[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20656-20663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9076]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 6957]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for
Grant Proposals: smART Power: Visual Arts
Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement.
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/PE/C-CU-10-50.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.415.
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: May 26, 2010.
Executive Summary: The Cultural Programs Division in the Office of
Citizen Exchanges in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
(ECA) announces an open competition for one award to administer the
``smART Power: Visual Arts'' program. Under the ``smART Power: Visual
Arts'' program, the Bureau seeks an organization capable of soliciting,
selecting, and facilitating approximately ten (10) to thirty (30)
collaborative visual arts projects, whereby U.S. visual artists will
travel abroad to engage with foreign audiences for periods of
approximately six to twelve weeks each.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the
program above is provided through legislation.
Purpose: The overall objective of the ``smART Power: Visual Arts''
program is to support the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs'
mission to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the
United States and other countries, emphasizing shared social and
cultural values. The program will showcase the role of visual artists
as vibrant, engaged, and innovative partners in addressing the broader
social issues important to communities worldwide. International
audiences will have an opportunity to engage with American artists and
learn about our country's cultural history as well as the contemporary
cultural scene. The American artists will themselves learn about the
societies and cultures of the foreign host countries.
The ``smART Power: Visual Arts'' program will administer projects
where U.S. artists travel to foreign locales and collaborate with local
individuals and communities to create works of art. Projects will be
designed to stimulate discourse about local or global social issues
including, but not limited to the environment, education, health,
girls'/women's issues, and freedom of expression. Approved projects
will focus on direct community engagement that encourages dialogue,
experimentation, and creativity. Participating U.S. artists and foreign
communities will have an opportunity to strengthen connections and
create long-term relationships through the mutual engagement fostered
by the art projects. U.S. missions will benefit from these projects by
enhancing their ties with the American artists as well as with the
local audiences they serve.
Guidelines: The award period will begin approximately August 31,
2010, and continue through December 31, 2012. ECA intends to award one
cooperative agreement to a qualified institution or organization to
administer the ``smART Power: Visual Arts'' program globally. The
cooperative agreement will support the organization and implementation
of approximately ten (10) to thirty (30) art projects.
All applications must be submitted by public or private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code
section 26 USD 501(c)(3). All artists selected must be U.S. citizens.
Total funding for this competition is $1 million. Please Note: The
Bureau reserves the right to reallocate funds it has initially
allocated to this competition, based upon factors such as the number of
applications received and responsiveness to the review criteria
outlined. No guarantee is made or implied that a grant will be awarded
for projects to any particular region.
The successful applicant for the cooperative agreement will
organize the selection of approximately ten (10) to thirty (30) visual
arts projects to be implemented abroad for periods of approximately six
(6) to twelve (12) weeks each, as well as manage the administration of
the program throughout the award period.
Proposals should reflect a practical understanding of global
issues, and demonstrate sensitivity to cultural, political, economic
and social differences in regions where projects may take place.
Special attention should be given to describing the applicant
organization's experience with planning and implementing complex and
unpredictable logistical scenarios abroad. Applicants should identify
any U.S. and foreign partner organizations and/or venues with whom they
are proposing to collaborate, and describe previous cooperative
projects to demonstrate their institutional capacity.
Projects will take place in countries to be designated by ECA and
should primarily target and engage youth, underserved, and diverse
populations, including Muslim and indigenous populations, as well as
educators or groups that influence youth.
Award proposals should contain a detailed plan to work with ECA to
identify and recruit U.S. visual artists to participate in the program,
as well as a process for soliciting and reviewing proposals submitted
by the U.S. artists through a competition for specific overseas
projects. It is anticipated that no more than six months will be
required to identify the first group of U.S. artists and solicit,
review and select project proposals. Selected projects will be
announced in or about February 2011, and project activities will be
conducted and concluded by December 31, 2012.
The U.S. visual artists to be selected for specific projects must
demonstrate high artistic ability, excellent interpersonal skills, and
be conversant with the broader aspects of contemporary American society
and culture. In addition to creating works of art, artists will conduct
workshops, teach master classes, and perform other outreach activities.
