[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 72 (Thursday, April 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17741-17749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8745]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6585]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
Request for Grant Proposals: Youth Ambassadors Program With South
America and Mexico
Announcement Type: New Grants.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-09-51.
[[Page 17742]]
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.415.
Application Deadline: May 28, 2009.
Executive Summary: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs
Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
announces an open competition for the Youth Ambassadors Program with
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico,
Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the United States.
Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions
described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may
submit proposals to recruit and select youth and adult participants and
to provide the participants with three-week exchanges focused on civic
education, community service, and leadership along with follow-on
projects in their home communities. For planning purposes, it is
anticipated that exchange delegations will travel from all 13 countries
to the United States, and U.S. exchange delegations will travel to six
South American countries.
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.
Overview: This Youth Ambassadors Program enables youth (ages 15-18)
and adult educators to participate in intensive, thematic, three-week
exchange projects that are designed to promote high-quality leadership,
civic responsibility, and civic activism among future leaders of their
communities. Projects involve a practical examination of the principles
of democracy and civil society and provide participants with training
that allows them to develop their leadership skills. Participants
engage in a variety of activities such as workshops, community and
school-based programs, seminars, and other activities that are designed
to achieve the program's stated goals. Multiple opportunities for
participants to interact with American youth and educators are
included.
The goals of the program are:
1. To promote mutual understanding between the people of the United
States and the people of South America and Mexico;
2. To prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and
contributing members of their communities;
3. To significantly influence the attitudes of the leaders of a new
generation; and
4. To foster relationships among youth from different ethnic,
religious, and national groups and create networks of hemispheric youth
leaders, both within the participating countries and internationally.
With the specific focus of this program, the following outcomes
will indicate a successful project:
Participants will demonstrate a better understanding of
the elements of a participatory democracy as practiced in the United
States.
Participants will demonstrate critical thinking and
leadership skills.
Participants will demonstrate skill at developing project
ideas and planning a course of action to bring the projects to
fruition.
For each project, applicant organizations must focus on the primary
themes of civic education (grassroots democracy and rule of law),
leadership development, and community service. Secondary themes are the
environment, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, business and
entrepreneurship, or alternatives to violence. Secondary themes will be
used as a tool to illustrate the more abstract concepts of the primary
themes. For instance, the secondary theme of care for the environment
can be used to examine youth leadership and community service through
sessions with students who have founded a recycling club in their
school or to examine grassroots democracy by meeting with citizens who
have sought to have a county commission block development on
environmentally sensitive land.
Using the goals and the themes above, applicant organizations
should identify their own specific objectives and measurable outcomes
based on these program goals and the project specifications provided in
this solicitation.
Projects and Application Options
The total amount of funding available is $3,000,000. ECA
anticipates awarding approximately three grants. The Bureau intends to
have exchange activity with all of 13 countries. The Bureau reserves
the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal project
configurations and budgets in accordance with the needs of the program
and the availability of funds.
Organizations may submit only one proposal under this competition.
If multiple proposals are received from the same applicant, all
submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will be given
no further consideration in the review process.
Applicant organizations may apply for one, two, or all three of the
options outlined below. These options will allow applicants the
flexibility to propose working with the countries in which they have
the best infrastructure. The Bureau strongly urges organizations to
limit their applications to the option(s) where they have the strongest
institutional capacity in every country; this capacity must be
thoroughly described in the proposal. Please note the funding range for
each option.
Option One: Southern Cone regional project (Project A). $900,000-
$1,000,000.
Option Two: Andean regional project (Project B) PLUS a single-
country or joint project (one of Projects C through F below). $850,000-
$1,000,000.
Option Three: Three or four single-country projects or joint
project (Projects C through G below). $750,000-$1,000,000.
If an organization chooses Option Two or Option Three, please note
that our intention is to have these projects conducted separately and
distinctly from one another. If, however, an applicant proposes to
conduct two or more projects at the same time, or connect them in some
way, it should provide justification for doing so.
The list below identifies the project name, the language in which
the exchange will be conducted, the requested secondary themes (of
which applicants choose one), and whether an exchange to the partner
country by U.S. students and teachers is requested.
Project A: Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay).
Regional project. English. Secondary theme: Environment, Drug and
alcohol abuse prevention, Business and entrepreneurship, or
Alternatives to violence. U.S.-to-Chile and U.S.-to-Paraguay exchanges.
