FY 2026 YSEALI AFP_POGI.pdf

PROJECT OBJECTIVES, GOALS, AND

IMPLEMENTATION (POGI)

FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program

Funding Opportunity Number: DFOP0017934

Office of Academic Exchanges, Study of the U.S. Branch

(ECA/A/E/USS)

The POGI guidelines apply specifically to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued by the Office of Academic Exchanges, Study of the U.S. Branch for the FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program (YSEALI AFP). Proposals must conform to the solicitation, the guidelines in this document, and the standard Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI). Any application not adhering to these conditions may be deemed technically ineligible.

These guidelines are in addition to the requirements outlined in the solicitation and PSI. In the event of a discrepancy between documents, the solicitation takes precedence.

I. STATEMENT OF WORK

The recipient organization will be responsible for the following:

Design, Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation of the YSEALI AFP institutes

1. Design and oversee eight academic institutes on the four YSEALI AFP themes:

Economic Prosperity; Liberty and Freedom; Natural Resources; and Peace and Security. Each approximately five-week institute will include approximately 22-24 Fellows at U.S. colleges and universities for a total of approximately 185 Fellows;

2. Identify and propose qualified U.S. educational institutions to conduct institutes through an invitational competition and issue guidance on the development of program content and other activities to ensure consistency and quality across all institutes;

3. Provide and monitor subawards to the selected subaward partners to conduct simultaneous institutes (four institutes in spring 2027 and four in fall 2027). No subaward partner should conduct more than two institutes (one in spring and one in fall); the primary award recipient may choose to conduct up to two institutes per calendar year (one in spring and one in fall);

4. Organize and implement an annual subaward partner briefing for all subaward partners (institutes) to hear directly from ECA and other State Department officials on program priorities and objectives as well as discuss administrative and logistical best practices;

5. Review academic content and program materials for each proposed institute;

6. Provide programmatic and administrative management of the institutes including ongoing oversight of selected subaward partners through regular communications and site visits;

7. Manage Fellow placement at individual institutes in cohorts by theme;

8. Plan a YSEALI Fellows Forum event in Washington, DC, in close coordination with ECA (one in spring and one in fall) to convene all of the approximately 90-95 Fellows from all four of the concurrent YSEALI AFP institutes. This may include coordination with the YSEALI Professional Fellows Program, which is covered in a separate award; and

YSEALI AFP Fellow Support and Logistics:

9. In coordination with U.S. embassies and consulates, arrange and purchase international roundtrip travel for Fellows, including any necessary travel related to visa issuance, and disburse international travel allowances to all Fellows;

10. Create, issue, and send DS-2019 forms to U.S. embassies and consulates for Fellows;

11. In conjunction with subaward partners, coordinate logistical and administrative arrangements for Fellows, such as pre-departure information, airport transfers, lodging, meals, domestic travel, and the disbursement of program funds;

12. In conjunction with subaward partners, coordinate logistics related to any needed medical treatment and emergencies or management of any special circumstances, including reasonable accommodations;

13. Enroll the Fellows and U.S. citizen Reciprocal Exchange participants in the ECA-sponsored health benefits plan, Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE), for the duration of the program and issue an individual health benefits identification card;

14. Develop health and safety protocols to protect the welfare of all Fellows.

Protocols should include plans to address safety in relation to possible public health emergencies; and

15. Inform and consult with ECA in a timely manner about any problems, emergencies, or other issues that may affect a Fellow’s participation in the YSEALI AFP (including, but not limited to, medical emergencies and medical evacuations, including mental and physical health issues; natural disasters;

arrests or other serious legal issues or misconduct accusations). Consult with ECA on the response to any serious incidents and on crisis management decision-making and operations, including responding to queries from the media or others. Provide timely progress reports on any necessary follow-up action.

