[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22874]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 15, 1994]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Training Program With the Newly Independent States: Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan
action: Notice--request for proposals.
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summary: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Division of Russia/Eurasia of
the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Education and Cultural
Affairs announces a competitive grants program. Public or private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation
501(c)(3) may apply to develop training programs in (1) local
government and public administration, (2) business administration and
business development, (3) rule of law, and (4) independent media
development for the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
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 cited above is provided through the Fulbright-Hays Act and the
Freedom Support Act.
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Application Package. 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/PN-95-16.
dates: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Wednesday, November
30, 1994. Faced documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked on November 30, 1994 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: Office of Citizen Exchanges, Russia/
Eurasia Division, E/PN, Room 216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th
Street SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel: 202-619-5326, fax: 202-619-4350,
to request an Application 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 Specialist Ruth Leeb on all
inquiries and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the
complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to
the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Russia/Eurasia Division or submitting
their proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, the Office of
Citizen Exchanges, Russia/Eurasia Division may not discuss this
competition in any way with applicants until after the Bureau proposal
review process has been completed.
addresses: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S.
Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-95-16, Office of Grants Management, E/XE,
Room 336, 301 4th Street SW., Washington, DC 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 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.
Overview: USIA is interested in proposals that encourage the growth
of democratic institutions in the NIS. The main areas are local
government and public administration; rule of law; business management;
and media.
The projects may include: internships; study tours; short-term,
non-technical training; consultations; and extended, intensive
workshops taking place in the United States or in the countries listed
in this announcement.
We encourage applicants to design creative training programs aimed
at non-English speakers both for in-country as well as for U.S.-based
training projects. USIA is interested in proposals whose designs take
into account the need for ongoing sharing of information and training.
Examples include: ``train the trainers'' models; the creation of
indigenous training centers; plans to create professional networks or
professional associations to share information.
Note: While this competition may fund programs in which American
universities work with NIS counterparts, it is not intended to be a
university linkage program. Such programs are funded by USIA's
Office of Academic Programs (E/A) and proposals whose purpose is to
exchange faculty or otherwise support direct academic links should
be submitted under the E/A RFP for the University Linkage Programs.
Local Government and Public Administration
USIA is interested in proposals for training programs that foster
effective administration of local and regional governments.
Programs in Public Administration for Kazakhstan will not be
accepted.
Proposals are encouraged for the following themes/topics which have
been requested by USIA's posts in Ukraine and Russia:
Russia: Projects that build the capacity of local training
institutions and that use Russian language materials are strongly
encouraged. Proposals that show support from local administrations in
Russia--city or oblast--will receive priority. USIA is particularly
interested in exchange programs designed for regional legislators. A
principle preoccupation of Russian lawmakers at the moment is the
relationship between national and regional governments and the division
of power between them. Programming that takes place in the United
States for these local officials should include meetings and
discussions in Washington, DC and in state capitols. Programs that
emphasize the practical ramifications of a federated system of
government will receive particular consideration. Proposals should be
very specific, emphasizing concrete, tangible results that leave
something behind in Russia once projects are completed.
Ukraine: Priority will be given to programs on themes such
as: setting up a civil service and the concept of merit-based
recruitment; the relationship between government and business; how to
create a business-friendly environment through local laws and
practices; combating corruption in law enforcement officials;
governmental budgeting processes; taxation; privatization of government
services; models of local government, including city manager, city
council, county government; regional planning at multi-city, multi-
county level; and administration of civic organizations such as library
school boards, community centers. Ukrainian partner institutions might
include the Institute of Public Administration in Kiev, the Lviv
Management Institute, the International Management Institute in Kiev,
or similar institutions.
Rule of Law
For all NIS countries, USIA is interested in proposals for
parliamentary exchanges that offer a substantive professional visit to
the United States for groups of elected legislators and their staffs,
at both national and regional levels. The focus of these programs
should be essentially political in nature since other U.S. Government
funders are providing technical assistance to NIS parliaments. Programs
can be designed around a specific theme (e.g., budget and finance,
legislative and parliamentary procedure, oversight of law enforcement)
or can serve as a vehicle to introduce leaders of NIS parliaments to
U.S. Congressional leadership. Establishing contacts with U.S. Members
of Congress is a major goal of the program. Proposals for groups
composed of deputies or a combination of deputies and professional
staff are acceptable, but mixing of local and national officials in one
group is not encouraged (unless a compelling program rationale is
given). Visits to state legislatures in the United States are
encouraged. Particular care must to be taken to coordinate participate
lists with the American Embassy in the given NIS country. In general,
the American Embassies will issue the formal invitations to
parliamentarians to participate in a given program.
