[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 73 (Friday, April 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18969-18972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9534]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Africa Regional Internship Program; Notice: Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Africa/Near East/South Asia Division of the Office of
Citizen Exchanges of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an
assistance award to manage the Africa Regional internship Program
(ARIP). One award is anticipated. Public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR
1.501(c) may submit proposals to assume management of the citizen
exchange program. Grants are subject to the availability of funds. The
goal of the ARIP is to promote democratic leadership and citizen
participation among key sectors of society. The ARIP will link mid-
career professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa with U.S. counterpart
institutions and groups for internships in the areas of education, non-
governmental organization, public administration, and business and
trade. The grantee organization should work closely with hosts in
planning and implementing internships to ensure rich and meaningful
educational experiences, professionally and culturally.
Institutions with less than four years of international exchange
experience are not eligible to apply for a grant under this program.
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register
announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the
RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff may not discuss this competition
with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.
Announcement Name and Number
All correspondence with USIA concerning this RFP should reference
the above title and number E/P-99-51.
Deadline for Proposals
All proposal copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency
by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Monday, May 17, 1999. Faxed documents
will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked the due date but
received on a later date will not be accepted. It is the responsibility
of each grant applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the
above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested organizations/institutions
may contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, (E/P), Room 220, United
States Information Agency, 301 Fourth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547,
telephone (202) 260-2745, email: otamches@usia.gov to request a
Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award
criteria, required certification forms, specific budget instructions
and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify USIA
Program Officer Orna Tamches on all inquiries and correspondence.
To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all
information before downloading.
To Receive a Solicitation Package via Fax on Demand
The entire Solicitation Package may be requested from the Bureau's
``Grants Information Fax on Demand System,'' which is accessed by
calling 202/401-7616. The ``Table of Contents'' listing available
documents and order numbers should be the first order when entering the
system.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 10 copies of the application
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-99-51, Office of
Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC
20547.
Program Information
Overview
The Office of Citizen Exchanges works with U.S. private sector,
non-profit organizations on cooperative projects that introduce
American and foreign participants to each others' social, economic, and
political structures, and international interests. The Office has
launched a new Africa Regional Internship Program, a practical exchange
program designed to promote democratic leadership and citizen
participation among key sectors of society. the ARIP will link mid-
career professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa
[[Page 18970]]
with U.S. counterpart institutions and groups for internships in four
broad areas: education; non-governmental organization; public
administration; and business and trade. In FY 1999, USIA plans to place
a minimum of 20 African participants in practical internships in U.S.
communities.
Guidelines
Project activity is conceived of as four- to six-week internships
in the United States. Proposals should reflect the applicant's
understanding of the political, economic, and social environment of
potential African participants. Programs should be designed for English
speakers, recognizing that some participants may have greater fluency
in French, Portuguese or other languages. USIA is interested in
proposal designs that take into account the need for on going sharing
of information, training and concrete plans for self-sustainability.
Examples include plans to create professional networks or professional
associations to share information; establishing ongoing Internet
communication; and/or train-the-trainers models.
Africa Regional Internship Program (ARIP)
The ARIP should build expertise and develop skills required for
effective leadership in a democratic society, including management,
planning, public relations and community outreach, through a
comprehensive, in-depth, hands-on experience. A minimum of 20 mid-
career African men and women, working in the fields of education, non-
governmental organization (NGO), public administration, and business
and trade, will participate. Interns will be emerging professionals who
demonstrate an interest in working with U.S. counterparts and a
capacity to apply new skills to their jobs. These skills would be
developed through four- to six-week internship placements in the U.S.,
matched to the participants professional development needs and directly
related to the interns' jobs at home. It will be the grantee's
responsibility to arrange and to ensure appropriate and valuable
internships, professionally and culturally. The intern and
participating organizations in the United States and in the home
country should develop priorities and strategies to meet the training
and development needs.
Participants should experience the interaction among government
agencies, the private sector, NGOs and the community at large in order
to observe the process of policy development and implementation as well
as examine funding, investment, administration and regulatory issues
relevant to the specialized field. It is anticipated that relationships
would be established that would lay the groundwork for continued
collaboration between the interns and their professional counterparts
in the United States, and that linkages would be established between
institutions to promote continued professional development and training
opportunities.
Implementation should begin in the summer of 1999.