General Program Management:

16. Create media content at the direction of ECA, including draft online content and YSEALI AFP success stories;

17. Develop recruitment and outreach plans and timeline, including graphics, one pagers and/or fact sheets, announcements, and other materials to communicate program information and demonstrate the impact of YSEALI

AFP;

18. Develop and manage an online application to administer a merit-based competition for YSEALI AFP. Develop and maintain an applicant and Fellow database system to review applications and select candidates. U.S.

embassies, and ECA must also have access to the database in order to review, nominate, select, and place candidates. The recipient will be responsible for application review and managing institute placement for finalists, with ECA retaining all final approval. The award recipient will work closely with ECA on the development of all application content, selection criteria and processes, and review rubrics;

19. Maintain and regularly update a database of active Fellows and alumni, always ensuring the protection of personally identifiable information. This will be done in consultation with ECA;

20. Develop and maintain a secure YSEALI AFP portal for selected finalists, alternates, and alumni with additional information about the YSEALI AFP;

21. Create materials and PowerPoints for U.S. Department of State staff and others to use at U.S. embassy and virtual pre-departure orientations or other occasions;

22. Develop pre-departure online modules that will be mandatory for all Fellows to complete prior to their participation in YSEALI AFP;

23. Submit all print and online materials provided to potential Fellowship applicants, Fellows, program partners, and U.S. government agencies, including U.S. embassies and consulates, and other entities, as requested by ECA, for review before distribution;

24. Consult with ECA on a plan for notifying members of Congress of the participation of Fellows and Reciprocal Exchange participants in and from their districts/states;

25. Clear communications with U.S. government agencies or entities involving YSEALI AFP with ECA;

26. Develop and implement follow-on activities for Fellows which may include alumni seed grants, professional development grants, in-region trainings or workshops, virtual workshops, speakers, and other follow-on alumni programming;

27. Develop recruitment and selection procedures to administer a merit-based open competition for U.S. citizen Reciprocal Exchange participants and keep ECA informed about the application review process. ECA will give final approval for all Reciprocal Exchange participants. The award recipient will work closely with ECA on the development of application and selection criteria and processes;

28. In coordination with U.S. embassies or consulates, provide all necessary support to all U.S. citizen Reciprocal Exchange participants to ensure their health and safety while traveling on their exchange. This includes pre-departure orientations and on-program support.

29. Conduct performance monitoring that incorporates the Monitoring Data for ECA (MODE) Framework, links outcomes of the YSEALI AFP to stated program goals and objectives to ensure that all institutes meet comparable and high levels of quality in fulfilling program goals (see NOFO section C5. Program Monitoring and Evaluation);

30. Manage all ECA funds for this program, including the timely submission of required semi-annual and final financial and program reports to ECA as well as weekly updates to ECA during YSEALI AFP implementation;

31. Prepare and print certificates of completion for Fellows who successfully complete the YSEALI AFP; and

32. Assume overall responsibility for complying with all applicable tax treaties and Federal, state and local laws on tax withholding and reporting for participants.

II. PROGRAM SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

A. Overview The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of the YSEALI Academic Fellows Program (YSEALI AFP). YSEALI AFP includes eight approximately five-week institutes, split between spring and fall 2027, focusing on four themes (two Institutes per theme): Economic Prosperity; Liberty and Freedom; Natural Resources; and Peace and Security. Each institute should be designed for groups of approximately 22-24 Fellows. Proposals should present a rigorous academic residency and integrated academic field experience, including workshops, site visits, cultural activities, and robust opportunities to interact with Americans.

Institutes must also contribute to the participants’ understanding of the United States more broadly, including U.S. society, technological advancements, and institutions. The program should include YSEALI AFP convening events in Washington, DC (one in the spring and one in the fall). The NOFO for this competition gives further direction on the YSEALI AFP substance and themes.

YSEALI AFP’s conception and structure are the responsibility of the award recipient.

It is essential that proposals provide a full, detailed, and comprehensive narrative describing how the recipient will achieve the objectives of the program. Proposals will be reviewed based on the review criteria listed in the NOFO.