For Russia, USIA is interested in programs in civics education that
focus on the role of citizenry in fostering good government and the
importance of ethics in government. Seminars in Russia and the
development of materials in Russian are encouraged.
For Ukraine, USIA is interested in programs that offer training in
the administration of local courts.
Business Administration and Development
USIA will consider projects in Business Administration and
Development for all NIS countries except Russia and Kazakhstan.
Preference will be given to projects in Ukraine and the Central Asian
countries.
USIA's definition of business development and administration is
broad. It includes: small business development, economic privatization
and agri-business development, including food distribution systems or
the role of family farms. USIA is interested in projects that
strengthen university business departments and provide management
training for people already in the work place. In addition, the
following USIS posts have expressed interest in the following specific
themes:
Ukraine: Proposals are encouraged on the following themes:
Business ethics; entrepreneurship; how to start a small business; how
to promote business; and business curriculum development.
Independent Media Development
USIA is interested in media training proposals that focus on
journalistic training, management of media organizations and foster
independent media. Journalistic training in basic skills and concepts
could include: effective writing, investigative reporting, objectivity,
the clear labeling of editorials and opinion pieces, intellectual
property issues and ethics.
Media management training (both print and electronic) should focus
on management of media as a business: management techniques, desk top
publishing, advertising, marketing, distribution, personnel, public
relations, and the financial benefits and pitfalls of journalistic
advocacy. USIS posts in the following countries have indicated their
priority themes:
Russia: Special consideration will be given to media
training projects that offer U.S.-based internships for Russian
journalists and media managers. USIA is interested in proposals that
employ an open competition mechanism in Russian to select participants.
Interested organizations should have experience placing both
journalists and media managers in internships in the United States.
Georgia: Proposals in media training that include a U.S.-
based internship for six to eight weeks for print and TV journalists.
The participants would be selected directly by the U.S. Embassy.
Kazakhstan: USIA is particularly interested in proposals
that focus on the business of media. There are many independent media
outlets in Kazakhstan that are trying to make the transition to a
market-driven news business, and the Agency is interested in proposals
that promote the idea of journalism as a business. Training programs in
news reporting, television production and the ethics of journalism are
also encouraged. Priority will be given to proposals that contain both
in-country and U.S.-based programming. Programs for non-English
speakers will be given priority.
Ukraine: The following topics have priority: ethics in
journalism; straight news reporting; marketing and advertising in print
and broadcast media.
Kyrgyzstan: Media proposals for Kyrgyzstan will not be
accepted in this competition.
Guidelines: Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please
refer to program specific guidelines in the Application Package for
further details.
Proposed budget: Organizations must submit a comprehensive line
item budget based on the specific guidance in the Program and Budget
Guidelines sections of the Application Package. Proposals for less than
$200,000 will receive preference.
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000.
Applicants are invited to submit 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.
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
Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of
East European and NIS Affairs and the USIA post overseas, where
appropriate. 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 grant awards 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:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency 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. Cross Cultural/Area Expertise: Proposals should reflect the
institution's expertise in the subject area and should address specific
areas of concern facing countries involved in the project.
Additionally, projects should show evidence of sensitivity to
historical, linguistic and other cross cultural factors and should
demonstrate how this sensitivity will be used in practical aspects of
the program, such as pre-departure orientations or briefings of
American hosts.
6. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished through
documentation (such as a written statement or account) summarizing past
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within both the organization and the program activities.
7. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
8. 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.
9. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which insures that
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
10. 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. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Award-receiving
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit intermediate
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly,
whichever is less frequent.
11. 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.
12. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
13. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and
overseas officers of program need, potential, and significance in the
partner country(ies).
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 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 15, 1995. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: September 9, 1994.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-22874 Filed 9-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
