U N I T E D S T A T E S I N F O R M A T I O N A G E N C Y

Federalism in Russia Partnership Program

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 training programs which foster permanent professional and political partnerships between Russian regional governments, institutions, political leaders and their American counterparts. The program is designed to increase the commercial, economic, educational, and political ties between Russia and the United States at the regional level.

Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, Public Law 87-256, 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 Freedom Support Act.

Projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines outlined in the Application Package. USIA programs and projects 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-95-22.

DATES

Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on December 7, 1994. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on December 7, 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, E/PN Room 216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, 202-619-5326 (phone number), 202-619-4350 (fax number), 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 Ruth Fair Leeb, Program Specialist in the office of Russia/Eurasian Programs, on all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office of Citizen Exchanges or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, representatives from USIA may not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

ADDRESS

Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Application Package and send only complete applications to:

U.S. Information Agency

Reference: E/PN-95-22

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, projects 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 further the development of federalism in Russia at the regional level through the establishment of long-term, comprehensive relationships between regional organizations/institutions in the United States and their regional counterparts in Russia.

Projects should examine the roles of national and regional governments that exist in a federated system of government and focus on the tasks, responsibilities, and obligations charged to each. General program content will vary depending on the regions involved. Issues of interest might include but are not limited to: the balance of power between federal and regional governments; communication and coordination between regional and federal governments; regional economic development and management; and regional resource management and environmental policy. Projects should reflect the issues shared by the American and Russian regions.

Priority will be given to projects that produce tangible, manageable results, i.e. a federalism curriculum for a Russian institute/university, development of a regional association, development of a center/institute within an existing Russian institution to study regional issues, development of Russian and American business/commercial links, etc.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges is not interested in projects that are largely academic in nature (classroom lectures, structured course work, participation in existing academic courses, etc.).

USIA encourages applicants to design creative projects involving non-English speaking Russians for both in-country and U.S.-based training. USIA is interested in proposals whose designs take into account the need for the continued sharing of information and on-going training.

Priority will be given to those projects which include a resident American in Russia for a duration of at least three months. Proposals that include US specialists with background in Russia and some language will be given priority. Priority will also be given to those projects which demonstrate concrete results at the end of program activity (conference reports, on-going exchanges, continued involvement of grantee organization in Russia, etc.) The goal of the program is to create working relationships between Russian and American officials in areas of mutual interest in order to form permanent professional and political partnerships between regional leaders and their respective institutions.

Given the regional nature of the program, American universities interested in submitting proposals are strongly encouraged to collaborate with American national and regional professional associations and organizations.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

The following regions are the priority areas for the Federalism in Russia Partnership Program:

Ural Mountain region; in particular the Chelyabinsk, Perm, and Sverdlovsk oblasts.

The Volga Valley region; in particular the Samara, Saratov, and Volgograd oblasts.

Southern Siberia; in particular the Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, and Tomsk oblasts.

Interested organizations are encouraged to include two or more oblasts in the programmatic design of their proposal to increase its multiplier effect, but to simplify logistics and administration, prospective grantees are strongly encouraged to coordinate planning with a single oblast administration. One assistance award will be granted per region.

PROGRAMMATIC CONSIDERATIONS

USIA will give careful consideration to proposals which demonstrate:

*in-depth, substantive knowledge of the issues related to federalism in Russia.

*established relations with Russian regional institutions/ organizations and a demonstrated commitment to continue such relationships following the conclusion of the grant period.

*the capacity to organize, manage, and administer a program of this magnitude on a regional level; including conducting orientations for both American and Russian participants, arranging all logistical aspects of the program, providing in-county support for participants prior to and following the program.

*development of practical, written information in Russian relevant to the interests of Russian regional and local officials.

* a clear and detailed method for participant selection. The proposal should clearly describe the type of person who will participate and how that person will be selected. Grantee institutions are expected to develop slates of candidates from which to choose the final participants. USIS Moscow retains the right to accept or deny any candidate recommended for participation by the grantee institution. Also, USIS Moscow retains the right to suggest deserving individuals for participation.

*Consultations with USIS Moscow staff in the development of a training program is strongly encouraged.

*Projects must comply with J-1 visa regulations.

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

USIA encourages the development and use of written materials in Russian to increase the impact of the program. US government funds, not to exceed ten percent (10%) of the total grant award, may be used to purchase and/or translate documents and materials and to purchase the required software and hardware to achieve the goals of the project. In developing written materials, consideration should be given to their wider use, beyond the Federalism in Russian Partnership Program. USIA is interested in the multiple use of training materials through their dissemination to universities, libraries, and other organizations for use by a larger audience.

BUDGET

The decision to submit a proposal should not be taken lightly. Competition for USIA funding is always keen and this program is highly competitive. A USIA grant award should constitute only a portion of the total project funding. Proposals should list and provide evidence of other anticipated sources of financial and in-kind support. USIA requires that at least 50% of all outbound travel costs be provided by the American partner organization(s) with non-federal funds. Russian partner organizations will be expected to provide for lodging, transportation, and interpreting for visiting American officials. Additional cost-sharing is strongly recommended; it indicates a commitment on the part of the prospective grantee institution to the project.

Proposals for less than $175,000 will receive preference. Organizations with less than four years of not-for-profit status are limited to grants of $60,000.

All participants are covered under the terms of a USIA-sponsored health insurance policy. The premium is paid directly to the insurance company by USIA.

Please refer to the Application Package for complete budget guidelines.

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 budget and contracts offices, 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.

Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed according to the following criteria:

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: Proposed projects should strengthen long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual linkages.

5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goals.

6. Institution's Ability/Record: Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful exchange projects, 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.

7. Thematic and Area Expertise: Proposals should reflect the institution's expertise in the subject area and should address the specific issues of concern facing the countries involved in the project.

8. Project Personnel: Personnel's thematic and logistical expertise should be relevant to the proposed program. Resumes should be suited to the specific proposal and no longer than two pages each.

9. Cross-Cultural Sensitivity: Proposals should show evidence of sensitivity to historical, linguistic, and other cross-cultural factors, as well as appropriate knowledge of the geographic area, and should show how this sensitivity will be used in practical aspects of the program, such as pre-departure orientations or briefing of American hosts.

10. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which insures that USIA supported projects are not isolated events.

11. 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.

12. Cost-Effectiveness/Cost-Sharing: 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.

13. 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.

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 6, 1995. Awards made will be subject to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Published in the Federal Register on September 22, 1994.