[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 73 (Thursday, April 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20103-20109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8584]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4691]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Request for Grant 
Proposals: Professional Exchange Programs in Turkey

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for Professional 
Exchange Programs in Turkey. The Bureau anticipates awarding three to 
five grants under this competition. Projects should target one of the 
following themes: Human rights law, media internships and women's 
leadership. 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 international projects in the 
United States and Turkey involving current or potential leaders.


    Important Note: This Request for Grant Proposals contains 
language in the ``Shipment and Deadline for Proposals'' section that 
is significantly different from that used in the past. Please pay 
special attention to procedural changes as outlined.


    Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau 
concerning this RFGP should reference the ``Professional Exchange 
Programs in Turkey `` and number ECA/PE/C/EUR-04-68.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested organizations/institutions 
may contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Room 220, SA-44, U.S. 
Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
Attention: Professional Exchange Programs in Turkey, telephone number 
(202) 260-6230, fax number (202) 619-4350 to request a Solicitation 
Package. The Solicitation Package, which includes the Request for Grant 
Proposals (RFGP), the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) and the 
diversity statement, contains detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard 
guidelines for proposal preparation.
    For specific inquiries, please contact Chris Miner by phone or 
email at (202) 401-7342 ([email protected]).
    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.
    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.
    General Program Guidelines: This competition is based on the 
premise that people-to-people exchanges encourage and strengthen 
democratic initiatives and nurture the social, political and economic 
development of societies. Exchanges and training programs supported by 
institutional grants from the Bureau should operate at two levels: they 
should enhance institutional partnerships, and they should offer 
practical information and experience to individuals and groups to 
assist them with their professional responsibilities.

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Strong proposals usually have the following characteristics:
     A proven track record of working in the proposed 
issue area and country;
     Experienced staff with language facility and a 
commitment by the staff to monitor projects locally to ensure 
implementation;
     A clear, convincing plan showing how permanent 
results will be accomplished as a result of the activity funded by the 
grant;
     A post-grant plan that includes activities that 
will take place after the Bureau-funded grant has concluded. (See 
Review Criterion 5 below for more information on post-grant 
activities.) and;
     A detailed discussion of project needs and 
feasibility. Proposals that include costs or time for a needs 
assessment may be deemed less competitive.
    Applicants should identify the local organizations and individuals 
in Turkey with whom they are proposing to collaborate and describe in 
detail previous cooperative programming and/or contacts. Specific 
information about the counterpart organizations' activities and 
accomplishments should be included in the section under ``Institutional 
Capacity.'' (See Review Criterion 2 below.) Proposals should 
contain letters of support tailored to the proposed project from 
partner organizations in Turkey. Applicants should clearly outline in 
the narrative the foreign partner's role and responsibilities in 
project management and implementation.
    Proposal narratives must clearly demonstrate an organization's 
commitment to consult closely with the designated program officer at 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and with Public Affairs 
Section at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. Proposal narratives must 
confirm that all materials developed for the project will acknowledge 
Bureau funding for the program as well as a commitment to invite 
representatives of Embassy Ankara to participate in various program 
sessions/site visits. Please note that this will be a formal 
requirement in all final grant awards.

