[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 211 (Monday, November 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58804-58807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29224]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 2916]
Discretionary Grant Programs Application Notice Establishing
Closing Date for Transmittal of Certain Fiscal Year 1999 Applications
AGENCY: The Department of State invites applications from national
organizations with interest and expertise in conducting research and
training to serve as intermediaries administering national competitive
programs concerning the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent
states of the former Soviet Union. The grants will be awarded through
an open, national competition among applicant organizations.
Authority for this Program for Research and Training on Eastern
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union is
contained in the Soviet Eastern European Research and Training Act of
1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended).
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this application notice is to inform potential
applicant organizations of fiscal and programmatic information and
closing dates for transmittal of applications for awards in Fiscal Year
1999 under a program administered by the Department of State. The
program seeks to build and sustain expertise among Americans willing to
make a career commitment to the study of Eastern Europe and countries
of the former Soviet Union.
Organization of Notice: This notice contains three parts. Part I
lists the closing date covered by this notice. Part II consists of a
statement of purpose and priorities of the program. Part III provides
the fiscal data for the program.
Part I
Closing Date for Transmittal of Applications
An application for an award must be mailed or hand-delivered by
February 12, 1999.
Applications Delivered by Mail
An application sent by mail must be addressed to Kenneth E.
Roberts, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES,
Room 6841, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC
20520-6510.
An applicant must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the
following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
center.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Department of
State.
If any application is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, the
Department of State does not accept either of the following as proof of
mailing: (1) a private metered postmark, or (2) a mail receipt that is
not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an
applicant should check with the local post office.
An applicant is encouraged to use registered or at least first
class mail. Late applications will not be considered and will be
returned to the applicant.
Applications Delivered by Hand
An application that is hand delivered must be taken to Kenneth E.
Roberts, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES,
Room 6841, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC. Please phone first at
(202) 736-4572 to ensure access to the building.
[[Page 58805]]
The Advisory Committee staff will accept hand-delivered
applications between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST daily, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
An application that is hand delivered will not be accepted after
4:00 p.m. on the closing date.
Part II
Program Information
In the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983
the Congress declared that independently verified factual knowledge
about the countries of that area is ``of utmost importance for the
national security of the United States, for the furtherance of our
national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and for the
prudent management of our domestic affairs.'' Congress also declared
that the development and maintenance of such knowledge and expertise
``depends upon the national capability for advanced research by highly
trained and experienced specialists, available for service in and out
of Government.'' The program provides financial support for advanced
research, training and other related functions on the countries of the
region. By strengthening and sustaining in the United States a cadre of
experts on Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former
Soviet Union, the program contributes to the overall objectives of the
FREEDOM Support and SEED programs.
The full purpose of the Act and the eligibility requirements are
set forth in Pub. L. 98164, 97 Stat. 1047-50, as amended. The countries
include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia,
Croatia, Serbia (including Kosovo and Montenegro), and the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Act establishes an Advisory Committee to recommend grant
policies and recipients. The Secretary of State, after consultation
with the Advisory Committee, approves policies and makes the final
determination on awards.
Applications for funding under the Act are invited from U.S.
organizations prepared to conduct competitive programs on the
independent states of the former Soviet Union and the countries of
Eastern Europe and related fields. Applying organizations or
institutions should have the capability to conduct competitive award
programs that are national in scope. Programs of this nature are those
that make awards which are based upon an open, nationwide competition,
incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Individual end-users of
these funds--those to whom the applicant organizations or institutions
propose to make awards--must be at the graduate or post-doctoral level,
and must have demonstrated a likely career commitment to the study of
Eastern Europe and/or the independent states of the former Soviet
Union.
Applications sought in this competition among organizations or
institutions are those that would contribute to the development of a
stable, long-term, national program of unclassified, advanced research
and training on the countries of Eastern Europe and/or the independent
states of the former Soviet Union by proposing:
(1) National programs which award contracts or grants to American
institutions of higher education or not-for-profit corporations in
support of post-doctoral or equivalent level research projects, such
contracts or grants to contain shared-cost provisions;
(2) National programs which offer graduate, post-doctoral and
teaching fellowships for advanced training on the countries of Eastern
Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union, and in
related studies, including training in the languages of the region,
with such training to be conducted on a shared-cost basis, at American
institutions of higher education;
(3) National programs which provide fellowships and other support
for American specialists enabling them to conduct advanced research on
the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the
former Soviet Union, and in related studies; and those which facilitate
research collaboration between Government and private specialists in
these areas;
(4) National programs which provide advanced training and research
on a reciprocal basis in the countries of Eastern Europe and the
independent states of the former Soviet Union by facilitating access
for American specialists to research facilities and resources in those
countries;
(5) National programs which facilitate the public dissemination of
research methods, data and findings; and those which propose to
strengthen the national capability for advanced research or training on
the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the
former Soviet Union in ways not specified above.
