[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4230-4232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1412]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Third World Journalism Seminar
ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs announces
an open competition for an assistance award program. Public or private
non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS
regulation 501(c)(3) may apply to develop a project to provide
logistical support and American speaker recruitment services for the
1995 Annual ``Third World Journalism Seminar,'' which will bring 18
professional institutional spokespersons to Tunis to discuss
professionalism in public relations.
Overall grant-making and funding 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.''
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. The USIA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/P-95-34.
DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday,
February 17, 1995. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will
documents postmarked on February 17, 1995, but received at a later
date. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that
proposals are received by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Division of African Affairs and North African/Near Eastern/South
Asian Affairs of the Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/PS), Room 224, U.S.
Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 29547,
telephone number: (202) 619-5319, fax number: (202) 619-4350, internet
address: [email protected] to request a Solicitation Package, which
includes more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and
guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific criteria for
preparation of the proposal budget. Please specify USIA Program
Officer/Specialist Charlotte Peterson on all inquiries and
correspondence. Interested applicants should read the complete Federal
Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office of
Citizen Exchanges or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP deadline
has passed, the Office of Citizen Exchanges may not discuss this
competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal review
process has been completed.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package and send only complete applications (the original
and 14 copies) to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-95-34, Office of
Grants Management, E/XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing
legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and
should be balanced and representative of the diversity of
[[Page 4231]] American political, social, and cultural life.
``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass
differences including but not limited to race, gender, religion,
geographic location, socio-economic status, and physical challenges.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this
principle. The Agency encourages proposals from eligible non-profit
organizations whose staff reflects a broad variety of ethnic
backgrounds, whose programs encompass a range of diversity interests,
and/or whose mission is to further the interests of traditionally
under-represented groups. Selection of program participants should
reflect all forms of diversity, including race, gender, and geographic
region.
Overview
From June 10-24, 1995, the African Center for the Training of
Journalists and Communicators (CAPJC), a Tunis-based NGO, will sponsor
the twelfth in a series of seminars to enhance journalistic skills and
the journalistic environment in the region of North Africa and Sub-
Saharan Africa. CAPJC will, as in other years, work closely with the
U.S. Information Service Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tunis in
organizing the seminar. The title of the 1995 seminar will be
``Professionalism in Public Relations: Promoting Democracy and Market
Economies through Better Institutional Accountability.'' The seminar
will be conducted in French. The recipient of this grant will be
responsible for providing general administrative and logistical support
to CAPJC and USIS Tunis, and for recruiting three American speakers.
Background
For the past eleven years CAPJC has been sponsoring seminars that
are geared towards teaching hands-on, practical journalistic skills to
third-world journalists. Each year USIS Tunis has worked closely with
CAPJC to design the seminars and select the participants. An American
NGO has provided logistical support. Past themes have included news
agency writing, newspaper reporting, radio journalism, economic
reporting, and investigative journalism, all of which are part of an
effort to promote more capable and responsible journalists.
The June 1995 seminar will address the parallel need for
responsible and responsive institutions with which the journalists can
interact, the overall concept of accountability, and the right to
public information which journalists need in order to fulfill their
responsibility to the public. The seminar will be conducted in French,
led by a team of American and Tunisian professionals.
Eighteen institutional communicators/press spokespersons from both
government and the private sector will be invited to participate in
this seminar. Twelve participants will come from French-speaking
African and Arab countries, and six participants will be residents of
Tunisia. CAPJC and USIS Tunis, in consultation with the USIS posts in
the region, will be responsible for selection of these individuals.
Guidelines
1. Working closely with CAPJC and USIS Tunis, the grantee will
provide administrative and logistical support for the June 1995 ``Third
World Journalism Seminar'' in Tunis, specifically including the
following services:
--Recruitment of three American professional and/or academic speakers/
instructors for the seminar, under the guidance of USIS Tunis and
CAPJC.
--Air travel reservations and ticketing, ground transportation, and
accommodation arrangements for the America speakers and the twelve
participants from Arab and African countries.
--On-site services to participants and speakers during the seminar
including airport reception and per diem disbursements.
--Registration costs for Tunisian participants.
--Accounting for disbursements.
2. All proposals should demonstrate substantial experience with
seminar organization and with North Africa, preferably Tunisia.
3. Applicants should employ French-speaking staff or consultants
available to travel to Tunis as necessary for consultations with CAPJC
before and during the seminar.
4. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the U.S.
Information Service office at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis before
submitting proposals.
5. The U.S. recipient should try to maximize cost-sharing in all
facets of the program and stimulate private-sector support. Since USIA
grant assistance constitutes only a portion of total project funding,
proposals should list and provide evidence of other anticipated sources
of financial and in-kind support. Cost-sharing may be in the form of
allowable direct or indirect costs.
6. All USIA-funded delegates (outside their home countries, i.e.
not the Tunisians) and the American speakers will be covered under the
terms of a USIA-sponsored health insurance policy.
7. Drafts of all printed materials developed for this program
should be submitted to the Agency for review and approval. All official
documents should highlight the U.S. Government's role as program
sponsor and funding source. USIA requests that it receive the copyright
use and be allowed to distribute the material as it sees fit.
Proposed Budget
USIA will consider providing funding of up to approximately
$80,000. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will
be limited to $60,000.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget.
Please refer to the Application Package for complete formatting
instructions. For better understanding or further clarification,
applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for each program component
or activity to facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
Allowable costs for the program include the following:
(1) International and domestic air fares; visas; transit costs; and
ground transportation costs.
(2) Per Diem. The published Federal per diem rates must be used.
(3) Consultants may be used to provide specialized expertise or to
make presentations. Daily honoraria generally do not exceed $250.
Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in which case the
written agreement between the prospective grantee and subcontractor
should be included in the proposal.
(4) One working meal per project. Per capita costs may not exceed
$5-8 for a lunch and $14-20 for a dinner; this includes room rental if
applicable. The number of invited guests may not exceed participants by
more than a factor of two to one.
(5) Materials development. Proposals may contain costs to purchase,
develop and reproduce materials for participants.
(6) Other costs necessary for the effective administration of the
program, including salaries for grant organization employees, benefits,
and other direct and indirect costs per detailed instructions in the
application package.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions. [[Page 4232]]
Review Process
USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of
North African, Near Eastern, and South Asian Affairs; the USIA Office
of African Affairs; and USIS Tunis. Proposals may also be reviewed by
the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Funding
decisions are at the discretion of the USIA Associate Director for
Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for
assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the
USIA 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: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines describe
above.
2. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity.
4. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
5. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of
Contracts. The Agency will consider the past performance of prior
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
6. Cost-effectiveness: 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.
7. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
8. Area expertise: Proposals should give evidence of relevant
knowledge of the geographic area.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by an USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. The needs of the program may require the
award to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about March 17, 1995. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: January 12, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-1412 Filed 1-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
