[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 192 (Friday, October 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57499-57503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25167]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4503]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division (ECA/
PE/C/PY), of the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the Congress-
Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). 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 facilitate 
educational exchanges between American and German high school students 
and young professionals.

Program Information

    Overview: The CBYX program supports the exchange of American and 
German young people in order to sustain and strengthen German-American 
friendship based on common values of democracy and to convey lasting 
personal and institutional relationships to the successor generation. 
The primary objective of the program is to encourage American and 
German youth to learn about each other's society and culture through 
educational exchange. Additional goals for this competition include a 
renewed effort to promote the participants' roles as young ambassadors 
and the impact they can have on US-German relations, and to strengthen 
the linkages between US Representatives and their Bundestag 
counterparts. The program provides a full scholarship for an academic 
year experience of living and studying in the host country.
    The Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
administers the CBYX program in the U.S. The program is known in 
Germany as the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP), and is 
administered by the German Bundestag Administrative Office, PB4.
    Inaugurated in 1983 through a bilateral agreement between the U.S. 
Congress and the German Bundestag, each government provides funding to 
exchange organizations through assistance awards for the costs of 
participant recruitment and selection, international airfare, 
orientation and debriefing, and hosting support for the respective 
exchange participants.
    The U.S.-German agreement calls for an open grants competition 
every four years, and PB4 is holding a simultaneous open competition to 
select the German counterpart organizations that will manage the 
program in Germany. Up to five German high school exchange 
organizations will be partnered with five American high school exchange 
organizations, and one German vocational and one German young 
professionals exchange organization will be paired with American 
exchange organizations.
    Organizations that are successful in this competition will be 
provided assistance awards in FY2005 to administer the recruitment and 
selection of participants for academic year 2005-06. Organizations for 
each component will be eligible for renewal awards in FY2006, 2007, 
2008 for exchanges through academic year 2008-09. All assistance awards 
will be subject to availability of funds. (Please note: At the time of 
publication, funds have not been appropriated to support this program. 
As is the case with all Bureau assistance awards, final awards cannot 
be made until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and 
committed through internal Bureau procedures.)
    The actual number of participants exchanged each year is dependent 
on the amount of funding made available by the U.S. Congress and the 
German Bundestag. Though Congress has not yet determined the budget 
level for FY2005, the competition for program year 2005-06 will be 
based on up to 350 American and 350 German participants. Throughout the 
four-year grant cycle, representatives of both governments will hold 
annual discussions to determine the final participant numbers for each 
academic year.
    Participants are chosen according to procedures and criteria 
established by each government. In the U.S. the CBYX program has four 
components.
    1. High School Component: This component may provide up to 250 
scholarships for a one-year educational and cultural homestay 
experience in Germany to American high school students ages 15-18. (The 
high school exchange is reciprocal for up to 250 American and 250 
German students annually.) High school exchange organizations are 
invited to bid on conducting merit-based competitions among American 
high school students

[[Page 57500]]