Suggested Program Designs

    Bureau-supported exchanges may include internships; study tours; 
short-term, non-technical experiential learning; extended and intensive 
workshops; and seminars taking place in the United States or overseas. 
Examples of program activities include:
    1. A U.S.-based program that includes: orientation to program 
purposes and to U.S. society; study tour/site visits; professional 
internships/placements; interaction and dialogue; hands-on training; 
professional development; and action plan development. Proposals that 
include U.S.-based training will receive the highest priority.
    2. Capacity-building/training-of-trainer (TOT) workshops to help 
participants to identify priorities, create work plans; strengthen 
professional and volunteer skills; share their experience with 
committed people within each country; and become active in a practical 
and valuable way.
    3. Site visits by U.S. facilitators/experts to monitor projects in 
the region and to provide additional training and consultations as 
needed.
    Activities ineligible for support: The Office does not support 
proposals limited to conferences or seminars (i.e., one to fourteen-day 
programs with plenary sessions, main speakers, panels, and a passive 
audience). It will support conferences only when they are a small part 
of a larger project in duration that is receiving Bureau funding from 
this competition. No funding is available exclusively to send U.S. 
citizens to conferences or conference-type seminars overseas; nor is 
funding available for bringing foreign nationals to conferences or to 
routine professional association meetings in the United States.
    Selection of Participants: All grant proposals should clearly 
describe the type of persons that will participate in the program as 
well as the participant selection process. For programs that include 
U.S. internships, applicants should submit letters of support from host 
institutions. In the selection of foreign participants, the Bureau and 
U.S. Embassies retain the right to review all participant nominations 
and to accept or refuse participants recommended by grantee 
institutions. When American participants are selected, grantee 
institutions must provide their names and brief biographical data to 
the Office of Citizen Exchanges. Priority in two-way exchange proposals 
will be given to foreign participants who have not previously traveled 
to the United States.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
``Adherence with J-1 Visa Regulations'' below.
    Program Data Requirements: Organizations awarded grants will be 
required to maintain specific data on program participants and 
activities in an electronically accessible database format that can be 
shared with the Bureau as required. At 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 or 
who benefit from the grant funding but do not travel.
    (2) Itineraries of international and domestic travel, providing 
dates of travel and cities in which any exchange experiences take 
place.

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 your organization has experience as 
a designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor, the applicant should 
discuss its 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 forms, record-keeping, 
reporting and other requirements.
    The Office of Citizen Exchanges will be responsible for issuing DS-
2019 forms to participants in this program.
    A copy of the complete regulations governing the administration of

[[Page 20105]]

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.
    Evaluation: In general, evaluation should occur throughout the 
project. The evaluation should incorporate an assessment of the program 
from a variety of perspectives. Specifically, project assessment 
efforts will focus on: (a) Determining if objectives are being met or 
have been met, (b) identifying any other related training needs, and 
(c) assessing if the project has effectively identified resources, 
advocates, and financial support for the sustainability of future 
projects. Informal evaluation through discussions and other sources of 
feedback will be carried out throughout the duration of the project. 
Formal evaluation must be conducted at the end of each component, 
should measure the impact of the activities and should obtain 
participants' feedback on the program content and administration. A 
detailed evaluation will be conducted at the conclusion of the project 
and a report will be submitted to the Department of State Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs. When possible, the evaluation should 
be conducted by an independent evaluator.
    Program Information: Overview: The Bureau welcomes proposals that 
respond directly to the themes listed below. Given budgetary 
considerations, projects in countries and for themes other than those 
listed will not be eligible for consideration and will be ruled 
technically ineligible. The themes listed below are important to the 
Office of Citizen Exchanges, but no guarantee is made or implied that 
grants will be awarded in all categories.
    In order to prevent duplication of effort, proposals should reflect 
an understanding of the work of international and USG agencies so that 
projects complement other exchange or assistance programs.
    Proposals that include two-way exchanges will be considered more 
competitive than those that propose exchanges in one direction. 
Applicants should carefully review the following information in 
formulating proposals in Turkey.
    Proposal narratives should provide detailed information on major 
program activities to be undertaken, including agendas for both U.S. 
and in-country activities, a clear explanation of participant 
recruitment and selection strategies and letters of commitment from any 
outside partners. Proposals should also take into account the need for 
ongoing sharing of information, training and concrete plans for self-
sustainability.
    Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the Public 
Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara regarding program content 
and partner organizations before submitting proposals. Applicants must 
demonstrate their administrative and programmatic ability to carry out 
in-country activities without the assistance of the Public Affairs 
Sections in Ankara and Istanbul. Award-receiving applicants will be 
expected to work very closely with the Office of Citizen Exchanges and 
the Embassy in Ankara on all aspects of the program.
    To be eligible for a grant award under this competition, the 
proposed professional training and exchange projects in Turkey must 
address one of the following specific themes.
    [ballot] Judicial Reform
    [ballot] Media
    [ballot] Women's Leadership

