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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

19.410:  Educational Exchange: Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange

Objectives:  Established in 1983 to honor 300 years of German settlements in America. Goals are: To foster interaction between young people from the U.S. and Germany to promote mutual understanding; to foster close ties between Germany and the US.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

19.410 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Organizations must be incorporated, not-for-profit, and have 4 years of experience in exchanges to qualify for grants of more than $60,000. For the grants to place and monitor year program participants, experience conducting academic year high school exchanges is required. Each U.S. organization must have a German partner that meets the German eligibility requirements. The organization providing overall administration and recruitment/selection must have experience administering a national competition.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  There are certain selection criteria (e.g., age, language ability, social skills, academic achievement) for American applicants. Similar criteria are applied by the German side in its selection, with the added layer of the recommendation of an individual Bundestag member.

Credentials/Documentation:  Applicants for participation in the exchange are required to have proof of citizenship and proof of academic standing. They fill out application forms and submit to interviews during semi-finalist screening.

19.410 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  An open competition for all components is conducted every 4 years; for placement grants, either an open competition or a limited solicitation is used. For open competitions, the request for proposals is published in the Federal Register.

Award Procedure:  Funding decisions are at the discretion of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and are based on the advice of a panel of State reviewers and various offices. Final technical authority resides with the Grants Division.

Deadlines:  Deadlines for submission of proposals are established in the request for proposals or letters of solicitation. Most solicitations are offered in the Fall with proposals due by the end of the calendar year. The open competition for the 4-year cycle commencing in 2001 was announced on August 5, 1999. The deadline for proposals was September 17, 1999. Organizations were selected for grant awards in November.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  Decisions are generally made within 3 months of the submission of proposals, subject to the availability and timing of funding.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  Grantee organizations are eligible for renewal grants in the years between open competitions, providing they maintain a good track record.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Programmatic planning, objectives, and quality; organization capacity and track record; support for diversity; cost-effectiveness; project evaluation plan; value to US-partner country relations; multiplier effect.

Examples of Funded Projects:  A list of grantee organizations is available from the State Department program office.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  Grants for the high school student component are for 60 U.S. and 60 German students. The young professionals component is for 60 U.S. and 100 German participants. The vocational students component is for 20 participants.

19.410 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 19.411 Educational Exchange: NIS Secondary School Initiative.

19.410 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

19.410 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants.

Obligations:  FY 99 $2,388,000; FY 00 est $2,744,000; and FY 01 est $2,850,000.

Budget Account Number:  19-0201-0-1-154.

Authorization:  Public Law 87-256, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2451, et seq.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  State regulations governing exchange visitor (J-1) programs for high school students. Guidelines for grants are distributed in conjunction with the request for proposals/letter of solicitation.

19.410 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Information and applications on the high school component are disseminated by Youth for Understanding, 3501 Newark St. NW., Washington DC 20016. Phone: (202) 966-6800. The Young Professionals Component is administered by CDS International, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001. Phone: (212) 497-3509. The vocational component is administered by Nacel/Open Door, 3410 Federal Drive, Suite 101, St. Paul, MN 55122. Phone: (651) 686-0080.

Headquarters Office:  Youth Programs Division (ECA/PE/C/PY), Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 301 4th Street SW., Washington DC 20547. Contact: Shalita Jones. Phone: (202) 619-6299. Fax: (202) 619-5311.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

19.410 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  Some cost-sharing is desirable but there is no minimum percentage.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Grants are generally awarded for an 18-month period.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  CBYX is a reciprocal exchange of U.S. and German young people, three quarters of whom are high school students and one quarter are practical trainees. Annual grants are awarded to American private nonprofit organizations for administering the CBYX American selection process and for placement and monitoring of participating students. The German Government provides grants simultaneously to the German partners of the American organizations. Grants support the costs of travel, insurance, enhancement activities, orientation, selection, and administration.

19.410 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Quarterly program and financial reports are required.

Audits:  Recipients must comply with the Single Audit Act and OMB Circular No. A-133, which require annual audits of recipients that expend Federal funds equal to or in excess of an amount specified by OMB which is currently set at $300,000.

Records:  As prescribed by grant terms.