[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30214-30219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8065]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5419]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals: EducationUSA Advising Program for Students and 
Scholars from the Middle East and North Africa

    Announcement Type: Cooperative Agreement.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/A/S/A-07-09.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000.
    Key Dates:
    Application Deadline: August 18, 2006.
    Executive 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 to 
administer EducationUSA advising centers in the Middle East and North 
Africa. Public and private non-profit U.S. 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 of twelve locations in the Middle East and 
North Africa. Organizations wishing to apply for this cooperative 
agreement must either currently have offices in the countries covered 
by this agreement, or include a detailed plan in their proposal for 
establishing such a presence by January

[[Page 30215]]

1, 2007, when advising activities must begin. Maximum expected award 
level is $600,000, pending availability of funds. Start-up costs 
related to opening new advising centers (fees, purchase of equipment, 
etc.) must be borne by the applicant, and may not be included in the 
budget submission of this proposal. Applicants are encouraged to keep 
headquarters costs as low as possible and ensure that maximum funding 
flows to field offices. Please see POGI for details.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    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.
    Purpose: Department of State-affiliated EducationUSA advising 
centers operate in nearly 450 locations in 170 countries around the 
world. Advisors guide foreign 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 
accurate, unbiased information on the full range of accredited U.S. 
higher educational institutions and work to build mutual understanding 
between the United States and other countries through educational 
exchange.
    In the Middle East and North Africa, funding will support foreign 
student advising for U.S. study only (not for study in third countries) 
in Egypt (Alexandria and Cairo), Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, 
Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank, and Yemen. Organizations may 
apply to operate centers in one or more of the listed locations, up to 
the total of twelve.
    The advising centers will offer group informational and individual 
advising sessions for foreign students, and conduct frequent outreach 
to local in-country institutions. The advising centers will provide 
information on the following topics: The U.S. education system; U.S. 
colleges, universities, community colleges and other higher education 
institutions; accreditation; the application process to a U.S. 
university; majors and fields of study; testing requirements; life in 
the U.S.; scholarship programs and financial aid; and visa procedures. 
Centers will provide pre-departure orientation sessions and also try to 
stay in touch with students once they are in the United States, and 
after they return from their U.S. experience, as they will be an 
excellent source of expertise for new advisees.
    Free introductory group advising sessions and free access to the 
library (at least 50% of the time) must be provided, but applicants may 
charge modest, affordable fees to students for other services, or 
devise a membership package to recover some advising costs. Applicants 
may also charge reasonable fees if services are provided to help U.S. 
university representatives traveling in the region for recruitment 
purposes. See POGI for details. Group advising and outreach sessions 
should pay particular attention to reaching out to underserved 
populations, to addressing student and parent safety concerns, and to 
correcting misperceptions regarding the U.S. visa process. Outreach 
efforts should be coordinated with Public Affairs and Consular sections 
at U.S. Embassies.
    Advising centers will provide regular access, at times convenient 
to the public, to the reference library and computers with Internet to 
allow students to conduct online research related to study in the U.S. 
The library will contain, at a minimum, materials provided by ECA 
through its annual online book ordering process; it may also have 
catalogues and other materials sent by accredited U.S. colleges or 
other recognized educational sources. A list of ECA materials may be 
obtained by contacting Program Officer Rachel Waldstein, 
[email protected].
    Security and public access should be taken into consideration in 
terms of advising center location; EducationUSA offices should be 
centrally located and near public transportation whenever possible.
    The grantee organization will employ the advisors and handle all 
personnel benefits and other human resource issues. Advisors will be 
eligible to participate in Department of State-sponsored training 
opportunities, to order reference materials from the Department of 
State, and to receive guidance and assistance from the Department of 
State's Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) based in 
Rabat, Morocco. The REAC's job is to conduct site visits to evaluate 
advising centers and local country conditions as they relate to 
educational advising, share information with all advisors through a 
listserv and newsletter, provide training through regional and local 
workshops, and recommend new advisors for ECA training programs.
    The EducationUSA advising office serves as the U.S. Embassy's in-
country resource on U.S. higher education. Therefore, applicants should 
describe their abilities to monitor, to the extent possible, the status 
of the education systems in each of the countries and report important 
issues to ECA/A/S/A and the U.S. Embassies. Organizations should 
develop a network of contacts within the Ministries of Education, local 
schools, universities and other appropriate institutions.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. In a cooperative agreement, 
ECA/A/S/A is substantially involved in program activities above and 
beyond routine grant monitoring. ECA/A/S/A activities and 
responsibilities for this program are as follows: Approve staffing 
requirements including level of effort and distribution of 
responsibilities among advising staff; select advisors for training and 
conference attendance; and designate program priorities such as 
outreach to underserved populations, and others as needed. Public 
Affairs and Consular officials at U.S. Embassies should be notified of 
all in-country outreach activities, to maximize synergies to be 
achieved by dual efforts.
    Fiscal Year Funds: 2007 (pending availability).
    Approximate Total Funding: Minimum of $450,000 and, pending 
availability of funds, up to $600,000.
    Approximate Number of Awards: One or more.
    Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, January 1, 
2007.
    Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2007.
    Additional Information: Pending successful implementation of this 
program and the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, it is 
ECA's intent to renew this grant for two additional fiscal years, 
before openly competing it again.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget with a summary budget 
as well as detailed administrative and program budgets. 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 for group and individual 
use at