Individual art projects deemed competitive under these programs
should include the following elements:
[[Page 20657]]
Dynamic public outreach, including a collaborative art
project(s) with foreign community members, especially with youth and/or
underserved or underprivileged populations.
A description of how U.S. artists and foreign communities
will benefit from participating in the projects; how the projects will
stimulate public discourse and explore local or global social issues.
A description of how U.S. artists, through their projects
can encourage dialogue, experimentation, and creativity.
The award recipient's activities and responsibilities for these
programs are as follows:
Design and implementation of a process for openly
soliciting applications from U.S. visual artists for international
projects subject to ECA final approval.
Design and implementation of a transparent process for
reviewing and selecting proposals using criteria approved by ECA.
Criteria may include, but are not limited to elements such as artistic
quality/excellence of U.S. artist; U.S. artist experience with public
outreach and foreign audiences; appropriateness of the project for the
foreign policy context and objectives; opportunities for local
outreach.
Organization of procedures and events for announcing ECA's
final decisions on proposals, including media coverage as appropriate.
Advance project planning (including educational and
outreach activities);
Project implementation and monitoring;
Processing and funding all administrative aspects of each
project, including but not limited to disbursement of moneys to U.S.
artists, travel arrangements, visas, immunizations, health insurance,
purchase and shipment of supplies, payments and other applicable
logistical elements.
Arrangement of orientation sessions and pre-travel
briefings for each artist or group of artists with State Department
regional experts and ECA program officers in attendance. In the event a
personal briefing session is not possible, a teleconference briefing
should be scheduled.
Production of logo and press and other materials to be
used in outreach and program branding.
Publicizing program activities and results to targeted
U.S. and international media in a consultation with ECA, and, as
applicable, the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. missions, and
participating artists.
Liaison and coordination with U.S. Missions and local
foreign organizations, as appropriate;
Evaluation of program activities;
Reporting on project activities to ECA within one month of
completion of project;
Assisting artists and embassies with follow-on program
development.
Successful applicants must be highly responsive and able to work in
close consultation with ECA and the Public Affairs Sections of
participating U.S. embassies overseas. Applicants should also have
experience in global exchange planning and implementation, and should
state how they intend to address the above elements in their proposal,
particularly the specific procedures and criteria for the selection of
American artists.
In a cooperative agreement, ECA/PE/C/CU is substantially involved
in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring. ECA/PE/C/
CU's activities and responsibilities for these programs are as follows:
Determination of the countries for which projects will be
selected. Countries will be those in all world regions of greatest
importance to the Department of State's public diplomacy mission to
build mutual understanding. Examples of countries where projects may
take place include Egypt, Venezuela, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,
Syria and Russia. These are examples for purposes of the competition.
ECA reserves the right to select participating countries based upon the
overall policy priorities of the Department of State during the course
of the cooperative agreement.
Participation in the selection of artists and projects.
Final approval of all projects and project arrangements.
Arranging for participation of Department of State
officers in pre-travel briefings and any debriefings that might take
place.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ECA's level of involvement in
this program is listed under number I above.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2010.
Approximate Total Funding: $1,000,000.
Approximate Number of Awards: 1.
Approximate Average Award: $1,000,000.
Anticipated Award Date: August 31, 2010.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2012.
Additional Information
Pending successful implementation of this program and the
availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA's intent to
renew the cooperative agreement for two additional fiscal years, before
openly competing it again.
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.
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 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.) Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less
than four years experience in conducting international exchanges be
limited to $60,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making one award,
in an amount up to $1,000,000, to support program and administrative
costs required to implement this exchange program. Therefore,
organizations with less than four years experience in conducting
international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition.
The Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost
sharing and funding in support of its programs.
(b.) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with: (1)
Full adherence to the guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation
Package;
[[Page 20658]]
(2) proposal submission deadline; and (3) non-profit organization
status, or your proposal will be declared technically ineligible and
given no further consideration in the review process.
