategy should include a mechanism for promptly providing the Bureau 
with information that will equip the Department of State to summarize 
and illustrate project activities and achievements as they occur.

Project Administration

    Proposals should explain how project activities will be 
administered both in the U.S. and overseas in ways that will ensure 
that the project maintains a focus on its objectives while adjusting to 
changing conditions, assessments, and opportunities.

Institutional Commitment

    A U.S. college or university must submit the proposal and must 
serve as the grant recipient with responsibility for project 
coordination. Proposals must include letters of commitment from all 
institutional partners including the institution submitting the 
proposal. An official who is authorized to commit institutional 
resources to the project must sign the letter of support. The letters 
of support as well as the proposal as a whole should demonstrate that 
the participating institutions understand one another and are committed 
to mutual support and cooperation in project implementation.

Eligible Institutions

    The lead institution and grant recipient in the project must be an 
accredited U.S. college or university.
    Applications from community colleges, institutions serving 
significant minority populations, undergraduate liberal arts colleges, 
comprehensive universities, research universities, and combinations of 
these institutions are

[[Page 50578]]

eligible. The lead U.S. organization in a consortium or other 
combination of cooperating institutions is responsible for submitting 
the application. Each application must document the lead organization's 
authority to represent all U.S. cooperating partners. Secondary U.S. 
partners may include governmental or non-governmental organizations at 
the federal, state, or local levels as well as non-profit service, 
community, and professional organizations.
    Foreign institutional partners may be recognized institutions of 
post-secondary education, state-supported universities, independent 
universities, research institutes, relevant educational authorities, 
and other public or private non-profit organizations with project-
related educational missions.

Costs and Cost-Sharing

    The commitment of all partner institutions to the proposed project 
should be reflected in the cost-sharing which they offer in the context 
of their respective institutional capacities. Although the 
contributions offered by institutions with relatively few resources may 
be less than those offered by applicants with greater resources, all 
participating institutions should identify appropriate contributions. 
These costs may include estimated in-kind contributions. U.S. 
institutions are encouraged to contribute to the international travel 
expenses of U.S. participants as part of their institutional cost-
share. Proposed cost-sharing will be considered an important indicator 
of the applicant institution's commitment to the project.
    The Bureau's support may be used to assist with the costs of the 
exchange visits as well as the costs of the administration of the 
project by the U.S. grantee institution, as explained in additional 
detail in the associated document entitled ``Project Objectives, Goals, 
and Implementation'' (POGI). U.S. administrative costs that may be 
covered by the Bureau, with certain limitations, include administrative 
salaries, faculty replacement costs, other direct administrative costs, 
and partial indirect costs. The cost of administering the project at 
the foreign partner organization(s) is also eligible for the Bureau's 
support. Although each grant will be awarded to a single U.S. 
institutional partner, the proposal should make adequate provision for 
the administrative costs of all partner institutions, including the 
foreign partner(s), especially if a foreign partner has relatively few 
resources. See the POGI for additional information on the restrictions 
and maximum amounts that apply to certain budget categories.
    Pending the availability of FY 2004 funds, the maximum award in the 
FY 2004 competition will be $150,000 for a three-year period with the 
exceptions noted under the heading ``Foreign Country and Location 
Eligibility.'' Requests for amounts smaller than the maximum are 
eligible. Budgets and budget notes should carefully justify the amounts 
requested. Grants awarded to organizations with less than four years of 
experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000.
    The response to Requests for Grant Proposals for the support of 
partnerships in higher education has been unusually strong in recent 
years. In FY 2002, 99 eligible proposals were submitted to the 
Educational Partnerships Program, and 17 awards were made. Special FY 
2004 funding with higher grant maximums and more favorable grant-to-
application ratios is expected for projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Serbia and Montenegro, and Tunisia as noted previously under the 
heading ``Foreign Country and Location Eligibility.''

Ineligibility

    A proposal will be deemed technically ineligible for consideration 
if:
    (1) It does not fully adhere to the guidelines established in this 
document and in the Solicitation Package;
    (2) It is not received by the deadline;
    (3) It is not submitted by the U.S. partner;
    (4) The U.S. applicant organization is ineligible;
    (5) The foreign country or geographic location is ineligible.
    Projects must conform with the Bureau's requirements and guidelines 
outlined in the solicitation package for this RFGP. Proposals that do 
not follow RFGP requirements and the guidelines appearing in the POGI 
and PSI will be excluded from consideration due to technical 
ineligibility.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/A/S/U-04-03.

For Further Information

    For further information, contact the Humphrey Fellowships and 
Institutional Linkages Branch; Office of Global Educational Programs; 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; ECA/A/S/U, Room 349; U.S. 
Department of State; SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20547; 
phone: (202) 619-5289, fax: (202) 401-1433. Prospective applicants are 
strongly encouraged to communicate about their proposals with one of 
the following regional program officers: for North Africa and the 
Middle East, Michelle Johnson, phone: (202) 205-8434, (e-mail 
[email protected]); for the United Kingdom, Paul Schelp, phone: 
(202) 205-8266 (e-mail: [email protected]); for the Balkans and the 
Western Hemisphere, Maria Urbina, phone: (202) 260-6797 (e-mail 
[email protected]); for Turkey, Jonathan Cebra, phone: (202) 205-
8379 (e-mail [email protected]); and for sub-Saharan Africa, East 
Asia, and South Asia, Joan Zaffarano, phone: (202) 401-1323 (e-mail 
[email protected]).
    Please read the complete Solicitation Package 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 Solicitation Package includes more detailed award criteria, all 
application forms, and guidelines for preparing proposals, including 
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. The 
Solicitation Package includes the POGI and the Proposal Submission 
Instructions (PSI). 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 Friday, December 
12, 2003. Faxed documents are not acceptable, with the exception of 
letters of endorsement that are submitted as part of the proposal. 
Documents postmarked with the due date but received on a later date 
will not be accepted. Applicants must ensure that their proposals are 
received by the above deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and 10 copies of the complete application should 
be sent by the project's lead U.S. college or university to: U.S. 
Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-04-03, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

