[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74682-74696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20918]



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Part V





Department of State





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 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant 
Proposals: Open Competition Seeking: Professional Exchange Programs; 
Cultural Programs; and School Administrators and Community Leaders in 
Indonesia; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 2006 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 5636]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for 
Grant Proposals: Open Competition Seeking: Professional Exchange 
Programs; Cultural Programs; and School Administrators & Community 
Leaders in Indonesia

    Announcement Type: New Grant.
    Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C-07-01.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.415.
    Key Dates:
    Application Deadline: February 16, 2007.
    Executive Summary: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for 
grants that support exchanges and build relationships between U.S. non-
profit organizations and civil society and cultural groups in Africa, 
East Asia, Europe, the Near East, North Africa, South Central Asia and 
the Western Hemisphere. U.S. public and non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code section 26 
U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals that support the goals of The 
Professional Exchanges and Cultural Program. Projects should promote 
mutual understanding and partnerships between key professional and 
cultural groups in the United States and counterpart groups in other 
countries through multi-phased exchanges taking place over one to two 
years. Proposals should encourage citizen engagement in current issues, 
with a particular focus on youth and those who influence them, and 
promote the development of democratic societies and institutions, with 
a view toward creating a more stable world. To the fullest extent 
possible, programs should be two-way exchanges supporting roughly equal 
numbers of participants from the U.S. and foreign countries.
    Proposed projects should transform institutional and individual 
understanding of key issues, foster dialogue, share expertise, and 
develop capacity. Through these people-to-people exchanges, the Bureau 
seeks to break down stereotypes that divide peoples, to promote good 
governance, to contribute to conflict prevention and management, and to 
build respect for cultural expression and identity in a world. Projects 
should be structured to allow American professionals and their 
international counterparts in eligible countries to develop a common 
dialogue for dealing with shared challenges and concerns. Projects 
should include current or potential leaders who will effect positive 
change in their communities. Exchange participants may include artists, 
community leaders, elected and professional government officials, 
religious leaders, educators, and proponents of democratic ideals and 
institutions, including for example, the media and judiciary, or others 
who influence the way in which different communities approach these 
issues. The Bureau is especially interested in engaging socially and 
economically diverse groups that may not have had extensive contact 
with counterpart institutions in the United States and particularly 
seeks proposals that engage educators or other groups that directly 
influence youth in innovative ways. Applicants may not submit proposals 
that address more than one region or that include countries not 
eligible under a specific theme designated in the RFGP. For the 
purposes of this competition, eligible regions are Africa, East Asia, 
Europe, the Near East, North Africa, South Central Asia, and the 
Western Hemisphere. No guarantee is made or implied that grants will be 
awarded in all themes and for all countries listed.
    Please refer to section III.3 for information on eligibility 
requirements.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Authority: Overall grant making authority for this program is 
contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, 
as amended, Public Law 87-256, 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: The competition is based on the premise that people-to-
people exchanges encourage and strengthen understanding of democratic 
values, nurture the social, political, cultural, and economic 
development of societies and encourage citizen involvement. Exchanges 
supported by institutional grants from the Bureau should operate at two 
levels: They should enhance partnerships between U.S. and foreign 
institutions, and they should establish a common language to develop 
practical solutions for shared problems and concerns. The Bureau is 
particularly interested in projects that will create mutually 
beneficial and self-sustaining linkages between professional 
communities in the U.S. and their counterpart communities in other 
countries. Applicants must identify the U.S. and foreign organizations 
and individuals with whom they are proposing to collaborate and 
describe previous cooperative activities, if any. Information about the 
mission, activities, and accomplishments of partner organizations 
should be included in the submission. Proposals should contain letters 
of commitment or support from partner organizations for the proposed 
project. Applicants should clearly outline and describe the role and 
responsibilities of all partner organizations in terms of project 
logistics, management and oversight. Proposals linking institutions 
that have previously collaborated should clearly indicate how projects 
proposed in response to this RFGP will significantly build on previous 
work to accomplish specific new outcomes. Proposals for creative new 
work or designed to achieve significant new outcomes will be deemed 
more competitive under the Program Planning and Ability to Achieve 
Objectives review criterion, per item V.1 below. Proposals for 
continuing activities funded under previous grants will be deemed less 
so.
    Competitive proposals will include the following:
     A brief description of the issue to be addressed and how 
it relates to the target country or region. (Proposals that request 
resources for an initial needs assessment will be deemed less 
competitive under the review criterion Program Planning and Ability to 
Achieve Objectives, per item V.1 below.);
     A clear, succinct statement of program objectives and 
expected outcomes that respond to Bureau goals for each theme in this 
competition. Desired outcomes should be described in qualitative and 
quantitative terms. (See the Program Monitoring and Evaluation section 
per item V.1 below, for more information on project objectives and 
outcomes.);
     A proposed timeline, listing the optimal schedule for each 
program activity;
     A description of participant recruitment and selection 
processes;
     Letters of support from foreign and U.S. partners. 
(Letters from prospective partner institutions should demonstrate

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a capacity to arrange and conduct U.S. and overseas activities.);
     An outline of the applicant organization's relevant 
expertise in the project theme and country(ies);
     An outline of relevant experience managing previous 
exchange programs;
     Resumes of experienced staff who have demonstrated a 
commitment to implement and monitor projects and ensure outcomes;
     A comprehensive plan to evaluate whether program outcomes 
achieved the specific objectives described in the narrative. (See the 
Program Monitoring and Evaluation section [IV.3d.d below] for further 
guidance on evaluation.);
     A post-grant plan that demonstrates how the grantee plans 
to maintain contacts initiated through the program. Applicants should 
discuss ways that U.S. and foreign participants or host institutions 
will collaborate and communicate after the ECA-funded grant has 
concluded. (See Review Criterion 5, per item V.1 below for 
more information on post-grant activities.)
     Successful projects will demonstrate the importance 
Americans place on community service as an element of active 
citizenship and may include ideas and projects to strengthen civil 
society through community service either during participants' stay in 
the U.S. or upon their return to their countries.
     In addition to addressing the specific themes described 
below, proposals should develop partner organizations' capacity in such 
areas as strategic planning, performance management, fund raising, 
financial management, human resources management, and decision-making.
    It is important that the proposal narrative clearly state the 
applicant's commitment to consult closely with the Public Affairs 
Section of the U.S. Embassy in the relevant country(ies) to develop 
plans for project implementation and to select project participants. 
Proposals should also acknowledge U.S. embassy involvement in the final 
selection of all participants. Applicants should state their 
willingness to invite representatives of the embassy(ies) and/or 
consulate(s) to participate in program sessions or site visits. 
Narratives should state that all material developed for the project 
will prominently acknowledge Department of State ECA Bureau funding for 
the program. Applicants who are awarded assistance awards are 
encouraged to engage in outreach activities that will promote the goals 
of the project and increase the visibility of the project activities, 
including the holding of public events and appropriate media 
appearances. Grantees and in-country partners are encouraged to consult 
closely with the relevant Public Affairs Section staff from the U.S. 
Embassy(ies) and with Washington, DC-based program officers on any such 
outreach.
    All applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the 
Washington, DC-based State Department contact for the themes/regions 
listed below and with Public Affairs Officers at U.S. embassies in 
relevant countries as they develop proposals responding to this RFGP.


