Summer Intensive Language program announcement

[Harold F. Schiffman]

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 Intensive Summer Language Institutes: Focus on improving language
proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian and the Indic, Persian,
and Turkic language families.

Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement
Funding Opportunity Number: ECA/A/E-07-01
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 00.000
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: January 5, 2006

Executive Summary: The Office of Academic Exchange Programs of the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for
projects to provide foreign language instruction overseas for American
undergraduate and graduate students in the summer of 2007 in support of
the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI).  Public and private
non-profit organizations, or consortia of such organizations meeting the
provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3),
may submit proposals to implement six- to ten-week summer institutes
overseas for a minimum total of 365 participants in countries where
Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian and the Indic, Persian, and Turkic
language families are widely spoken.  These summer institutes should offer
U.S. undergraduate and graduate students structured classroom instruction
and less formal interactive learning opportunities through a comprehensive
exchange experience that primarily emphasizes language learning.

Proposals from applicant organizations should clearly indicate the
building of new, additional institutional language-teaching capacity
overseas for these summer institutesthis program is designed to develop
additional language study opportunities for U.S. students.

I.	Funding Opportunity Description:

Authority:
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
above is provided through legislation.

Purpose:
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is supporting the
participation of American undergraduate and graduate students in
intensive, substantive foreign language study to further strengthen
national security and prosperity in the 21st century as part of the
National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), launched by President Bush
in January 2006.

Foreign language skills are essential to engaging foreign governments and
peoples, especially in critical world regions, to promote understanding
and convey respect for other cultures.  These skills are essential to
Americans who will support the nations foreign affairs priorities, its
economic competitiveness, and its educational institutions as they prepare
future citizens for full engagement in the global environment.  The broad
NSLI initiative focuses resources on improving language learning for U.S.
citizens across the educational spectrum and emphasizes the need to
achieve mastery of critical languages; this activity focuses on the
college and university section.

The goals of the Intensive Summer Language Institutes are:
	To develop a cadre of Americans with advanced linguistic skills
and related cultural understanding who are able to advance international
dialogue, promote the security of the United States, compete effectively
in the global economy, and better serve the needs of students and academic
institutions; and
	To improve the ability of Americans to engage with the people of
other countries through the shared language of the partner country.

In order to achieve these goals, the Bureau supports programs for American
undergraduate and graduate students to gain and improve language
proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian and the Indic, Persian,
and Turkic language families.  ECA plans to award a single grant for the
recruitment and administration of all Intensive Summer Language Institutes
in all world regions.  Organizations with expertise in one or more of the
indicated languages are encouraged to seek partners in the other languages
to submit a single proposal.  Consortia must designate a lead institution
to receive the grant award.  Applicant organizations may submit grant
proposals requesting funds not exceeding $6,000,000 to implement these
overseas language institutes between June and August 2007.

Through these institutes, undergraduate and graduate students from the
United States will spend six to ten weeks on a program abroad in the
summer of 2007.  Since there is an emphasis on substantial progress in
foreign language advancement, applicant organizations need to concentrate
most efforts on language programs and explain clearly the utility and
advantages of proposing programs closer to six weeks.  The institutes will
provide intensive language instruction in a classroom setting, and should
also provide language-learning opportunities through immersion in the
cultural, social, and educational life of the partner country.  The
exchange program should enhance the participants' knowledge of the host
country's history, culture, and political system as these support language
learning.  Language study must be the primary focus of the program.

Expected Program Results:
	Participants will demonstrate a substantive, measurable increase
in language proficiency (verified through testing).
	Alumni will continue their foreign language study, apply their
linguistic skills in their chosen career fields, and/or participate in
other exchanges to the participating countries.
	Participants will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the host
country's society, institutions, and culture.

Capacity of Administering Organization:
U.S. applicant organizations or consortia must have the necessary capacity
in the partner country or countries to implement the program through
either their own offices or partner institutions.  Organizations may
demonstrate their organization's direct expertise, or they may partner
with other organizations to best respond to the requirements outlined in
the RFGP.  Organizations that opt to work in sub-grant arrangements should
clearly outline all duties and responsibilities of the partner
organization, ideally in the form of sub-grant agreements and accompanying
budgets.