Note: The Advisory Committee will not consider applications from
individuals to further their own training or research, or from
institutions or organizations whose proposals are not for
competitive award programs that are national in scope as defined
above. Support for specific activities will be guided by the
following policies and priorities:
Support for Transitions. The Advisory Committee
strongly encourages support for activities which, while building
expertise among U.S. specialists on the region, also 1) promote
fundamental goals of U.S. assistance programs such as helping
establish market economies and promoting democratic governance and
civil societies, and 2) provide knowledge and context related to
current US policy interests in the region, broadly defined. This
includes, but is not limited to, such topics as ethnic conflict,
post-Soviet economics, and political participation. Research is
encouraged on Russia's regions, and on other specific geographic
areas-- including areas outside capital cities, on Central Asia, and
on the Balkans, where gaps exist in knowledge. Historical or
cultural research that promotes understanding of current events in
the region also is encouraged if an explicit connection can be made
to contemporary political and/or economic transitions.
Publications. Funds awarded in this competition should
not be used to subsidize journals, newsletters and other periodical
publications except in special circumstances, in which cases the
funds should be supplied through peer-review organizations with
national competitive programs.
Conferences. Proposals for conferences, like those for
research projects and training programs, should be assessed
according to their relative contribution to the advancement of
knowledge and to the professional development of cadres in the
fields. Therefore, requests for conference funding should be
directed to one or more of the national peer-review organizations
receiving program funds, with proposed conferences being evaluated
competitively against research, fellowship or other proposals for
achieving the purposes of the grant.
Library Activities. Funds may be used for certain
library activities that clearly strengthen research and training on
the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the
former Soviet Union and benefit the fields as a whole. Such programs
must make awards based upon open, nationwide competition,
incorporating peer group review mechanisms. Funds may not be used
for activities such as modernization, acquisition, or preservation.
Modest, cost-effective proposals to facilitate research, by
eliminating serious cataloging backlogs or otherwise improving
access to research materials, will be considered.
Language Support. The Advisory Committee encourages
attention to the non-Russian languages of the independent states of
the former Soviet Union and the less commonly taught languages of
the East European countries. Support provided for Russian language
instruction/study normally will be only for advanced level.
Applicants
[[Page 58806]]
proposing to offer language instruction are encouraged to apply to a
national program as described above that has appropriate peer group
review mechanisms.
Support for Non-Americans. The purpose of the program
is to build and sustain U.S. expertise on the countries of Eastern
Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union.
Therefore, the Advisory Committee has determined that highest
priority for support always should go to American specialists (i.e.,
U.S. citizens or permanent residents). Support for such activities
as long-term research fellowships, i.e., nine months or longer,
should be restricted solely to American scholars. Support for short-
term activities also should be restricted to Americans, except in
special instances where the participation of a non-American scholar
has clear and demonstrable benefits to the American scholarly
community. In such special instances, the applicant must justify the
expenditure. Despite this restriction on support for non-Americans,
collaborative projects are encouraged--where the non-American
component is funded from other sources--and priority is given to
institutions whose programs contain such an international component.
In making its recommendations, the Committee will seek to encourage
a coherent, long-term, and stable effort directed toward developing and
maintaining a national capability on the countries of Eastern Europe
and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. Program
proposals can be for the conduct of any of the functions enumerated,
but in making its recommendations, the Committee will be concerned to
develop a balanced national effort that will ensure attention to all
the countries of the area. Legislation requires and this announcement
indicates under Program Information of this section that in certain
cases grantee organizations must include shared-cost provisions in
their arrangements with end-users. Cost-sharing is encouraged, whenever
feasible, in all programs.
Part III
Available Funds
Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. Funding may
be available at a level up to $4.8 million. The precise level of
funding will not be known until legislative action is complete. In
Fiscal Year 1998, the Congress appropriated to the program $4.8 million
from the FREEDOM Support and Support for East European Democracies
(SEED) Acts, which funded grants to 9 national organizations. The
number of awards varies each year, depending on the level of funding
and the quality of the applications submitted.