    Note on Outputs and Outcomes: All projects under this RFGP must 
identify outputs and outcomes for each program phase. 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 are the impacts on individual participants in 
the exchanges, the larger beneficiary audience, and changes in 
institutional structures or behavior. Findings on outputs and 
outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on 
outcomes. The more that outcomes are ``smart'' (specific, 
measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and placed in a reasonable 
time frame), the stronger will be the evaluation.

Africa (AF)

    Program Contact: Curtis Huff, tel: (202) 453-8159, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. AF: Active and Responsible Citizenship
     Promote the education of citizens with broad potential to 
influence their societies, especially women and representatives of 
marginalized groups, on rights and responsibilities in a democracy, and 
empower them to participate in the development of public policy, public 
discussions and debates by developing their knowledge, individual 
skills and organizational capacity, and the development of self 
sustaining civil society organizations.
    Audience: Primarily women and representatives of marginalized 
groups who show leadership potential. Secondarily, other community 
leaders who can create the conditions for more effective citizen 
participation in public affairs and community organizations.
    Eligible Countries: Proposals must focus on one of the following: 
Kenya, Nigeria, or South Africa. The Office is willing to consider the 
addition of one or two neighboring countries in the sub-region if the 
case can be made that such inclusion will strengthen impact of the 
program.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     Practical positive results of citizen engagement in civil 
society, including an informed and participating citizenry, respect for 
human rights and the rule of law and concepts such as volunteerism, the 
idea that citizens can and do act at the grassroots level to deal with 
social problems.
     Appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society and 
increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and 
beliefs.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Develop leadership capacity to enable participants to 
initiate and sustain community development and community service 
activities in their home countries.
    Possible program model:
     The U.S. grantee and its African partner identify Africans 
to be considered for a U.S.-based program.
     A three-to four-week U.S. program is designed that 
includes orientation, study tour/site visits, internships, and 
discussions.
     Similar study tours are designed for American participants 
in Africa, along with workshops and other public programs including 
media. Such activities will offer American participants the opportunity 
to join with their African partners in reaching broader audiences in 
Africa.
     Joint, follow-on projects are designed to be implemented 
by the American and African partners after the ECA grant has expired, 
such as online correspondence including Digital Video Conferences, 
development of informative materials to share, and joint study projects 
through electronic means.
II. AF: Transparent, Accountable Financial Management
     Engage financial managers with significant responsibility 
in government or nongovernmental organizations to increase their skills 
and professional standards.
    Audience: Financial managers, both governmental and 
nongovernmental.
    Eligible Countries: To be successful, a proposal must focus on one 
of the following: Kenya, Nigeria, or South Africa. The Office is 
willing to consider the addition of one or two neighboring countries in 
the sub-region if the case can be made that such inclusion will 
strengthen impact of the program.

[[Page 74684]]

    A successful program will provide participants:
     An understanding of the professional standards for 
managing large-scale finances in transparent and accountable fashion to 
minimize opportunities for unethical or incompetent use of public 
money.
     Skill in managing money to the highest professional 
standards.
     Connection to professional associations that support 
financial managers in striving for best performance.
     Opportunities to observe how capable organizations train 
and monitor staff in managing finances in order to assure best 
performance.
    Possible program model:
     An American delegation chosen by the grantee travels to 
the partner country to assess financial management practices with its 
partner organization and jointly plan for a relevant professional 
development program to follow.
     U.S. grantee and its African partner identify potential 
African participants in the proposed program, focusing on financial 
managers in leadership positions or with leadership potential.
     When approved by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. 
Embassy, African participants travel to the U.S. for at least three 
weeks of learning, site visits, workshops, internships or similar 
opportunities to learn skills, professional standards, and management 
of persons with financial responsibilities, through activities designed 
by the grantee.
     An American delegation travels to the African partner 
country(ies) to conduct workshops with its partner organization for a 
broader audience and to plan related activities to be conducted after 
expiration of the ECA grant.
III. AF: Fostering Economic Growth to Strengthen Democracy
     Educate women and emerging leaders among marginalized 
groups in entrepreneurial thinking, business leadership, and a 
community-wide perspective to empower them to engage in business 
creation.
    Audience: Young entrepreneurs, especially women and representatives 
among marginalized groups, and representatives from government and 
nongovernmental organizations with positions and interest to foster a 
climate that encourages new meritorious business creation.
    Eligible Countries: To be successful, a proposal must focus on one 
of the following: Kenya, Nigeria, or South Africa. The Office is 
willing to consider the addition of one or two neighboring countries in 
the sub-region if the case can be made that such inclusion will 
strengthen the impact of the program.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     Knowledge and advice to start new businesses.
     Understanding of conditions that foster a free-market 
economy and how government can promote those conditions.
     Appreciation for the best American business practices and 
the role of individual entrepreneurial efforts to create growth.
     An understanding of the diversity of American society.
     Enhanced leadership capacity that will enable participants 
to initiate and support activities in their home country(ies) that 
foster economic growth in a democratic society.
     Interaction with Americans designed to generate enduring 
ties.
    Possible program model:
     The U.S. grantee and its African partner identify Africans 
to be considered for the U.S.-based program.
     A three- to four-week U.S. program is designed that 
includes orientation, study tour/site visits, internships and 
discussions.
     Similar study tours are designed for American participants 
in Africa, along with workshops and other public programs including 
media. Such activities will offer American participants the opportunity 
to join with their African partners in reaching broader audiences in 
Africa.
     Design joint, follow-on projects to be implemented by the 
American and African partners after the ECA grant has expired, such as 
online correspondence including DVCs, development of informative 
materials to share, and joint study projects through electronic means.

East Asia and the Pacific (EAP)

    Program Contact: Clint Wright, tel: (202) 453-8164, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. EAP: Active and Responsible Citizenship
     Educate parents, teachers and leaders of youth 
organizations on rights and responsibilities in a democracy and empower 
them to participate in the development of public policy, public 
discussions and debates by developing their individual skills and 
organizations. Projects should engage government and NGO leaders in 
dialogue.
     Engage government leaders--national and local--in the 
importance of citizen participation in governmental decision-making and 
develop/examine specific practices that promote an effective, 
accountable, transparent and responsive government and public 
administration that is crucial to the development of democracy. 
Projects should engage government and NGO leaders in dialogue.
    Audience: Representatives from government and non-governmental 
organizations, and community leaders.
    Eligible Countries: (single-country projects only) China, 
Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     Understanding of important elements of a civil society. 
This includes concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that citizens can 
and do act at the grassroots level to deal with social problems, and an 
awareness of the importance of the rule of law in all societies.
     Appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society and 
increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and 
beliefs.
    [ssbox] Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
    [ssbox] Enhanced leadership capacity that will enable the 
participants to initiate and support activities in their home countries 
that focus on civic engagement and community service.
    Successful applicants must fully demonstrate a capacity to achieve 
the following three key activities:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 30 individuals from 
government, non-governmental organizations, and community leaders 
throughout the target country, including private business leaders. 
Program should be designed for two groups of 15 to travel to the U.S. 
For this phase of the program, partnering with organizations based in 
the target country is required.
    (2) In addition to identifying in-country partner and screening, 
selecting, and preparing participants prior to departure for the United 
States, the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building 
and executing a three to four week informative travel and residency 
program in the United States.
    (3) The final part of the program will be conducting enhancement 
activities and leadership development opportunities that reinforce 
program goals after the participants' return to their home country. An 
essential follow-on component will be a longitudinal assessment of the 
achievements of the program.