Organizations or consortia applying for this grant must demonstrate their
(or their partners') capacity for conducting projects of this nature,
focusing on three areas of competency: (1) provision of related foreign
language instruction programs and provision of educational and cultural
exchange activities as outlined in this document; (2) language
level-appropriate programming for the target audience; and (3) experience
in conducting programs in the proposed partner country or countries.
Applicant organizations must present a proposal that clearly indicates the
building of new and increased institutional language study capacity
overseas for these summer institutes.

Institute Information:
Each six- to ten-week overseas summer institute for undergraduate and
graduate students should focus on language study and should include four
to six hours per day of formal and informal language training.  The
cooperating agency should provide multiple levels of language instruction.
While teaching conversational vocabulary will be necessary to help
students cope with their immersion setting, classes should also provide
formal instruction in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, and will
cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing, including new alphabets.

The institutes should also include a secondary cultural immersion
component designed to reinforce language learning with planned excursions,
which give the students the opportunity to participate in activities
designed to teach them about community life and the culture and history of
the host country.  The program activities will introduce the students to
the community as feasible and appropriate and will include educational
excursions that serve to enhance the visitors' understanding of
contemporary society, culture, media, political institutions, ethnic
diversity, history, and environment of the region.

Staff should be physically present and available to support the
participants during the course of the institute.

The Bureau reserves the right to make changes in eligible countries for
programming based on safety and security concerns.

Country and Language Information:
For Arabic language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 150
participants in the Arabic language institutes.  Arabic language
instruction should be available for three levels of students: elementary,
intermediate, and advanced.  Approximately 100 of the participants should
receive instruction at the intermediate/advanced levels while the rest
should receive elementary level instruction.  The proposed institute
should make explicit accommodation for learners of varying skill levels.

Classroom instruction should emphasize Modern Standard Arabic with class
time devoted also to colloquial Arabic, as appropriate.  Students should
also gain knowledge of colloquial Arabic through informal study and
through interaction with their host community.

Some previous study of the languageat least equivalent to a university
semesteris required for participants in the elementary Arabic institutes.
Participants in the intermediate/advanced Arabic institutes will have
already studied the language formally for at least two years by the start
of the summer program.  The institute should devise a plan to test all
students prior to placement to determine the appropriate level of
instruction.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to a country in North
Africa, the Middle East, or the Gulf region, with the exception of
Algeria, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and West Bank/Gaza.
Applicant organizations must include venues in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.

For Chinese language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 40
participants in the Chinese language institutes.  Chinese language
instruction should be available for two levels of students: intermediate
and advanced.  The proposed institute should make explicit accommodation
for learners of varying skill levels.

Students should study Mandarin in class and through informal study and
interaction with their host community.  Teaching materials used in the
program should be available in both simplified and traditional character
versions.  The Hanyu pinyin romanization system should be used.

Participants in the intermediate/advanced Chinese institutes will have
already studied the language formally for at least two years by the start
of the summer program.  The institute should devise a plan to test all
students prior to placement to determine what level of instruction should
be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to the Peoples
Republic of China (mainland China) for study.

For Indic language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 72
participants in the Indic language institutes.  For these language
institutes, not less than 18 students must learn Bengali/Bangla, not less
than 18 must learn Hindi, not less than 18 must learn Punjabi, and not
less than 18 must learn Urdu.  Instruction should be available for each of
these Indic languages.  All Indic language instruction should be available
for three levels of students: elementary, intermediate, and advanced.
Overall, 40 of the participants should receive instruction at the
intermediate/advanced level while the rest should receive elementary level
instruction.  The proposed institute should make explicit accommodation
for learners of varying skill levels.

Students should learn Indic languages in class and through informal study
and interaction with their host community.

