International Creative Arts Exchanges for Public and Private Non- Profit Organizations

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31536-31538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-14248]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


International Creative Arts Exchanges for Public and Private Non-
Profit Organizations

ACTION: Notice request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Arts America Creative Arts Exchanges Division of 
the U.S. Information Agency's [USIA] Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs announces an open competition for an assistance award. Public 
and non-profit organizations that demonstrate disciplinary expertise in 
the arts and meet the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 
1.501(c)(3)-(1) may apply to develop projects for artists and arts 
administrators. These will consist of residences and/or exchange 
programs in which artists from the United States and other countries 
work and learn together. Interested applicants are invited to request 
and read the complete Solicitation Package before submitting their 
proposals.
    Overall grant making and funding authority for this program is 
contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, 
Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. 
The purpose of the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United 
States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the 
United States and the people of other countries * * *; to strengthen 
the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating the 
educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements of 
the people of the United States and other nations * * * and thus to 
assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful 
relations between the United States and the other countries of the 
world.''
    Programs and projects must conform with requirements and guidelines 
outlined in the Solicitation Package. A Solicitation Package consists 
of the Federal Register Request For Proposals (RFP); a Project 
Objectives, Goals, and Implementation (POGI) statement; and Proposal 
Submission Instructions (PSI). USIA projects and programs are subject 
to the availability of funds. Individuals interested in other USIA 
programs can access information via the USIA Internet gopher site: 
Gopher. USIA.GOV

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME & NUMBER: All communications concerning this 
announcement should refer to the title and reference number--E/DE-96-
06.

DATES: All proposal materials must be received at USIA by 5:00 p.m. 
Washington, DC time on Thursday, September 7, 1995. Faxed documents 
will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on September 7, 
1995, but received at a later date. It is the responsibility of each 
applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. 
Projects should begin between February 1, 1996 and July 31, 1996. For 
projects that begin after July 31, 1996, proposals should be submitted 
under the next award competition. The next competition will be 
announced in the Federal Register on or about December 7, 1995.

FOR FURTHER APPLICATION INFORMATION: Please contact the Office of Arts 
America, Creative Arts Exchanges Division, Room 568, U.S. Information 
Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547 (Phone: 202-619-5338, 
Fax: 202-619-6315, Internet: JDorsey@USIA.gov) to request a 
Solicitation 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 Christopher Paddack on all inquiries and correspondences. 
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register 
announcement before submitting their proposals. Creative Arts staff are 
available to answer any programmatic or technical questions applicants 
may have prior to submission of applications. Once the RFP deadline has 
passed, staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until 
after the proposal review process has been completed.

Proposal Submission Instructions

    Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation 
Package and send an original and two (2) copies of the full package 
plus nine (9) additional copies of Tabs A-E to: U.S. Information 
Agency, REF: E/DE-96-01, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit to E/EX the ``Executive Summary,'' 
``Proposal Narrative,'' and ``Budget'' sections of each proposal on a 
3.5'' diskette, formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in 
ASCII text (DOS) format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. 
USIA will transmit these files electronically to USIS posts overseas 
for their review, with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get 
posts' comments for the Agency's grants review process.

