FY21 MWF_POGI.pdf

PROJECT OBJECTIVES, GOALS, AND IMPLEMENTATION (POGI)

FY 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0007630

Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Study of the U.S. Branch

The POGI guidelines apply specifically to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued by the Office of

Academic Exchange Programs, Study of the U.S. Branch for the FY 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship for

Young African Leaders. Proposals must conform to the NOFO, the Guidelines stated in this document, and the standard Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI). Applications not adhering to the conditions set forth herein may be deemed technically ineligible. These guidelines are specific to the program mentioned above and are IN

ADDITION TO the Standard Guidelines outlined in the PSI. If there is a perceived disparity between the standard and program specific Guidelines and the program information supplied in the accompanying NOFO, the NOFO is to be the dominant reference.

I. PROGRAM SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

A. Program Overview

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African

Leaders for up to 700 young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa. In a cooperative agreement, ECA is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring. ECA will be responsible for providing oversight, advice, and assistance to the award recipient. ECA will review and approve aspects of the

Mandela Washington Fellowship and be substantially involved in the planning of major program events.

Additionally, ECA will serve as the liaison with other Department of State offices, U.S. embassies, and other government agencies.

The main components of the FY 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship will take place in summer 2022 to include six-week intensive Leadership Institutes conducted by U.S. institutions of higher education on their campuses, a Summit for all Fellows, follow-on Professional Development Experiences (PDEs) for approximately 100 Fellows, a Reciprocal Exchange component for at least 100 Americans, and follow-on alumni activities.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship should engage the next generation of African leaders in an intensive leadership program focused on a particular theme while also bolstering leadership skills; building a network of peers and others across the African continent and within the United States; and engaging in hands-on community service activities. Additionally, approximately 100 Fellows will participate in a four-week PDEs, which will provide hands-on work experience and an opportunity to develop leadership skills and a professional network.

All aspects of the program, including the academic study, leadership curriculum and training, community service, cultural enrichment, PDEs, and the Summit, should be integrated and should illuminate the Institute themes of business, civic engagement, or public management. While Leadership Institutes may include some variation in sub-topics and approaches, the award recipient will be responsible for overall coordination and for ensuring consistency of quality and content among all the Institutes, so that Fellows have a comparable and equally productive experience. It is essential that proposals provide a full, detailed, and comprehensive narrative describing how the award recipient and/or host institutions as well as the Summit, PDEs, Reciprocal

Exchange component, and alumni activities, will achieve the objectives of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

The U.S. Department of State will review the proposal based on its completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail, and against each of the criteria stipulated in the NOFO.

Proposals should describe in detail the capacity of the applicant to fulfill all requirements of the NOFO and POGI. Proposals should include a detailed and specific recruitment and selection plan and offer specific strategies for placement of Fellows at appropriate host institutions and at appropriate PDE hosts. Proposals should provide evidence that the applicant is able to recruit diverse colleges, universities, and non-profit organizations to host Leadership Institutes on a college or university campus in the United States. Proposals should also address the applicant’s regional, exchange, or other expertise that would contribute to successful administration of the program. Accommodations and logistics should also be explained in detail in the proposal.

B. Program Dates

Main activities for the base year of the FY 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship cooperative agreement will take place in summer 2022. Each Institute should be approximately six weeks in length (approximately 45 days including the Summit). All Institutes should begin and end on the same dates to coordinate with the timing of the Summit. PDEs must be four weeks in duration and start immediately following the Institutes or following the Summit, depending on if the Summit takes place before or after the Institutes.

C. Program Administration

Proposals must include a staffing pattern that details how staff will fulfill responsibilities. The applicant should propose appropriate staffing levels and structure to effectively implement all proposed activities and initiatives.

The staffing plan as well as titles may vary; however, the following positions must be included. The award recipient must designate a project director to oversee all aspects of this program. The project director will coordinate logistical and administrative arrangements; work with ECA to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment and selection process; ensure an appropriate level of consistency among the different host institution programs; oversee Summit, PDEs, Reciprocal Exchanges, and all alumni programming; and oversee the communications plan including the website, among other duties. The project director will serve as ECA’s primary point of contact. Staffing must also include distinct and separate positions that will oversee all aspects of the Summit, Reciprocal Exchange component, and alumni programming activities; these components should have at least one designated person who spends 100 percent effort working on each of these aspects of the program.