[[Page 74685]]

    Possible Program Model:
     U.S. grantee identifies U.S. citizens to conduct in-
country seminar for citizen leaders, teachers, NGO representatives, 
responsible media, elected local government officials, and legal 
professionals to discuss transparency and accountability. In-country 
partner (a local university or other appropriate professional group) 
co-hosts the event with the U.S. grantee institution.
     U.S. program that includes a seminar on the role of 
government/citizen in the U.S.; internships in local elected officials' 
offices, NGO organizations, and citizen organizations; and a one-day 
debriefing and evaluation.
     In-country program conducted by U.S. experts that served 
as internship hosts or seminar leaders. Participants in U.S. program 
design an in-country seminar and serve as co-presenters. Organizers 
broaden impact through audience outreach, including media. Project may 
also support materials translated into target language, small grants 
for projects designed to expand the exchange experience and support for 
the development of alumni association.
II. EAP: Creating Economic Growth to Strengthen Democracy
     Engage community and business leaders, including those 
involved in science and technology, to promote economic growth and 
prosperity among youth by sharing experiences, practical information, 
and developing leadership skills in business, including the importance 
of corporate social responsibility.
     Educate youth and women in entrepreneurial thinking and 
business leadership skills to empower them to engage in business 
creation.
    Audience: Young entrepreneurs, community leaders, including 
representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations.
    Eligible Countries: (single-country projects only) China, 
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     Knowledge of the role learning plays in creating the 
conditions necessary for a free market economy. This includes awareness 
among the individuals from the private sector, and to a lesser extent, 
public sector counterparts who shape the business environment, to 
develop technically competent and culturally sensitive workers in 
private sector enterprises and an appreciation of the role of the 
individual entrepreneur in creating economic growth.
     Appreciation for American business practice and role of 
individual entrepreneurial efforts to create growth, and an 
understanding of the diversity of American society.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Enhanced leadership capacity that will enable participants 
to initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus 
on development and community service.
    Successful applicants must fully demonstrate a capacity to achieve 
the following three key activities:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 30 individuals from the 
business associations, banking and regulatory agencies and print media 
including individual business owners throughout the target country. 
Program should be designed for two groups of 15 to travel to the U.S. 
For this phase of the program, partnering with organizations based in 
target country is required.
    (2) In addition to identifying in-country partner and screening, 
selecting, and preparing participants prior to departure for the United 
States, the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building 
and executing a three to four week informative travel and residency 
program in the United States.
    (3) The final part of the program will be conducting enhancement 
activities and leadership development opportunities that reinforce 
program goals after the participants' return to their home country. An 
essential follow-on component will be a longitudinal assessment of the 
achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     Successful small business entrepreneurs conduct workshops 
for audiences on effective, practical methods of stimulating 
entrepreneurial skills in target countries.
     Key participants of in-country workshops invited to U.S. 
for business facilitation or mentoring to promote innovation and 
networking skills. Develop action plans for business implementation 
upon return home.
     Upon return participants implement business action plans 
with guidance from U.S. mentors utilizing e-mail and other direct 
communication.
     Business mentors travel to country to evaluate 
implementation of action plan and offer assistance.
III. EAP: School Administrators & Community Leaders
    School Administrators and Community Leaders should be provided with 
the following:
     Acquire an understanding of important elements of a civil 
society. This includes concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that 
American citizens are responsible for acting at the grassroots level to 
deal with social and educational problems, and an awareness of respect 
for the rule of law in the U.S.
     Acquire an understanding of the importance of education in 
creating conditions for a free market economy. This includes awareness 
of private enterprise and an appreciation of the role of the 
entrepreneur in economic growth.
     Develop an appreciation for American culture, an 
understanding of the diversity of American society and increased 
tolerance and respect for others with differing views and beliefs.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Gain leadership capacity that will enable participants to 
initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus on 
development and community service.
    Audience: Leaders of boarding schools that focus on teaching 
Islamic values and on providing basic education to children from 
several regions in Indonesia. These boarding schools are known as 
``pesantren''.
    Eligible Country: Indonesia.
    A successful program design must accomplish these three key 
objectives:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 45 individual leaders from 
Indonesian private secondary schools (known as ``pesantren'') that are 
administered under the auspices of the Government of Indonesia's 
Department of Religious Affairs. Program should be designed for three 
groups of 15 school administrators and community leaders to travel to 
the U.S. For this phase of the program, partnering with organizations 
based in Indonesia is required.
    (2) In addition to identifying schools and screening, selecting, 
and preparing participants prior to departure for the United States, 
the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building and 
executing a three to four week informative travel and residency program 
in the United States.
    (3) The final part of the program will be conducting enhancement 
activities and leadership development opportunities that reinforce 
program goals after the participants' return to Indonesia. An essential 
follow-on component will be a longitudinal assessment of the 
achievements of the program.
    (4) Program design should focus on offering participants maximum 
opportunities to develop leadership

[[Page 74686]]

skills and raise their awareness of how to develop critical thinking, 
nurture democratic values, and encourage tolerance for through the 
classroom and through school-supported community activities and 
networks.
    Possible Program Model:
     A U.S.-based program that includes an 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.
     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.
     Site visits by U.S. facilitators/experts to monitor 
projects in the region and to encourage further development, as 
appropriate.

Europe (EUR)

