Invitation for Proposals
TO IMPROVE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
CAPABILITIES IN THE WESTERN NIS
Solicited by the Eurasia Foundation
The Eurasia Foundation is a privately managed, non-profit,
grant-making organization established in 1993 with financing
from the United States Agency for International Development.
The Eurasia Foundation supports programs in the New Independent
States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union covering a wide range
of activities in economic and democratic reform. It does not
administer its own programs, but finances projects on the basis
of concrete proposals designed and submitted by applicants.
Purpose
The Eurasia Foundation-Washington, DC Office and the Eurasia Foundation-Kiev
Regional Office, in an effort to improve the range and quality of accessible
communications mechanisms in the Western NIS, announce an open grant
competition in the sphere of electronic communications serving public and
non-profit institutions. The Foundation encourages the submission of
proposals that involve one or more of the following components:
1) Connectivity. Projects should be designed to increase the number of
users of electronic mail, either within the institution itself or by
connecting other non-profit users to existing Internet and e-mail services.
Projects might include (but are not limited to):
- establishing public access e-mail sites;
- creating networks of non-commercial users;
- setting up on-line nodes in appropriate institutions;
- supporting outreach activities aimed at increasing the user base for
existing e-mail services, etc.
Projects may include expenditures for :
- equipment (communications servers, modems);
- direct communications lines (only when institutions can demonstrate that
they will have enough traffic to justify such a connection and/or the
possibility of TCP/IP connection. In this case institution have to show an
ability to pay for the monthly maintenance costs of these lines beyond the
term of the grant);
- connection and monthly fees for accounts with existing servers
(including commercial servers);
- expert advice and consultancy; purchase of training and reference materials;
- salaries and travel directly related to program activities.
Connection of non-profit organizations to commercial electronic mail
providers may only be realized by awarding grants to non-profit entities
to perform such projects. Grants will under no circumstances be made directly
to commercial providers.
2) Expansion of electronic information resources. Proposals should be designed
to expand the scope of existing information resources on the Internet,
particularly in local languages.
Projects may include (but are not limited to) :
- creation of bulletin boards, conferences, on-line catalogues of library
and other educational resources, Gopher sites and
World Wide Web servers. Information resources expansion programs should
include information services in at least one language on the region to
be served (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Romanian). Multiple language
postings which maximize the number of users who can access information
resources are encouraged.
Projects may include expenditures for:
- equipment (communications servers, modems);
- direct communications lines (only when institutions can demonstrate
that they will have enough traffic to justify such a connection and/or
the possibility of TCP/IP connection. In this case institution have to
show an ability to pay for the monthly maintenance costs of these lines
beyond the term of the grant);
- expert advice and consultancy;
- training and reference materials;
- translation;
- in-country workshops and seminars;
- salaries and travel directly related to program activities.
3) Training and Outreach. Programs involving long and short-term training
on use of electronic communications and its available resources and
networks. Proposals might include (but are not limited to) :
- development of courses in using Internet resources for schools,
universities or other public institutions;
- publication of a reference guide on available Internet resources;
- an outreach campaign to attract new users to new or existing electronic
mail non-commercial resources;
- free seminars on using the Internet at public access e-mail sites,
support for non-governmental organizations to provide communications
training to their staffs, etc.
Projects may include expenditures for:
- expert advice and consultancy, purchase and development of training and
reference materials;
- translation;
- printing and distribution;
- in-country workshops and seminars;
- salaries and travel directly related to program activities.
NOTE: All proposals selected under this competition must contain a
component for training and outreach activities. In other words,
categories 1 and 2 are optional, but all proposals must have an element
of category 3.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
This competition is open only to non-commercial organizations. These include:
universities, institutes, schools, public libraries, non-governmental
organizations and government agencies at the oblast, city or raion level.
Private educational institutions will be eligible to apply only if they can
demonstrate that they are strictly educational and involved in no outside
commercial activity.
Grants will be awarded only to the most competitive projects.
Grants will be made in amounts up to $25,000 (no more than $20,000 for
equipment) and may be used for a time period of one year. Grants which
include equipment purchases over $5,000 must be monitored by Foundation for
a two-year time period.