Please note: ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets and number of Fellows based on program needs and the availability of U.S.

Government funding.

B. Program Dates Main activities for the base year of the FY 2026 YSEALI AFP cooperative agreement will take place in spring and fall 2027. All institutes should last approximately 35 days (including arrival and departure days) with all institutes in the spring and all institutes in the fall implemented concurrently. YSEALI AFP spring institutes should begin no earlier than March 15, 2027, and fall institutes should conclude no later than November 15, 2027. Applicants should state their flexibility in adjusting start and end dates. ECA will work closely with the award recipient to align the start and end dates for all institutes.

C. Program Administration Applicants must discuss their capacity to successfully manage international exchange programs, including institutional strengths such as prior experience, relevant departments, and major administrative units. Proposals should demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to identify and invite qualified U.S. educational institutions to apply for subawards to facilitate institutes on a U.S. college or university campus.

Proposals must include a staffing plan that details how staff will fulfill responsibilities. Applicants should consider cost-effective strategies to successfully implement all proposed activities and initiatives while ensuring that staffing levels and structure are adequate for managing participant health and safety. The staffing plan and titles may vary; however, proposals must include a project director and academic director.

The award recipient must designate a qualified project director to oversee all of the institutes. The project director will coordinate logistical and administrative arrangements, ensure an appropriate level of continuity and consistency among all of the institutes, oversee follow-on programming, and serve as the principal liaison between ECA and the subaward partners. The project director will serve as ECA’s primary point of contact. The project director should plan to attend a subaward partner briefing that will take place either virtually or in-person in Washington, DC, approximately seven weeks before the start of the spring program each year.

Upon selecting subaward partners, the award recipient must confirm a qualified academic director based at each partner institution who will be in-person for the entire institute to ensure the continuity, coherence, and integration of all aspects of the academic program, including the academic field experience. Each proposed academic director must demonstrate relevant experience for their role in planning and implementing the program, overseeing day-to-day management, monitoring Fellows, and reporting to the award recipient.

In addition, a qualified administrative director or coordinator based at each subaward partner must be identified (and at the recipient organization, if applicable) with demonstrated experience in overseeing all Fellow support services, including participant supervision, participant health and safety, budget, logistics, reporting, and other administrative arrangements.

Other staff may be designated as appropriate. All staff who work directly with Fellows must work in person (not remotely) for the duration of the program except in cases when changing health, environmental, or other similar circumstances require a suspension or halt of in-person activities. Program coordinators and/or graduate student assistants may be employed to carry out clerical duties and to assist with the day-to-day concerns and needs of participants, but they should not be the principal point of contact for participants’ administrative concerns.

The award recipient must have the capacity to maintain foreign participant applications, U.S. embassy or consulate nomination forms, and an alumni database to electronically collect and maintain data for all YSEALI applicants, Fellows, and alumni. All data collected must protect and secure all personally identifiable information (PII). All statistical information gathered and compiled by the recipient on program participants should be electronically transferable to ECA in a safe and secure manner. Therefore, each applicant must confirm that its system for collecting and storing data on participants protects PII and is compatible with ECA’s systems.

ECA may request that the recipient monitor or maintain YSEALI AFP’s online presence on digital platforms.

D. Fellows Each institute will include approximately 22-24 foreign undergraduate or recent graduate participants aged 18-25 from ASEAN member states, for a total of approximately 185 participants across eight institutes. Fellows will be proficient in English.

Participants will be highly motivated recent graduates and undergraduates from colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education, who demonstrate leadership through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. Their fields of study will be varied, and may include sciences, social sciences, humanities, education, business, and other professional fields. The award recipient will be required to assist in the recruitment, application, and selection of candidates in coordination with U.S. embassies and ECA. The recipient may be asked to assist with selection interviews and will facilitate a process for U.S.

embassies to submit nominations to ECA. U.S. embassies and consulates will identify and nominate participants and alternates. ECA will make final selection decisions, and a final list of selected participants will be sent to the award recipient prior to the start of each institute.