The Department legally cannot commit funds that may be appropriated
in subsequent fiscal years. Thus multi-year projects cannot receive
assured funding unless such funding is supplied out of a single year's
appropriation. Grant agreements may permit the expenditure from a
particular year's grant to be made up to three years after the grant's
effective date.
Applications
Applications must be prepared and submitted in 20 copies in the
form of a statement, the narrative part of which should not exceed 20
double-spaced pages. This must be accompanied by a one-page executive
summary, a budget, and vitae of key professional staff. Proposers may
append other information they consider essential, although bulky
submissions are discouraged and run the risk of not being reviewed
fully. The one-page summary and budget should precede the narrative in
the proposal.
Proposed programs should be described fully, including benefits for
the fields. All applicants should provide detailed information about
their plans for advertising their programs, peer evaluation and review
procedures, and estimates of the types and amount of anticipated
awards.
Applicants who have received a grant from this program in the
previous competition should provide detailed information on the peer
evaluation and review procedures followed, and awards made, including,
where applicable, names/affiliations of recipients, and amounts and
types of awards. If an applicant received support prior to the last
competition, a summary of those awards also should be included.
Descriptions of all competitive award programs should specify both
past and anticipated applicant-to-award ratios.
Proposals from national organizations involving language
instruction programs should provide, for those programs supported in
the past year, information on the criteria for evaluation, including
levels of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, facilities, methods
for measuring language proficiency (including pre- and post-testing),
instructors' qualifications, and budget information showing estimated
costs per student.
A description of affirmative action policies and practices must be
included in the application.
Applications should include certifications of compliance with the
provisions of: (1) the Drug-Free Workplace Act (Pub. L. 100-690), in
accordance with Appendix C of 22 CFR 137, Subpart F; and (2) Section
319 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 101-121), in accordance with Appendix A of
22 CFR 138, New Restrictions on Lobbying Activities.
Budget
Since funds will be appropriated separately for East Europe
(including the Baltic states) and New Independent States programs,
proposals must indicate how the requested funds will be distributed by
region, country (to the extent possible), and activity. Subsequently,
grant recipients must report expenditures by region, country, and
activity.
Applicants should familiarize themselves with Department of State
grant regulations contained in 22 CFR 145, ``Grants and Cooperative
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other
Non-Profit Organizations,'' OMB Circular A-110, ``Grants and Agreements
with Institutions of Higher Education . . . Uniform Administrative
Requirements,'' and OMB Circular A-133, ``Audits of Institutions of
Higher Learning and Other Non-Profit Institutions'' and indicate or
provide the following information:
(1) Whether the organization falls under OMB Circular No. A-21,
``Cost Principles for Educational Institutions,'' or OMB Circular No.
A-122, ``Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations;''
(2) A detailed program budget indicating direct expenses by program
element, by region (the independent states of the former Soviet Union
or Eastern Europe), indirect costs, and the total amount requested. NB:
Indirect costs are limited to 10 percent of total direct program costs.
Applicants requesting funds to supplement a program having other
sources of support should submit a current budget for the total program
and an estimated future budget for it showing how specific lines in the
budget would be affected by the allocation of requested grant funds.
Other funding sources and amounts, when known, should be identified.
(3) The applicant's cost-sharing proposal, if applicable,
containing appropriate details and cross references to the requested
budget;
(4) The organization's most recent audit report (the most recent
U.S. Government audit report if available) and the name, address, and
point of contact of the audit agency. N.B.: The threshold for grants
that trigger an audit requirement has been raised from $25,000 to
$300,000.
(5) An indication of the proposer's priorities if funding is being
requested for more than one program or activity.
[[Page 58807]]
All payments will be made to grant recipients through the
Department of State.
Technical Review
The Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and the
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union will evaluate
applications on the basis of the following criteria:
(1) Responsiveness to the substantive provisions set forth above in
Program Part II, Information (45 points);
(2) The professional qualifications of the applicant's key
personnel and selection committees, and their experience conducting
national competitive award programs of the type the applicant proposes
on the countries of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the
former Soviet Union (35 points); and
(3) Budget presentation and cost effectiveness (20 points).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact
Kenneth E. Roberts, Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies
of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet
Union, INR/RES, Room 6841, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20520-6510. Telephone: (202) 736-4572 or 736-4386, fax:
(202) 736-4851 or (202) 736-4807.
Dated: October 19, 1998.
Kenneth E. Roberts,
Executive Director, Advisory Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe
and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union.
[FR Doc. 98-29224 Filed 10-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-32-P