    Program Contact: Brent Beemer, tel: (202) 453-8147, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. EUR: Foreign Policy Dialogue Among Emerging Leaders
     This project is designed to support the integration of 
Turkey and Europe and to promote the participation of young Turkish 
leaders in the transatlantic dialogue on foreign policy issues. The 
project goal is to encourage emerging leaders to examine foreign policy 
issues in a context that encourages substantive dialogue on 
disagreements with other countries. This program will show how 
democratic nations/governments/citizens can disagree--and very 
strongly--on specific issues with other countries, but still maintain 
healthy bilateral and interpersonal relationships. The program should 
examine how falling back on extremist ideologies and withdrawing from 
dialogue with other nations can lead to isolationism and political 
instability, and ultimately weaker democratic systems.
    Audience: Emerging leaders age 21-35 involved in international 
affairs from youth wings of political parties, NGOs with youth focus, 
universities, business organizations, active politicians, journalists, 
business people, think tanks, and cultural figures.
    Eligible Country: Turkey.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     The capacity to engage in serious, important, and 
productive dialogue on international issues in ways that strengthen 
civil society and the democratic process.
     New links between emerging leaders and organizations in 
Turkey and the United States.
     A better understanding of the priority issues, concerns, 
and ideas that prevail in each society;
     A fuller understanding of American and Turkish foreign 
policies, political structures, societies, and cultures.
    Successful applicants must fully demonstrate a capacity to achieve 
the following three key activities:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 40 individuals from throughout 
the target country. Program should be designed for two groups of 20 to 
travel to the U.S. For this phase of the program, partnering with 
organizations based in Turkey is required (the Public Affairs Section 
of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara should be consulted on this).
    (2) In addition to identifying in-country partner and screening, 
selecting, and preparing participants prior to departure for the United 
States, the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building 
and executing a three to four week informative travel and residency 
program in the United States.
    (3) The final part of the program will be conducting enhancement 
activities and leadership development opportunities that reinforce 
program goals after the participants' return to Turkey. An essential 
follow-on component will be a longitudinal assessment of the 
achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     U.S. grantee identifies U.S. citizens to conduct in-
country seminars on the theme. Partner in Turkey would co-host the 
event with the U.S. grantee institution.
     U.S. program that would include seminars; internships in 
local elected officials' offices, NGO organizations; and a one- or two-
day debriefing and evaluation.
     Program in Turkey conducted by U.S. experts that served as 
internship hosts or seminar leaders. Participants in U.S. program 
design the seminar and serve as co-presenters. Project would also 
support materials translated into Turkish, small grants for projects 
designed to expand the exchange experience and support for the 
development of alumni association.
II. EUR: Outreach and Integration of Marginalized Populations, 
Particularly Youth, in Western Europe
     Engage community leaders, educators, youth influencers, 
journalists, and community-based organizations in examination of 
programs and practices to facilitate integration, assimilation, and 
empowerment of minority populations, particularly youth.
    Audience: Representatives of non-governmental organizations, 
community leaders, educators, youth influencers, journalists from 
minority communities. Note: European Union, national, and regional 
government officials are welcome to be part of programming, but given 
funding limitations, they will need to cover all their own expenses.
    Eligible Countries: (single-country projects only) Belgium, 
Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     Understanding of issues related to the integration of 
immigrant and minority populations into a modern democratic society. 
This includes integration in the political system, economic 
opportunity, and freedom of expression, education, and social/cultural 
life, while maintaining ethnic identity within a multi-ethnic society.
     A specific understanding of immigrant and minority youth 
populations and the special needs/challenges they face in modern 
society.
     Appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society and 
efforts over the nation's history to increase tolerance and respect for 
others with differing views and beliefs. Program content will include 
an overview of the range of historical and current American experience 
with integrating various immigrant and minority citizens, examination 
of what has worked well and what has not, and analysis of the range of 
actors including government, NGOs, religious organizations, immigrant 
organizations, educational institutions, and the role of the media and 
public who are involved in this information.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Enhanced leadership capacity that will enable participants 
to initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus 
on integration of minority populations.
    Successful applicants must fully demonstrate a capacity to achieve 
the following key activities:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 15 to 20 individuals 
throughout the target country. Program should be designed for two 
groups to travel to the U.S. Partnering with organizations based in 
target country is required. Also, given resources available in Western

[[Page 74687]]

Europe, successful applicants will have West European partners that 
will cover considerable program costs within the host country and cover 
all its own administrative costs for this project.
    (2) In addition to identifying in-country partner and screening, 
selecting, and preparing participants prior to departure for the United 
States, the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building 
and executing a three to four week informative travel and training 
program in the United States.
    (3) Conducting an in-country workshop(s) to examine the process of 
integration/assimilation of marginalized populations in Europe and 
developing strategies to address these issues. The workshop(s) should 
be designed to engage a broad audience, not just program participants.
    (4) The development of enhancement activities and development 
opportunities that reinforce program goals after the participants' 
return to their home country. An essential follow-on component will be 
a longitudinal assessment of the achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     U.S. grantee and in-country partner identifies West 
European citizens to participate in the U.S.-based program.
     A three to four week U.S. program that includes an 
orientation, study tour/site visits; possible short-term internships/
work shadowing opportunities; hands on training/training-of-trainers; 
professional development; and the development of action plans.
     In-country workshop(s) for a broad audience to examine the 
process of integration of minority communities. Program conducted by 
U.S. experts that served as internship hosts or seminar leaders. 
Participants in U.S. program design the seminar and serve as co-
presenters.
     Enrichment activities that could include support materials 
translated into target language, small grants for projects designed to 
expand the exchange experience, and other activities.

Near East Asia and North Africa (NEA)

    Program Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 453-8162, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. NEA: Active and Responsible Citizenship
     Educate citizens, with particular focus on educators, 
leaders of youth organizations, journalists, or community leaders/
activists in non-governmental organizations, on the rights and 
responsibilities of individuals in civil society and a democratic 
polity.
     Empower these groups to take initiative and to participate 
in the discussion and the development of policy by providing them 
information, enhancing their skills, and strengthening their 
organizations. Projects should emphasize formal and/or informal 
learning, engagement, dialogue, and collaborative effort.
     Engage young to mid-level professionals in formal and 
informal leadership positions in an examination of the importance of 
citizen participation in decision-making and consider specific 
practices that promote the type of effective, accountable, transparent 
and responsive institutions that are crucial to the development of 
democracy. Projects should engage leaders, educators, youth 
influencers, and/or community/NGO activists in dialogue.
    Exchanges may focus on one of more of the following themes: 
governance, transparency, and fighting corruption; education for 
participation in civil society; advocacy in democratic process, NGO 
development, public interest advocacy and information dissemination; 
public health/public welfare; expanding the role of women and 
minorities; educating for responsible environmental action; and / or 
education for responsible preservation of cultural heritage.
    Participants: Representatives of government and non-governmental 
organizations, community leaders/activists, educators, leaders of youth 
organizations, and/or journalists.
    Eligible Countries: (single-country and multi-country projects) 
Proposals must include one or more of the following seven countries: 
Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iran*, Syria, and the countries of the 
Arabian Gulf. Other countries/entities in the region may be included 
with one or more of the countries listed above, if the applicant 
provides a compelling case that the proposed country grouping will 
significantly enhance project outcomes.


    *Note: Applicants planning to include Iranian participants must 
meet specific additional eligibility requirements. To assure that 
planning for the inclusion of Iran complies with guidelines, please 
contact Mark Larsen, 202-453-8154, or e-mail [email protected].


    A successful program will provide participants:
     An understanding of the important elements of a civil 
society. This includes the centrality of an informed, engaged, and 
responsible citizenry; citizens acting at the grassroots level to deal 
with social problems; volunteerism, and an awareness of the importance 
of the rule of law in all societies.
     An appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society, and 
increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and 
beliefs.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Enhanced leadership capacity to enable participants to 
initiate and support activities promoting citizen awareness and 
engagement, strengthening social development, and community service in 
their home countries.
    Successful applicants must demonstrate a capacity to implement 
successfully the following key activities:
    (1) Develop a multi-phased, community and professional exchange 
focused on emerging professionals (community leaders; scholars and 
academics; public policy advocates; non-governmental organization 
activists; etc.) to promote active and responsible citizenship.
    (2) Identify an in-country counterpart organization committed to 
active involvement in the exchange and engage that partner in the 
recruitment and selection of participants and the implementation of in-
country phases of the exchange.
    (3) Promote focused, substantive, and cooperative interaction among 
counterparts, with particular focus on experiential learning for all 
participants.
    (4) Contribute to the establishment of sustained, international, 
institutional and individual linkages by providing a context for 
professional learning and development, skills enhancement, and 
collaborative problem-solving.
    (5) Introduce foreign participants and their American counterparts 
to one another's political, social, and economic values and systems, 
facilitating improved communication and enhancing mutual understanding.
    (6) Conduct enhancement activities and leadership development 
opportunities that reinforce program goals after the participants' 
return to their home countries. An essential follow-on component will 
be a longitudinal assessment of the achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     American citizens travel under the auspices of the grantee 
institution to partner country(ies), consult with in-country partner 
institution(s), contact and identify potential exchange

[[Page 74688]]

participants, and define the concept and goals of the project.
     A group of non-American participants engages in dialogue, 
orientation, site visits, training, workshops, and seminars in the U.S. 
to gain new skills; develops action plans; conducts shadow internships; 
and undertakes and other experiential activities.
     A second group of Americans--specialists identified by the 
non-American participants as having particularly relevant information 
or skills--travel to the partner country(ies) and work with foreign 
participants in seminars and workshops to broaden the scope of 
professional individuals engaged in the exchange.
     A second group of foreign participants, possibly nominated 
by the original participants, travels to the United States for in-depth 
internships, to be involved in train-the-trainer activities, or to 
further pursue the goals of the exchange, returning to their countries 
to put what has been learned into practice.