Project B: Andean (Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru). Regional project.
Spanish.
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Secondary theme: Environment, Business and entrepreneurship, or Drug
and alcohol abuse prevention. U.S.-to-Ecuador exchange.
Project C: Colombia. Single-country project. English. Secondary theme:
Drug and alcohol abuse prevention.
Project D: Venezuela. Single-country project. English. Secondary theme:
Environment, Drug and alcohol abuse prevention, or Business and
entrepreneurship.
Project E: Suriname and Guyana. Joint project. English. Secondary
theme: Environment, Business and entrepreneurship, or Drug and alcohol
abuse prevention. U.S.-to-Suriname/Guyana exchange.
Project F: Mexico. Single-country project. Spanish. Secondary theme:
Alternatives to violence.
Project G: Brazil. Single-country project. English. Secondary theme:
Business and entrepreneurship. U.S.-to-Brazil exchange [Note: Please
see details on the Brazil project below.]
The grant period will span two or more years. Each project will
have at least two delegations of exchange participants to the United
States over those two years. In the case of two regional projects,
there will be four exchange delegations. For some specified countries,
the grant will also support two U.S. exchange delegations to the
partner country in South America.
Exchanges to the United States: For a single-country project and
the Suriname/Guyana project, an exchange delegation may range from 12-
15 participants. For Brazil only, the delegation will be 37
participants. For a regional project (Southern Cone and Andean), an
exchange delegation may range from 20-30 participants.
Exchanges to South America: Approximately 15% of the total amount
of funding is to be dedicated to the exchange of U.S. students and
teachers to the following countries: Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Suriname
and Guyana, and Paraguay. U.S. delegations may range from 10 to 14
participants, though larger delegations may be possible if funding
allows, including supplemental funding from private sources.
Participants traveling to Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay should be able
to communicate in Spanish. Those traveling to Brazil and Suriname/
Guyana do not have any language requirements.
The successful applicant organization will present a program plan
that allows the participants to thoroughly explore civic education,
leadership and community service in creative, memorable, and practical
ways. Activities should be designed to be replicable and provide
practical knowledge and skills that the participants can apply to
school and civic activities at home. These projects will offer bright
and ambitious youth and teachers who work with youth the opportunity to
develop their personal skills in a positive and productive way.
Proposals must clearly indicate the project names specifying the
country or countries with which the applicant plans to work and budgets
should be appropriately scaled to the projects. Since cost
effectiveness is one of the proposal review criteria, the number of
participants that can be accommodated in each project will be a factor
in the proposal review process, though this will be balanced with
program quality and a realistic budget.
Special Instructions for ``Project G: Brazil'': The project with
Brazil is structured differently than the other projects. The U.S.
Embassy in Brasilia will serve as the in-country partner and will
manage the recruitment and selection of the Brazilian participants,
their follow-on activities, and the Brazil-based exchange activities
for the U.S. participants. The total number of participants each year
will be 37 (35 high school students plus 2 educators). For the
Brazilians, the grant recipient for this project will be organizing and
funding the U.S. domestic program only; the Embassy will cover in-
country expenses and will arrange and purchase the international
airline tickets. These exchanges to the U.S. will take place in January
2010 and January 2011. For the U.S. exchange participants, who do not
have to speak Portuguese, the grant recipient will cover all costs,
except the administrative costs necessary to organize the activities in
Brazil.
Organizational Capacity
Applicant organizations must demonstrate their capacity for doing
projects of this nature, focusing on three areas of competency: (1)
Provision of programs that address the goals and themes outlined in
this document; (2) age-appropriate programming for youth; and (3)
previous experience working on programs with Mexico or South America.
With the exception of Brazil, applicant organizations must have an
established presence and the administrative capacity in each of the
partner countries necessary to implement the in-country activities.
This may be a branch office of the U.S. applicant organization, a non-
governmental partner organization, or other associates with
demonstrated experience in educational exchange that can coordinate the
program nationally. Grant recipients will be responsible for their
partners' activities under the grant, both programmatically and
financially. The partners must have the requisite capacity to recruit
and select participants for the program, to provide follow-on
activities, and to organize a program for the U.S. participants, if
specified.
Organizations must convincingly demonstrate their capacity to
manage a complex, multi-phase program with several separate projects.