Judicial Reform

    Turkey is engaged in a comprehensive reform effort aimed at 
advancing its European Union candidacy, an objective that is strongly 
supported by the Mission. The Turkish Parliament has adopted a wide 
range of human rights-related reform legislation over the past two 
years. Implementation of the reforms has, however, been slow in some 
areas, including the judicial field. For example, prosecutors still 
open cases against individuals for non-violent expression, although 
such cases normally end in acquittal. All detainees have the right to 
immediate attorney access, but the police often fail to inform 
detainees of this right. An estimated five percent of detainees consult 
with attorneys. Prosecutors are charged with supervising the police 
during the investigation phase, but lack the resources to do so.
    Trials are often lengthy, with overworked felony courts typically 
holding one hearing per month.
    The Bureau welcomes proposals for a legal exchange project between 
Turkey and the U.S. that focuses on the topics of freedom of 
expression, police conduct, and trial alternatives. The project should 
include activities that develop measures and procedures that will 
improve the way judicial and police professionals handle these 
important issues. The Bureau expects that the selected grantee will 
work closely with the Turkish Ministry of Justice and the Turkish 
Constitutional Court throughout the project. Objectives for each topic 
are briefly outlined below:
    [ballot] Freedom of expression. The project should aim to create a 
judicial directive that would establish the official Turkish position 
on freedom of expression standards, as established by the European 
Court of Human Rights.
    [ballot] Police conduct. This initiative should establish a network 
of legal institutions to address police misconduct in Turkey. Such a 
network would include an independent oversight body, a mechanism for 
judicial oversight, and internal police disciplinary and training 
bodies.
    [ballot] Trial alternatives. In order to reduce the caseload of 
Turkish prosecutors, project activities should support the design and 
implementation of a strategy for trial alternatives.
    Primary Turkish participants should include judges and prosecutors 
from the State Security Courts, Felony Courts, and Courts of Cassation 
(appeals courts). Judges and prosecutors from other sectors, along with 
defense lawyers, academics, NGOs and others involved in Turkey's 
judicial system, could also be considered for participation.
    Project activities should include exchanges in both the U.S. and 
Turkey. In the U.S., seminars, workshops, site visits and shadowing or 
internship opportunities may be arranged. Turkish judges and 
prosecutors would meet with their U.S. counterparts and other experts 
in human rights law, visit university law schools with relevant 
programs, observe court proceedings, and consult on the development of 
materials.
    It is anticipated that three separate programs in the United States 
would be undertaken. In Turkey, U.S. participants should conduct 
workshops, seminars, and consultations on mechanisms in our two legal 
systems to protect freedom of expression, among other topics. It is 
expected that the in-country activities would include a component to 
reach out to a wider audience so that the project is not limited only 
to participants in the U.S. program. In addition, the program in Turkey 
would include the design and development of a mid-career professional 
training module for judges and prosecutors to be administered by the 
training department at the Ministry of Justice.
    Project funding: The total funding available for this project is 
approximately $400,000. The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant for 
this project.

Media Internships

    Turkey's ongoing process of democratization has brought about

[[Page 20106]]