The grant selection process is expected to be very competitive, so projects
should reflect the true cost of implementing a focused and concrete project.
Proposals which are modest in size, focused on a concrete goal and which
demonstrate clear steps toward reaching that goal will have a strong advantage.
Projects should center around a concrete set of activities, rather than
requesting general support for an entire organization or office.
The most competitive proposals will reach the broadest number of users and
will reach organizations in previously underserved regions.
Factors to be considered in selecting grantees include:
- the project's expected results;
- the potential for the project's continuation after the grant period is over;
- the originality of the proposed project;
- cost effectiveness of the proposed project;
- the number of people to be served; and
- the area to be served (rayon, oblast/krai).
Use of Grant Funds
Grant funds must be used only for expenses directly related to project
activities. In accordance with existing Foundation policy, grant funds
cannot be used to cover ongoing general operating expenses for the
organization, to construct or purchase new facilities, to substitute for
funds which are available to support similar services, or to reduce ongoing
deficits from pre-existing operations.
The Foundation will require that organizations receiving funds for equipment
purchases have adequate safeguards over such equipment. Safeguards should
include an inventory control system, physical security measures and insurance,
where applicable. The Foundation will retain the right to repossess any
equipment which the Foundations determines is being used inappropriately or
ineffectively.
Grantees will be required to meet Foundation requirements for regular
financial and project reporting. Organizations will be held financially
accountable for grant funds and therefore must demonstrate the organization's
ability to manage grant funds and maintain an inventory of equipment purchased
under the grant. Organizations should be legally registered and willing to
take responsibility for overseeing the appropriate expenditure of grant funds,
should a grant be awarded.
For all successful applicants, there will be a grants management seminar to
describe the financial and narrative reporting requirements of managing a
Eurasia Foundation grant. This seminar will be held prior to the disbursement
of grant funds. Project directors and accountants are required to attend the
seminar. Failure to attend could result in loss of the grant award.
The dates of this seminar will be provided to all successful applicants.
Application Procedure
Grant proposals should be submitted to the address provided at the end of
this notice and should include all of the information listed below.
Proposals will not be eligible for funding unless all of this information
is submitted. Proposals may be submitted in Ukrainian, Belarusian or Romanian,
but must be accompanied by a Russian or English language translation.
Applications arriving without a translation will not be considered.
Applicants should send three copies of the proposal.
Assistance in Developing Grant Proposals
The Foundation will provide limited assistance to grant seekers in
writing their proposals. Seminars on proposal-writing will be supported
by the Foundation according to the following schedule :
Seminar
Kishinev November 8
Minsk November 15
Kiev November 22
All organizations interested in participating in this competition are
encouraged to attend the seminars. Other organizations interested in
learning about the Eurasia Foundation and proposal writing are also
welcome to attend. A representative of the Eurasia Foundation will also
be available for consulatations one day for each of the countries according
to the following schedule:
Consultation
Kishinev November 29
Minsk December 5
Kiev December 8
Consultations related to the competition will not be provided outside
of these delegated times. Basic requests for information, such as deadlines,
locations of seminars and confirmation of receipt of materials will be
responded to at any time. Copies of this request for proposals are provided
free of charge by the Kiev Regional Office. Please fill free to copy and
distribute these materials.
In the interest of keeping the competition fair, Eurasia Foundation staff
in the Kiev Regional Office will not discuss the competition, except at
the times scheduled above. Applicants seeking assistance in developing
proposals should neither call nor visit the Kiev Regional Office, as
assistance will not be provided outside of the scheduled times, except to
fill requests for sending copies of the RFP (this document), or to confirm
receipt of applications. Organizations interested in obtaining additional
copies of this request for proposals or information on deadlines, locations
of seminars and confirmation of receipt of materials should contact either
Kiev Regional Office of the Eurasia Foundation or local organizations which
will provide technical help to the Eurasia Foundation to organize and conduct
this competition:
In Belarus:
220038, Belarus
Minsk, Uralska str., 3, r. 30
United Way Belarus
tel.: (0172) 30-32-76
fax: (0172)30-80-54
In Moldova:
277005, Moldova, Chisinau,
Banulescu-Bodoni str., 59, r.106,
Moldovian-american Center for Private Initiatives
tel.:(0422) - 24-52-11, tel./fax : (0422)- 24-54-53
In Ukraine:
Kiev Regional Office
Decision-Making Process
All proposals will be reviewed by Kiev Regional Office staff in consultation
with an expert technical advisory board. The expert board consists of local
and foreign specialists in the area of electronic communications.