[[Page 30216]]

least 30 hours per week, with free access to library and computer at 
least 50% of those hours. Additional hours may be reserved for program 
development, administrative work, and communications. If applying for 
more than one site, applicants should provide separate budgets and 
identify proposed program components and activities for each location. 
Proposals with overhead and indirect costs exceeding 35% of the amount 
requested will be deemed less competitive.

III. Eligibility Information

    III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications may be submitted by public 
and private U.S. non-profit organizations meeting the provisions 
described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
    III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: There is no minimum or 
maximum percentage required for this competition. However, the Bureau 
encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and 
funding in support of its programs.
    When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the 
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its 
proposal and later included in an approved grant agreement. Cost 
sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For 
accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs 
which are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by 
the Federal Government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis 
for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in 
accordance with OMB Circular A-110, (Revised), Subpart C.23--Cost 
Sharing and Matching. In the event you do not provide the minimum 
amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's 
contribution will be reduced in like proportion.
    Overhead and indirect costs should not exceed 35% of the amount 
requested.
    III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements: Grants awarded to eligible 
organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    Note: 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.

    IV.1. Contact Information to Request an Application Package: Please 
contact the Educational Information and Resources Branch of the Office 
of Global Educational Programs, ECA/A/S/A, room 349, U.S. Department of 
State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel: 202-453-
8866. fax: 202-453-8890, e-mail: [email protected] to request a 
Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number 
ECA/A/S/A-07-09 located at the top of this announcement when making 
your request.
    The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission 
Instruction (PSI) document which consists of required application 
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation.
    It also contains the Project Objectives, Goals and Implementation 
(POGI) document, which provides specific information, award criteria 
and budget instructions tailored to this competition.
    Please specify Program Officer Rachel Waldstein and refer to the 
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/S/A-07-09 located at the top of this 
announcement on all other inquiries and correspondence.
    IV.2. 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/menu.htm. Please read all 
information before downloading.
    IV.3. Content and Form of Submission: Applicants must follow all 
instructions in the Solicitation Package. The application should be 
sent per the instructions under IV.3f. ``Application Deadline and 
Methods of Submission'' below.
    IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative 
agreement from the U.S. Government. This number is a nine-digit 
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities. 
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a 
DUNS number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-
5711. Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the 
appropriate box of the SF-424 which is part of the formal application 
package.
    IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal 
narrative and budget.
    Please Refer to the Solicitation Package. It contains the mandatory 
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document and the Project 
Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) document for additional 
formatting and technical requirements.
    IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of 
application. If your organization is a private nonprofit which has not 
received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three 
years, or if your organization received nonprofit status from the IRS 
within the past four years, you must submit the necessary documentation 
to verify nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document. Failure to 
do so will cause your proposal to be declared technically ineligible.
    IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information 
when preparing your proposal narrative:
    IV.3d.1. Adherence to All Regulations Governing the J Visa: For 
your information only, 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 the Exchange Visitor Programs as set 
forth in 22 CFR part 62, 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, recordkeeping, 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) 203-5029. 
FAX: (202) 453-8640.
    Please refer to Solicitation Package for further information.
    IV.3d.2. 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