South Central Asia (SCA)

    Program Contact: Adam Meier, tel: (202) 453-8151, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. SCA: Active and Responsible Citizenship
     Educate citizens, with particular focus on educators, 
leaders of youth organizations, journalists, or community leaders/
activists in non-governmental organizations, on the rights and 
responsibilities of individuals in civil society and a democratic 
polity. Empower them to take initiative and to participate in the 
discussion and the development of policy by providing them information, 
enhancing their skills, and strengthening their organizations. Projects 
should emphasize formal and/or informal learning, engagement, dialogue, 
and collaborative effort.
     Engage individuals in formal and informal leadership 
positions in an examination of the importance of citizen participation 
in decision-making and consider specific practices that promote the 
type of effective, accountable, transparent and responsive institutions 
that are crucial to the development of democracy. Projects should 
engage leaders, educators, youth influencers, and/or community/NGO 
activists in dialogue.
     Exchanges may focus on one of more of the following 
themes: governance, transparency, and fighting corruption; education 
for participation in civil society, including curriculum development 
and teacher training; advocacy in democratic process, NGO development, 
public interest advocacy and information dissemination; expanding the 
role of women and minorities; educating for responsible environmental 
action; and/or education for responsible preservation of cultural 
heritage.
    Participants: Representatives of government and non-governmental 
organizations, community leaders/activists, educators, leaders of youth 
organizations, and/or journalists.
    Eligible Countries: Afghanistan*, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, 
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Priority 
will be given to projects that are designed to enhance linkages between 
South Asia and Central Asia; specifically, proposals that include one 
or more countries from South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, 
Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) with one or more countries from Central 
Asia (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.)


    *Note: For projects in Afghanistan, proposals must include a 
description of plans for an alternate location for the in-country 
portion of the program given the security situation in Afghanistan.


    A successful program will provide participants:
     An understanding of the important elements of a civil 
society. This includes the centrality of an informed, engaged, and 
responsible citizenry; citizens acting at the grassroots level to deal 
with social problems; volunteerism, and an awareness of the importance 
of the rule of law in all societies.
     An appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society, and 
increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and 
beliefs.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Enhanced leadership capacity enabling participants to 
initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus on 
citizen awareness and engagement, strengthening social development, and 
community service.
    Successful applicants must demonstrate a capacity to implement 
successfully the following key activities:
    (1) Develop a multi-phased, professional exchange focused on 
emerging leaders (community leaders; scholars and academics; public 
policy advocates; non-governmental organization activists; etc.) to 
address jointly an issue of crucial importance to the United States and 
to the partner country(ies).
    (2) Identify an in-country counterpart organization committed to 
active involvement in the exchange and engage that partner in the 
recruitment and selection of participants and the implementation of in-
country phases of the exchange.
    (3) Promote focused, substantive, and cooperative interaction among 
counterparts, entailing both theoretical and experiential learning for 
all participants.
    (4) Contribute to the establishment of sustained, international, 
institutional and individual linkages by providing a context for 
professional learning and development, skills enhancement, and 
collaborative problem-solving. Additionally, these projects are 
intended to introduce foreign participants and their American 
counterparts to one another's political, social, and economic values 
and systems, facilitating improved communication and enhancing mutual 
understanding.
    (5) Conduct enhancement activities and leadership development 
opportunities that reinforce program goals after the participants' 
return to their home countries. An essential follow-on component will 
be a longitudinal assessment of the achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     American citizens travel under the auspices of the grantee 
institution to partner country(ies), consult with in-country partner 
institution(s), contact and identify potential exchange participants, 
and introduce the concept and goals of the project. (During this and 
other phases of the project, grantees and program participants are 
encouraged to engage in outreach activities that will increase the 
visibility of the goals and activities of the project, including the 
holding of public events and appropriate media appearances. Grantees 
and in-country partners are encouraged to work closely with staff from 
the U.S. mission on any such in-country outreach, and with Washington, 
DC-based program officers on any such U.S. outreach.)
     A group of non-American participants travels to the United 
States to engage in dialogue, orientation, site visits, training, 
workshops, and seminars to gain and expand skills, develop action 
plans, conduct shadow internships, and/or undertake other experiential 
activities.
     A second group of Americans--including internship hosts or 
seminar leaders--travel to the partner

[[Page 74689]]

country(ies) and work with foreign participants in seminars and 
workshops to broaden the scope of professional individuals engaged in 
the exchange.
     A second group of foreign participants, possibly nominated 
by the original participants, but which broadens the scope of the 
participants involved, travels to the United States for in-depth 
internships, to be involved in further training activities, or to 
further pursue the goals of the exchange, returning to their countries 
to put what has been learned into practice.
     Foreign participants, in conjunction with in-country 
partners, conduct a small grants competition for projects designed to 
expand the exchange experience to a broader audience in-country and 
support the development of alumni association.

Western Hemisphere (WHA)