The schedule for review of proposals submitted under this competition is
as follows:
16 October 1995 Announcement of competition
15 December, 1995 Deadline for receipt of proposals in Kiev
Regional Office (proposals postmarked after this date
will not be accepted)
9 February, 1996 Announcement of grant decisions
During the course of review, the Kiev Regional Office may request additional
information on the grant proposal. If additional information is requested,
it must be submitted no later than ten days after the date of the request
for more information. A request for further information does not imply that
the Foundation will or will not support the program. It simply indicates that
the information is necessary in order to complete the evaluation.
All proposals should be sent by registered mail or hand carrie directly to
the following coordinates. Please do not send proposals by fax or e-mail.
For Ukrainian organizations:
Oksana Solod
Program Coordinator
Kiev Regional Office
The Eurasia Foundation
Post Office Box 92
Kiev 252054
tel/fax : 044/229-7521 or 229-4359; outside Kievska oblast
044/230-2677
electronic mail:
For Belarus organizations:
220038, Belarus
Minsk, Uralska str., 3, r. 30
United Way Belarus
tel.: (0172) 30-32-76
fax: (0172)30-80-54
For Moldova organizations:
277005, Moldova, Chisinau,
Banulescu-Bodoni str., 59, r.106,
Moldovian-american Center for Private Initiatives
tel.:(0422) - 24-52-11,tel./fax : (0422)- 24-54-53
I. Basic Information on the Organization Requesting Grant:
- Name of the organization administering the grant;
- Address and telephone number of organization; fax number and e-mail
address (if applicable);
- Copies of registration documents of the organization
(registration certificate and charter);
- Date of incorporation and size of organization;
- Name, address and telephone number of project director;
- Resume of project director.
II. Project Description and Justification
- Description of project goals and objectives;
- Strategy for achieving project goals and outline of program activities;
- Description of computer and electronic communications resources currently
available at institution;
- Timetable/work plan for completion of project;
- Expected results and beneficiaries of the project (Please include
information on how the participants in the program will be selected and/or
recruited, and on the ways in which the success of the project can be
measured.);
- Qualifications of the applicant to administer the project.
Please provide resumes of all key implementers of the project,
particularly those individuals who will provide training;
III. Budget
- Total amount of request.
- Provide a line item budget for the requested amount, with a breakdown of
how funds will be used to accomplish each project goal (group expenditures
by activity and within each activity list the specific expenditures
anticipated).
- Provide a detailed budget narrative which explains the uses of funds and
how estimates were determined. Please refer to the sample budget
attached to this document. Your budget does not have to be the same as
this budget (it should correspond to the needs of your project) but it
does need to be at this level of detail.
- List other potential sources of funds (grants already received and/or
proposals currently waiting response). If you have already received grant
funds from another source, please describe the projects you have been
funded to complete and the time period covered by other grant assistance.
IV. Financial Management
- Does your organization have any prior experience managing grant funds?
If yes, please elaborate.
- Provide a brief description of your accounting system and your plan for
managing grant funds. Who will be authorized to make expenditures?
Who will prepare financial reports? You will be required to keep your
grant funds separate from other funds and account for them separately.
All expenditures greater than $25 will require a written receipt.
- Please include in your proposal a copy of recent financial or audit
reports, if available.
[Sample Resume]
Resume(sample)
Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov
25 Prospekt Mira, kv. 19
Kishinyov, Moldova
tel/fax : 0172-123-456
Professional Experience:
Insitute for Public Administration Training
Kishinyov, Moldova
Director of International Programs - January 1993 to present
Duties : Act as liaison between the Institute and western aid
organizations in structuring training programs for city and oblast
level officials.
Organization "Nadezhda"
Kiev, Ukraine
Office Manager - June 1989 to December 1992.
Duties : Office Manager for a small Ukrainian non-profit organization
which specialized in training for city government officials.