Their proposals must also thoroughly demonstrate their institutional
capacity (infrastructure and experiences); if necessary, applicants may
insert supplemental information that demonstrates their capacity and
experience under TAB E of their proposal submission to elaborate. ECA
is interested in proposals that demonstrate in the narrative and
supporting documentation the organization's capacity and ability to
sustain and expand the Youth Ambassador Program in future years.
Guidelines
The grants will begin on or about September 15, 2009. The grant
period will be 24 to 34 months in duration, as appropriate for the
applicant's program design. Each U.S. applicant organization must work
with its partner organizations in the participating countries to
propose appropriate dates for the exchanges, which may take place
throughout 2010 and 2011 and into 2012. The exact timing of the project
may be adjusted through the mutual agreement of the Department of State
and the grant recipient.
The grant recipients will be responsible for the following, and
therefore applicant organizations should describe these components in
detail in their proposals:
Recruitment and selection of youth and adult educators
from diverse geographic regions in the partner countries, with the
exception of Brazil. The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in
the partner country will have a key role in developing a recruitment
strategy and deciding how finalists are chosen. Activities for some
projects may also include the recruitment and selection of U.S. youth
and educators for exchanges to South America.
Providing orientations for exchange participants and for
those participating in the host communities.
Designing and planning of activities that provide a
substantive project on the theme of civic education, leadership
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development, and community service, plus a secondary theme. Some
activities should be school and community-based and the projects will
involve as much sustained interaction with the exchange participants'
peers as possible.
Arranging homestays with properly screened and selected
host families.
Logistical arrangements, including visa applications,
interpretation services, international and domestic travel,
accommodations, and disbursement of stipends.
Follow-on activities for exchange alumni that reinforce
the ideas, values and skills imparted during the exchange through
community projects.
Recruitment and Selection: In all of the partner countries except
Brazil, the grant recipients must manage the recruitment and merit-
based selection of participants in cooperation with the Public Affairs
Sections of the U.S. Embassies in the participating countries. Once a
grant is awarded, the grant recipient must consult with the Public
Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy to review a recruitment and
participant selection plan and to determine the degree of Embassy
involvement in the process. For those implementing projects with a U.S.
to South American exchange component, the grant recipients must manage
the recruitment and open, merit-based selection of U.S. participants as
well.
Organizers must strive for regional, socio-economic, and ethnic
diversity, as well as gender balance. Collaboration with Bi-National
Centers (BNCs) is suggested, if possible. The Department of State and/
or its overseas representatives are responsible for final approval of
all selected delegations.
Participants: The youth participants must be high school students
aged 15 to 18 years old who have demonstrated leadership aptitude and a
commitment to their communities. Participants will be sought primarily
through public high schools in order to reach beyond the elite.
Geographic and ethnic diversity is important, including outreach to
indigenous, Afro-descendents, and rural populations. The exchange
participants will also include adults who are teachers, school
administrators, and/or community leaders who work with youth; they will
have the dual role of both exchange participant and chaperone. The
ratio of youth to adults should be between 5:1 and 10:1.
For those projects that will be conducted in English, the South
American and Mexican participants must have sufficient language
proficiency to participate fully in interactions with their host
families and their peers and in educational activities. A similar level
of Spanish language ability is required for the American participants
traveling to Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay. For the U.S. projects that
will be conducted in Spanish, the grant recipient will provide
interpretation and will place the participants with host families with
someone who speaks Spanish.
Exchange Program: High schools students and educators will spend
three weeks on an intensive program that is designed to develop the
participants' knowledge and skill base in civic education and community
service as well as in youth leadership development. The exchange will
take place in the capital city and in one or two other communities.
The exchanges will focus primarily on interactive activities,
practical experiences, and other hands-on opportunities related to the
program themes. All programming should include substantive interaction
with teenagers of the host country whenever possible. The program will
also provide opportunities for the adult educators to work with their
peers. Cultural, social, and recreational activities will balance the
schedule. In the United States, participants will live with host
families in homestays for at least half of the exchange period. In
South America, homestays are desired, but not required.
Follow-on Activities and In-Country Programming: Exchange
participants should go home from the exchange prepared to conduct
projects that serve a need in their schools or communities. The design,
planning, and implementation of these projects will allow participants
to apply what they have learned and enable to them to instigate
community action on a modest scale. Applicant organizations should plan
follow-on activities that focus on reinvigorating and inspiring the
alumni group and assist them in furthering their action plans. In South
America, these activities may be implemented by U.S. staff or trainers
who travel there several months after the exchange and/or by staff or
educators in the partner country (in Brazil, the U.S. Embassy will play
this role). The activities will involve some practical skills training
in addition to reinforcing the topics of the exchange. ECA strongly
recommends additional in-country programming on the project themes for
not only the program participants who travel but also their peers at
home. Alumni will also be encouraged to make presentations to share
their experience with their peers.