Applicants may submit only ONE proposal to administer the listed
activities/programs. If more than one proposal is received from the
same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible
and will receive no further consideration in the review process. Please
Note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN
number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting
documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)
document.
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 Cultural Programs Division (ECA/PE/C/CU) in the
Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational Affairs, U.S.
Department of State, SA-5, 2200 C Street, NW., 3rd Floor, Washington,
DC 20522-0503; tel 202-632-6425; fax 202-632-9355; e-mail
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package. Please refer to
the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/PE/C-CU-10-50 located at the top of
this announcement when making your request.
Alternatively, an electronic application package may be obtained
from awards.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.
Please specify Alan Cross and refer to the Funding Opportunity
Number ECA/PE/C-CU-10-50 located at the top of this announcement and
``smART Power: Visual Arts'' on all other inquiries and correspondence
related to that program.
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/awards/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 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 its program reports, listing and describing its award 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 award 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 website 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 following is for informational purposes only and is not
directly relevant to this solicitation. The Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs places critically important emphases on the security
and proper administration of the Exchange Visitor (J visa) Programs and
adherence by award recipients and sponsors to all regulations governing
the J visa.
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, Office of Designation, ECA/
EC/D, SA-5, Floor C2, Department of State, Washington, DC 20522-0582.
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
[[Page 20659]]
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, demonstrating 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 its evaluation findings to the Bureau in its 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.3d.4. Describe your plans for: i.e. sustainability, overall
program management, staffing, coordination with ECA and PAS or any
other requirements etc.
IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration
when preparing your budget:
IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit SF-424A--``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs'' along with a comprehensive budget for the
entire program. The award may not exceed $1,000,000. 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.
IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program include the following:
(1) Program Expenses, including but not limited to: Domestic and
international travel for the selected artists (per The Fly America
Act); visas and immunizations; airport taxes and country entrance fees;
honoraria; educational and project materials and presentation items;
excess and overweight baggage fees; press kits and promotional
materials; follow-on activities; monitoring and evaluation; and
international travel for program implementation and/or evaluation
purposes.
The following guidelines may be helpful in developing a proposed
budget:
A. Travel Costs. International airfares (per The Fly America Act),
transit costs, ground transportation, and visas for participating
artists to travel to the project destinations.
B. Per Diem: Domestic per diem rates may be accessed at: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=17943&contentType=GSA_BASIC. Foreign per diem
rates may be accessed at: http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78.
C. Sub-awardees and Consultants. Sub-awardee organizations may be
used, in which case the written agreement between the prospective award
recipient and sub-awardee should be included in the proposal. Sub-
awards must be itemized in the budget under General Program Expenses.
Consultants may be used to provide specialized expertise. Daily
honoraria cannot exceed $200 per day, and applicants are strongly
encouraged to use organizational resources, and to cost share heavily
in this area.
D. Health Insurance. Each participating artist will be covered
under the terms of the ECA-sponsored Accident and Sickness Program for
Exchanges (ASPE) health insurance program. The cost for international
travel insurance for staff travel may be included in the proposal
budget.
E. Honoraria for participating artists. Daily honorarium is $200
per day for each artist.
[[Page 20660]]
F. Educational Material and Promotional Items. Artists may use
these funds to purchase project material and promotional items whether
in the U.S. or abroad. ECA funds for educational and promotional items
(e.g. CDS, DVDS, catalogues, brochures, etc.) should be tailored to
meet the needs of the project and be proportional to the overall
project cost. Material costs may be subject to change once actual
projects are scheduled; however, for proposal budget purposes, costs
should be estimated at $1,000 per project.
G. Excess Baggage. Excess baggage costs are based on the size and
weight of art materials and supplies. Excess baggage estimates may be
subject to change once actual projects are scheduled; however for
proposal budget purposes, costs should be estimated at $500 per visual
arts project.