Some previous study of the languageat least equivalent to a university
semesteris required for participants in the elementary Indic institutes.
Participants in the intermediate/advanced Indic institutes will have
already studied the relevant language formally for at least two years by
the start of the summer program.  The institute should devise a plan to
test all students prior to placement to determine what level of
instruction should be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to Bangladesh and/or
India.  The Bureau will consider proposals for Pakistan, but reserves the
right to alter eligible countries based on safety and security concerns.
Applicants proposing Pakistan should propose an alternate site should
conditions not permit placement of students in Pakistan.

For Korean language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 25
participants in the Korean language institutes.  Korean language
instruction should be available for three levels of students: elementary,
intermediate, and advanced.  Ten of the participants should receive
instruction at the intermediate/advanced level while the rest should
receive elementary level instruction.  The proposed institute should make
explicit accommodation for learners of varying skill levels.

Students should learn Korean in class and through informal study and
interaction with their host community.  The Hangeul alphabet system should
be used.  Students should also be introduced to NAKL.

Some previous study of the languageat least equivalent to a university
semesteris required for participants in the elementary Korean institutes.
Participants in the intermediate/advanced Korean institutes will have
already studied the language formally for at least two years by the start
of the summer program.  The institute should devise a plan to test all
students prior to placement to determine what level of instruction should
be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to South Korea.

For Persian language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 15
participants in the Persian language institutes.  Farsi language
instruction should be available for three levels of students: beginning or
introductory, intermediate, and advanced.  Seven of the participants
should receive instruction at the intermediate/advanced level while the
rest should receive beginning or introductory level instruction.  The
proposed institute should make explicit accommodation for learners of
varying skill levels.

Students should learn Farsi in class and through informal study and
interaction with their host community.

No prior study of the language is required for participants in the
beginning or introductory Farsi institutes.  Participants in the
intermediate/advanced Farsi institutes will have already studied the
language formally for at least two years by the start of the summer
program.  The institute should devise a plan to test all students prior to
placement to determine what level of instruction should be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to Tajikistan for
study of Farsi.

For Russian language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 30
participants in the Russian language institutes.  Russian language
instruction should be available for two levels of students: intermediate
and advanced.  The proposed institute should make explicit accommodation
for learners of varying skill levels.

Students should learn Russian in class and through informal study and
interaction with their host community.

Participants in the intermediate/advanced Russian institutes will have
already studied the language formally for at least two years by the start
of the summer program.  The institute should devise a plan to test all
students prior to placement to determine what level of instruction should
be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to Russia.  Location
of the institute(s) should be outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg in
order to maximize language-learning opportunities.

For Turkic language institutes:
Applicant organizations should present plans for not less than 35
participants in the Turkic language institutes.  Turkish language
instruction should be available for three levels of students: beginning or
introductory, intermediate, and advanced.  Fifteen of the participants
should receive instruction at the intermediate/advanced level while the
rest should receive beginning or introductory level instruction.  The
proposed institute should make explicit accommodation for learners of
varying skill levels.

Students should learn Turkish in class and through informal study and
interaction with their host community.

No prior study of the language is required for participants in the
beginning or introductory Turkish institutes.  Participants in the
intermediate/advanced Turkish institutes will have already studied the
language formally for at least two years by the start of the summer
program.  The institute should devise a plan to test intermediate/advanced
students prior to placement to determine what level of instruction should
be received.

Applicant organizations should plan to send students to Turkey.  Location
of the institute(s) should be outside of Istanbul in order to maximize
language-learning opportunities.

Participant Recruitment and Selection:
The cooperating agency will recruit, screen, and select U.S. citizen
undergraduate and graduate students for the program.  Selected
participants should show strong evidence of ability to succeed in an
intensive, demanding language study program and should represent the
diversity of the United States.  Diversity addresses differences of
religion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and physical abilities.
Selected students should also represent diversity of geography,
institutional type, and fields of study, a balance between genders, and a
balance between undergraduate and graduate students.  Preference should be
given to candidates with no previous study overseas.  Students should have
completed at least their first year of undergraduate study by the summer
of 2007.  Selected students should demonstrate an intention of continuing
their language study beyond the scholarship period and applying their
critical language skills later in their professional careers.  The
students' language skills at the start of the institute should meet the
requirements for each language outlined above.