Grant recipients will retain the name ``Youth Ambassadors Program''
to identify their program. Materials produced for grant activities need
to acknowledge the Department of State as the sponsor and reflect the
Department of State's goals for the program.
Proposals must demonstrate how the stated objectives will be met.
The proposal narrative should provide detailed information on the major
program activities, and applicants should explain and justify their
programmatic choices. Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations
for the International Visitor category. Please be sure to refer to the
complete Solicitation Package--this RFGP, the Project Objectives,
Goals, and Implementation (POGI), and the Proposal Submission
Instructions (PSI)--for further information.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant Agreement.
Fiscal Year Funds: 2009.
Approximate Total Funding: $3,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: Three.
Floor of Award Range: $750,000.
Ceiling of Award Range: $3,000,000.
Anticipated Award Date: September 15, 2009.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: 24-34 months after start date,
to be specified by applicant based on project plan.
III. Eligibility Information
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code
section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3).
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds
There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this
competition. However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide
maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
Cost-sharing from private sources may be used to augment the ECA
funding, including increasing the number of exchange participants.
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
that 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
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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
III.3.a. Bureau grant guidelines require that applicant
organizations with less than four years experience in conducting
international exchanges be limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA
anticipates making an award in an amount exceeding $60,000 to support
program and administrative costs required to implement this exchange
program. Therefore, organizations with less than four years experience
in conducting international exchanges at the time of application are
not eligible to apply under this competition.
III.3.b. Proposed sub-award recipients are also limited to grant
funding of $60,000 or less if they do not have four years of experience
in conducting international exchanges.
III.3.c. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels
of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
III.3.d. Organizations may submit only one proposal (total) under
this competition. If multiple proposals are received from the same
applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and
will be given no further consideration in the review process.
IV. Application and Submission Information
Note: Please read the complete announcement before sending
inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with
applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.
IV.1. Contact Information To Request an Application Package
Please contact the Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen
Exchanges, ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301
4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547. Telephone (202) 453-8171, Fax
(202) 453-8169; E-mail: [email protected] to request a
Solicitation Package. Please refer to the Funding Opportunity Number
ECA/PE/C/PY-09-51 when making your request.
Alternatively, an electronic application package may be obtained
from grants.gov. Please see section IV.3f for further information.
The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission
Instruction (PSI) document, which consists of required application
forms, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. It also
contains the Project Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI)
document, which provides specific information, award criteria, and
budget instructions tailored to this competition.
Please specify Program Officer Carolyn Lantz and refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C/PY-09-51 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/grants/open2.html, or from the
Grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov.
Please read all information before downloading.
IV.3. Content and Form of Submission
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The application should be submitted per the instructions under
IV.3f. ``Application Deadline and Methods of Submission'' 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 and the Project
Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) document for additional
formatting and technical requirements.
IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of
application. Please note: Effective January 7, 2009, all applicants for
ECA federal assistance awards must include in their application the
names of directors and/or senior executives (current officers,
trustees, and key employees, regardless of amount of compensation). In
fulfilling this requirement, applicants must submit information in one
of the following ways:
1. Those who file Internal Revenue Service Form 990, ``Return of
Organization Exempt From Income Tax,'' must include a copy of relevant
portions of this form.
2. Those who do not file IRS Form 990 must submit information above
in the format of their choice.
In addition to final program reporting requirements, the award
recipient will also be required to submit a one-page document, derived
from program reports, listing and describing grant activities. For the
award recipient, the names of directors and/or senior executives
(current officers, trustees, and key employees), as well as the one-
page description of grant activities, will be transmitted by the State
Department to OMB, along with other information required by the Federal
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), and will be made
available to the public by the Office of Management and Budget on its
USASpending.gov Web site as part of ECA's FFATA reporting requirements.
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 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 awards (either a grant or cooperative agreement) under this
RFGP will be third parties ``cooperating with or assisting the sponsor
in the conduct of the sponsor's program.'' The actions of recipient
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 an award under
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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 critically
important emphases on the secure and proper administration of Exchange
Visitor (J visa) Programs and adherence by recipient 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 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.2. Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and 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.3. Program Monitoring and Evaluation
Proposals must include a plan to monitor and evaluate the project's
success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program.