H. Immunizations/Visas. For purposes of a proposed budget, line
items for immunizations should be estimated at $400 per artist, and
visas/visa photos should be estimated at $200 per artist.
I. Press Kits. As appropriate, based on the project and foreign
country, the award recipient should design and create press kits in
consultation with ECA. This line item may include funds for designing
and publishing print materials and/or CD's, DVD's.
J. Staff Travel. Allowable costs include domestic staff travel for
one staff member to meet with sub-awardees. International staff travel
will be allowable, especially if associated with monitoring and
evaluation, as long as costs for each project are completely covered.
Cost-sharing for staff travel is strongly encouraged.
2. Administrative Costs. Costs necessary for the effective
administration of the program may include salaries for award recipient
organization employees, benefits, and other direct and indirect costs
per detailed instructions in the Solicitation 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 from
ECA award funds will be more competitive on cost effectiveness. Please
refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and
formatting instructions.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
IV.3f. Application Deadline and Methods of Submission
Application Deadline Date: May 26, 2010.
Reference Number: ECA/PE/C/CU-10-50.
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.
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 and ten copies of the application should be sent to:
Program Management Division, ECA-IIP/EX/PM, Ref.: ECA/PE/C/CU-10-50,
SA-5, Floor 4, Department of State, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC
20522-0504.
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 bears no responsibility for applicant
timeliness of submission or 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 website. 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: [email protected].
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
[[Page 20661]]
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.3f.3 Only one application may be submitted by an organization.
Submission of more than one application will automatically disqualify
that organization for all applications.
IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications Executive Order 12372
Does Not Apply to This Program
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
cooperative agreements resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Program Planning and Ability to Achieve Objectives: Proposals
should exhibit originality, substance and precision. The program plan
should state the project's relevance to the U.S. Department of State's
foreign policy goals. Program objectives should be stated clearly and
should reflect the organization's expertise in the visual arts and in
the area of community outreach. Objectives should be reasonable,
feasible, and flexible. Detailed agenda and plan should adhere to the
program overview and guidelines described above. Proposals should
include a detailed timeline/agenda for accomplishing all of the program
activities including application phases, participant selection, project
implementation and project monitoring.
2. Institutional Capacity/Record: Proposals should include the
institution's mission and date that 501(c) 3 status was approved.
Proposals should reflect institution's expertise in the subject areas,
knowledge of conditions overseas, and expertise in planning programs
that strengthen connections between the United States and other
countries. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be
adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goals.
Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful
exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management and full
compliance with all reporting requirements for past Bureau awards
(grants or cooperative agreements) as determined by Bureau Grants
Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
Institutions with previous successful experience in conducting exchange
programs with the U.S. Government will be deemed more competitive.
Proposals must include references with name and contact information for
other assistance awards the applicant has received in the event the
Bureau chooses to be in touch directly.
The Bureau strongly encourages submission of letters of support and
commitment from proposed partner organizations.
3. Multiplier Effect/Impact: Proposed programs should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual
linkages. Proposals should demonstrate a clear understanding of how the
individual art projects can have a long lasting impact on the foreign
community.
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).
5. Follow-on Activities: Proposals 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. Post-
award activities must be funded by contributions from sources outside
the Bureau. Costs for these activities should not appear in the
proposal budget, but should be outlined in the narrative.
6. Project Monitoring and Evaluation: Proposals should include a
detailed plan to monitor and evaluate the program. Competitive
evaluation plans will describe how the project's success at meeting
program objectives in quantitative terms will be measured, and should
include draft data collection instruments such as surveys and
questionnaires, media coverage, and other significant local reaction to
specific projects. Proposals should include a plan to evaluate the
activities' success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of
the program. ECA is especially interested in the qualitative and
quantitative results of project activities both in terms of the impact
on audiences, as well as on participants. It will be the award
recipient's responsibility to inform the Bureau of exchange activity
results and changes to the program plan and/or project timeline.
7. Cost-effectiveness and Cost Sharing: 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. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing
through other private sector support as well as institutional direct
funding contributions.