The Bureau should be consulted regarding the selection of candidates and
will approve the selection of finalists and alternates for the program.

Information about the program, along with all accompanying application
materials, should be posted online.  Applicant organizations should
propose a comprehensive outreach plan under Tab E to publicize and recruit
for the program at U.S. colleges and universities nationwide.

The Bureau requests that student applicants apply to the program through
an online application system.  An alternate paper-based application should
also be provided for those candidates unable to apply online.  These
paper-based applications, however, must be entered into the online system
by grantee organization program staff.  All application materials should
be available in a sortable, searchable, electronically accessible database
format that can be easily shared with the Bureau upon request.

Orientations:
The grantee organization will organize a substantive, in-person,
pre-departure orientation for all students.  Working in consultation with
ECA, the orientation should include a security briefing on the host
country.  The grantee organization may also need to work in consultation
with ECA and the U.S. Embassy in the host country to arrange an in-country
security briefing to be held by the Embassys Regional Security Officer.
The orientations should take place in Washington, DC.  The applicant
organization should provide a compelling justification if they propose to
host these orientations in any other location.  Comprehensive information
packets should be provided to all orientation participants.  A sample of
the contents of these packets should be provided under Tab E.

At the end of the language study exchange, the cooperating agency will
organize an in-country closing workshop for the students prior to
departure from their host country, which will focus on summarizing the
experience, completing an evaluation, language testing, developing plans
for activities at home, and preparing for re-entry.

Project Activities:
Describe in sufficient detail the major components of the program,
including project planning; publicity and recruitment, including
responding to and management of a significant volume of queries and
applications; the host venues; selection; orientations (U.S. and
overseas); assessment and testing; language instruction; educational
enrichment activities; cultural activities; participant monitoring; and
logistics.

Assessment and Testing:
Standardized pre- and post-institute testing should be done to determine
participants language proficiency and progress.

Pre- and post-testing should measure the students advancement in language
learning.  The Bureau will work with the cooperating agency to develop and
implement an instrument to measure students increased language proficiency
due to participation in this program.  The data need to be analyzed and
reported by the cooperating agency to ECA for the program, disaggregated
by institute.

Alumni Tracking and Follow-On Activities:
Alumni activities are an important part of ECA's academic exchange
programs.  Alumni programming in the form of newsletters and listservs
provides critical program follow-on and maximizes and extends the benefit
of the participants' program.  The cooperating agency is strongly urged to
outline how it will creatively organize and financially support alumni
activities at a minimal cost to ECA.

Publicity:
The proposal must describe how these intensive summer language institutes
will be publicized to media outlets, including print, online, and
broadcast to reach the widest possible audience of qualified students.
The cooperating agency will also work closely with ECA to publicize the
successes of the students involved in these institutes, as well as the
National Security Language Initiative as a whole.  The applicant
organization should provide information on successful media outreach
campaigns it has conducted in the past under Tab E.

In a cooperative agreement, ECA/A/E is substantially involved in program
activities above and beyond routine grant monitoring. ECA/A/E activities
and responsibilities for this program are as follows:

1)	Review all print and online materials (including, but not limited
to, those for recruitment and orientation) regarding the institutes before
publication and dissemination.  Review does not include instructional
materials, though the Bureau does reserve the right to request these
materials as needed.
2)	Work with the cooperating agency on a recruitment strategy.
3)	Work with the cooperating agency to publicize the program, and the
National Security Language Initiative (NSLI) as a whole, through various
media outlets.
4)	Review and approve application forms.
5)	Participate in selection committees.
6)	Confirm final selection of principal and alternate candidates.
7)	Work with cooperating agency to implement participant
orientations.
8)	Work with cooperating agency to offer standardized pre- and
post-institute testing of participants language proficiency and progress.
9)	Review project activity schedules for all institutes.
10)	Be kept informed by the cooperating agency of its progress at each
stage of the projects implementation through timely updates.
11)	Provide Bureau-approved evaluation surveys for completion by
participants after completion of program.
12)	Provide substantive input on alumni activities and follow-up
events.
Note: All materials, publicity, and correspondence related to the program
must acknowledge this as a program of the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.  The Bureau will retain
copyright use of and distribute materials related to this program as it
sees fit.

