[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12608-12610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5775]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 3242]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; South Pacific
Scholarship Program; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the South
Pacific Scholarship Program. Public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR
1.501(c) may submit proposals to organize and carry out an academic
exchange program for students from the sovereign nations of the South
Pacific. The grantee will be responsible for all aspects of the
program, including publicity and recruitment of applicants; merit-based
competitive selection; placement of students at an accredited U.S.
academic institution; student travel to the U.S.; orientation; up to
four years of U.S. degree study at the bachelor's or master's level;
enrichment programming; advising, monitoring and support; pre-return
activities; evaluation; and follow-up. The duration of the grant will
be up to five years. The approximate level of funding in FY2000 is
$700,000.
Program Information
Overview: The South Pacific Scholarship Program was established by
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the United States Congress to provide opportunities for U.S. study to
qualified students from the sovereign nations of the South Pacific, in
fields important for the region's future development. The Fiscal Year
2000 State Department Authorization Bill (HR-3427) and the Conference
Report on the Fiscal Year 2000 Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR-
3194) provide for exchanges between the U.S. and South Pacific.
This program supports increased mutual understanding between the
people of the U.S. and those of the South Pacific Islands. Students
from the following nations are eligible to apply for these
scholarships: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea,
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. This is the first
open competition for administration of this grant.
Requirements and Implementation
The requirements for administration of this program are outlined in
further detail in this document and in the Program Objectives, Goals
and Implementation document. The proposal should respond to each item
in the POGI.
Fields of study under the program are based on recommendations from
Department of State geographic office representatives and U.S.
embassies abroad and have included public administration, journalism,
education, environmental studies, and business. Students selected for
these scholarships have enrolled in four year undergraduate degree
programs, or in master's degree programs. The latter have generally
involved one year of preparatory U.S. study followed by up to two years
of master's degree study. This grant award will cover the entire
program in the U.S. for the students selected. Students are expected to
return home following the completion of their U.S. programs.
Program Components
1. Planning, implementation and monitoring of entire exchange
program, based on guidance from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. The proposal must demonstrate an understanding of the South
Pacific region and culture and the needs of students coming to the U.S.
from the region.
2. Publicity, recruitment and application process for the program.
The proposal should indicate specifically what methods will be used to
carry out this process for the South Pacific Islands.
3. Merit-based selection of principals and alternates. A pool of
alternates should be established that may be drawn on if necessary in
subsequent years. Communication with applicants and notification of
selection for the program.
4. Placement and enrollment of students at an accredited U.S.
college/university appropriate to their academic and future
professional goals. Students may be placed together at the same
institution or at different institutions. The proposal should explain
how identification with the South Pacific Scholarship program will be
established and maintained among students.
5. Pre-arrival information for students, assistance with visa
application process, travel to the U.S., arrival.
6. Orientation and settling in at U.S. institution. The proposal
should indicate how the applicant will prepare the students for their
exchange experience.
7. Provision of stipends and coverage of other appropriate living/
study/enrichment expenses for participants throughout their program.
Provision of tax withholding and health insurance.
8. On-going monitoring, academic advising, and general support for
students throughout the program.
9. Management of cross-cultural issues, special situations and
emergencies.
10. Opportunities for transfers and exchanges to other U.S.
universities during the program to diversify the students' experience
and fulfill academic goals.
11. Obtaining of tuition waivers, reduced fees, and other forms of
cost-sharing.
12. Cultural/community enrichment for students about U.S. society
and culture.
13. Internships and professional development.
14. Pre-return and reentry activities.
15. Evaluation and follow-on including alumni activities.
16. Fiscal Management of any sub-contractors.
17. Compliance with J-1 visa requirements regarding health
insurance for participants.
Guidelines
The amount of the grant award in FY 2000 is expected to be
approximately $700,000, based on availability of funds. The award will
be made in Spring/Summer 2000. The grantee should begin planning
immediately for recruitment at that time. Participants are expected to
begin their U.S. study programs between January 2001 and Fall 2001.
Proposal budgets should include all costs for students to complete
the entire three or four years of degree study in the U.S. The proposal
should indicate how many students will be supported for a complete
degree program with this funding. The grant will remain open for
approximately five years.
If performance under this grant is satisfactory, the award may be
renewed each year for approximately two additional years at the
Bureau's discretion, assuming that the program continues to receive
federal funding. ]
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to the
Solicitation Package for further information.
Budget Guidelines
Since grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs are
limited to $60,000, such organizations are not eligible to compete for
this grant.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification.
Allowable costs for the program may include the following:
(1) Publicity, recruitment, selection, placement and communication
with applicants and participants.
(2) Travel for student participants between home and program
location.
(3) Tuition and fees, stipends for living costs, book allowances,
and other necessary expenses for the students.
(4) Advising and monitoring of students; academic and cultural
support and enrichment activities. May include some U.S. travel.
(5) Pre-departure activities and evaluation.
(6) Staff and administrative expenses to carry out the program
activities. Administrative and overhead costs should be as low as
possible.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number ECA/A-
SP-00-01.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marianne Craven, Managing Director of
Academic Programs, ECA/A, Room 202, U.S. Department of State, Annex 44,
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel. (202) 619-6409, fax.
(202) 205-2452, e-mail: [email protected] to request a Solicitation
Package. The Solicitation Package contains detailed award
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criteria, required application forms, specific budget instructions, and
standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify Marianne
Craven, program officer for this activity, on all other inquiries and
correspondence.
Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at
http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before
downloading.
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC
time on Friday, April 7, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted at
any time. Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later
date will not be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the
proposals are received by the above deadline.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A-SP-00-01, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336,
SA-44, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547.
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. Public Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying
out programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose
people do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy,'' the Bureau ``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 the Bureau. 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.
The Bureau therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant
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
The Bureau 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 requirements by Bureau offices
responsible for these functions. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public Diplomacy section
overseas, where appropriate. For program content, cost-effectiveness,
and other criteria spelled out in the RFP, the review is conducted by
an advisory, assistance award-review panel composed of Bureau and
Department officers. Additional officers, including geographic area
personnel, also review proposals for feasibility as well as potential
for short- and long-term impact. Final funding decisions are at the
discretion of the Department of State's Under Secretary for Public
Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance
awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's
Grants Officer.
Authority
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 above is provided through the Fiscal Year 2000 State Department
Authorization Bill (HR-3427) and the Conference Report on the Fiscal
Year 2000 Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR-3194).
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau 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 Bureau procedures.
Dated: February 29, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S.
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-5775 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
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