    Program Contact: Laverne Johnson, tel: (202) 453-8160, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. WHA: Active and Responsible Citizenship
     Educate citizens, with particular focus on educators, 
leaders of youth organizations, journalists, or community leaders/
activists in non-governmental organizations, on the rights and 
responsibilities of individuals in civil society and a democratic 
polity. Empower them to take initiative and to participate in the 
discussion and the development of policy by providing information, 
enhancing skills, and strengthening organizations. Projects should 
emphasize formal and/or informal learning, engagement, dialogue, and 
collaborative effort.
     Engage individuals in formal and informal leadership 
positions in an examination of the importance of citizen participation 
in decision-making and consider specific practices that promote the 
type of effective, accountable, transparent and responsive institutions 
that are crucial to the development of democracy. Projects should 
engage leaders, educators, youth influencers, and/or community/NGO 
activists in dialogue.
    Projects may focus on one of more of the following themes: 
Governance, transparency, and fighting corruption; education for 
participation in civil society, including curriculum development and 
teacher training; advocacy in democratic process, NGO development, 
public interest advocacy and information dissemination; expanding the 
role of women and minorities; educating for responsible environmental 
action; and/or education for responsible preservation of cultural 
heritage.
    Participants: Representatives of government and non-governmental 
organizations, community leaders/activists, educators, leaders of youth 
organizations, and/or journalists.
    Eligible Countries: (single-country and multiple-country projects 
accepted) Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela.
    A successful program will provide participants:
     An understanding of the important elements of a civil 
society. This includes the centrality of an informed, engaged, and 
responsible citizenry; citizens acting at the grassroots level to deal 
with social problems; volunteerism, and an awareness of the importance 
of the rule of law in all societies.
     An appreciation for American governmental and legal 
structures, an understanding of the diversity of American society, and 
increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and 
beliefs.
     Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
     Enhanced leadership capacity enabling participants to 
initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus on 
citizen awareness and engagement, strengthening social development, and 
community service.
    Successful applicants must demonstrate a capacity to implement 
successfully the following key activities:
    (1) Develop a multi-phased and mid-level exchange focused on 
emerging professional and community leaders (scholars and academics; 
public policy advocates; non-governmental organization activists; etc.) 
to address jointly an issue of importance to United States and partner 
country interests.
    (2) Identify an in-country counterpart organization committed to 
active involvement in the exchange and engage that partner in the 
recruitment and selection of participants and the implementation of in-
country phases of the exchange.
    (3) Promote focused, substantive, and cooperative interaction among 
counterparts, focusing especially on experiential learning for all 
participants.
    (4) Contribute to the establishment of sustained, international, 
institutional and individual linkages by providing a context for 
professional learning and development, skills enhancement, and 
collaborative problem-solving.
    (5) Introduce foreign participants and their American counterparts 
to one another's political, social, and economic values and systems, 
facilitating improved communication and enhancing mutual understanding.
    (6) Conduct enhancement activities and leadership development 
opportunities that reinforce program goals after the participants' 
return to their home countries. An essential follow-on component will 
be a longitudinal assessment of the achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     American citizens travel under the auspices of the grantee 
institution to partner country(ies), consult with in-country partner 
institution(s), contact and identify potential exchange participants, 
and introduce the concept and goals of the project.
     A group of non-American participants travels to the United 
States to engage in dialogue, orientation, site visits, training, 
workshops, and seminars, in the course of which new skills may be 
learned and honed, action plans may be developed, shadow internships 
may be conducted, and/or other experiential activities undertaken.
     A second group of Americans--specialists identified by the 
non-American participants as having particularly relevant information 
or skills--travel to the partner country(ies) and work with foreign 
participants in seminars and workshops to broaden the scope of 
professional individuals engaged in the exchange.
     A second group of foreign participants, possibly nominated 
by the original participants, travels to the United States for in-depth 
internships, to be involved in train-the-trainer activities, or to 
further pursue the goals of the exchange, returning to their countries 
to put what has been learned into practice.
II. WHA: Creating Economic Growth To Fight Poverty and Strengthen 
Democracy
     Engage community business leaders, including those 
involved in science and technology, to promote local grassroots 
economic growth and prosperity among emerging youth leaders by sharing 
practical methods and developing community leadership skills in 
business, including the importance of diverse outreach through 
corporate social responsibility.
     Educate youth and women in entrepreneurial thinking and 
business leadership skills to empower them to engage in business 
creation.
    Audience: Emerging, young entrepreneurs, teachers, community 
leaders, including representatives from governmental and non-
governmental organizations. Programs focus on

[[Page 74690]]

engaging indigenous and Afro-Latino communities will be deemed very 
competitive.
    Eligible Countries: (Single-country and multiple-country projects 
accepted) Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, 
and Venezuela.
    A successful program will provide participants:
    [ssbox] Knowledge of the role learning plays in creating the 
conditions necessary for a free market economy. This includes awareness 
among the individuals from the private sector, and to a lesser extent, 
public sector counterparts who shape the business environment, to 
develop technically competent and culturally sensitive workers in 
private sector enterprises and an appreciation of the role of the 
individual entrepreneur in creating economic growth.
    [ssbox] Appreciation for American business practice and role of 
individual grassroots-focused entrepreneurial efforts to create growth, 
and an understanding of the rich diversity of American society.
    [ssbox] Structured interaction designed to develop enduring 
professional ties between U.S. and partner organizations.
    [ssbox] Enhanced leadership capacity enabling participants to 
initiate and support activities in their home countries that focus on 
development and community service.
    Successful applicants must fully demonstrate a capacity to achieve 
the following three key activities:
    (1) Recruit and select approximately 30 individuals from the 
business associations, banking and regulatory agencies and print media. 
The delegation should include individual business owners from diverse 
regions of the participating country. Program should be designed for 
two groups of 15 to travel to the U.S. For this phase of the program, 
partnering with organizations based in the proposed host-country is 
required.
    (2) In addition to identifying in-country partner and screening, 
selecting, and preparing participants prior to departure for the United 
States, the recipient of this grant will be responsible for building 
and executing a three to four week informative travel and residency 
program in the United States.
    (3) The final part of the program will be conducting enhancement 
activities and leadership development opportunities that reinforce 
program goals after the participants' return to their home country. An 
essential follow-on component will be a longitudinal assessment of the 
achievements of the program.
    Possible Program Model:
     Successful community-engaged small business entrepreneurs 
conduct workshops for audiences on effective, practical methods of 
stimulating entrepreneurial skills in target countries.
     Key members of in-country workshops invited to U.S. for 
business facilitation or mentoring to promote innovation and networking 
skills. Develop action plans for business implementation upon return 
home.
     Upon return participants implement business action plans 
with guidance from U.S. mentors utilizing e-mail and other direct 
communication.
     Business mentors travel to country to evaluate 
implementation of action plan and offer assistance.

Cultural Programs (SCU)

    Program Contact: Mark Larsen, tel: (202) 453-8154, e-mail: 
[email protected] or Jill Staggs, tel: (202) 203-7500, e-mail: 
[email protected].
I. Responsible Citizenship and the Arts: Artists Engaging Youth on the 
Margins of Society
    Objective: Projects conducted under this theme will demonstrate how 
collaborative projects in the performing and visual arts can reach out 
to the margins of society to engage young people, instilling hope and a 
sense of self, demonstrating the value of teamwork and pride, 
encouraging positive attitudes toward education and responsibility for 
health (HIV/AIDS), and ultimately developing leadership skills and a 
sense of responsibility toward society. Projects should be designed to 
compare mechanisms American groups have successfully used to reach out 
to youth on the margins of society, with the activities of community 
and cultural activists in other countries; projects should include 
opportunities to compare and contrast the problems facing youth in the 
U.S. and in eligible countries, opportunities for collaborative problem 
solving among project managers (professionals), as well as 
collaborative artistic work by American youth and those from 
participating countries.
    Participants/audience: Community and cultural leaders, educators, 
and American and international teen-age youth participating in the 
programs.
    Eligible countries, entities:

AF: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa
EAP: Indonesia, Malaysia
EUR: Turkey
NEA: Algeria, Egypt, Iran*, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian 
Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria
SCA: Pakistan, Uzbekistan
WHA: Bolivia, Venezuela


    *Note: Applicants planning to include Iranian participants must 
meet specific additional eligibility requirements. To assure that 
planning for the inclusion of Iran complies with guidelines, please 
contact Mark Larsen, 202-453-8154, or e-mail [email protected].