The Bureau recommends that your proposal include a draft survey
questionnaire or other technique plus a description of a methodology to
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. The Bureau expects
that the recipient organization will track participants or partners and
be able to respond to key evaluation questions, including satisfaction
with the program, learning as a result of the program, changes in
behavior as a result of the program, and effects of the program on
institutions (institutions in which participants work or partner
institutions). The evaluation plan should include indicators that
measure gains in mutual understanding as well as substantive knowledge.
Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting
clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation
plan should include a description of your project's objectives, your
anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure
these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are
``smart'' (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and
placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct
the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link
to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish
between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services
delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important
to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot
substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the
results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people
trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast,
represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is
usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and
outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.
We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes,
as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in
increasing order of importance):
1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange
experience.
2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude,
skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community
members, and others.
4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational
improvements.
Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate
timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example,
satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas
behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-
term outcomes.
Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be
judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear
descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when
particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear
description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e.,
surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation
plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction]
will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)
The Recipient organization will be required to provide reports
analyzing evaluation findings to the Bureau in 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.
IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration
when preparing your budget:
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting
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both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may provide
separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, location, or
activity to provide clarification.
Please refer to the POGI and PSI for complete budget guidelines and
formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission
Application Deadline Date: Thursday, May 28, 2009.
Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/PY-09-51.
Methods of Submission: Applications may be submitted in one of two
ways:
(1) In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service (i.e., Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. Postal
Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
(2) Electronically through http://www.grants.gov.
Please Note: ECA strongly encourages organizations interested in
applying for this competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1., below rather than
submitting electronically through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high volume of grant
proposals that will be submitted via the Grants.gov webportal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. As stated in these RFGPs,
ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for proposals submitted via
Grants.gov
Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.
IV.3f.1. Submitting Printed Applications
Applications must be shipped no later than the above deadline.
Delivery services used by applicants must have in-place, centralized
shipping identification and tracking systems that may be accessed via
the Internet and delivery people who are identifiable by commonly
recognized uniforms and delivery vehicles. Proposals shipped on or
before the above deadline but received at ECA more than seven days
after the deadline will be ineligible for further consideration under
this competition. Proposals shipped after the established deadlines are
ineligible for consideration under this competition. ECA will not
notify you upon receipt of application. It is each applicant's
responsibility to ensure that each package is marked with a legible
tracking number and to monitor/confirm delivery to ECA via the
Internet. Delivery of proposal packages may not be made via local
courier service or in person for this competition. Faxed documents will
not be accepted at any time. Only proposals submitted as stated above
will be considered.
Important note: When preparing your submission please make sure
to include one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it
in an envelope addressed to ``ECA/EX/PM''.
The original, one fully-tabbed copy, and six (6) copies with Tabs
A-E and appendices (no Tab F) should be sent to: U.S. Department of
State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/PE/
C/PY-09-51, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20547.
With the submission of the proposal package, please also e-mail the
Executive Summary, Proposal Narrative, and Budget sections of the
proposal, as well as any attachments essential to understanding the
program, in Microsoft Word and/or Excel to the program officer at
[email protected]. The Bureau will provide these files electronically
to the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassies for their review.
IV.3f.2. Submitting Electronic Applications
Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically
through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). Complete solicitation
packages are available at Grants.gov in the ``Find'' portion of the
system.
Please Note: ECA strongly encourages organizations interested in
applying for this competition to submit printed, hard copy
applications as outlined in section IV.3f.1. above, rather than
submitting electronically through Grants.gov. This recommendation is
being made as a result of the anticipated high volume of grant
proposals that will be submitted via the Grants.gov webportal as
part of the Recovery Act stimulus package. As stated in these RFGPs,
ECA bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from
transmission or conversion processes for proposals submitted via
Grants.gov.
Please follow the instructions available in the `Get Started'
portion of the site (http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).
Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could
take several weeks. Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate
staff within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP
to confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov.
Once registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an
application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the
size of the application and the speed of your internet connection. In
addition, validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can
take up to two business days.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you not wait until the
application deadline to begin the submission process through
Grants.gov.
