Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII)

and training programs to conduct nationwide competitive programs supporting U.S. scholars, students and institutions in advanced research and language training on the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. U.S.-based public and private nonprofit organizations and educational institutions may submit proposals for Title VIII-funded programs that 1) support and sustain American expertise on the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, 2) bring American expertise to the service of the U.S. Government, and 3) further U.S. foreign assistance and policy goals. All proposals must make an explicit connection to U.S. foreign or national security policy, and demonstrate how the proposed program will contribute to U.S. knowledge and expertise and national capability. The program also works to support outreach and build relationships with the academic and nonprofit communities. Intelligence Community analysts and DOS policy makers benefit from engagement with outside elements to explore new ideas and perspectives and create new knowledge and research. Federal grants will be awarded through an open, merit-based competition. Grantee organizations will then conduct competitions for students, scholars, and specialists. The purpose of this request for proposals is to inform potential applicant organizations of programmatic, procedural and funding information for the fiscal year 2011 Title VIII grants competition. We request that applicants read the entire announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office of Outreach. Proposals from individuals or institutions and organizations to fund their own projects, i.e., projects that are not national in scope and/or do not involve open, merit-based recruitment of participants, will not be considered. Mission Statements: • Department of State – To create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community. • Bureau of Intelligence and Research – To ensure that intelligence informs wise foreign policy decisions and effectively supports U.S. foreign policy objectives. • Title VIII Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and Eurasia - To develop and maintain high-quality research and training programs critical to the national security of the United States, the furtherance of its national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and the prudent management of its domestic affairs. Definitions: For the purposes of this Request for Grant Proposal (RfGP), the terms below are defined as follows: Applicant: an eligible 501(c) (3) organization submitting a proposal to the State Department for funding consideration under this RfGP. Grantee Organization: an applicant organization that is awarded a State Department grant. End-User: an eligible individual indentified by a grantee organization to receive a Title VIII-sponsored Fellowship to conduct research and/or receive training. icPORT: the Title VIII database for collecting and storing program data including statistics, products and artifacts. This database exists solely for the purposes of academic outreach. I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION AUTHORITY: Grant making authority for the Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) is contained in the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended.) PURPOSE: Congress determined that independently verified factual knowledge about the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia is critical to the national security of the United States, the furtherance of its national interests in the conduct of foreign relations, and the prudent management of its domestic affairs. Congress further concluded that providing a stable and dedicated source of financial support for Title VIII functions supplementing other Federal, State, local, regional, and private sector funding is critical to maintaining this important research and training on a long-term, national scale. The development and maintenance of U.S. expertise on these regions depends upon a national capability for advanced research by highly trained specialists with in-country experience. These specialists are a national resource available for service in and out of Government. In order to guarantee the existence of that knowledge and the capability to sustain it, certain essential functions are necessary, including: a. graduate training; b. advanced research; c. public dissemination of research data, methods, and findings; d. contact and collaboration among Government and private specialists; and e. American specialists’ firsthand experience of the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, including on-site advanced training and research to the extent practicable. OBJECTIVES: All applicants must explicitly state in writing their understanding of and commitment to achieve the following objectives: • Support U.S. Citizen participants only; • Support and sustain American expertise in the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia through language training and/or comprehensive research opportunities for Title VIII fellows; • Provide critical on-site support and access to local resources for Title VIII fellows at all levels, but especially younger scholars conducting research on policy relevant topics and/or engaging in language training; • Bring American expertise to the service of the U.S. Government by encouraging Title VIII fellows to pursue careers, internships, or short-term sabbaticals during and/or after their overseas program; • Assist Department of State efforts to raise awareness of the Title VIII program through comprehensive outreach and reporting by: o Using the Department’s standard data themes in icPORT; o Promoting participants’ experiences and research findings through presentations and briefings in the U.S.; o Disseminating final research results within the academic and government policy communities; and o Communicating regularly with the State Department. All applicants must explicitly state in writing their understanding of and commitment to the PURPOSE and OBJECTIVES of the Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). SCOPE OF WORK: All applicants must include a section of narrative devoted to “SCOPE OF WORK” (SOW). The SOW will ideally be housed in the first page(s) of the narrative as a dedicated sub-section. This section is to be a bulleted list of the specific program components proposed, with a brief (1-2 sentence description) of what each component entails and which of the aforementioned OBJECTIVE(s) it addresses. The SCOPE OF WORK must include anticipated outputs and outcomes. II. AWARD INFORMATION: Type of Award: New Grant Agreement Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2011 Approximate Total Funding: Approximately $4,775,000 pending availability of funds Approximate Average Award: Funding level is dependent upon the scope of work, number of proposed fellowships, and volume of activities Anticipated Award Date: Pending availability of funds, September 2011 III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: 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). Interested applicants may download a complete, formatted PDF version of the RfGP from Grants.gov. Formatted electronic versions may also be requested by sending a message to CrocittoJA@state.gov, with the following subject line: "Request for FY 2011 Title VIII RfGP PDF Version"