The award recipient must identify academic directors at each host institution, who will be present throughout the Institutes in their entirety to ensure the continuity, coherence, and integration of all aspects of the academic program. The academic director will plan and implement the programs, oversee the day-to-day management, monitor Fellows, and report to the award recipient. In addition, administrative directors or coordinators should be identified by each host institution to oversee all Fellow support services, including supervision of the program participants and budgetary, logistical, participant health and safety, and other administrative arrangements. Other staff should be designated as appropriate.

Institutes will be comprised of approximately 25 Fellows each.

Data Management: The award recipient should have the capacity to maintain an alumni database to electronically maintain applicant and participant data for all Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni since

2014. All applicant and participant data should collected must protect and secure all personally identifiable information (PII). All statistical information gathered and compiled by the recipient on the 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.

D. Mandela Washington Fellows

Each Institute will host approximately 25 Mandela Washington Fellows. The Fellowship aims to include

Fellows from all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. A final list of eligible countries will be determined by the

U.S. Department of State.

Fellows will be highly motivated young professionals who have demonstrated leadership through academic work, community involvement, professional careers, and extracurricular activities. They will be between the ages of 25 and 35 at the time of application submission, and should have a demonstrated interest in the project theme(s), in learning more about the United States, and in developing skills and a professional network in their field. Every effort should be made to attain gender diversity and to recruit participants who are from non-elite or underprivileged backgrounds, who are from both rural and urban sectors, and who have had little or no prior experience in the United States or elsewhere outside their home country. All Fellows must have strong English language proficiency; however, the award recipient should provide resources to help non-native English speakers prepare for the Fellowship.

ECA encourages the recruitment of applicants who have disabilities. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is committed to ensuring that Africa’s young leaders with disabilities are able to participate fully in the Fellowship through reasonable accommodation and support. The award recipient will be responsible for working with the host institutions to provide reasonable accommodations that will allow for a full and engaging experience for all

Fellows during the Leadership Institutes.

E. Fellow Application Screening and Selection Process

The award recipient must have a comprehensive and detailed plan for the recruitment, selection, and placement of all Fellows. Recruitment should be conducted through an open merit-based competition. The recipient should design an application form that will be posted on the independent program website (see section L for more information). Fellow applications should include an essay in which the applicant will explain how they will use the experience upon their return home. The Mandela Washington Fellowship application form should include an opportunity for applicants to apply for PDEs. At a minimum, each application form should include essay responses, rank list of the applicant’s preferred Institute theme, and demographic information.

Criteria for applicants:

Be a citizen of and reside in an eligible Sub-Saharan African country. Persons holding U.S. citizenship or permanent residency are ineligible;

Speak, read, and write proficiently in English;

Aged 25-35 at the time of application submission;

Have a proven record of leadership and accomplishment in business or entrepreneurship, civic engagement, or public/government service;

Demonstrate a commitment to public or community service, volunteerism, or mentorship; and

Be committed to return to Sub-Saharan Africa and contribute skills and talents to build and serve their communities.

The award recipient should conduct a technical review of all applications received for eligibility, authenticity, and completeness. The recipient should use a transparent, merit-based review process, with clearly identified criteria for assessing the applications. U.S. embassies and consulates must be given access to the online application for conducting interviews and adding final comments. U.S. embassies and consulates should receive final reader scores no later than late November. ECA will provide final approval of the selection of

Fellows. An outline of this process and a draft application form should be submitted in the proposal appendices.

F. Leadership Institutes

The Leadership Institutes should:

Be designed around one of three themes: Leadership in Business, Civic Engagement, and Public

Management, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the United States. The program should include content designed specifically for Fellows and not replicate an existing lecture course, survey, or seminar designed for U.S. students. Institutes on each of the three themes should be represented in roughly equal proportion across the program;

Consist of a carefully integrated series of lesson plans, guest speakers, discussions, site visits, individual and group classroom activities, and reading assignments. Sessions should be interactive and allow ample time for the exchange of views among Fellows and presenters;

Expose Fellows to a variety of presenters representing diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and occupational fields on the topics and issues to be explored;

Include at least one leadership training session per week as part of a robust universal Leadership curriculum implemented across all three Institute tracks. The leadership component should consist of group discussions, workshops, and exercises that focus on topics such as consensus building, networking, negotiation, collective problem solving, effective communication, public speaking, and management skills. The recipient should also propose a leadership assessment that each Fellow will complete and a sample curriculum for all Institutes to utilize. Additionally, the leadership curriculum should be interactive and provide Fellows with basic leadership skills.

