[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 181 (Thursday, September 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54764-54766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23859]



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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4492]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Educational Advising Program for the Middle East and North 
Africa

SUMMARY: The Educational Information and Resources Branch (ECA/A/S/A), 
Office of Global Educational Programs, of the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, announces an open competition for educational 
advising in the Middle East and North Africa. 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 offer 
overseas educational advising, orientation, and information services 
for international students and scholars in one or more, up to a total 
of nine, locations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Program Information

    Overview: ECA-supported educational advising offices guide students 
in their pursuit of educational opportunities in the United States and 
prepare them for direct exposure to American values, ideas, models, and 
traditions. They provide up-to-date, unbiased information on the range 
of accredited U.S. educational institutions and work to build mutual 
understanding between the United States and other countries through 
educational exchange.
    Department of State-affiliated overseas educational advising 
services operate in nearly five hundred locations around the world. In 
the Middle East and North Africa, awards will be made to support 
advising in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, 
West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen. Organizations may apply to operate centers 
in one or more, up to the total of nine, listed locations. If support 
for more than one center within any particular location is requested, 
the proposal should provide a rationale.
    The advising centers will provide information about study 
opportunities in the U.S., will offer group informational sessions and 
individual advising, and will conduct outreach to local institutions. 
The advising centers will provide accurate information and advising on 
the following topics: The U.S. education system; U.S. colleges, 
universities, and other higher education institutions; the application 
process to a U.S. university; majors and fields of study; testing 
requirements; life in the U.S.; visa procedures; scholarship programs 
and financial aid; and pre-departure orientation. Advisers will be 
eligible to participate in Department of State-sponsored training 
opportunities, to receive reference materials for the advising center 
from the Department of State, and to receive guidance and assistance 
from the Department of State's Regional Educational Advising 
Coordinator (REAC) located in Rabat, Morocco.
    As potential students from North Africa and the Middle East express 
uncertainty about whether they are welcome in the U.S. and seriously 
consider study in other countries that advertise themselves as 
``safe,'' student numbers from the region are declining on U.S. 
campuses. Proposals should describe in detail creative methods for 
responding to Middle Eastern/North Africa student concerns and for 
promoting U.S. education during unsettled times.
    Guidelines: Grants will begin on January 1, 2004 and end December 
31, 2004. Organizations may apply to provide advising services in one 
or more of the above-listed countries. Educational advising services 
must be provided on a regularly scheduled basis, open to the public at 
least 30 hours per week, with additional hours reserved for program 
development, administrative work, and communications. As the referral 
service of the U.S. Embassy, the educational advising office serves as 
the in-country resource on U.S. higher education.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    To support advising in the region, the program will award a total 
of up to $450,000 for all centers for a one-year period. Grants awarded 
to eligible organizations with less than four years of experience in 
conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000. 
The Bureau encourages participants to provide maximum levels of cost 
sharing and funding from private sources in support of its programs.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget with a summary budget 
as well as detail reflecting both administrative and program budgets. 
If applying for more than one site, applicants should provide separate 
budgets for each location, as well as identifiable program components 
and activities. Overhead and indirect costs should not exceed 36% of 
the amount requested.
    Allowable costs include the following:
    A. Program costs.
    (1) Advisers' salaries and benefits;
    (2) Office supplies and expenses, including rent, communications, 
postage, shipping, utilities;
    B. Indirect costs.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All correspondence with the Bureau 
concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/A/
S/A-04-08.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Global Educational 
Programs, Educational Information and Resources Branch, ECA/A/S/A, Room 
349, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, 
DC 20547, phone: (202) 619-5434, fax: (202) 401-1433, e-mail: 
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package. The 
Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard 
guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Bureau Program 
Officer Jean Frisbie 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.

New OMB Requirement

    An OMB policy directive published in the Federal Register on 
Friday, June 27, 2003, requires that all organizations applying for 
Federal grants or cooperative agreements must provide a Dun and 
Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when 
applying for all Federal grants or cooperative agreements on or after 
October 1, 2003. The complete OMB policy directive can be referenced at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/062703_grant_ identifier.pdf. 
Please also visit the ECA Web site at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/menu.htm for additional information on how to comply 
with this new directive.

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, October 
24, 2003.

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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 eight copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/A-04-08, 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 in text (.txt) format 
on a PC-formatted disk. The Bureau will provide these files 
electronically to the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. embassy for 
its review.

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.

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 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 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. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission.
    2. Program planning and ability to achieve program objectives: 
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. Proposals should 
clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's 
objectives and plan. Advising centers must be in place to begin work on 
January 1, 2004.
    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. Institutions should be knowledgeable about the Middle 
East and North Africa with governmental permission to operate in the 
locations listed.
    6. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful educational advising programs or 
exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management and full 
compliance with all reporting requirements for past Bureau grants as 
determined by Bureau Grant Staff. The Bureau will consider the past 
performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new 
applicants.
    7. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support) ensuring that 
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
    8. 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 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit reports semiannually.
    9. Cost-effectiveness and cost-sharing: The overhead and other 
indirect costs of the proposal 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.
    10. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by the U.S. Department of State's 
geographic area desk and overseas officers of program need, potential 
impact, and significance in the partner countries.

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-

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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: August 9, 2003.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 03-23859 Filed 9-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P