tremendous change in the country's media. Prior to the 1980 military 
coup, the Turkish media was tightly controlled by the state. Since the 
reestablishment of civilian authority in 1983, Turkey has seen an 
enormous expansion in freedom of the press. Given the power of the 
media in Turkey to set the political agenda and shape public opinion, 
including views of the United States, it is in our interest to work 
with Turkish media personnel. This exchange program should provide an 
opportunity for Turkish and U.S. media professionals to exchange views 
on a wide range of issues.
    The Bureau is seeking proposals for a media exchange project 
between Turkey and the U.S. It would be a two-part exchange of Turkish 
media professionals traveling to the U.S. and would also include visits 
to Turkey by American counterparts.
    The first stage would be a visit to the U.S. for eight to ten 
relatively high-level news editors from major newspapers and at 
broadcast outlets for a two-week introduction to the U.S. media. The 
two-week program would consist of a seminar at a university or media-
related foundation, job-shadowing placements in U.S. newspapers and 
broadcast outlets, site visits and a one-day debriefing. The seminar 
and placements would provide an opportunity to exchange views and 
information on the media environment and the journalism profession in 
Turkey and the U.S. Topics could include, but would not be limited to, 
the role of the editor in the news process and the challenges and 
responsibilities of a free and independent media.
    The second stage would be for eight to ten young journalists from 
the print and electronic media. It would begin with a similar seminar 
at a university or media-related foundation, and be followed by three-
week placements at appropriate newspapers and broadcast media outlets 
that would provide an opportunity for orientation, observation, and 
practical hands-on experience. The program would conclude with a two-
day debriefing.
    Both U.S. visits would be followed by visits to Turkey by one or 
more U.S. media experts (editors, correspondents, academics) to conduct 
seminars and workshops for a wider audience and to visit the newspapers 
and broadcast outlets where the Turkish visitors to the U.S. are 
employed. A more senior media professional(s) from the U.S. would 
follow up the visit of the first group, while a correspondingly more 
junior U.S. professional(s) would come to Turkey after the visit of the 
second group.
    Projects should include both English-speaking and non-English 
speaking participants. Proposals should clearly describe what 
provisions will be made for non-English speakers.
    A list of media establishments willing to host the participants and 
tentative letters of commitment should be included in the proposal, as 
should information pertinent to the university or media-related 
foundation that would conduct the seminar.
    Please note that the winning applicant must coordinate closely with 
the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on program 
development and implementation. Embassy Ankara will nominate all 
participants for the program.
    Project funding: The total funding available for this project is 
approximately $185,000. The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant for 
this project.

Women's Leadership and Democracy Building Project

    Over the past decade, women's organizations in Turkey have emerged 
as an important force for social change, economic development, and 
democratic governance. However, the low number of active women leaders 
in many fields, ranging from politics to business to civil society, 
indicates that there remains significant progress to achieve in 
obtaining equal status and opportunity for women, particularly in rural 
areas and small cities outside Ankara and Istanbul. That said, women in 
Turkey have had far greater success in and opportunities for fulfilling 
leadership roles than have their counterparts in neighboring countries.
    The Bureau seeks proposals that would simultaneously achieve two 
related objectives. The first objective is to enhance women's 
leadership roles in civil society and democratic governance. The second 
goal is to provide training to Turkish women's NGOs that would equip 
them with the organizational capacity to share expertise with their 
counterparts in neighboring countries and establish ongoing 
institutional relationships and dialogue between NGOs from Turkey and 
NGOs from other countries.
    Turkish participants should include women leaders and aspiring 
leaders who are active in local or national governance and in civil 
society NGOs. Participants should be recruited from outlying cities and 
towns, in addition to Ankara and Istanbul.
    Projects will include both English-speaking and non-English-
speaking participants, with the latter predominating. Projects should 
clearly describe what provisions will be made for non-English speakers.
    Programs would focus on developing management skills for 
organizational efficiency, increasing visibility and effectiveness in 
the political and civil society spheres, influencing decisions at the 
local and national levels of government, and building NGO networks and 
coalitions within Turkey and with counterparts in neighboring 
countries. Program activity may take place in Turkey and the United 
States; there must be a component that is conducted in Turkey. 
Applicants should consult closely with the Public Affairs Section in 
Ankara in the selection of an in-country partner or partners, which 
would handle all activities based in Turkey, including participant 
recruitment and selection and workshop and consultation logistics.
    Project funding: The total funding available for this project is 
approximately $185,000. The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant for 
this project.
    The proposal submitted by your organization must demonstrate how 
the above-listed goals will be met. Your proposal narrative should also 
provide detailed information on major program activities to be 
undertaken, including agendas for both U.S. and in-country activities, 
a clear explanation of participant recruitment and selection strategies 
and letters of commitment from any outside partners. Proposals should 
also take into account the need for ongoing sharing of information, 
training and concrete plans for self-sustainability.
    Budget Guidelines: Grants awarded to eligible organizations with 
less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs will be limited to an award of $60,000. Applicants must submit 
a comprehensive budget for the entire program and must provide a 
summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and 
program budgets in the proposal. Applicants may provide separate sub-
budgets for each program component, phase, location, or activity to 
provide clarification. Please refer to the Proposal Submission 
Instructions (PSI) for complete budget guidelines and formatting 
instructions.
    Since Bureau grant assistance constitutes only a portion of total 
project funding, proposals should provide evidence of other anticipated 
sources of financial and in-kind support. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to provide cost sharing to the fullest extent possible. 
State Department Review Panels will consider proposals that offer 
little or no cost