Explore the concept of community service and the importance that Americans place on volunteerism by including at least 15 hours of hands-on volunteer activities during the six-week program with a local nonprofit or community organization. The community service component should be related to the

Institute theme and should include an introduction to volunteerism in the United States and allow time for Fellows to debrief after each service activity. Institutes should highlight the importance of each activity in the community;

Include day trips or optional weekend excursions designed to reinforce the academic curriculum, to locations including government offices (meetings with executive representatives, legislators, and judicial representatives), think tanks, non-governmental organizations, historical sites, schools, places of worship, museums, newspapers, etc.;

Be intensive, yet leave sufficient free time for pursuing individual interests, socializing with Fellow participants and American students, exercising, and rest. The program schedule should also include adequate time for reading and preparation of class assignments. ECA encourages supervised optional cultural and weekend activities (such as group nights at the theater, concerts, sporting events, and city tours) that take place in person or virtually to give Fellows the opportunity to experience the diversity of the United States, while fostering group cohesion;

Provide ample opportunities to attend informal and formal gatherings of ordinary Americans from a variety of ethnic, social, and professional backgrounds. In addition, Institutes should include a structured way for Fellows to present on their country’s history and culture to a diverse group of

Americans;

Cover all logistics including providing Fellows with administrative and academic orientations to the

United States and to the host institution campus. Fellows should be fully briefed on the administrative details of the program, including campus and local resources, security, medical problems, houses of worship, and meals. It is expected that Fellows have routine access to program staff for program-related inquiries.

Include an academic orientation that will provide Fellows with a concise overview of the Institute, including principal objectives and major themes. The academic director should also use this opportunity to discuss guidelines for class participation that encourage active participation by all class members, respect for the views of other participants, concise comments and questions that keep the students on-topic, and other ground rules that will promote effective class discussion throughout the program; and

Provide all transportation, housing, and meal arrangements for the Fellows.

G. Summit

The Summit should:

Take place over the course of three to four days and include at least one day for networking;

Feature inspirational, distinguished American leaders and/or other prominent leaders as plenary or other speakers, who will be identified, recruited and confirmed by the recipient, with ample lead time prior to the Summit;

Allow Fellows from all Institutes to interact and share experiences with each other, both formally and informally;

Incorporate discussions or interactive sessions on cross-cultural issues and relevant topics;

Include appropriate workshops and seminars that further complement and reinforce the academic themes explored during the Institute;

Include scheduled time, if appropriate, to meet with Fellows’ home country ambassadors or other representatives to discuss professional initiatives and facilitate support after Fellows return to their country of residence;

Allow Fellows the opportunity to interact with senior U.S. government, business, and civic leaders and members of the diplomatic community;

Provide opportunities for staff from U.S. host institutions to network and learn best practices from one another;

Address alumni and follow-on activities, in consultation with ECA and other U.S. government agencies, for all Fellows;

Host a briefing or debriefing session for host Institute staff at the end of the Summit; and

Include all housing and meal arrangements for Fellows and Institute staff.

Please note while the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. government representatives will collaborate with the award recipient in the planning and implementation of this Summit, the recipient will have primary responsibility for planning, implementing, recruiting and confirming Summit speakers well in advance of the event, and meeting the objectives outlined above.

H. Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)

The PDEs should:

Be four weeks long; PDE Fellows should also have the option to complete an extended virtual experience or project with the U.S. host;

Take place immediately following the Summit or immediately following the Leadership Institutes, if the

Summit takes place before Institutes;

Take place at a relevant NGO, business, university, or governmental agency in the United States and represent a diverse set of experiences;

Be substantive and appropriate and tie into the Fellow’s Institute theme or professional interest;

Be planned and implemented for approximately 100 of the 700 Fellows; up to two Fellows may be placed at one host organization depending on its size. In some cases, host organizations with multiple sites may host up to three Fellows in different cities;

Encourage opportunities for PDE Fellows and host organizations in the same area to network during the

PDEs;

Include all housing and meal arrangements and transportation requirements; and

Include at least one U.S. mentor/supervisor at the host organization site who will oversee and monitor the PDE Fellow.