in one or more of five designated regions of the United States, as 
follows:
    Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland.
    Southeast: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico.
    Central States: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, 
Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska.
    Southwest: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, 
Arizona, Southern California* (*the northern border of this region 
includes the counties of Monterey, San Benito, Fresno, and Inyo).
    Pacific/Northwest: Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, 
Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Northern 
California* (*the southern border of this region includes the counties 
of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Merced, Madera, and Mono).
    American high school exchange organizations may bid on more than 
one region, indicating the most preferred area(s) in priority order for 
up to 50 American high school students per region. A maximum of five 
organizations may be selected to conduct all aspects of the competition 
in one of each of the five regions. In coordination with its German 
partner organization, high school organizations may host up to 100 
German and American students each.
    Organizations that are awarded a grant will conduct advertising, 
recruitment, processing of applications, screening, selection, pre-
departure orientations and debriefings, and management of all 
administrative and logistical matters including domestic and 
international travel.
    In the host country, American and German partner organizations will 
coordinate arrival and re-entry orientation for the respective exchange 
students, placement of the students in host families and schools 
(nationwide), arrange program enrichment activities, conduct the 
recruitment, screening, selection and orientation of host-families, 
provide program monitoring, supervision and counseling to students and 
host families, and manage all administrative and logistical matters 
including in-country travel and health and accident insurance. 
Organizations should secure all host family and school placements at 
least two weeks prior to the German students' arrival in the U.S. 
Organizations will be required to submit to the program office a list 
of these placements no later than 30 days after the students' arrival.
    2. Vocational Component: This component provides scholarships to 
graduating American high-school seniors with a vocational 
specialization for a one-year professional study and training 
experience in their fields of interest in Germany. One organization 
will be selected to conduct all aspects of the nationwide selection 
competition in the U.S. for up to 25 American students and programming, 
including advertising, recruitment, processing of applications, 
screening, selection, pre-departure orientations and debriefings, and 
management of all administrative and logistical matters including 
domestic and international travel. (During the selection process the 
grantee is encouraged to work with vocational educational offices at 
the state level, as well as administrators of secondary schools with 
vocational education curriculum.)
    The German partner organization chosen for a grant by the Bundestag 
Administrative Office (PB4) will coordinate arrival and re-entry 
orientation for the students and their placement in host families and 
schools, arrange a practicum in the participants' field of study, 
arrange program enrichment activities, and conduct the recruitment, 
screening, selection and orientation of host families, provide program 
monitoring, supervision and counseling to students and host families, 
and manage all administrative and logistical matters including in-
country travel and health and accident insurance.
    3. Young Professional Component: This component provides 
scholarships for a one-year professional study and training experience 
in the host country in business, technical, vocational, and 
agricultural fields to young American and German students ages 18-24. 
One organization will be selected to conduct all aspects of programming 
for up to 75 American and 100 German Young Professionals including the 
nationwide competition for the Americans and placement of the German 
students in American homes and schools as well as advertising, 
recruitment, processing of applications, screening, selection and pre-
departure orientations and debriefings, and management of all 
administrative and logistical matters including domestic and 
international travel.
    In the host country, the American and German partner organizations 
will coordinate arrival and re-entry orientation for the students, the 
placement of the students in host families (or other suitable living 
quarters) and schools (colleges/universities), arrange a practicum in 
the participants' field of study, arrange program enrichment 
activities, and conduct the recruitment, screening, selection and 
orientation of host families, provide program monitoring, supervision 
and counseling to students and host families, and manage all 
administrative and logistical matters including in-country travel and 
health and accident insurance.
    In the U.S., each German young professional participant will be 
placed in a two- or four-year college for one semester of full-time 
study or a minimum of 12 credit hours (which may include an English 
class) throughout the academic year. Each applicant is encouraged to 
seek tuition waivers and cost sharing with cooperating colleges. The 
organization will coordinate with each participant to assure that his/
her practicum is based on a prospectus of the specific skills and 
functions that will be mastered and that there is a structured learning 
component that enables the participant to gain a perspective on the 
overall operation of the business. The selected organization will also 
coordinate a six-week Congressional internship on Capitol Hill or in 
the state office for up to five German young professionals.
    A stipend for some meals, incidentals and reasonable local 
transportation expenses may be included in the budget, but it is 
anticipated that the stipend would be substantially reduced or 
eliminated during the second half of the program when the participants 
receive allowances for living expenses from the firms or agencies 
hosting their practicum. The current stipend range is $250 to $300 per 
the regional cost of living. Where possible, hosting arrangements 
should be found that do not require subsidization.
    4. Administrative Supplemental: One or more organizations will be 
awarded administrative funds to produce materials for program 
advertisement and recruitment for the high school component, maintain 
the CBYX Scholarship Web site, and to maintain an alumni database for 
all CBYX participants.
    One of the organizations selected for the high school component 
will produce program specific informational materials for the high 
school component. Each organization selected for the high school 
component will distribute the materials to a wide audience within its 
appointed region, including public and private secondary schools, the 
media, and key networks such as the American Association of Teachers of 
German. (Innovative