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.1b. In the event programming involves Iran, West Bank and Gaza,
the
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following additional requirements may apply: A critical component of
current U.S. government Iran policy is the support for indigenous
Iranian voices. The State Department has made the awarding of awards
for this purpose a key component of its Iran policy. As a condition of
licensing these activities, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
has requested the Department of State to follow certain procedures to
effectuate the goals of Sections 481(b), 531(a), 571, 582, and 635(b)
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as amended); 18 U.S.C. 2339A and
2339B; Executive Order 13224; and Homeland Security Presidential
Directive 6. These licensing conditions mandate that the Department
conduct a vetting of potential Iran awardees and sub-awardees for
counter-terrorism purposes. To conduct this vetting the Department will
collect information from awardees and sub-awardees regarding the
identity and background of their key employees and Boards of Directors.
Note: To assure that planning for the inclusion of Iran
complies with requirements, please contact Catherine Staples-
Randolph at 202-632-6425 or [email protected] for additional
information.
All awards made under this competition must be executed according
to all relevant U.S. laws and policies regarding assistance to the
Palestinian Authority, and to the West Bank and Gaza. Organizations
must consult with relevant Public Affairs Offices before entering into
any formal arrangements or agreements with Palestinian organizations or
institutions.
Note: To assure that planning for the inclusion of the
Palestinian Authority complies with requirements, please contact
Catherine Staples-Randolph at 202-632-6425 or [email protected]
for additional information.
Special Provision for Performance in a Designated Combat Area
(Currently Iraq and Afghanistan) (December 2008)
All Recipient personnel deploying to areas of combat operations, as
designated by the Secretary of Defense (currently Iraq and
Afghanistan), under assistance awards over $100,000 or performance over
14 days must register in the Department of Defense maintained
Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) system.
Recipients of federal assistance awards shall register in SPOT before
deployment, or if already in the designated operational area, register
upon becoming an employee under the assistance award, and maintain
current data in SPOT. Information on how to register in SPOT will be
available from your Grants Officer or Grants Officer Representative
during the final negotiation and approval stages in the federal
assistance awards process. Recipients of federal assistance awards are
advised that adherence to this policy and procedure will be a
requirement of all final federal assistance awards issued by ECA.
Recipient performance may require the use of armed private security
personnel. To the extent that such private security contractors (PSCs)
are required, awardees are required to ensure they adhere to Chief of
Mission (COM) policies and procedures regarding the operation,
oversight, and accountability of PSCs.
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/awards.
http://fa.statebuy.state.gov
VI.3 Reporting Requirements
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus ten copies of
the following reports:
(1) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after
the expiration of the award;
(2) 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 website--as part of ECA's Federal
Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting
requirements.
(3) A SF-PPR, ``Performance Progress Report'' Cover Sheet with all
program reports.
(4) Quarterly program and financial reports that include final
costs for each visual arts project and remaining award funds for
additional projects.
(5) During the period of implementation of each visual arts
project, bi-weekly reports to the ECA program office that include
photographs, any media coverage and information on substantive elements
of the project.
(6) No more than two weeks following conclusion of each visual arts
project, a report and evaluation of the substantive aspects of the
project (including budget) to the ECA program office.
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.
Program Data Requirements
The award recipient 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 requested. 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 agreement.
(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 general (non-substantive) questions about this announcement,
contact: Catherine Staples-Randolph at 202-632-6425 or
[email protected]. For specific (substantive) questions about the
``smART Power: Visual Arts'' program, contact: Alan Cross, Cultural
Programs Division (ECA/PE/C/CU), Room 3-K14, ECA/PE/C-CU-10-50,
[[Page 20663]]
U.S. Department of State, SA-5, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC
20522-0503; tel 202-632-6407; fax 202-632-9355; e-mail
[email protected].
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should
reference the above title and number ECA/PE/C-CU-10-50 and the specific
program being requested.
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 14, 2010.
Maura M. Pally,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S.
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010-9076 Filed 4-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P