I. Reciprocal Exchange Component

The Reciprocal Exchange component should:

Provide small grants for no less than 100 American professionals to travel to Sub-Saharan African countries for 30 days or less to continue collaborative work with Mandela Washington Fellows from all cohorts since 2014; and

Provide opportunities for Americans and young African leaders to form lasting partnerships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding between the United States and countries in

Sub-Saharan Africa. These opportunities could include virtual engagement pre- or post-travel to enhance the impact of the in-person exchange.

Criteria for applicants:

American professionals must be U.S. citizens currently living in the United States and must not have previously received more than one Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange award;

Fellows, who host and partner with the Americans, must be considered alumni of the Fellowship by the

U.S. Department of State and must not have previously received a Reciprocal Exchange award;

Proposals should describe the anticipated impact on the Fellow's home institution, community, and/or country;

Proposals should describe the anticipated impact on the American professional’s home organization and community;

Proposals should demonstrate joint engagement between the Fellow and American professional in project design and implementation;

Proposals should articulate clearly the need for travel by the American professional to support the project; and

Proposals should provide measurable goals and clearly specify project activities during travel.

The award recipient should conduct a technical review of all applications received for eligibility and completeness. The award recipient should use a transparent, merit-based review process, with clearly identified criteria for assessing the applications. An applicant list must be sent to U.S. embassies in-country for the approval of final project locations. ECA will provide final approval of participants.

J. Logistical Considerations

The recipient should plan to process participant forms including, but not limited to, Medical Forms, program Terms and Conditions, and Media Release Forms, among others, which will be signed by participants. The recipient should notify ECA of any potential issues or concerns.

Housing and meal arrangements are an important dimension of program planning and must be discussed in detail in the proposal. In general, during the six week Leadership Institutes, Fellows should be housed in university housing or at a nearby extended stay hotel. The proposal should indicate options for housing, including food options accommodating religious and other dietary restrictions. If possible, Fellows should have access to kitchen facilities, either in their own rooms or in a common area. A combination of a cash allowance for food, which will permit Fellows to eat at local restaurants or purchase groceries, combined with a cafeteria meal plan, is strongly recommended. During the PDEs, appropriate housing and meals must also be arranged. During the Institutes and PDEs, housing should be easily accessible to the classroom and/or PDE site and, ideally, within walking distance. During the

Summit, Fellows may be asked to share double rooms at the hotels. To the extent permitted by the budget, Fellows 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.

The recipient should take into account the health, safety, and welfare of participants at all times during the program. This includes assisting participants to understand the ECA-sponsored Accident and

Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) health benefits program and to navigate the complex healthcare system in the United States. The recipient and sub-recipients should also help participants understand and navigate national, state, local, and campus policies as they relate to COVID-19.

Pre-Departure Orientations (PDOs) will be organized for all participants with both virtual and in-person components. The recipient should host a PDO webinar series to prepare all participants for the

Fellowship. Topics may include, but are not limited to, setting expectations, diversity and inclusion, cross-cultural adjustment, health and safety guidelines and practices, and logistics. If conditions allow, U.S. embassies and consulates will also provide at least one day of in-person content, in conjunction with participant visa interviews, prior to Fellows’ arrival in the United States. The recipient will be responsible for developing materials and ensuring they are made available to Fellows and U.S.

embassies and consulates before the start of the Institutes. For Fellows who do not have Internet access, the recipient or host institution should make arrangements to send hard copies of these materials by express mail to the respective U.S. embassy or directly to the Fellows, as appropriate.

The recipient is responsible for disbursing a $100 travel allowance to each Fellow to support travel to and from the United States.

Monitoring and evaluation should be conducted on a regular basis to ensure that any academic, administrative, and personal problems are identified and acted upon promptly during the Institutes. The award recipient will deliver and administer pre-program (baseline), post-program, and alumni surveys.

At the conclusion of the Institutes, recipients should ensure that Fellows have time reserved to complete the post-program survey. Additionally, the recipient will be responsible for conducting an alumni survey one year after the conclusion of the program. The alumni survey can include all Fellowship alumni cohorts including the most recent alumni cohort. Please note, ECA intends to administer alumni surveys at one, three, and five years after program completion to disseminate and collect impact information from all ECA alumni. All three alumni surveys will be hosted, administered, and analyzed on ECA’s survey platform. The award recipient will be responsible for coordinating with ECA on any

Alumni surveys to minimize duplicative questions and potential survey fatigue.