Please note: ECA reserves the right to amend or modify the list of participating ASEAN member countries should conditions change in the nominating country.

Participating ASEAN member countries will be determined by ECA, in consultation with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

ECA is committed to ensuring that participants with disabilities are able to engage fully in the program through reasonable accommodation and support. Reasonable accommodations should be made for any participants with disabilities. The award recipient will be responsible for working with the subaward partners to provide reasonable accommodations that will allow for a full experience for all participants.

Applicants should budget at least $2,000 per institute for reasonable accommodations for participants with disabilities.

E. Institutes Please refer to Overview of the institutes in NOFO section C.3. Program Specific Guidelines. Proposals should include a list of six possible qualified U.S. colleges, universities, and/or non-profit organizations that the applicant, if selected, would invite to apply for subawards to facilitate institutes on a college or university campus in the United States. Proposed institutions should represent the breadth of excellence in U.S. higher education.

Each institute should include an approximately four-week academic residency at a U.S. college or university campus and an approximately one-week academic field experience in a region distinct from that of their academic residency that also includes time in Washington, DC, for the YSEALI AFP Fellows Forum. Applicants are encouraged to draw upon any unique institutional strengths and regional expertise.

The institutes should be designed around the four designated themes as well as include topics on U.S. history, government, institutions, and society. Institutes should demonstrate American excellence and innovation during classroom sessions, site visits, and cultural activities. To encourage interaction with Americans, applicants may consider creating a course for participants in this program that is also offered to U.S. students for credit. The cost for U.S. students to take this course may not be included in the funding request from ECA.

Academic Residency

The approximately four-week academic residency component should:

• Be a custom-designed and well-integrated curriculum that imaginatively combines lectures, panels, seminar discussions, readings, debates, site visits, and regional travel into a substantive, cohesive, and coherent program.

• Be tailored for these institutes and not replicate an existing lecture course, survey, or graduate seminar designed for American degree candidates.

• Efforts should be made to encourage experiential learning and active student participation in the educational process. The design of classes should take into account that the participants may have little or no prior knowledge of the United States and varying degrees of experience in expressing their opinions.

• Provide participants with an overview of U.S. society and institutions and draw connections to Southeast Asian case studies as appropriate. Include time for discussion at each session and a collegial exchange of views among participants, lecturers, and panelists. Discussion should be encouraged not only through question-and-answer sessions but also through organized debates, roundtables, and other fora that allow active dialogue between participants and presenters.

Separate budget items (e.g., honorarium, per diem, travel) may be included for this purpose, per the sample budget.

• Include excursions that will reinforce the academic curriculum and deepen participants’ understanding and appreciation of the United States, including historical sites, schools, and other places of interest.

Academic Field Experience

The approximately one-week field experience component should:

• Directly complement and reinforce each institute’s academic residency.

• Be arranged and led by the academic director and principal institute staff.

• Expose the participants to a U.S. region distinct from that of their academic residency. If appropriate, the academic field experience segment may be interspersed with the academic residency, though the total time allotted for the academic field experience should be approximately seven days.

• Include an appropriate mix of professional-level meetings relevant to the institute’s objectives, visits to cultural institutions, and recreational activities.

The proposal must include possible academic field experience locations or other destinations to be visited, relevant to each of the themes. The possible locations should be distinct from the possible academic residency sites and provide a complementary experience within each institute. Please note, staff escorts travelling on the academic field experience must have demonstrated qualifications to accompany exchange visitors such as experience working with international audiences, accompanying international or domestic group travel, and/or managing health, safety, and emergency situations during travel.

Interaction with Americans

Proposals should clearly demonstrate plans for structured and unstructured interaction between participants and Americans. Wherever feasible, interactions should allow for participants to have a free exchange of ideas with Americans.