    Possible Program Model:
     American grantee organization visits partner country to 
identify key community activists/independent arts organizations to be 
invited to the U.S.
     International group comes to the U.S. to visit 2-3 
American cities where innovative cultural outreach projects have 
successfully engaged American youth on the margins of society, followed 
by 1-2 week practicum in which international participants join an 
American group in on-site rehearsals and artistic public, non-
commercial presentations in the U.S. This phase of the project should 
include hands-on experience with outreach to the broader community to 
establish project credibility and buy-in, including press or other 
appropriate communication tools.
     Third phase of the project should identify those Americans 
that have been most effective in working with foreign participants and 
take them to participating countries for 3-4 week engagement working 
with local educators/community activists and artists. This phase should 
focus on developing an actual product or performance with in-country 
youth. This phase of the project should include plans for appropriate 
community outreach and communication, including possible press.
     Final phase of the project should create an international 
tool (Web page or other) to facilitate ongoing communication and 
exchange of expertise/information.
II. Responsible Citizenship and the Arts: Cultural Institutions as 
Youth Educators
    Objective: Promote an understanding of the role of cultural 
institutions as educators, particularly to teach children and youth to 
value and respect their own cultural heritage and, within that context, 
to examine and learn to appreciate the heritage of other peoples and 
cultures.
    Audience: Managers and administrators of art organizations, museum 
professionals, community activists, educators, cultural communicators 
(writers, journalists)

[[Page 74691]]

    Eligible Countries:

AF: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa
EAP: China, Vietnam (single country projects only)
EUR: Turkey
NEA: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Syria
SCA: Pakistan, Uzbekistan
WHA: Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela

    Possible Program Model:
     U.S. grantee identifies U.S. citizens to conduct in-
country outreach and seminars on the theme. Identifies most promising 
young leaders in the field to participate in U.S. based follow-on and 
mentoring opportunity.
     U.S. program offers one-two week overview of innovative 
U.S. education and community outreach programs in museums and other 
cultural institutions, followed by 3-4 week internship/mentoring 
projects with education and outreach programs in U.S. institutions. 
Internships should include hands on preparation of, and participation 
in, outreach and education workshops designed to reach children and 
high school age youth. U.S. program ends with 2-day session to develop 
concept papers for projects participants would like to implement in 
their home institutions.
     Period of virtual/distance consultation between U.S. 
experts and international participants as they develop action plans to 
implement local projects.
     U.S. teams visit participating country institutions 4-6 
months later to evaluate progress in implementing plans, trouble-shoot 
problems, offer expertise in implementation and design post-grant 
mechanisms to continue professional dialogue.
III. Responsible Citizenship and the Arts: Creating Cultural Bridges
    Objective: Transcend challenging political, cultural and geographic 
borders through arts exchanges and projects involving cultural figures, 
artists, art historians, curators, conservators, arts educators and 
community leaders. Projects should focus primarily on linking young and 
mid-level professionals, engaging them to explore common cultural and 
aesthetic values and to identify and build common approaches and/or 
proposed collaborative projects in which creativity and appreciation 
for cultural heritage can transcend language and political barriers. 
Projects funded under this theme may be designed to lay the groundwork 
for a major artistic presentation or conference. However, funds awarded 
under this competition may not be used for exchanges of objects/
artifacts or for costs associated with staging artistic presentations 
or major conferences. ECA would welcome proposals that include a 
commitment (or statement of interest) on the part of the grantee 
organization to sponsor such activities after the conclusion of the 
grant, either with its own, or other private-sector, funding. Workshops 
or symposia designed to promote intellectual exchange among project 
participants can be considered for funding under this theme if they are 
one component in a larger two-way exchange. ECA would welcome in 
particular proposals for exchanges on the following or other, similar, 
themes: (a) The notion of built and unbuilt space in Islamic and 
western architectural traditions; (b) textiles as life and art; (c) the 
global and the local: influences in contemporary painting and 
sculpture; (d) the word as cultural heritage--preserving the human 
record.
    Proposals must identify the specific political, cultural or 
geographic border to be bridged and explain how the proposed mix of 
participating individuals/countries and the proposed exchange 
activities will accomplish that goal.
    Audience: Historians of art, architecture, decorative arts 
(textiles, faience), ethno-musicology, philosophers, writers, cultural 
journalists, curators and conservators, museum professionals, 
educators.
    Eligible Countries:

AF: Mali, Niger, Kenya (single or multi-country)
EAP: China (cross-straits)
EUR: Turkey (if included in multi-country project with NEA countries)
NEA: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Iran*, Syria (single or multi-
country projects; projects may include Turkey).
SCA: **Afghanistan and Uzbekistan; may be combined with other Central 
Asian countries if applicant can present evidence that doing so would 
strengthen the project outcome;
    SCA: Pakistan and India.


    *Note: Applicants planning to include Iranian participants must 
meet specific additional eligibility requirements. To assure that 
planning for the inclusion of Iran complies with guidelines, please 
contact Mark Larsen, 202-453-8154, or e-mail [email protected].
    **For projects in Afghanistan, proposals must include a 
description of plans for an alternate location for the in-country 
portion of the program given the security situation in Afghanistan.


    Possible Program Model:
     Applicants should develop a multi-phased, two-way exchange 
of participants designed to meet the stated objectives of the project 
and explain specifically how each phase of the proposed exchange will 
contribute to the overall objective.
    Participant Selection:
    Proposals should clearly describe the types of persons that will 
participate in the program as well as the participant recruitment and 
selection processes. 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 U.S. 
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.
    Security Considerations:
    With regard to projects focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and 
Iraq, applicants should be aware of security concerns that will affect 
the ability of the grantee organization to arrange for the travel of 
U.S. citizens to these countries or to conduct site visits, participant 
interviews, seminars, workshops, or training sessions there. All travel 
to, and activities conducted in, these countries will be subject to 
consultation with and approval of official U.S. security personnel in 
country. The applicant organization should be prepared to modify timing 
or to reconfigure project implementation plans as required by security 
considerations.

II. Award Information

    Fiscal Year Funds: 2007, pending availability of funds
    Approximate Total Funding: $5,000,000-$10,000,000 or more, pending 
availability of funds and the quality of submissions.
    Estimated funding, Regional Programs: $5,000,000 or more.
    Estimated funding Arts Programs: $1,000,000-$3,500,000 or more.
    Approximate Number of Awards: 30 or more, pending availability of 
funds and the quality of submissions.
    Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, September 1, 
2007.

III. Eligibility Information

    III.1. Eligible applicants: Applications may be submitted by public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in Internal

[[Page 74692]]

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.
    III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements:
    (a.) Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four 
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will 
be limited to $60,000.
    (b.) Technical Eligibility: In addition to the requirements 
outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) technical format 
and instruction document, all proposals must comply with the following 
requirements or they will result in your proposal being declared 
technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review 
process:
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. The Office of Citizen Exchanges does not support academic 
research or faculty or student fellowships.
    4. Applicants may not submit more than four (4) proposals total for 
this competition. Organizations that submit proposals that exceed these 
limits will result in having all of their proposals declared 
technically ineligible, and none of the submissions will be reviewed by 
a State Department panel.
    5. Proposals that target countries/regions or themes not listed in 
the RFGP will be deemed technically ineligible.

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 Cathy Jenkins-Smith, Program Coordinator, the Office of Citizen 
Exchanges, ECA/PE/C Room 220 U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, (202) 453-8177 fax: (202) 453-8169, 
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to 
the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C-07-01 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.
    Please specify and refer to the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/
C-07-01 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 original and 8 copies of 
the application should be sent per the instructions under IV.3f. 
``Submission Dates and Times section'' 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 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
    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, record-keeping, reporting and other requirements. 
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) 203-5029, 
FAX: (202) 453-8640.
    Please refer to Solicitation Package for further information.
    IV.3d.2. Adherence To All Regulations Governing The J Visa

[[Page 74693]]

    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 their 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 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) 203-5029, 
FAX: (202) 453-8640.
IV.3d.3. 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 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.4. 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.
    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.