[[Page 20107]]

sharing less competitive under the criterion, ``Cost Effectiveness and 
Cost Sharing''.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program.
    The following are deemed allowable program costs:
    1. Travel. International and domestic airfare (per the ``Fly 
America Act''), ground transportation, and visas for U.S. participants. 
(J-1 visas for Bureau-supported participants from Turkey to travel to 
the U.S. are issued at no charge.)
    2. Per Diem. For U.S.-based programming, organizations should use 
the published Federal per diem rates for individual U.S. cities. For 
activities in Turkey, the Bureau strongly encourages applicants to 
budget realistic costs that reflect the local economy. Domestic per 
diem rates may be accessed at: http://policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/homepage/mtt/perdiem/perd03d.html. Foreign per diem rates can be 
accessed at: http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/.
    3. Interpreters. For U.S.-based activities, ECA strongly encourages 
applicants to hire their own locally-based interpreters or may ask the 
Bureau to assign U.S. Department of State interpreters. Typically, one 
interpreter is provided for every four visitors that require 
interpreting. When an applicant proposes to use State Department 
interpreters, the following expenses should be included in the budget: 
Published Federal per diem rates (both ``lodging'' and ``M&IE''); 
``home-program-home'' transportation in the amount of $400 per 
interpreter; reimbursement for taxi fares; and cell phone usage at $10 
per week. If the applicant uses State Department interpreters, salary 
expenses will be covered by the Bureau and should not be part of an 
applicant's proposed budget. Bureau funds cannot support interpreters 
who accompany delegations from their home country or travel 
internationally.
    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 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. Such subcontracts should detail the 
division of responsibilities and proposed costs. Subcontracts should be 
itemized in the budget.
    6. Room rental. Room rental may not exceed $250 per day.
    7. Materials development. Proposals may contain costs to purchase, 
develop and translate materials for participants.
    The Bureau strongly discourages the use of automatic translation 
software for the preparation of training materials or any information 
distributed to the group of participants or network of organizations. 
Costs for high-quality translation of materials should be anticipated 
and included in the budget. Grantee organizations should expect to 
submit a copy of all program materials to the Bureau.
    8. Equipment. Proposals may include limited costs to purchase 
equipment for Turkey-based programming such as computers, fax machines 
and copy machines. Costs for furniture are not allowed. Equipment costs 
must be kept to a minimum.
    9. Working meal. Only one working meal may be provided during the 
program. Per capita costs may not exceed $5-8 for a lunch and $14-20 
for a dinner, excluding room rental. The number of invited guests may 
not exceed participants by more than a factor of two-to-one. 
Interpreters must be included as participants.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Wire transfer fees. When necessary, applicants may include 
costs to transfer funds to partner organizations overseas. Grantees are 
urged to research applicable taxes that may be imposed by host 
governments on these transfers.
    13. In-country travel costs for visa processing purposes. Given the 
new requirements associated with obtaining J-1 visas for Bureau-
supported participants, applicants should include costs for participant 
and/or in-country partner travel and shipping to U.S. embassies or 
consulates for visa processing purposes, such as interviews and 
delivery/pick up of DS-2019 forms.
    14. 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. While there is no 
rigid ratio of administrative to program costs, priority will be given 
to proposals whose administrative costs are less than twenty-five (25) 
percent of the total requested from the Bureau. Proposals should show 
strong administrative cost-sharing contributions from the applicant, 
the in-country partner and other sources.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