Programs should strive to include as many of the following program components as possible:

• Opportunities to engage with local U.S. families through shared meals, excursions, or other activities;

• A peer system where international participants are paired with U.S. students for academic and cultural activities;

• Hands-on activities with local community service organizations so Fellows may experience first-hand the U.S. tradition of grassroots approaches to solving community problems while engaging with and working alongside Americans;

• Classes with U.S. students or accommodations with U.S. roommates, if possible; and

• To the extent possible, mentor relationships between participants and academically-appropriate subaward partner professors.

Independent Research

Each institute should be intensive, yet leave sufficient time for reading and preparation of class assignments, individual interests, and rest. Participants should also have opportunities to attend cultural events, such as concerts, sporting events, and formal or informal gatherings with Americans to foster group cohesion and experience American culture outside of formal institute programming.

Please note: ECA may request that the award recipient modify the academic residency and/or academic field experience. Similarly, the award recipient, in consultation with ECA, may also wish to make program modifications. Any requested changes must remain within the scope of the original program objectives.

F. Logistical Considerations

• Participant health and safety is an ECA priority. The recipient should consider the health, safety, and welfare of participants at all times. This includes assisting participants to understand the ECA-sponsored ASPE health benefits program and to navigate the healthcare system in the United States.

The recipient and subaward partners should also help participants understand and navigate any national, state, local, and campus health or safety policies and assist in health-related emergencies.

• Housing and meal arrangements are an important dimension of program planning and must be discussed in detail in the proposal. If possible, participants should be housed on campus in university dorms, similarly designated university housing, or other suitable lodging, such as a hotel, ideally within walking distance to daily classes for the duration of the institutes. Accommodations should respect each participant’s privacy and comfort and be conducive to study and relaxation. Participants would ideally have access to kitchen facilities, either in their own rooms or in a common room. A cafeteria meal plan combined with a cash allowance for food that will permit participants to cook or eat at local restaurants is strongly recommended. Participants may experience difficulties with U.S. eating customs due to religious or other dietary restrictions, cultural differences, and unavailability of familiar foods. Institute staff should consider any dietary, religious, medical, or living requirements and be prepared to discuss any challenges with the participants. Institute staff should consider conducting a pre-arrival survey of participant dietary and/or religious needs to better accommodate their needs. To the extent permitted by budget limitations, participants may receive up to the U.S. government per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses at the various program locales. See http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem for current U.S. government per diem rates.

• Participant forms are required from each participant. Required forms include, but are not limited to, the YSEALI AFP terms and conditions, a medical form, and a media release form. The recipient is responsible for disbursing and collecting signed forms from participants. The recipient should notify ECA of any potential concerns or issues. All forms should be safeguarded since they contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

• Virtual pre-departure orientation (PDO) workshops should be organized by the recipient for all participants to prepare for the program. Topics may include, but are not limited to: setting expectations; U.S. cultural norms;

cross-cultural adjustment; health and safety guidelines and practices; and logistics. The PDO should include one group cohort meeting before traveling to the United States. Pre-departure materials should be available to participants online or emailed at least six weeks before the start of the program.

• An administrative orientation to the United States and to the campus for the participants should be held within three days of arrival and address administrative details of the program, identify campus and local resources, review safety and security procedures, and provide general information that will facilitate the participants’ adjustment to daily life in a new environment.

Important topics will be security, medical issues and protocols, harassment and reporting, transportation, per diem, and availability of foods to which participants are accustomed or that meet specific dietary requirements.

• An academic orientation should be held within three days of arrival and should provide participants with a concise overview of the program, including principal objectives and major themes. The academic director should discuss guidelines for behavior that encourage active participation, respect for the views of other participants, concise comments and questions that keep the Fellows on-topic, and other parameters that will promote effective discussion throughout the program.

• Opening and closing events (e.g., luncheon, dinner, or reception) should formally inaugurate and close each individual institute. These events typically include representatives from the institute as well as individuals from the larger community.