Please note: All Fellows are required to return to their home countries following the conclusion of the program

(either after the Summit or PDEs). The J-1 visa allows for a 30-day grace period to remain in the United States at the conclusion of the program. If a participant chooses to utilize the grace period, it is at their own expense.

Fellows are permitted to travel within the United States during their Institutes or PDEs as long as they attend all required activities and receive the necessary approval to travel. Family or friends may be permitted to visit the

Fellows while the latter are in residence at the host institution or PDE placement, at the discretion of the award recipient and in consultation with ECA, provided that such visits will not prove disruptive to the program. At no time will family or friends be permitted to accompany the participants during scheduled program activities, whether such activities are mandatory or optional. Institute staff should arrange to escort all participants to airports for their return travel and to remain at the airport until the Fellows have checked in and entered the security departure area.

K. Alumni/Follow-on Activities

Follow-on activities should be well developed, but also remain flexible enough to allow for changes based on the needs of the participants and funding. Alumni activities should be financed using the line item budgeted for follow-on activities. Applicants are encouraged to provide significant cost share towards alumni engagement activities each year.

Proposals should include minimally the following alumni opportunities:

An application-based small grant component encouraging project collaboration and a sharing of best practices among alumni, ideally from different cohort years and/or countries (currently the Leveraging

Innovations in New Communities (LINC) grant);

An application-based impact award recognizing a member of the Fellowship alumni network who embodies the tenets of servant leadership and advocates on behalf of the Fellowship (currently the

Leadership Impact Award);

A mechanism to provide alumni with access to technical expertise, coaching, or platforms so that alumni can apply lessons learned to their work;

An opportunity allowing alumni to travel and engage with experts at events on themes relevant to their business or organization;

An application-based grant supporting follow-on work of American Reciprocal Exchange alumni in the

United States; and

Funds reserved for on-demand alumni programming, to be used at ECA's discretion.

The U.S. Department of State will facilitate continued engagement by program participants in alumni activities.

The Fellows should return home with new ideas, expanded contacts, and action plans for future months. ECA’s

Office of Alumni Affairs will work with the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs and other government agencies to facilitate follow-on communication and activities with participants and with U.S.

missions abroad.

L. Recruitment and Outreach

Applicants are encouraged to provide cost share towards recruitment and outreach each year. The plan should include:

o Recruitment materials, including, but not limited to, print and online content, social media, radio advertisements, and videos for dissemination to U.S. embassies and consulates to support and enhance their recruitment of Fellows. Additionally, applicants should demonstrate the ability to translate a limited number of recruitment materials into French and Portuguese;

o Maintenance of the Mandela Washington Fellowship website and all of its components in a dynamic and interactive manner, including the private Fellowship Portal. At a minimum, the website should:

o Be updated regularly and include relevant Mandela Washington Fellowship information including overview, mission, and goals of the Fellowship;

o Highlight accomplishments, experiences, impact, and diversity of current and past program participants and partners;

o Provide information about current application and partnership opportunities;

o Include a link to the online application platform for Fellowship applicants (referenced above).

o Maintain a page about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit;

o Maintain and update a public database of all past and current Fellows;

o Maintain a directory of all past and current program partners; and o Provide a secure Fellowship Portal to contain additional information about the Fellowship. The

Fellowship Portal should be accessible by Fellowship Alumni and selected finalists (and alternates, as necessary.)

o A comprehensive outreach plan. At minimum, the plan should include:

o Communications guidance materials for exchange participants and partners of the Mandela

Washington Fellowship;

o Outreach materials including brochures, one pagers and/or fact sheets, announcements, and other materials to communicate program information and demonstrate the impact of the Mandela

Washington Fellowship;

o Community outreach materials to educate Americans on the Mandela Washington Fellowship, particularly those who will interact with Fellows during the Institutes, Summit, and PDEs.

Outreach materials should include print and virtual content;

o A strategy for managing the social media assets of the Fellowship to regularly disseminate information about applications (when applicable) and program impact. ECA must be given administrative access to such accounts and will provide oversight;

o A roadmap for collecting, analyzing, reporting, maintaining, and presenting impact data from

Mandela Washington Fellowship partners and alumni. Special emphasis should be given to data visualization;

o Providing analytic information and reports about all digital media assets;

o Development of Congressional notification letters and accompanying promotional inserts for

U.S. Members of Congress, highlighting the U.S. institutions, organizations, and individuals in their respective state or district who are participating in Fellowship activities, as well as

Reciprocal Exchange Participants;

o Management of outreach in preparation for and during the Mandela Washington Fellowship

Summit in collaboration with ECA, including the program office and the Public Affairs and

Strategic Communications staff, as well as interagency partners;

o Appropriate staffing levels and structure to effectively implement all proposed activities and initiatives; and o Details on how it complies with all current and future guidance and regulations from ECA’s

Office of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications.