Participant Selection
Close coordination and communication will be needed among the
grantee organization, USIS posts in Africa, African nominees, and U.S.
hosts. Nominations for participation in the program will be welcome
from the grantee organization, but major responsibility for nominations
and ultimate authority to approve or disapprove participation will be
with USIS posts in Sub-Saharan African countries. Countries in Sub-
Saharan Africa which do not have USIS posts will not be eligible to
participate.
Visa Regulations
Foreign participants on programs sponsored by the Office of Citizen
Exchanges are granted J-1 Exchange Visitor visas by the U.S. Embassy in
the sending country. All programs must comply with J-1 visa
regulations. Please refer to Solicitation Package for further
information.
Budget Guidelines
Since USIA grant assistance constitutes only a portion of total
project funding, proposals should list and provide evidence of other
sources of financial and in-kind support. Proposals with substantial
private sector support from foundations, corporations and other
institutions will be considered more competitive than those with less
such support. A program of this magnitude will require more funding
than USIA can provide, and significant cost sharing is expected; a
minimum of 33 percent cost sharing of total program expenses is
required.
Applicants are requested to submit proposals not to exceed $250,000
in funding from USIA. Applicants are invited to provide both an all-
inclusive budget as well as separate sub-budgets for each program
component, phase, location or activity in order to facilitate USIA
decisions on funding. While a comprehensive line item budget based on
the model in the Solicitation Package must be submitted, separate
component budgets are optional.
The following project costs are eligible for consideration for
funding:
1. International and domestic air fares; visas; transit costs;
ground transportation costs.
2. Per diem. For the U.S. program, organizations have the option of
using a flat $160/day for program participants or the published U.S.
Federal per diem rates for individual U.S. cities. For activities
outside of the U.S., the published Federal per diem rates must be used.
Note: U.S. escorting staff must use the published Federal per
diem rates, not the flat rate. Per diem rates may be accessed at
http://www.policyworks.gov/.
3. Book and cultural allowance. Participants are entitled to and
escorts are reimbursed a one-time cultural allowance of $150 per
person, plus a participant book allowance of $50. U.S. staff do not
receive these benefits.
4. Consultants. Consultants may be used to provide specialized
expertise or to make presentations. Daily honoraria generally do not
exceed $250 per day. Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in
which case the written agreement between the prospective grantee and
subcontractor should be included in the proposal.
5. Room rental. Room rental for group activities should not exceed
$250 per day.
6. Materials development. Proposals may contain costs to purchase,
develop and translate materials for participants.
7. One working meal per project. Per capita costs may not exceed
$5-$8 for a lunch and $14-20 for a dinner, excluding room rental. The
number of invited guests may not exceed participants by more than a
factor of two-to-one.
8. A return travel allowance of $70 may be provided to each
participant to be used for incidental expenditures during international
travel.
9. All USIA-funded delegates will be covered under the terms of
USIA-sponsored health insurance policy. The premium is paid by USIA
directly to the insurance company.
10. Administrative costs. Other costs necessary for the effective
administration of the program including salaries for grant organization
employees, benefits and other direct and indirect costs are described
in the detailed instructions in the application package. While this
announcement does not prescribe a rigid ratio of administrative to
program costs, in general priority will be given to proposals whose
administrative costs
[[Page 18971]]
are less than twenty-five (25) percent of the total requested from
USIA. Proposals should show costs-staring, including both contributions
from the applicant and from other sources.
Please refer to the Application Package for complete budget
guidelines.
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 physical challenges. 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 the total proposal. Pub. L.
104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been
accounted for properly.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K complaint systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
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. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the
program office, as well as the USIA area office(s) and the USIA post(s)
overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to
panels of USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of USIA's
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. Quality of the Program Idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Agency's
mission.
2. 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 described
above.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Support for 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).
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
7. 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.
8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) ensuring that USIA
supported programs are not isolated events.
9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
10. 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.
11. Cost-Sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing, in cash
or in kind, through other private sector support as well as
institutional direct funding contributions. The grant recipient must
provide a minimum of 33 percent cost sharing of the total program
expense.
12. Ability for Institutions To Develop or Enhance Linkages With
African Institutions: Proposals should demonstrate how hosting
institutions will develop follow-up plans with African participants, to
further strengthen existing programs/activities that they develop
through the ARIP.
Authority
Overhaul 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
[[Page 18972]]
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.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any 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 Agency 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.
Notification
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.
Dated: April 12, 1999.
William B. Bader,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-9534 Filed 4-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