Guidelines

    The Creative Arts Exchanges Division works with U.S. non-profit 
organizations to develop cooperative international group projects that 
introduce American and foreign participants to each other's cultural 
and artistic life and traditions. The Division seeks projects with 
organizations that have disciplinary expertise in the arts as well as 
broad outreach and networking capabilities into American arts 
activities nationwide. International projects in the United States or 
overseas may involve composers, choreographers, playwrights, theater 
designers, writers and poets, filmmakers, visual artists, and arts 
administrators. Arts administration programs can include topics such as 
arts management, institutional development, community outreach, 
fundraising, tour management, and organizational structure.
    Organizations interested in museum/curatorial projects should 
contact the American Association of Museums (AAM) International 
Partnerships Among Museums (IPAM) program: Office of International 
Programs, American Association of Museums, 1225 Eye Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20005; telephone: (202) 289-1818; FAX: (202) 289-6578. 
We will not accept direct applicants from museums for international 
projects.
    Projects should involve the following components:
    1. An international exchange of professionals in the fields listed 
above;
    2. The development of institutional linkages between American 
organizations and their counterparts in other countries;
    3. Travel to or from the United States, preferably in both 
directions; [[Page 31537]] 
    4. Assurances of quality, fairness, balance and openness in the 
selection of project participants.
    Proposed projects should involve U.S. Information Service (USIS) 
posts worldwide to carry out activities supportive of the USIA mission 
to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other 
countries and to promote international cooperation in educational and 
cultural fields. USIS' role in such projects should be substantive and 
integral and not purely facilitative.
    Proposals including performances and/or exhibitions will be 
considered only if the performance or exhibition is integral to the 
creative process. Projects in which exhibitions and/or performances are 
the main focus will not be supported.
    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 race, 
gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and 
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to 
the advancement of this principle.
    Drafts of all printed materials developed for this program using 
USIA funds should be submitted to the Agency for review and approval. 
USIA must receive a royalty-free, non-exclusive and irrevocable right 
to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, 
and to authorize others to do so. Funded projects must acknowledge USIA 
sponsorship in all printed project materials and official project 
documents.
    Special conditions and exclusions:
    1. USIS Posts should be given the option of nominating foreign 
program participants, while the U.S. grantee organization will make 
final selection decisions.
    2. Proposals involving more than one country are preferred. 
However, single-country projects that have strong USIS Post support and 
clearly demonstrate the potential for creating and strengthening 
linkages between foreign and U.S. institutions are also welcome.
    3. Proposals involving foreign organizations should identify them 
and clearly define their role in the project. Letters of commitment 
from these organizations should be included in the proposal package. 
Prospective applicants should consult with USIS Posts regarding such 
organizations prior to submitting their proposals.
    4. Proposals centering on films or videos must deal with the 
creative aspects of film or video making. Projects may include story 
development, other aspects of the creative processes, or management 
issues like funding and distribution. They should not include 
installations, screenings, competitions, full scale film production or 
distribution, or any other type of project prohibited in this 
announcement.
    The following types of projects are ineligible for support:
    1. Vocational and technical training projects;
    2. Scholarly programs, long-term academic study or training 
programs, and student and/or faculty exchanges (Organizations 
interested in programs of this nature should contact USIA's Office of 
Academic Programs--202-619-6409);
    3. Speaking tours, conferences, research projects, research for 
project development purposes, publications;
    4. Youth or youth-related activities (participants' age under 25) 
or projects for the exchange of amateurs or semi-professionals;
    5. International arts competitions, community-level arts 
presentations or festivals for general audiences;
    6. Study tours and observerships;
    7. Projects in the fields of historical and cultural conservation 
and preservation.
    USIA is a major supporter of Sister Cities International and 
Partners of the Americas. It has agreed to fund administrative expenses 
of these organizations' national offices, but will not fund projects 
arising from sister city and partner state relationships once they are 
established.
    Geographic guidelines:
    Proposals which address themselves to various geographic regions of 
the world, and allow across-the-board participation from all areas are 
preferred. In addition, preferences for specific geographic areas are:
    1. Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, the Near/Middle East, and 
South Asia: Proposals are especially encouraged for projects in these 
regions. There are no specific preferences in terms of thematic fields.
    2. American Republics (South America, Central America and the 
Caribbean): Proposals are invited in all appropriate areas. Preference 
will be given to proposals that focus on ethnic and indigenous arts.
    3. Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States of the former 
Soviet Union: Proposals should clearly demonstrate knowledge of the 
host country environment and the institutional partner in that country 
and provide evidence of long-term commitment to project goals.
    4. Western Europe and Canada: Only proposals that are multi-
country, address arts financing in the U.S., and invite arts 
administrators as participants will be considered.

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements

    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines in Solicitation Package for further 
details. Administration of the program must be in compliance with 
reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state, and local 
taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax 
regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

Budgetary Requirements

    Detailed budgetary requirements and guidelines are included in the 
Solicitation Package. Creative Arts discretionary awards are on average 
approximately $58,000 with many successful proposals coming in at well 
below this level. Organizations may request up to $100,000 for single-
country projects. In exceptional cases awards of up to $200,000 dollars 
are available for multi-country projects. Organizations with less than 
four years of experience in conducting international exchange programs 
are eligible for awards up to $60,000. Please note that proposal 
budgets must include a minimum of 33% cost sharing of the total project 
cost. Administrative costs must be no more than 20% of the total amount 
requested from USIA.

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 in the Solicitation Package. 
Eligible proposals will be reviewed by the Office of Arts America, USIA 
geographic area policy offices, and USIA Posts overseas. Panels of USIA 
officers will make funding recommendations. Proposals may also be 
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other USIA 
elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA Associate 
Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical 
authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) 
resides with the USIA Office of Contracts.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to [[Page 31538]] the criteria stated below. These criteria 
are not rank ordered:
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to USIA's mission and 
the goals of the Creative Arts Exchanges Program as stated under the 
Summary and Guidelines sections of this document.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive artistic/organizational 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. Institutional capacity/ability: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the program or project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past USIA grants ad determined by USIA's Office of 
Contracts. USIA will consider the past performance of prior recipients 
and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    5. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    6. Follow-on activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which insures that 
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
    7. Support diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the recipient's 
commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity as 
defined under the Guidelines section of this document.
    8. 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.
    9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposals, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    11. Value to U.S.-partner country relations: Proposed programs 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and 
overseas USIS officers of program need, potential impact, and 
significance in the partner country(ies).

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by USIA that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on 
the part of the Government. USIA reserves the right to reduce, revise, 
or increase proposed budgets in accordance with the needs of the 
program. Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriate 
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 January 1, 1996. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: June 5, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-14248 Filed 6-14-95; 8:45 am]
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