All print and online materials provided to or created for dissemination to applicants, participants, program partners, U.S. government agencies, including U.S. embassies and consulates, and other entities should be submitted for ECA review and approval before distribution. Prior to ECA review, all print and online materials should be carefully drafted, edited, and revised to meet standards commensurate with the prestige and character of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Any communication with U.S. government agencies or entities, including U.S. Members of Congress, involving the Mandela Washington Fellowship should be cleared by ECA before dissemination.

II. STATEMENT OF WORK

In a cooperative agreement, the Study of the U.S. Branch is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring. The award recipient will be required to obtain approval of significant program changes in advance of their implementation. These activities and the roles and responsibilities of the

Department and your organization are outlined below.

The responsibilities of the recipient organization are as follows:

General Program Management

1. Work with the FY 2018 award recipient to ensure the success of the program under the new award;

2. Provide overall coordination and management of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for

Young African Leaders;

3. Provide administrative management of the Institutes, PDEs, the Reciprocal Exchanges, other alumni activities, and the Summit, including ongoing oversight of Institute hosts, and on-going monitoring of all participants;

4. Inform and consult with ECA about the administration of the program, any program- or participant-related problems, and the progress of necessary action;

5. Arrange for and purchase international round trip travel for all Mandela Washington

Fellows and domestic travel to the Summit. All U.S. domestic flights must be on a U.S.

carrier, per the Fly America Act, when possible;

6. Maintain an official program website and social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, including maintaining, developing, and posting relevant content;

7. Develop and implement a recruitment and outreach plan including recruitment and outreach brochures, one pagers and/or fact sheets, announcements, and other materials to communicate program information and demonstrate the impact of the Mandela

Washington Fellowship;

8. 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;

9. Develop pre-departure online modules that will be mandatory for all Fellows to complete prior to their participation in the Leadership Institutes;

10. Submit all print and online materials provided to or created for dissemination to applicants, participants, program partners, and U.S. government agencies, including U.S.

embassies and consulates, and other entities to ECA for review before distribution;

11. 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 and send notification letters;

12. Clear with ECA, before dissemination, any communication with U.S. government agencies or entities, including U.S. Members of Congress, involving the Mandela

Washington Fellowship;

13. Conduct monitoring that links outcomes of the program to stated program goals and objectives to ensure that all Institutes meet comparable high levels of quality in fulfilling program goals. This should be completed through pre-program (baseline), post-program, and alumni surveys;

14. Organize, staff, and coordinate a three to four-day Summit for all Fellows at the beginning or end of the Institutes;

15. Develop and propose innovative ideas for alumni follow-on activities and creative and effective ways to engage participants after their exchange;

16. Manage all ECA funds for this activity, including submitting required reports to ECA by the established deadlines;

17. Coordinate an annual planning and debriefing meeting with key personnel staff working on the Fellowship from both the recipient organization and ECA;

18. Provide a detailed staffing plan to include the names, titles, and portfolio breakdown of all staff who will work on the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Any changes to staffing plans and/or key personnel (to include program officers and higher) must be submitted to

ECA for approval;

19. Prepare and print certificates of completion for Fellows and Reciprocal Exchange

Participants who successfully complete their respective programs;

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

21. Develop health and safety protocols to protect the welfare of all participants; protocols should include plans to address participant safety in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic;

Collection and Maintenance of Program and Participant Data

1. Maintain and regularly update the database of participants, always ensuring the protection of personally identifiable information. This will be done in consultation with ECA and the assistance of the FY 2018 award recipient;

2. Maintain accurate and up-to-date records on all Congressional interactions related to the

Mandela Washington Fellowship;

3. Submit written weekly updates to ECA during main program activities, as well as required annual and final program reports by the established deadlines and other ad hoc reporting as appropriate;

4. Enroll the participants (both Fellows and American 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 a health benefits identification card for each participant; and