[[Page 30217]]

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 your 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.
    IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and Evaluation: Proposals must include 
a plan to monitor and evaluate the project's success, both as the 
activities unfold and at the end of the program. The Bureau recommends 
that your proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or other 
technique plus a description of a methodology to use to link outcomes 
to original project objectives. The Bureau expects that the grantee 
will track participants or partners and be able to respond to key 
evaluation questions, including satisfaction with the program, learning 
as a result of the program, changes in behavior as a result of the 
program, and effects of the program on institutions (institutions in 
which participants work or partner institutions). The evaluation plan 
should include indicators that measure gains in mutual understanding as 
well as substantive knowledge.
    Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting 
clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation 
plan should include a description of your project's objectives, your 
anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure 
these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are 
``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and 
placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct 
the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link 
to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
    Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish 
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services 
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important 
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot 
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the 
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people 
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast, 
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is 
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and 
outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.
    We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes, 
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in 
increasing order of importance):
    1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange 
experience.
    2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, 
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both 
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
    3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in 
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic 
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new 
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community 
members, and others.
    4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and 
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational 
improvements.

    Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate 
timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example, 
satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas 
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.

    Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be 
judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear 
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when 
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear 
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e., 
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation 
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction] 
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
    Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their 
evaluation findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports. All 
data collected, including survey responses and contact information, 
must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the 
Bureau upon request.
    Please describe your plans for: Provision of services affordable to 
students, financial sustainability of centers, use of EducationUSA 
advising-related program income to fund further advising activities, 
overall program management, coordination of activities with ECA as well 
as Public Affairs and Consular Sections at U.S. Embassies, staffing to 
provide an adequate level of service, and avoiding overlap with support 
for other ECA programs if applicable. (Applicants that have received 
other ECA grants on which proposed staff also work should specify 
programs and amount of staff time devoted to them.)
    IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration 
when preparing your budget:
    IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the 
entire program for each country in which they propose to operate. 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. The most competitive proposals will have 
overhead and indirect costs which do not exceed 35% of the total 
funding requested.
    IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
A. Program Costs
    (1) Advisers' salaries and benefits;
    (2) Office supplies and expenses, including rent, utilities, 
communications, postage, shipping; publicity, materials and travel for 
outreach activities.
B. Indirect Costs
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.
    IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times:
    Reference Number: ECA/A/S/A-07-09.
    Application Deadline Date: Friday, August 18, 2006.
    Methods of Submission: Applications may be submitted in one of two 
ways:
    (1) In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery 
service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. 
Postal Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
    (2) Electronically through http://www.grants.gov.
    Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above 
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory 
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.

[[Page 30218]]

    IV.3f.1. Submitting Printed Applications. Applications must be 
shipped no later than the above deadline. 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. ECA will not notify you upon 
receipt of application. It is each applicant's responsibility to ensure 
that each package is marked with a legible tracking number and to 
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.

    Important note: When preparing your submission please make sure 
to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it 
in an envelope addressed to ``ECA/EX/PM''.