The Grants.gov Web site includes extensive information on all
phases/aspects of the Grants.gov process, including an extensive
section on frequently asked questions, located under the ``For
Applicants'' section of the Web site. ECA strongly recommends that all
potential applicants review thoroughly the Grants.gov Web site, well in
advance of submitting a proposal through the Grants.gov system. ECA
bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or
conversion processes.
Direct all questions regarding Grants.gov registration and
submission to: Grants.gov Customer Support, Contact Center Phone: 800-
518-4726, Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Eastern Time, E-
mail: grants.gov">support@grants.gov.
Applicants have until midnight (12 a.m.), Washington, DC time of
the closing date to ensure that their entire application has been
uploaded to the Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions to the above
deadline. Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of the
application deadline date will be automatically rejected by the
grants.gov system, and will be technically ineligible.
Please refer to the Grants.gov Web site, for definitions of various
``application statuses'' and the difference between a submission
receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a
validation e-mail from grants.gov upon the successful submission of an
application. Again, validation of an electronic submission via
Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Therefore, we strongly
recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to begin the
submission process through Grants.gov. ECA will not notify you upon
receipt of electronic applications.
It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via
the Grants.gov web portal to ensure that proposals have been received
by Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for
data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications: Executive Order
12372 does not apply to this program.
[[Page 17748]]
V. Application Review Information
V.1. Review Process
The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility.
Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the
guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible
proposals will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public
Diplomacy section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will
be subject to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and
guidelines and forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review.
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by
other Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the
discretion of the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for
assistance awards (grants) resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below.
1. Quality of the program idea: Objectives should be reasonable,
feasible, and flexible. The proposal should clearly demonstrate how the
institution will meet the program's objectives and plan. The proposed
program should be creative, age-appropriate, respond to the design
outlined in the solicitation, and demonstrate originality. It should be
clearly and accurately written, substantive, and with sufficient
detail. Proposals should also include a plan to support participants'
community activities upon their return home.
2. Program planning: A detailed agenda and work plan should clearly
demonstrate how project objectives would be achieved. The agenda and
plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described
above. The substance of workshops, seminars, presentations, school-
based activities, and/or site visits should be described in detail.
3. Support of diversity: The proposal should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity in participant recruitment and selection and in program
content. Applicants should demonstrate readiness to accommodate
participants with physical disabilities.
4. Institutional capacity and track record: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources in both the United States and in the partner
countries should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program
goals. The proposal should demonstrate an institutional record,
including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all
reporting requirements for any past Bureau grants as determined by the
Bureau's Office of Contracts. The Bureau will consider the past
performance.
5. Program evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to
evaluate the program's success in meeting its goals, both as the
activities unfold and after they have been completed. The proposal
should include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique, plus a
description of a methodology to link outcomes to original project
objectives. The grant recipient will be expected to submit intermediate
reports after each project component is concluded.
6. Cost-effectiveness and cost sharing: The applicant should
demonstrate efficient use of Bureau funds. The overhead and
administrative components of the proposal, including salaries and
honoraria, should be kept as low as possible. All other items should be
necessary and appropriate. The proposal should maximize cost-sharing
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct
funding contributions, which demonstrates institutional and community
commitment.
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 a Federal Assistance Award (FAA)
from the Bureau's Grants Office. The FAA and the original proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding
authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government. The
FAA 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.
http://fa.statebuy.state.gov.
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus one copy of the
following reports:
1. Interim reports, as required in the Bureau grant agreement.
2. A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after
the expiration of the award;
3. A concise, one-page final program report summarizing program
outcomes no more than 90 days after the expiration of the award. This
one-page report will be transmitted to OMB, and be made available to
the public via OMB's USAspending.gov Web site--as part of ECA's Federal
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting
requirements.
4. A SF-PPR, ``Performance Progress Report'' Cover Sheet with all
program reports.
Award recipients 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.
VII. Agency Contacts
For questions about this announcement, contact: Carolyn Lantz,
Program Officer, Youth Programs
[[Page 17749]]
Division, ECA/PE/C/PY, Room 568, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301
4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547. Telephone (202) 203-7505. Fax
(202) 203-7529. E-mail: [email protected].
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the above title and the reference number ECA/PE/C/PY-09-51.
Please read the complete 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: April 9, 2009.
C. Miller Crouch,
Acting Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of
State.
[FR Doc. E9-8745 Filed 4-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P