• Access to resources should be arranged, including campus libraries, computer and internet facilities, gymnasium or fitness center, health services, on-campus disability resources, counseling services, and local and national newspapers, periodicals, radio, and television. Institutes should conduct a formal orientation to university library services during the first week of the program and should provide participants with computer training and technical support, as needed.

• Monitoring and evaluation should be conducted according to the MODE framework requirements as outlined in section C5. Program Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of the NOFO. The recipient should ensure participants have time reserved to complete required survey(s). Copies of surveys should be available to the ECA program officer upon request. Additionally, the recipient will be responsible for collecting alumni success stories to share with the ECA program office.

• Travel allowances should be disbursed to each participant to support in-transit costs incurred during travel to and from the United States, including visa travel. The ECA program office suggests approximately $125 per participant ($62.50 each way) for incoming/outgoing allowances. Travel allowances should be separate from additional visa or other travel expenses for participants outside the capital region who require travel support, such as accommodations, per diem, transit, or baggage fees.

G. Follow-On Activities and Reciprocal Exchanges Proposals should provide plans for continued follow-on activities (with minimal ECA support) that ensure ECA-supported programs are not isolated events. Proposed activities for alumni must reflect the goals and objectives of the program. The proposal should include an outline of follow-on programming (including a timeline), information on how it will be coordinated with existing alumni efforts, and a description of how the applicant will foster and maintain long-term linkages with alumni. Examples of successful past follow-on activities include, but are not limited to: structured mentoring programs, small grant competitions, alumni workshops, monthly web discussions, collaborative publications by participants and their U.S.

peers, and/or distance learning opportunities for alumni.

The Reciprocal Exchange component should include post-Fellowship funding opportunities for up to 25 U.S. citizen students or young professionals to engage with YSEALI AFP alumni and travel to an ASEAN country. The proposal should include an outline of potential activities as well as U.S. citizen recruitment and selection plans. Reciprocal Exchange activities include, but are not limited to, individualized project-based exchanges or meaningful participation in regional YSEALI activities and workshops. Reciprocal exchanges must take place in ASEAN and involve collaboration between U.S. citizen participants and YSEALI AFP alumni from the region. Ideally, Reciprocal Exchange participants will have engaged with the YSEALI AFP during the U.S.-based institutes to leverage existing relationships.

Applicants should provide plans for a regular newsletter for all YSEALI AFP alumni and incorporate the online community on the International Exchange Alumni website (alumni.state.gov) into their alumni outreach plans.

Follow-on activities should be well-developed but also remain flexible enough to allow for changes based on the Fellows’ needs or Department priorities. Alumni activities should be financed using the line item budgeted for follow-on activities as well as significant cost-sharing by the applicant organization. Please refer to the PSI for additional information.

III. PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Applicants must submit a complete and thorough proposal that addresses the program’s objectives and requirements. Proposals should be clear, concise, and responsive to the criteria outlined in the solicitation and PSI.

Since there is no opportunity for applicants to meet with reviewing officials, the proposal should respond to the criteria set forth in the solicitation and other guidelines as clearly as possible.

NOTE: Proposals submitted through Grants.gov may only be submitted in the following formats:

• Microsoft Word

• Microsoft Excel

• Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) - Prior to submitting applications through Grants.gov, please ensure you meet all Grants.gov system and software requirements, including Adobe software compatibility. You can verify if your version of Adobe software is compatible with Grants.gov, by visiting https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

• ASCII Text

• Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG images)

Proposals should include the following items. All documents should be appropriately and clearly titled.

Program Narrative Executive Summary (One page)

In one double-spaced page, provide the following information about the project:

1. Name of organization/participating institutions

2. Beginning and ending dates of the program

3. Proposed theme

4. Nature of activity

5. Funding level requested from the Bureau, total program cost, total cost-sharing from applicant and other sources

6. Scope and Goals https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

a. Number and description of participants

b. Wider audience benefiting from program (overall impact)

c. Geographic range of program, both U.S. and overseas

d. Fields covered

e. Anticipated results (short and long-term)

Narrative

In a maximum of 20 double-spaced, single-sided pages, provide a detailed description of the project addressing the areas listed below.