    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-07-09, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 
534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic Applications: Applicants have the 
option of submitting proposals electronically through Grants.gov 
(http://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation packages are available 
at Grants.gov in the ``Find'' portion of the system. Please follow the 
instructions available in the ``Get Started'' portion of the site 
(http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).
    Applicants have until midnight (12 a.m.) of the closing date to 
ensure that their entire applications have been uploaded to the 
grants.gov site. Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of 
the application deadline date will be automatically rejected by the 
grants.gov system, and will be technically ineligible.
    Applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail from grants.gov upon 
the successful submission of an application. ECA will not notify you 
upon receipt of electronic applications.
    IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order 
12372 does not apply to this program.
    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 appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at the U.S. 
embassy(ies) for its(their) review.

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Review Process

     The Bureau will review all proposals 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 (cooperative agreements) 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. Please 
see POGI for description of each criterion.
    1. Quality of the program idea.
    2. Program planning/ability to achieve program objectives.
    3. Institutional capacity/record.
    4. Area expertise.
    5. Multiplier effect/impact.
    6. Support of diversity.
    7. Cost effectiveness/cost sharing.
    8. Project evaluation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    VI.1. Award Notices: Final awards cannot be made until funds have 
been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal 
Bureau procedures. Successful applicants will receive an Assistance 
Award Document (AAD) from the Bureau's Grants Office. The AAD and the 
original grant proposal with subsequent modifications (if applicable) 
shall be the only binding authorizing document between the recipient 
and the U.S. Government. The AAD will be signed by an authorized Grants 
Officer, and mailed to the recipient's responsible officer identified 
in the application.
    Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of 
the application review from the ECA program office coordinating this 
competition.
    VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Terms and 
Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements include the 
following:

Office of Management and Budget Circular A-122, ``Cost Principles for 
Nonprofit Organizations.''
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21, ``Cost Principles for 
Educational Institutions.''
OMB Circular A-87, ``Cost Principles for State, Local andIndian 
Governments.''
OMB Circular No. A-110 (Revised), ``Uniform Administrative Requirements 
for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, 
Hospitals, and other Nonprofit Organizations.''
OMB Circular No. A-102, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for 
Grants-in-Aid to State and Local Governments.''
OMB Circular No. A-133, ``Audits of States, Local Government, and Non-
profit Organizations.''
    Please reference the following Web sites for additional 
information:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI.

    VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You must provide ECA with a hard copy 
original plus one copy and electronic version of the following reports:
    (1) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after 
the expiration of the award; financial report must include program 
income from all advising activities (see POGI for description of 
applicable services).
    (2) Quarterly program and financial reports which should include 
discussion of advising activities at each center, challenges 
encountered and efforts to overcome them, and an accounting of 
EducationUSA-related program income as mentioned above.
    Grantees will be required to provide analysis of their evaluation 
findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports. (Please refer 
to IV. Application and Submission Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for 
Program Monitoring and Evaluation information.)
    All data collected, including survey responses and contact 
information, must

[[Page 30219]]

be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the Bureau 
upon request.
    All reports must be sent to the ECA Grants Officer and ECA Program 
Officer listed in the final assistance award document.
    Optional--VI.4. 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. As a minimum, 
the data must include the following:
    (1) Name, address, contact information and biographic sketch of all 
persons who travel internationally on funds provided by the grant or 
who benefit from grant funding but do not travel.
    (2) Monthly statistics of advising center usage, to be sent by e-
mail directly to the REAC.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For questions about this announcement, contact: Rachel Waldstein, 
Program Officer, Educational Information and Resources Branch, ECA/A/S/
A, Room 349, ECA/A/S/A-07-09, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202-453-8866, fax 202-453-
8890, [email protected].
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/A/S/A-07-09.
    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.

VIII. Other Information

    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 per section 
VI.3 above.

    Dated: May 16, 2006.
Dina Habib Powell,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of 
State.
 [FR Doc. E6-8065 Filed 5-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P