[[Page 74694]]

    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. 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.
    Depending upon an organization's responsiveness to the published 
review criteria, listed under ``V.1 Review Process'' section below, and 
the final level of funding available to support this competition, the 
office reserves the right to increase or decrease budgets for final 
grant awards to meet the overall needs of the program.
    IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    1. Travel. International and domestic airfare; visas; transit 
costs; ground transportation costs. Please note that all air travel 
must be in compliance with the Fly America Act. There is no charge for 
J-1 visas for participants in Bureau sponsored programs.
    2. Per Diem. For U.S.-based programming, organizations should use 
the published Federal per diem rates for individual U.S. cities. 
Domestic per diem rates may be accessed at: http://policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/homepage/mtt/perdiem/perd03d.html. ECA requests applicants to 
budget realistic costs that reflect the local economy and do not exceed 
Federal per diem rates. Foreign per diem rates can be accessed at: 
http://www.state.gov/m/a/als/prdm/html.
    3. Interpreters. For U.S.-based activities, ECA strongly encourages 
applicants to hire their own locally based interpreters. However, 
applicants may ask ECA to assign State Department interpreters. One 
interpreter is typically needed for every four participants who require 
interpretation. 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'') and 
``home-program-home'' transportation in the amount of $400 per 
interpreter. Salary expenses for State Department interpreters 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 Allowances. 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. Honoraria rates should not exceed 
$300 per day. Organizations are encouraged to cost-share rates that 
would exceed that figure. Subcontracting organizations may also be 
employed, in which case the written agreement between the prospective 
grantee and sub-grantee should be included in the proposal. Such sub-
grants should detail the division of responsibilities and proposed 
costs, and subcontracts should be itemized in the budget.
    6. Room rental. The rental of meeting space should not exceed $250 
per day. Any rates that exceed this amount should be cost shared.
    7. Materials. Proposals may contain costs to purchase, develop and 
translate materials for participants. 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 ECA, and ECA support should be acknowledged on all 
materials developed with its funding.
    8. Equipment. Applicants may propose to use grant funds to purchase 
equipment, such as computers and printers; these costs should be 
justified in the budget narrative. Costs for furniture are not allowed.
    9. Working meal. Normally, no more than one working meal may be 
provided during the program. Per capita costs may not exceed $15-$25 
for lunch and $20-$35 for dinner, excluding room rental. The number of 
invited guests may not exceed participants by more than a factor of 
two-to-one. When setting up a budget, interpreters should be considered 
``participants.''
    10. Return travel allowance. A return travel allowance of $70 for 
each foreign participant may be included in the budget. This allowance 
would cover incidental expenses incurred during international travel.
    11. Health Insurance. Foreign participants will be covered during 
their participation in the program by the ECA-sponsored Accident and 
Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE), for which the grantee must 
enroll them. Details of that policy can be provided by the contact 
officers identified in this solicitation. The premium is paid by ECA 
and should not be included in the grant proposal budget. However, 
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 on these 
transfers by host governments.
    13. In-country travel costs for visa processing purposes. Given the 
requirements associated with obtaining J-1 visas for ECA-supported 
participants, applicants should include costs for any travel associated 
with visa interviews or DS-2019 pick-up.
    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, proposals in which the 
administrative costs do not exceed 25% of the total requested ECA grant 
funds will be more competitive under the cost effectiveness and cost 
sharing criterion, per item V.1 below. 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.
    IV.3f. Submission Dates and Times:
    Application Deadline Date: February 16, 2007.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Due to 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 monitor/confirm 
delivery to ECA via the Internet. ECA will not notify you upon receipt 
of application. Delivery of

[[Page 74695]]

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. 
Applications may not be submitted electronically at this time.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package.


    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''.

    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-07-01, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 
01 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    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.
    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 award grants resides with the 
Bureau's Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

    1. Program Planning and Ability to Achieve 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 topics in this announcement and should relate to the current 
conditions in the target country/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 proposed in-country partners should be clearly 
described. A discussion of how the applicant intends to address 
language issues should be included, if needed.
    2. Institutional Capacity: Proposals should include (1) The 
institution's mission and date of establishment; (2) detailed 
information about proposed in-country partner(s) and the history of the 
partnership; (3) an outline of prior awards-U.S. government and/or 
private support received for the target theme/country/region; and (4) 
descriptions of experienced staff members who will implement the 
program. The proposal should reflect the institution's expertise in the 
subject area and knowledge of the conditions in the target country/
countries. 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 Grants Staff. The Bureau will consider 
the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential 
of new applicants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources 
should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program's goals. The 
Bureau strongly encourages applicants to submit letters of support from 
proposed in-country partners.
    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. Proposals whose 
administrative costs are less than twenty-five (25) per cent of the 
total funds requested from the Bureau will be deemed more competitive 
under this criterion. Applicants are strongly encouraged to cost share 
a portion of overhead and administrative expenses. Cost-sharing, 
including contributions from the applicant, proposed in-country 
partner(s), and other sources should be included in the budget request. 
Proposal budgets that do not reflect 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 venue 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) and the Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines 
section, Item IV.3d.2, above for additional guidance.
    5. 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 must not appear in the proposal budget, but 
should be outlined in the narrative.
    6. Program Monitoring and Evaluation: Proposals should include a 
detailed plan to monitor and evaluate the program. Program objectives 
should target clearly defined results in quantitative terms. 
Competitive evaluation plans will describe how applicant organizations 
would measure these results, and proposals should include draft data 
collection instruments (surveys, questionnaires, etc.) in Tab E. See 
the ``Program Management/Evaluation'' section, item IV.3d.3 above for 
more information on the components of a competitive evaluation plan. 
Successful applicants (grantee institutions) will be expected to submit 
a report after each program component concludes or on a quarterly 
basis, whichever is less frequent. The Bureau also requires that 
grantee institutions submit a final narrative and financial report no 
more than 90 days after the expiration of a grant. Please refer to the 
``Program Management/Evaluation'' section, item IV.3d.3 above for more 
guidance.

VI. Award Administration Information

    VI.1a. 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

[[Page 74696]]

(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 and Indian 
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 or http://exchanges.state.gov/education/grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI.
    VI.3. Reporting Requirements: You must provide ECA with a hard copy 
original plus 1 copy of the following reports:
    (1) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after 
the expiration of the award;
    (2) Any interim report(s) required in the Bureau grant agreement 
document.
    Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing 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 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.
    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 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. Final schedules for in-country and U.S. activities must be 
received by the ECA Program Officer at least three work days prior to 
the official opening of the activity.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For questions about this announcement, contact: The Office of 
Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C, 301 4th Street, SW., Room 220, Washington 
DC 20547. Program Contacts Are:

Africa

    Program Contact: Curtis Huff, tel: (202) 453-8159, e-mail: 
[email protected].

East Asia and the Pacific

    Program Contact: Clint Wright, tel: (202) 453-8164, e-mail: 
[email protected].

Europe

    Program Contact: Brent Beemer, tel: (202) 453-8147, e-mail: 
[email protected].

Near East and North Africa (NEA)

    Program Contact: Thomas Johnston, tel: (202) 453-8162, e-mail: 
[email protected].

South Central Asia (SCA)

    Program Contact: Adam Meier, tel: (202) 453-8151, e-mail: 
[email protected].

Western Hemisphere (WHA)

    Program Contact: Laverne Johnson, tel: (202) 453-8160, e-mail: 
[email protected].

Cultural Programs (SCU)

    Program Contact: Mark Larsen, tel: (202) 453-8154, e-mail: 
[email protected] or Jill Staggs, tel: (202) 203-7500, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C-07-01.
    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: November 28, 2006.
Dina Habib Powell,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. E6-20918 Filed 12-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P