5. Create and issue DS-2019 forms for the participants’ J-1 visas;

Recruitment and Selection

1. Manage the selection process for the Fellows, Institutes, Professional Development

Experience (PDEs), Reciprocal Exchange component, and other alumni opportunities in coordination with the Study of the U.S. Branch;

2. Develop and implement, in coordination with ECA, a recruitment plan with recruitment materials, including, but not limited to, print and online content, social media, radio advertisements, and videos for dissemination to U.S. embassies and consulates to support and enhance their recruitment of Fellows;

3. Develop and maintain an online application and applicant and participant database system;

4. Develop recruitment and selection procedures to administer a merit-based open competition process for applicants and keep ECA informed about the application review process. The award recipient will work closely with ECA on the development of selection criteria;

Design, Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation of the Leadership Institutes

1. Design, implement, and oversee approximately 28 six-week Leadership Institutes at host campuses throughout the United States. Each Institute will host approximately 25

Fellows;

2. Identify diverse U.S. host institutions through an open competition, and issue guidance on the development of curricula and other activities to ensure consistency and quality across all Institutes;

3. Organize and implement a host retreat, after the selection of Institute Partners, and periodic virtual webinars, prior to the start of the Leadership Institutes, for all Institute

Partners;

4. Provide and monitor sub-awards to the host institutions to conduct the Leadership

Institutes;

5. Manage Fellow placement at host institutions in cohorts by theme;

6. Monitor the program through regular communications with the host universities and through site visits;

7. Develop a robust universal leadership curriculum to be utilized by all selected Institutes during their leadership programming focused around a specific leadership methodology, practical leadership skills building, or other theme that can be standardized and incorporated into each Institute’s curriculum. The leadership curriculum must include a leadership assessment for each Fellow to analyze their leadership strengths and weaknesses;

8. Coordinate, in conjunction with host institutions, logistical and administrative arrangements for Fellows such as pre-departure information, U.S. airport pick-up and drop-off, lodging and meals, domestic travel and airline baggage allowances for the

Summit, and the disbursement of program funds including travel allowances, in consultation with ECA;

9. Coordinate, in conjunction with host institutions, logistics related to necessary medical treatment, emergencies, or management of any special circumstances including reasonable accommodations;

Design, Management, and Monitoring of Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)

1. Design and oversee four-week, follow-on Professional Development Experiences for at least 100 Fellows including an optional virtual follow-on component, selected in advance from amongst the Mandela Washington Fellows;

2. Manage Fellow placement at Professional Development Experience sites;

Design, Management, and Monitoring of the Reciprocal Exchange Component

1. Coordinate and support a Reciprocal Exchange component for at least 100 American professionals to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa; and

2. Prepare and print certificates of completion for Fellows and Reciprocal Exchange

Participants who successfully complete their respective programs.

ECA will:

1. Provide oversight, advice, and assistance to the award recipient staff;

2. In collaboration with the recipient, provide advice and assistance to sub-award recipients/Institute staff;

3. Oversee all communications with U.S. embassies and consulates, the Bureau of African

Affairs, and the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs regarding the recruitment and selection of participants and other aspects of the Fellowship. The Department of

State will be involved in the selection process and will approve final selection. It is anticipated that U.S. embassies will interview semi-finalists and submit a slate of potential finalists;

4. Monitor the program through regular communications with the award recipient and site visits to partner organizations, including, but not limited to, host institutions and PDE sites;

5. Review and provide input on Institute agendas, curricula, webinars and online modules, pre-departure materials, and other Fellowship materials;

6. Review PDE placement sites and plans and provide input;

7. Review semi-annual program and reports and weekly updates during the Leadership

Institutes;

8. Work with award recipient on a plan for notifying Congressional representatives of the participation of Fellows and Reciprocal Exchange Participants in and from their districts/states and send notification letters;

9. Collaborate on and approve recruitment and outreach plans including the corresponding materials;

10. Approve and collaborate on plans for alumni follow-on activities;

11. Approve the final selection of sub-award recipients (Institute Partners);

12. Approve the final selection of Fellows and Fellow placement as well as the PDE and

Reciprocal Exchange Participants and locations;

13. Approve staffing plan and key personnel (Program Officer and above) and any changes that are made;

14. Issue the participants’ J-1 visas;

15. Collaborate on planning and implementing the host retreat, planning and debrief meetings, and Summit; and

16. Liaise with relevant U.S. embassies, consulates, the recipient, host institutions, and other relevant parties as it relates to crisis management.

PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Applicants should submit a complete and thorough proposal describing the program in a convincing and comprehensive manner. 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.

Proposals should address succinctly, but completely, the elements described below and must follow all format requirements.

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/web/grants/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.

Online Forms

- SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

- SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs

- SF-424B, “Assurances – Non-Construction Programs,” (only required for organizations if its representations and certifications have not been completed in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). If an organization is exempt from registering in SAM.gov, then it would still need to provide the form as part of its application.)

- Include other attachments, if applicable, such as the Negotiated Indirect Cost

Rate Agreement (NICRA), form 990 Return of Organization Exempt From

Income Tax, SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (only required for organizations that engage in lobbying activities), etc.

Program Narrative

Executive Summary (One page)

In one double-spaced page, provide the following information about the https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html project:

1. Name of organization/participating institutions

2. Beginning and ending dates of the program

3. Nature of activity

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

5. Scope and Goals

a. Number and description of participants

b. Wider audience benefiting from program (overall impact)

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

d. Fields covered

e. Anticipated results (short and long-term)

Narrative

In twenty 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 Evaluation

5. Follow-on

6. Project Management

7. Work Plan/Time Frame

Additional Information to be Submitted

- Detailed Budget: 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 ECA. This program model is based on significant cost sharing from the non-governmental sector. See standard guidelines (PSI) in the Solicitation Package for information on cost sharing and the cost of audits. 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.

In order, the budget should include a 1) summary budget; 2) comprehensive line-item budget; 3) budget narrative; and 4) separate budgets for sub-award recipients. Please note that the forms required with your application are not a replacement for this budget information.

A. The summary budget should clearly indicate the following:

ECA Cost Sharing Total

PROGRAM COSTS

Program Costs Per Participant

ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS

Administrative Costs Per Participant

TOTAL COSTS

Total Costs Per Participant

B. The comprehensive, line-item budget should include both administrative and program costs for the recipient. Applicants are urged to be as detailed and specific as possible, adding line items if needed.

Item

ECA

Request

Cost

Sharing

Total

Budget

I. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS

A. Direct costs (Salaries, benefits, support services and staff)

1. Salaries

a. Person One (Name and title)

b. Person Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

2. Fringe Benefits

a. Person One

b. Person Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

B. Other Direct Expenses

Subtotal of Direct Costs

C. Indirect Costs

Total Administrative Costs

II. PROGRAM COSTS

A. General Program Costs (costs that do not vary according to the number of participants)

1. Institute Costs

a. Cost One

b. Cost Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

2. Summit Costs

a. Summit Cost One

b. Summit Cost Two

Request

c. Add as many lines as necessary

3. Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)

a. PDE Cost One

b. PDE Cost Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

4. Sub-Awards

a. Sub-award One

b. Sub-award Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

5. Other Cost Categories as necessary

Sub-total Section II A

B. Per Participant Program Costs

1. Institute Costs

a. Cost One

b. Cost Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

2. Summit Costs

a. Summit Cost One

b. Summit Cost Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

3. Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)

a. PDE Cost One

b. PDE Cost Two

c. Add as many lines as necessary

4.Other cost categories as necessary

Sub-total Section II B

C. U.S. Domestic Travel (Air, Rail, Bus)

NOTE: All U.S. domestic flights must be on a U.S. carrier, per the Fly America Act, when possible. This applies to participants, university escorts, guest speakers, and program grantees. Specific information on this is available in the attached PSI. Please list staff, participant, and guest speaker travel expenses separately by event (i.e.: the Washington D.C.

Summit or site visits).

1. Travel Cost 1

2. Travel Cost 2

3. add lines as necessary

Request

Sub-total Section II C

Total Program Costs

(Section II - A, B, and C)

Total Institute Costs (Sections I and II)

C. The budget narrative should explain how all costs were calculated and the rationale for including them in the budget.

D. Separate budgets for sub-award recipients. To ensure consistency, all sub-award recipients should use the sub-award recipient sample budget template, which is provided as a separate PDF document in the solicitation materials. An editable version of this sample budget is available via email from the ECA Program Contact.

E. The sub-award recipient budget narratives should concisely explain how costs were calculated and the rationale for including them in the budget. Each sub-award recipient’s budget should be accompanied by a budget narrative.

F. Cost Share – Although cost share is not required, ECA encourages maximum levels of cost share and funding from the applicant in support of this program.