[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 173 (Thursday, September 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46685-46688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22193]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Freedom Support Act Secondary School Initiative--U.S./NIS
Academic Studies Inbound/Outbound Program
ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Division for the Secondary School Initiative, 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 facilitate academic exchanges between American high
school students and students from the 12 New Independent States (NIS)
of the former Soviet Union. Public and private non-profit organizations
and educational institutions meeting the provisions described in IRS
regulation 25 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to develop projects that
promote the purposes of this program, which are to: (a) Build the
capacity of organizations to conduct academic exchanges at the
secondary school level between the U.S. and the NIS; (b) sponsor study
opportunities in the U.S. for NIS high-school-aged students; and (c)
promote study abroad opportunities in the NIS for Americans. Applicants
may apply for grants of up to two years duration. Exchanges of three to
six months duration may take place during the 1997 spring semester, the
1997 fall semester, the 1998 spring semester, and the 1998 fall
semester. Full year inbound and outbound exchanges may take place
during the 1997-98 academic year.
The countries of the NIS are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Secondary School Exchange Initiative, as originally authorized in the
Freedom Support Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-391). It is anticipated that $4
million will be allotted to this program.
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines as outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects are
subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/P-96-15. This is a request for proposals only for the program models
described above. Requests for proposals in support of other youth
exchange programs with the NIS are being published separately.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, January
12, 1996. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked on January 12, 1996 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline. Notification of awards will be announced on or
after April 12, 1996. Grant funds should be available by June 1, 1996.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Division for the Secondary School Initiative, E/PY, Room 320, U.S.
Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547,
telephone: (202) 619-6299; fax (202) 619-5311, internet address:
sjones@usia.gov to request a Solicitation Package, which includes more
detailed criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for preparing
proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal
budget. Please specify USIA Program Officer, Shalita Jones on all
inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the
complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries or
submitting their proposals to the Division of the Secondary School
Initiative. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Division representatives
may not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the
Bureau's proposal review process has been completed.
SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 10 copies of the complete
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-96-
15, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative,'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review,
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for
the Agency's grants review process.
DIVERSITY GUIDELINES: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation,
programs must maintain a non-political character and should be balanced
and representatives 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 ethnicty,
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 and administration of
its program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the
``Support for Diversity'' section for specific suggestions on
incorporating diversity into the total proposal.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
The purpose of this program is to provide the opportunity for
American students to study at a school and experience life with a host
family and its community in one of the 12 New Independent States of the
former Soviet Union, and, to sponsor students from the NIS to study at
an American school and experience life with a host family and its
community in the U.S. The programs are intended to provide avenues that
will enhance the students' understanding of each country's political,
social, and cultural and ethnic diversity; to promote the exchange of
ideas; and to foster long-term friendships, through courses of study
such as history, social studies, civics, and global economics and
environmental issues, as well as through living and interacting with
their host families and communities. Initial grant funding is also
intended to facilitate the creation of partnerships with NIS
organizations seeking to promote exchanges, and to assist U.S. non-
profit organizations to build their own capacity to conduct exchange
business in the NIS which will promote a long-term future for exchanges
beyond federal funding.
This program has four components. Please note that each component
is independent of the other and is not subject to reciprocity.
Applicants may opt to apply for any or a combination of any or all four
of the following components:
A. Outbound Semester
This component will give American high-school students a chance to
live with a host family and study at the secondary school level in an
NIS country for a period of no less than three months.
B. Inbound Semester
This component provides opportunities for NIS high-school students
to live with a host family and study at secondary-level institutions
for one academic semester in the U.S.
C. Academic Year Outbound
This component provides opportunities for American high-school
students to study for a school year (no less than 9 months) in a
country of the former Soviet Union, and to more fully experience the
life and culture of a host family and its community.
D. Academic Year Inbound
This component provides the opportunity for students from the
former Soviet Union to study for a school year (no less than 9 months)
at an American high school, and to experience the life and culture of a
host family and its community.
Guidelines
There is no prescribed formula for either component of the program,
however, organizations should encourage students to participate in
extracurricular activities and provide students with community-based
activities. Also, organizations have the option to concentrate groups
of students in regional clusters or disperse students wisely. The
purpose of clustering is to facilitate periodic gatherings for ongoing
orientation, excursions and cultural programming, and well as
supervision and feedback. Organizations should identify in their
proposals the target regions, states and/or communities in which
placements will be sought, and describe how placements in those areas
will benefit students and the overall purpose of the program. The names
and addresses of prospective schools and letters of agreement to
participate from relevant school/district/community officials should be
included in the proposal. Regardless of the placement plan,
organizations may propose periodic gatherings of students locally,
regionally, or nationally.
Grantee organizations working with their offices overseas and/or
NIS partners will: Recruit and select students based on merit using
their own criteria; arrange for their placement in schools; select host
families; make all travel and logistical arrangements; conduct
orientation, re-entry, and debriefing sessions for students and hosts;
supervise students, solve problems, and provide counseling as needed;
develop a mechanism for the transfer of academic credit and/or the
certification of school attendance; interact with the schools on an
ongoing basis; and evaluate the program's success.
Proposals should succinctly describe how these elements will be
handled, with special attention to the following factors:
A. Proposals must demonstrate the organization's capacity to secure
quality homestays and school placements for the number of students on
which they are bidding by describing the process it uses to identify
and screen potential host families, as well as its system for making
school placements.
B. Organizations using the cluster method should: specify the
cluster size and likely locations; and include a description of how
clustering will affect the program, such as scheduling
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periodic gatherings of the students. A sample schedule of gatherings
and topics or themes to be addressed should be included.
C. Organizations using the dispersal method should explain its
placement philosophy; describe how dispersal will affect the program;
and if planning periodic gatherings the proposal should include a
tentative itinerary for sample meetings.
D. Inbound students should be sufficiently proficient in English
upon arrival in the U.S. in order to function in a high-school
environment. However, no USIA grant funding will be provided for
English training under this program.
Preference will be given to proposals that include language skills
as a selection criterion for American students going to the NIS.
Applicant organizations with alternative approaches to language
qualifications should discuss them in the proposal.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Visa applications
(IAP-66 forms) for NIS participants will be processed by the program
office. Please refer to program specific guidelines in the POGI section
of the Solicitation Package for further details.
Eligibility
Private not-for-profit organizations and public educational
instructions including secondary schools, school districts, state
education agencies, and organizational and educational consortiums are
invited to participate. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with
less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange
programs will be limited to $60,000.
Proposed Budget
Applicants must submit a comprehensive line-item budget for the
entire program. There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For
better understanding or further clarification, applicants may provide
separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, location, or
activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding. Cost-sharing
is encouraged and may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect
costs. Please refer to the Solicitation Package and Guidelines for
complete budget and formatting instructions, and allowable costs.
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 also be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the Agency's Area
Office and the relevant USIA post overseas. 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 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 and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to 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. Proposals should also clearly demonstrate how students will be
selected on the basis of merit and the qualifications needed for a
successful program.
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 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 ongoing activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within both the organization and the program 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) which ensures that
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the success of the program, 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 a 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 reports, 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 through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
12. 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 impact, 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 Agency reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. 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
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April 12, 1996. Awards made will be subject to periodic reporting and
evaluation requirements.
Dated: September 1, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-22193 Filed 9-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
