Program for Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (19.300)
Program
19.300 Program for Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union
Federal Agency
BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH, DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Authorization
Research and Training for Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union Act of 1983, Public Law 90-164, Title VIII, 97 Stat. 1948, as amended by Public Law 103-199.
Program Number
19.300
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To sustain and strengthen American expertise on the independent states of the former Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe, by supporting graduate training; advanced research; public dissemination of research data, methods, and findings; contact and collaboration among Government and private specialists; and firsthand experience of these countries by American specialists, including on site conduct of advanced training and research.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
For grants to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education with interest and expertise in conducting research and training programs on the independent states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. These organizations act as intermediaries for the Federal funds by conducting their own national, open competitions to make awards at the graduate level and above to individual students, scholars or other institutions.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be nonprofit organizations or institutions of higher education with an established track record in conducting research and training programs on the independent states of the former Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe. These organizations must run national programs of: advanced research; graduate training; language training; public dissemination of research data, methods, and findings; contact and collaboration among Government and private specialists; and/or firsthand experience of the area by U.S. specialists.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Graduate students, individual scholars, nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education active in the study of the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe.
Credentials/Documentation
Applications must include vitae of professional staff.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Applicants may call the program office with specific questions in responding to the call for applications. There is no preapplication form or need for preapplication conference. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
The call for applications is published in the Federal Register. Applications must be prepared and submitted in 20 copies in the form of a statement, the narrative part of which should not exceed 20 double-spaced pages. It must be accompanied by a one-page executive summary, a budget, and vitae of professional staff. Applications must be submitted to the program office by the competition deadline.
Award Procedure
An Advisory Committee mandated by the legislation reviews the application and rates it according to its responsiveness to the call in proposing a national, competitive program; the organization's established track record in administering a research and training program; its mechanisms for sharing the cost of the program; how it intends to advertise its program to the broad constituency of scholars; how successfully an organization targets individuals most likely to make a career commitment to the study of the region; etc. The Committee makes funding recommendations to the Secretary of State for approval.
Deadlines
Contact the program office for application deadline.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Each competition is open and national; applicants are free to apply as often as they wish.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Grant recipients have about 3 years to spend their awards depending upon the appropriation legislation. Grant recipients draw down on the grant as needed by requesting funds through the State Department's Program Office.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Grant recipients are required to provide quarterly Program Narrative and Cash Transaction Reports (SF-269) and Technical Performance Reports including, a breakdown of expenditures by county and a semi-annual status of obligation reports (SF-270).
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Grant recipients are required to keep standard accounting records for 3 years beyond the life of the grant.
Program Accomplishments
The fiscal year 2002 competition closed on February 8, 2002. The call for applications for fiscal year 2003 will be published in the Federal Register in October or November 2002.
Financial Information
Account Identification
72-1093-0-1-150.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $4,197,000; FY 03 est $5,000,000, and FY 04 est $5,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Grants in fiscal year 2001 ranged from $42,000 to $1,115,000. Several were about $200,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Current and past calls for applications, and lists of grant recipients are available from the program office.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
For program information, contact: Kenneth E. Roberts, Executive Director, or Susan H. Nelson, Program Officer, Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, INR/RES, Department of State, Room 2251, 2201 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20520-6510. Telephone: (202) 736-4572. FAX: (202) 736-4851.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal year 2001 grants included programs to award language training fellowships in advanced Russian language and area studies, in the languages of the NIS, and in Central and Eastern European languages and research. Post-doctoral fellowships and short-term travel grants were funded. Individual advanced research opportunities, dissemination, policy forums, advanced graduate fellowships, U.S.-based language training, short-term scholar programs, internships and professional development fellowships for young professionals in fields related to public service and civil policy in the NIS and Eastern Europe also were funded.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Responsiveness to the substantive provisions set forth in the Call for Applications, Part II, Program Information; the professional qualifications of the applicant's key personnel and their experience conducting national competitive award programs of the type the applicant proposes for the study of Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union, and budget, and cost effectiveness.
