(1) To support the training and development of international educational exchange professionals based at U.S. institutions of higher learning who assist international students and scholars studying in the U.S. and American students seeking to study overseas.
(2) To support the involvement of international students with the U.S. institutions and local communities where they study and live. Through programs that enable foreign students and scholars to achieve a better understanding of the United States during their time in this country and that encourage them to help Americans learn more about the world outside our borders, the potential of foreign students to contribute to international understanding is enhanced.
International education professionals need specific skills and tools in order to manage and expand their institutions' international exchange agendas. The training of these professionals should be designed to strengthen the programs and services offered by their institutions. When international education professionals receive up-to-date training in their field, international students and scholars gain a more well-rounded U.S. experience and a broader appreciation of U.S. academic and community values, while U.S. students become engaged more frequently in study abroad programs and learn more about how the U.S. relates to the rest of the world than they could learn at home.
The issues confronted by international exchange professionals are more complex than they had been prior to September 11, 2001. There are new laws and regulations governing visa processing, and new, security-related procedures for the entry and exit of foreign nationals. A new information processing system—SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System)—has been established to screen students and scholars before their entry into the United States and to monitor their status after they arrive. Responsible officials at educational institutions must be familiar with the system and how to use it. New visa application procedures add time to the academic application process, and new regulations require closer tracking of students during their stay in the U.S.
At the same time, other countries have increased their attempts to attract international students, and U.S. institutions must now compete with other countries for talented international students just as they compete for the best U.S. students.
While in recent years the number of U.S. students who study and travel abroad has increased, they still represent only a small fraction of the total number of U.S. students at U.S. institutions of higher education. U.S. institutions continue to struggle to engage more U.S. students in study abroad programs.
This RFGP invites proposals to train international educational exchange professionals in U.S. higher education in ways that will equip them to improve the capacity of their institutions to participate effectively in international exchanges of scholars and students. The Bureau encourages applicant organizations to propose a program designed to address creatively the current challenges faced by U.S. educational institutions in the development and administration of their international programs. The program proposed must include the following initiative:
• Training for U.S. international education professionals with eligibility for participation open to staff from any accredited U.S. institution of higher education. The training programs should encourage and reinforce cooperation among professionals in this field by ensuring that they have up-to-date knowledge of current issues in international education and that they are equipped to provide the human resources that are required to administer international programs on their campuses. U.S. Department of State sponsorship will be recognized at all training events, and appropriate ECA representatives should be invited to attend.
The proposed program could include the following optional components:
• Cooperative grants to institutions participating in international education training to enhance the involvement of international students in the U.S. with American life and culture on their campuses. These grants should be given to institutions for substantive, high impact activities.
• Publications, materials, and workshops that promote international education and educational exchange at U.S. institutions of higher education and that contribute to the internationalization of U.S. post-secondary education.
Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). Both single institutions and consortia may apply.
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.
(a) 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 one cooperative agreement, in an amount up to $535,000 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 encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs.
(b) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the following: proposals must address the requirements listed in this Request for Grant Proposals and the technical eligibility requirements outlined in the accompanying Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document. In addition, proposals must develop a program open to all accredited U.S. institutions of higher education or they will be declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
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Please contact the Educational Information and Resources Branch of the Global Educational Programs Office, ECA/A/S/A, Room 349, U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone number 202–619–5434 and fax number 202–401–1433, e-mail address
The Solicitation Package contains the Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) document that 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 Program Officer Jean Frisbie and refer to the Funding Opportunity Number ECA/A/S/A–05–12 located at the top of this announcement on all other inquiries and correspondence.
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's Web site at
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package. The original and six copies of the application should be sent per the instructions under IV.3e. “Submission Dates and Times section” below.
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.
Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation plan should include a description of your project's objectives, your anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are “smart” (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.
Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish between program
We encourage you to assess the following four levels of outcomes, as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in increasing order of importance):
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Consideration should be given to the appropriate timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example, satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-term outcomes.
Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be judged on how well it (1) specifies intended outcomes; (2) gives clear descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; (3) identifies when particular outcomes will be measured; and (4) provides a clear description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (
Grantees will be required to provide reports analyzing their evaluation findings to the Bureau in their 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.
Describe your plans for: sustainability, overall program management, staffing, and coordination with ECA.
(1) Salaries and benefits.
(2) Office supplies and expenses, including communications, postage, and shipping.
(3) Other direct and indirect costs.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package.
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 and six copies of the application should be sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA–44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/A–05–12, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 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.
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
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
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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.
Terms and Conditions for the Administration of ECA agreements include the following:
Please reference the following Web sites for additional information:
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) Quarterly financial reports and quarterly program reports that contain descriptions and evaluations of activities carried on during that period.
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.
For questions about this announcement, contact: Program Officer Jean Frisbie, Educational Information and Resources Branch, Global Educational Programs Office, Room 349, ECA/A/S/A, U.S. Department of State, SA–44, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202–619–5434 and fax 202–401–1433,
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/A/S/A–05–12.
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