[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] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY Third World Journalism Seminar ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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