Funding:
Grant funding will support costs including recruitment and selection of
participants, testing, orientation, travel, tuition and maintenance costs,
educational enhancements, cultural and social activities, alumni
activities, and administrative costs.

Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations.  Please refer to the
Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) document and the
Proposal Submission Instructions for further information.

II.	Award Information:

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement.  ECAs level of involvement in this
program is listed under number I above.
Fiscal Year Funds: 2007
Approximate Total Funding: $6,000,000, pending availability of funds
Approximate Number of Awards: 1
Ceiling of Award Range: $6,000,000
Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, the proposed start
date is February 15, 2007.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: Approximately 14 to 18 months after
the start date, depending on the proposed program plan.
Additional Information: Pending successful implementation of this program
and the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, ECA reserves the
right to renew the grant for two additional fiscal years.

III.) Eligibility Information:

III.1. Eligible applicants:
Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code
section 26 USC 501(c)(3).

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds:
There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this competition.
However, the Bureau encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of
cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.

When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the
applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its
proposal and later included in an approved grant agreement.  Cost sharing
may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.  For
accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs
that are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by the
Federal government.  Such records are subject to audit.  The basis for
determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in
accordance with OMB Circular A-110, (Revised), Subpart C.23 - Cost Sharing
and Matching.  In the event you do not provide the minimum amount of cost
sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's contribution will be
reduced in like proportion.

III.3. Other Eligibility Requirements:
Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four
years experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to
$60,000 in Bureau funding.  ECA anticipates awarding a single grant not
exceeding $6,000,000 to support program and administrative costs required
to implement this exchange program.  Therefore, organizations with less
than four years experience in conducting international exchanges are
ineligible to apply under this competition.  The Bureau urges applicants
to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its
programs.

IV.) Application and Submission Information:

Note: Please read the complete announcement before sending inquiries or
submitting proposals.  Once the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may
not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review
process has been completed.

IV.1 Contact Information to Request an Application Package:
Please contact the Office of Academic Exchange Programs (ECA/A/E), Room
234, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20547, Telephone (202) 453-8135, Fax (202) 453-8125, E-mail:
ManleyHL at state.gov to request a Solicitation Package.  Please refer to the
Funding Opportunity Number (ECA/A/E-07-01) located at the top of this
announcement when making your request.

Alternatively, an electronic application package may be obtained from
grants.gov.  Please see section IV.3f for further information.

The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission Instruction
(PSI) document, which consists of required application forms and standard
guidelines for proposal preparation.

It also contains the Project Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI)
document, which provides specific information, award criteria, and budget
instructions tailored to this competition.

Please specify Bureau Special Projects Officer Heidi Manley and refer to
the Funding Opportunity Number located at the top of this announcement on
all other inquiries and correspondence.

IV.2. To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet:
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's
website at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps/menu.htm, or from
the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov.

Please read all information before downloading.

IV.3. Content and Form of Submission:
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package.  The
application should be submitted per the instructions under IV.3f.
"Application Deadline and Methods of Submission" section below.

IV.3a. You are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative
agreement from the U.S. Government.  This number is a nine-digit
identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities.
Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge.  To obtain a DUNS
number, access http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
Please ensure that your DUNS number is included in the appropriate box of
the SF-424 form that is part of the formal application package.

IV.3b. All proposals must contain an executive summary, proposal narrative
and budget.

Please Refer to the Solicitation Package.  It contains the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document and the Project
Objectives, Goals and Implementation (POGI) document for additional
formatting and technical requirements.

IV.3c. You must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of
application.  If your organization is a private nonprofit which has not
received a grant or cooperative agreement from ECA in the past three
years, or if your organization received nonprofit status from the IRS
within the past four years, you must submit the necessary documentation to
verify nonprofit status as directed in the PSI document.  Failure to do so
will cause your proposal to be declared technically ineligible.