[[Page 50579]]

Submission of Electronic Copies

    No later than one week after the deadline for receipt of the grant 
proposal, applicants must also submit the ``Proposal Title Page'' 
described in the Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation document 
with attachments (the resumes for the U.S. and foreign project 
directors only and the Participants Statistics Page), the ``Executive 
Summary,'' and ``Proposal Narrative,'' sections of the proposal as e-
mail attachments in Microsoft Word (preferred) or WordPerfect files to 
the following e-mail address: [email protected]. In the e-mail 
message subject line, include the following: ECA/A/S/U-04-03 and the 
country or countries of the foreign partner(s) together with the names 
of the U.S. and foreign partner institutions. To reduce the time needed 
to obtain advisory comments from the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. 
Embassies overseas and Fulbright Commissions, the Bureau will transmit 
these files electronically to these offices.

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 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is placing renewed 
emphasis on the secure and proper administration of Exchange Visitor (J 
visa) Programs and adherence by grantees and sponsors to all 
regulations governing the J visa. Therefore, proposals should 
demonstrate the applicant's capacity to meet all requirements governing 
the administration of Exchange Visitor Programs as set forth in 22 CFR 
6Z, including the oversight of 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 forms, 
record-keeping, reporting, and other requirements.
    The Grantee 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. All eligible proposals will be 
evaluated by independent external reviewers. These reviewers, who will 
be professional, scholarly, or educational experts with appropriate 
regional and thematic knowledge, will provide recommendations and 
assessments for consideration by the Bureau. The Bureau will consider 
for funding only those proposals which are recommended for funding by 
the independent external reviewers.
    Proposals may be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Advisor or by 
other offices of the U.S. Department of State. In addition, U.S. 
Embassy or binational Fulbright Commission officers may provide 
advisory comment. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the 
Department of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural 
Affairs. Proposals must also be approved by the J. William Fulbright 
Foreign Scholarship Board. Final technical authority for assistance 
awards (grants or cooperative agreements) will reside with the Bureau's 
grants officer.
    Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to 
the guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package.

Review Criteria

    All reviewers will use the criteria below to reach funding 
recommendations and decisions. Technically eligible applications will 
be reviewed competitively according to these criteria, which are not 
rank-ordered or weighted.
    (1) Broad and Enduring Significance of Institutional Objectives: 
Project objectives should have significant and ongoing impact on the 
participating institutions and their surrounding societies, 
communities, or countries by providing a deepened understanding of 
critical issues in one or more of the eligible fields. Project 
objectives should relate clearly to institutional and societal needs as 
well as to U.S. foreign policy goals.
    (2) Feasibility and Effectiveness of Strategy to Achieve Project 
Objectives: Strategies to achieve project objectives should be feasible 
and realistic within the projected budget and timeframe. Proposals 
should contain detailed information on specific exchange activities and 
outline the methodology and timeframe for achieving project goals.
    (3) Institutional Commitment to Cooperation: Proposals should 
demonstrate significant understanding by each institution of its own 
needs and capacities and of the needs and capacities of its proposed 
partner(s), together with a strong commitment by the partner 
institutions, during and after the period of grant activity, to 
cooperate with one another in the mutual pursuit of institutional 
objectives.
    (4) Project Evaluation: Proposals should describe a methodology for 
determining the degree to which a project meets its objectives, both 
while the project is underway and at its conclusion. The final project 
evaluation should include an external component and should provide 
observations about the project's influence within the participating 
institutions as well as their surrounding communities or societies.
    (5) Cost-effectiveness: Administrative and program costs should be 
reasonable and appropriate with cost-sharing provided by all 
participating institutions within the context of their respective 
capacities. The Bureau views cost-sharing as a reflection of 
institutional commitment to the project. Contributions should not be 
limited to indirect costs.

[[Page 50580]]

    (6) Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity by explaining how issues of 
diversity are included in project objectives for all institutional 
partners. Issues resulting from differences of race, ethnicity, gender, 
religion, geography, socio-economic status, or physical challenge 
should be addressed during project implementation. In addition, project 
participants and administrators should reflect the diversity within the 
societies, which they represent (see the section of this document on 
``Diversity, Freedom, and Democracy Guidelines''). Proposals should 
also discuss how the various institutional partners approach diversity 
issues in their respective communities or societies.

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 for Balkan 
countries eligible in FY 2004 has previously been provided through SEED 
legislation. The President's budget request for Educational and 
Cultural Exchanges for Fiscal Year 2004 includes funding for this 
purpose.

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: August 13, 2003.
Patricia S. Harrison,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 03-21435 Filed 8-20-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P