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.
    Shipment and Deadline for Proposals:
    Important Note: The deadline for this competition is Thursday, June 
10, 2004. In light of recent events and heightened security measures, 
proposal submissions must be sent via a nationally recognized overnight 
delivery service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or 
U.S. Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.) and be shipped no 
later than the above deadline. The delivery services used by applicants 
must have in-place, centralized shipping identification and tracking 
systems that may be accessed via the Internet and delivery people who 
are identifiable by commonly recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles. 
Proposals shipped on or before the above deadline but received at ECA 
more than seven days after the deadline will be ineligible for further 
consideration under this competition. Proposals shipped after the 
established deadlines are ineligible for consideration under this 
competition. It is each applicant's responsibility to ensure that each 
package is marked with a legible tracking number and to

[[Page 20108]]

monitor/confirm delivery to ECA via the Internet. Delivery of proposal 
packages may not be made via local courier service or in person for 
this competition. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. 
Only proposals submitted as stated above will be considered.
    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/PE/C/EUR-04-68, 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 disabilities. 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.

Review Process

    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 and Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: 
Program objectives should be stated clearly and should reflect the 
applicant's expertise in the subject area and region. Objectives should 
respond to the priority topics in this announcement and should relate 
to the current conditions in the target countries. A detailed agenda 
and relevant work plan should explain how objectives will be achieved 
and should include a timetable for completion of major tasks. The 
substance of workshops, internships, seminars and/or consulting should 
be described in detail. Sample training schedules should be outlined. 
Responsibilities of in-country partners should be clearly described.
    2. Institutional Capacity: The proposal should include (1) the U.S. 
institution's mission and date of establishment; (2) detailed 
information about the in-country partner institution's capacity and the 
history of the U.S. and in-country partnership; (3) an outline of prior 
awards--U.S. government and private support received for the target 
theme/region; and (4) descriptions of experienced staff members who 
will implement the program. Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program's 
goals. The proposal should reflect the institution's expertise in the 
subject area and knowledge of the conditions in the target country. 
Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful 
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.
    3. Cost Effectiveness and Cost Sharing: Overhead and administrative 
costs in the proposal budget, including salaries, honoraria and 
subcontracts for services, should be kept to a minimum. Under this 
review criterion proposals whose administrative costs are less than 
twenty-five (25) percent of the total funds requested from the Bureau 
will be considered more competitive. Applicants are strongly encouraged 
to cost share a portion of overhead and administrative expenses. Cost-
sharing, including contributions from the applicant, the in-country 
partner, and other sources should be included in the budget request. 
Proposal budgets that do not provide cost-sharing will be deemed not 
competitive in this category.
    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 (selection of 
participants, program venues and program evaluation) and program 
content (orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource 
materials and follow-up activities). Applicants should refer to the 
Bureau's Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines in the Proposal 
Submission Instructions (PSI).
    5. Evaluation: Proposals should include a detailed plan to monitor 
and evaluate the program. A draft survey questionnaire plus a 
description of a methodology that will link outcomes to original 
project objectives should be provided. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component 
concludes or on a quarterly basis, whichever is less frequent.
    6. Post-Grant Activities: Applicants should provide a plan to 
conduct activities after the Bureau-funded project has concluded in 
order to ensure that Bureau-supported programs are not isolated events. 
Funds for all post-grant activities must be in the form of 
contributions from the applicant or sources outside of the Bureau. 
Costs for these activities should not appear in the proposal budget, 
but should be outlined in the narrative.

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 Fulbright-Hayes legislation.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information

[[Page 20109]]

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: April 9, 2004.
C. Miller Crouch,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 04-8584 Filed 4-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P