[[Page 57501]]

methods of publicizing the program are welcome, within funding 
limitations. Organizations are encouraged to utilize their volunteer 
networks and alumni to promote the program.) The ``administrative'' 
organization will coordinate data/input from the high school 
organizations for production of the promotional materials. The 
organization will set up and maintain a web-based listing of CBYX 
participants/alumni designed to centrally harness alumni and encourage 
activities beyond their participation in the program.
    Each year all grantee organizations will submit to the Department 
of State program office, at least 30 days after departure/arrival data 
lists of all current American and German participants with U.S. 
addresses and corresponding Congressional representatives/districts, 
and update the information periodically throughout the year.
    Please see the POGI (Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation) 
for further details and guidance regarding each of the program 
components and the administrative supplemental.
    Guidelines: Prior German language skills are not required for 
American participants. The German partner organizations will provide up 
to two months of intensive language training, which is covered by 
German Government funds, to American participants upon their arrival in 
Germany. German participants are expected to be sufficiently proficient 
in English and therefore will not require (but may elect) an English 
language course as part of their regular studies. (No Bureau funding 
will be provided for English training under this program.)
    Organizations must provide comprehensive pre-departure preparation 
and orientations that will thoroughly prepare American students for 
their year abroad. The pre-departure orientation for American students 
and the debriefing for German students normally take place in 
Washington, DC and include CBYX students only. The Washington 
orientations are designed to introduce the participants to the Federal 
government and issues in the U.S.-German relationship, and may be 
subcontracted out by the grantee organizations.
    If organizations opt to conduct the American students' pre-
departure orientation in another state, the orientations must include 
materials and activities that will provide the students with a thorough 
knowledge of the program and role of the scholarship as it relates to 
U.S.-German relations. The program guidelines are highlighted in the 
POGI section of the solicitation package.
    Applicants may include other program elements such as mid-year 
enrichment and follow-on activities in their proposals, but should bear 
in mind that funding is limited. Mid-year enrichment activities may 
include informal local or regional gatherings, volunteer community 
projects, and volunteer internships in local congressional offices.
    For follow-on activities organizations are encouraged to involve 
former participants in the organization's alumni activities as well as 
CBYX-specific activities by volunteering in various capacities such as 
promoting the program in their communities and/or serving on the 
selection committees or as local or regional representatives. 
Organizations should also utilize their individual web sites and 
newsletters to track and/or keep in touch with alumni.
    To be eligible for consideration in this competition an 
organization must:
    1. Be legally incorporated in the U.S. as described in Internal 
Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3), and identify a legally 
incorporated affiliate in Germany and/or indicate its willingness to be 
partnered with a German organization approved by PB4 and the Bureau.
    2. Have a not-for-profit status 501(c), as determined by the 
Internal Revenue Service; the German affiliate must also be not-for-
profit (gemeinnuetzige).
    3. Be financially solvent, have a demonstrated track record of 
responsible fiscal management and be able to meet the accounting and 
reporting requirements for Bureau grants.
    4. Have a minimum of four years of experience in conducting long-
term exchange programs (of at least nine months duration) between the 
United States and Germany.
    5. Have well-established volunteer and host family networks to 
carry out various aspects of the program; regional representatives must 
be situated in such a way to handle expeditiously any problems that 
arise regarding host family accommodations, schooling and language 
problems, and difficulties concerning internships.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget projection for 
academic year 2005-06. 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. Costs for U.S. 
and German students are to be listed separately.
    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/PY-04-14.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth 
Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568, U.S. Department of State, SA-
44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, (202) 619-6299, fax: 
619-5311, [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 Shalita Jones 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, November 7, 2003. Faxed documents will not be accepted 
at any time.

[[Page 57502]]

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 7 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/PY-04-14, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Please also submit the Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, and 
Budget sections of the proposal as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word 
and Excel to the program officer at [email protected]. The Bureau 
will transmit these files electronically to the American Public Affairs 
staff in the partner country identified for this program, with the goal 
of reducing the time it takes to get post comments for the Bureau's 
grant 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 62, 
which covers the administration of the Exchange Visitor Program (J visa 
program). Under the terms of 22 CFR 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 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 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 62. If the applicant has experience as a 
designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should 
discuss their record of compliance with 22 CFR 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 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, 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 assistance awards 
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grants 
Officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to their conformance with the objectives and guidelines 
stated above and the review criteria stated in the POGI.

Authority

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of 
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the 
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us 
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural 
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United 
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of 
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States 
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the 
program above is provided through legislation.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment 
on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance

[[Page 57503]]

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: September 26, 2003.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 03-25167 Filed 10-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P