IV.3d. Please take into consideration the following information when
preparing your proposal narrative:

IV.3d.2 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 your 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."  Public Law 106 - 113 requires that
the governments of the countries described above do not have inappropriate
influence in the selection process.  Proposals should reflect advancement
of these goals in their program contents, to the full extent deemed
feasible.

IV.3d.3. Program Monitoring and Evaluation:
Ideally programs use logic models, a system that is designed to link a
programs overall goals and objectives to inputs, outputs and outcomes.
Inputs are resources, such as time money, materials, supplies and
personnel, which are consumed to produce outputs and outcomes.  Outputs
are the immediate products and services delivered, often stated as an
amount.  Output information is important to show the scope or size of
project activities, but it cannot substitute for information about
progress towards outcomes or the results achieved.  Examples of outputs
include the number of people trained or the number of seminars conducted.
Outcomes, in contrast, represent specific results a project is intended to
achieve and is usually measured as an extent of change.  Expected program
outcomes, as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP,
include:

1)	Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange experience.
2)	Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude,
skills, and changed understanding and attitude.  Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
3)	Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in
school or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants and host
families, and others.

Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting clear
program objectives, outcomes, and outputs at the outset of a program.  A
draft monitoring and evaluation plan should include the following
components:

1)	A description of the programs goals and objectives and anticipated
outputs and outcomes.
2)	A description of how the cooperating agency and host institutions
intend to monitor and report program activities at the output level.  This
may include the use of participant surveys that focus on logistics and
administration, focus groups and interviews.
3)	Incorporation of pre- and post-testing for language acquisition to
measure one of the programs outcomes.  The Bureau will work with the
cooperating agency to develop and implement an instrument to measure
students increased language proficiency due to participation in this
program.  The data need to be analyzed and reported by the cooperating
agency to ECA for the program, disaggregated by institute.
4)	Incorporation of three surveys using ECAs E-GOALS to measure
additional program outcomes.  Administered by the Bureaus Office of Policy
and Evaluation (ECA/P), E-GOALS is an online system for surveying program
participants and collecting data about program performance.  All program
participants will be required to take three online surveys:
a)	Standardized pre-program surveys, at the beginning of the program;
b)	Standardized post-program surveys, at the end of the program; and
c)	Standardized follow-up surveys, approximately six months after the
conclusion of the program.

These surveys are designed to help the cooperating agency and ECA assess:
student satisfaction with the program; student attitudes and views; the
extent of learning and skill development (including leadership); reliance
on new learning and skills in their studies, at work, and in their
communities; and their efforts to share new ideas, knowledge, and
insights.  Included in these surveys are questions specific to ECAs
internal reporting.

The cooperating agency will be expected to work with the Program Officer
and an evaluator from the Office of Policy and Evaluation to refine and
implement the survey instruments.  To ensure proper implementation of
E-GOALS, the cooperating agency will be required to:

	Provide the Program Officer and E-GOALS evaluator with all contact
information and bio-data of program participants.
	Provide all participants with information about the E-GOALS
survey. Students must be advised that they are required to take all three
surveys, assuring them that the surveys are completely confidential,
anonymous, and used only for evaluative purposes.
	Notify students of the E-GOALS survey link, information about
E-GOALS and survey instructions.
	Allocate time for E-GOALS surveying prior to the students
departure from their return to the U.S. and at the end of the program.
	Send reminder notices to students to take the follow-up survey.
5)	A description of any additional methods planned to supplement
information obtained through language proficiency surveys and E-GOALS to
measure progress towards achievement of the programs objectives, such as
the use of focus groups and interviews, and how the data will be analyzed
and reported.

Overall, the quality of the applicant organizations monitoring and
evaluation plan will be judged on how well it 1) specifies intended goals
and objectives; 2) gives clear descriptions of how each outcome and output
will be measured; 3) identifies when particular outcomes and outputs will
be measured; and 4) incorporates and describes data collection strategies
for each outcome (i.e., surveys, interviews, or focus groups).