1. Vision (statement of need, objectives, goals, benefits)

2. Participating Organizations

3. Program Activities (advertisement, recruitment, orientation, academic component, cultural program, participant monitoring)

4. Program Assessment

5. Follow-on Activities and Reciprocal Exchanges

6. Project Management

7. Work Plan/Time Frame

Additional Information to be Submitted

• Detailed Budget

• Letters of endorsement, if applicable.

• Applicant organization resumes and CVs (resumes of all staff should be included in the submission; no resume should exceed two pages.)

• First Time Applicant Attachments, if applicable.

All budget guidelines must be followed. The budget should indicate any cost sharing in the form of in-kind or cash contributions to the program from sources other than the U.S. Department of State. See PSI in the Solicitation Package for information on cost sharing and the cost of audits.

Applicants should submit one budget detailing all program costs; if selected, identified possible partner institutions will be invited to submit separate subaward budgets. You may request a budget format in Excel format by contacting Sarah McLewin at mclewinsj@state.gov. Please note that you are not required to use this format, it is suggested but not required. There are three tabs in this document, the Budget Guidelines, Budget Categories, and the Detailed Budget Template.

Applicants should complete tabs 2-3, where applicable. You are urged to be as detailed and specific as possible, adding line items if needed. You may wish to include any of the listed allowable costs.

Allowable program costs include, but are not limited to:

• Staff salaries and benefits (fringe benefits should be stated separately from salary costs). Each staff person must be listed separately. Provide the percentage of time spent on the program;

• Institute costs including, but not limited to, honoraria for speakers (not to exceed $250 per day), educational materials, lodging, room rental(s), and welcome and farewell events;

• Travel costs including, but not limited to, round-trip international airfare, visa travel, ground transportation, and domestic travel;

• Per participant allowances including baggage allowance, international travel allowance (approximately $125 per participant), book and cultural allowance (approximately $200 per participant), and meals and incidentals;

• Follow-on activities;

• Other direct expenses;

• Tax withholding;

• Wire transfer fees;

• Consultant fees;

• Printing and publishing;

• Program supplies;

• Postage;

• Internet fees;

• Web hosting;

• Communications (e.g., participant cell phones or SIM cards);

• Health benefits, if necessary;

• Medical costs such as medically required quarantine (outside of medical facilities covered under the health benefits provider);

• Reasonable accommodations (at least $2,000);

• Travel costs for partner briefing in Washington, DC;

• Institute sub-award costs, if applicable; and

• Indirect costs.

Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.

Please be sure to include a Summary Budget on a separate page before the Detailed Budget. The Summary Budget should clearly indicate the number of program participants and provide an overall unit cost per participant as well as a unit cost breakdown by budget category. A sample of this format is provided on the second tab of the sample budget.

Please include a Budget Narrative that concisely explains how costs were calculated and the rationale for including them in the budget. The Budget Narrative should also explain costs for subaward partners, if applicable. Please make note of the following in the Budget Narrative:

• If you do not have an established negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA), please explain what costs are excluded when calculating the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base in accordance with 2 CFR 200.68 Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) and 2 CFR 200.414 Indirect (F&A) Cost.

• List and explain the participant support costs.

Applicant institutions should attempt to maximize cost-sharing throughout the program by enlisting the support of the U.S. private sector, including foundations and corporations. ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets and participant numbers in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds.

IV. OTHER AWARD INFORMATION

Adherence To All Regulations Governing The J Visa Proposals must demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to meet all requirements governing the administration of Exchange Visitor (J) Programs as outlined in 22 CFR

62. For more information, visit http://j1visa.state.gov.

V. APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The solicitation document specifies the deadline and method for proposal submission. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this deadline.

http://j1visa.state.gov/

(END)