Organized seminars, edited newsletter on training opportunities in
Ukraine and translated documents for visiting foreign experts.
Minskenergo
Minsk, Belarus
Heat Engineer
Duties : Design systems for heat delivery to residential housing in
new regions in Minsk, created maintanence schedule for new heat delivery
system.
Educational Background:
Kishinev Polytechnic Institute Evening MBA Program; Kishinev, Moldova
Master in Business Administration; 1992-1993
Specialized in financial accounting and Moldovan banking system.
Minsk State University; Minsk, Belarus
Engineering Faculty; graduated 1975.
Specialized in the construction of heat delivery systems.
Four-year student of German language.
Other Background:
Language Proficiency: Native speaker of Russian.
Fluent in Ukrainian, Moldovan and Belarussian. Conversant in German.
Computer Skills : Experience with word-processing (WordPerfect, Word),
Windows, Lotus 123 and database management.
Date of Birth : 19 June 1955
Other Interests : Skiing, collecting stamps, travel.
References Available on Request
[Sample Budget]
Budget(sample):
Project Description : Training program for city-level government officials
in public administration. Program includes development of curriculum for
courses, purchase of library materials and foreign visiting faculty.
Project Director: Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov
Term of Project: 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1994
A. Curriculum Development.
To develop three courses and course materials in:
1) microeconomics;
2) financial management in public organizations and
3) budgets and planning.
1. Teaching assistants: 3 graduate students from "University A" in Minsk
for 6 months
- Airfare Three round trip coach class fares @ $xx each $xx
- Housing Provided by City Council [in kind contribution]
- Stipend Three TA's x 6 months x # hours worked per month x hourly
rate $xx
2. Textbook development:
Graduate students working with local faculty to develop textbook for each
class.
- Local staff honoraria - 3 professors @ $xx per page (or per hour) $xx
- Typesetting - produced by in-house printing office [in kind contribution]
- Printing purchase of paper - 5 tons paper @ $xx per ton $xx
remaining printing costs - in-house printing office
[in kind contribution]
Subtotal $xx
B. Library Materials.
To buy library materials in addition to those developed under curriculum
development for public administration program.
1. Purchase of textbooks - 10 copies of each
- (Samuelson, Microeconomics)
Russian edition @ $xx per copy x 10 copies $xx
- (Boyd, The Principles of Public Finance)
English edition @ $xx per copy x 10 copies $xx
- (Peabody, Budgeting for the Public Manager)
English edition @ $xx per copy x 10 $xx
2. Shipping of textbooks
- Samuelson - purchased locally
no shipping required
- Boyd purchased with assistance of Soros Foundation
shipping included in price
- Peabody - 50 kilograms air
freight @ $xx per kilo $xx
3. Copier for library materials -
one Xerox personal copier $xx
Subtotal $xx
C. Foreign Guest Lecturers.
To support "University A" professors to be visiting lecturers
for each of the three courses. One expert for each course will
develop a lecture series along with the foreign teaching assistant
teaching that course for six months. Lecture series must be at least
two weeks long. Expert will also mentor the teaching assistant and
local professor in the development of the course textbook.
1. Airfare for visiting professors - 3 coach class round trip fares
New York - Kiev @ $xx each $xx
2. Housing for visiting professors - provided by
the Institute [in-kind contribution]
3. Honoraria for visiting professors -
$xx per day x 3 professors x 10 days $xx
Subtotal $xx
D. Administrative Costs in Support of Program
1. Salaries of project staff -
- Project director - xx days x avg hours per day @ $xx per hour $xx
- Project assistant - xx days x avg hours per day @ $xx per hour $xx
2. Office Supplies - (paper, fax paper, printer cartridges) $xx
3. Local travel to recruit students for program
- One trip by project director to 5 cities:
Train tickets - 5 @ $xx each $xx
Hotel accomodations - 10 nights @ $xx per night $xx
Per diem for meals and incidental expenses 10 days @ $xx per day $xx
4. Communications
- E-Mail @ $xx per month x 6 months $xx
- Telephone calls @ $xx per month x 6 months $xx
Subtotal $xx
PROJECT TOTAL $xx