The cooperating agency will be required to provide reports analyzing
evaluation findings to the Bureau in regular program reports.  All data
collected, including survey responses and contact information, must be
maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the Bureau upon
request.

IV.3d.4. Describe in your proposal your plans for: overall program
management, staffing, coordination with ECA and with overseas institutes
enrolling clusters of students, recruitment, testing, orientation, and
cultural enrichment opportunities for students.  Please provide a staffing
plan that outlines the responsibilities of each staff person and explains
which staff members will be accountable for each program responsibility.

IV.3e. Please take the following information into consideration when
preparing your budget:

IV.3e.1. Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program.  Grant requests should not exceed $6,000,000.  There must be a
summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and
program budgets.  Applicants should provide separate sub-budgets for each
program component, phase, location, or activity to provide clarification.
Applicants should also provide copies of any sub-grant agreements that
would be implemented under terms of this award.

IV.3e.2. Allowable costs for the program and additional budget guidance
are outlined in detail in the POGI document.

Please refer to the POGI and the PSI documents in the Solicitation Package
for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.

IV.3F. APPLICATION DEADLINE AND METHODS OF SUBMISSION:
Application Deadline Date: January 5, 2006
Reference Number: ECA/A/E-07-01
Methods of Submission
Applications may be submitted in one of two ways:

1.)	In hard-copy, via a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service (i.e., DHL, Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, or U.S. Postal
Service Express Overnight Mail, etc.), or
2.)	Electronically through http://www.grants.gov.

Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.

IV.3f.1 Submitting Printed Applications:
Applications must be shipped no later than the above deadline.  Delivery
services used by applicants must have in-place, centralized shipping
identification and tracking systems that may be accessed via the Internet
and delivery people who are identifiable by commonly recognized uniforms
and delivery vehicles.  Proposals shipped on or before the above deadline
but received at ECA more than seven days after the deadline will be
ineligible for further consideration under this competition.  Proposals
shipped after the established deadlines are ineligible for consideration
under this competition.  ECA will not notify you upon receipt of
application.  It is each applicant's responsibility to ensure that each
package is marked with a legible tracking number and to monitor/confirm
delivery to ECA via the Internet.  Delivery of proposal packages may not
be made via local courier service or in person for this competition.
Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time.  Only proposals
submitted as stated above will be considered.

Important note: When preparing your submission please make sure to include
one extra copy of the completed SF-424 form and place it in an envelope
addressed to "ECA/EX/PM".

The original, one fully-tabbed copy, and eight copies of the application
with Tabs A-E (for a total of ten copies) should be sent to:
U.S. Department of State
SA-44
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Ref.: ECA/A/E-07-01
Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534
301 4th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20547

Along with the Project Title, all applicants must enter the above
Reference Number in Box 11 on the SF-424 contained in the mandatory
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) of the solicitation document.

Applicants submitting hard-copy applications must also submit the
"Executive Summary" and "Proposal Narrative" sections of the proposal in
text (.txt) format on a PC-formatted disk.  The Bureau will provide these
files electronically to the appropriate Public Affairs Section(s) at the
U.S. embassy(ies) for its(their) review.

IV.3f.2 - Submitting Electronic Applications:
Applicants have the option of submitting proposals electronically through
Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov).  Complete solicitation packages are
available at Grants.gov in the "Find" portion of the system.  Please
follow the instructions available in the 'Get Started' portion of the site
(http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted).

Several of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process could take
several weeks.  Therefore, applicants should check with appropriate staff
within their organizations immediately after reviewing this RFGP to
confirm or determine their registration status with Grants.gov.

Once registered, the amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your internet connection.  Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you not wait until the application deadline to
begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

Direct all questions regarding Grants.gov registration and  submission to:
Grants.gov Customer Support
Contact Center Phone:	800 -518-4726
Business Hours: Monday - Friday, 7AM - 9PM Eastern Time
Email:  support at grants.gov

Applicants have until midnight (12:00 a.m.), Washington, DC time of the
closing date to ensure that their entire application has been uploaded to
the Grants.gov site. There are no exceptions to the above deadline.
Applications uploaded to the site after midnight of the application
deadline date will be automatically rejected by the Grants.gov system, and
will be technically ineligible.

Applicants will receive a confirmation e-mail from grants.gov upon the
successful submission of an application.  ECA will not notify you upon
receipt of electronic applications.

It is the responsibility of all applicants submitting proposals via the
Grants.gov web portal to ensure that proposals have been received by
Grants.gov in their entirety, and ECA bears no responsibility for data
errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

IV.3g. Intergovernmental Review of Applications:
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

V. Application Review Information:

V.1. REVIEW PROCESS:
The Bureau will review all proposals for technical eligibility.  Proposals
will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the guidelines
stated herein and in the Solicitation Package.  All eligible proposals
will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public Diplomacy
section overseas, where appropriate.  Eligible proposals will be subject
to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and
forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review.  Proposals may also
be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department
elements.  Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the Department
of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Final technical authority for assistance awards (cooperative agreements)
resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.

REVIEW CRITERIA:
Please see proposal review criteria in the accompanying Project
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) document.

VI.) Award Administration Information:

VI.1a. Award Notices:
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.
Successful applicants will receive an Assistance Award Document (AAD) from
the Bureau's Grants Office.  The AAD and the original grant proposal with
subsequent modifications (if applicable) shall be the only binding
authorizing document between the recipient and the U.S. Government.  The
AAD will be signed by an authorized Grants Officer, and mailed to the
recipient's responsible officer identified in the application.

Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of the
application review from the ECA program office coordinating this
competition.

VI.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements:
Terms and Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements include the
following:

Office of Management and Budget Circular A 122, "Cost Principles for
Nonprofit
Organizations."

Office of Management and Budget Circular A-21, "Cost Principles for
Educational
Institutions."

OMB Circular A-87, "Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian
Governments".

OMB Circular No. A 110 (Revised), Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals,
and other Nonprofit Organizations.

OMB Circular No. A-102, Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants-in-Aid to State and Local Governments.
OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of States, Local Government, and Non-profit
Organizations

Please reference the following websites for additional information:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/grantsdiv/terms.htm#articleI

VI.3. Reporting Requirements:
You must provide ECA with a hard copy original plus two copies of the
following reports:

1.) A final program and financial report no more than 90 days after the
expiration of the award;

2.) Interim program and financial reports that include information on the
progress made on the program plan and program results to date.

Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their evaluation
findings to the Bureau in their regular program reports.  (Please refer to
IV. Application and Submission Instructions (IV.3.d.3) above for Program
Monitoring and Evaluation information.

All data collected, including survey responses and contact information,
must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the Bureau
upon request.

All reports must be sent to the ECA Grants Officer and ECA Program Officer
listed in the final assistance award document.

VI.4. Program Data Requirements:
Organizations awarded grants will be required to maintain specific data on
program participants and activities in an electronically accessible
database format that can be shared with the Bureau as required.  As a
minimum, the data must include the following:
1.)	Name, address, contact information and biographic sketch of all
persons who travel internationally on funds provided by the grant or who
benefit from the grant funding but do not travel.
2.)	Itineraries of international and domestic travel, providing dates
of travel and cities in which any exchange experiences take place.  Final
schedules for in-country and U.S. activities must be received by the ECA
Program Officer at least three work days prior to the official opening of
the activity.

VII. Agency Contacts:

For questions about this announcement, contact: Heidi Manley, Office of
Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
ECA/A/E-07-01, U.S. Department of State, SA-44, 301 4th Street, S.W., Room
234, Washington, D.C. 20547, Telephone (202) 453-8135, Fax (202) 453-8125,
E-mail ManleyHL at state.gov.

All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should reference
the above title and number ECA/A/E-07-01.

Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before sending
inquiries or submitting proposals.  Once the RFGP deadline has passed,
Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the
proposal review process has been completed.

VIII. Other Information:

Notice:
The terms and conditions published in this RFGP 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 RFGP 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 per section VI.3 above.

http://www.grants.gov/search/announce.doc

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