VZCZCXRO5692
OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHC #3621/01 3361955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021950Z DEC 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 1239
RUEHRY/AMEMBASSY CONAKRY IMMEDIATE 2592

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 123621 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OIIP KIRC
SUBJECT: CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR AMERICAN CORNERS 
SUSTAINING FUNDS IN FY10 
 
STATE 00123621  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  The American Corners Steering Committee is now 
calling for proposals for sustaining funds for American 
Corners (AC) partnerships.  While specific funding 
cannot be guaranteed, the call for proposals will enable 
R, IIP, and the PD offices in the regional bureaus to 
evaluate proposals and make decisions when and if 
funding becomes available. This cable outlines the 
procedures for requesting funds for ACs for FY10. Please 
note that there are significant changes in the format 
for the FY10 proposals. A recommended outline for the 
narrative portion is provided while a required 
spreadsheet for the numerical and data portion is 
available as described below. 
 
¶2. With 400 ACs worldwide, the opening of new ACs 
continues to be examined with great care in R, IIP, and 
the PD offices in the regional bureaus. Strengthening 
and evaluating ACs already in operation is the top 
priority.  The proposals for new ACs should provide a 
justification for the new AC, review and concurrence by 
the Information Resource Officer, and a budget for 
acquisition of materials, equipment, and other necessary 
expenses. The proposals for new ACs can be offered as 
part of the FY10 process. If post intends to ask for new 
ACs later in FY10, these proposals must first be 
submitted to the PD officers in the regional bureaus and 
to the Advisory American Corner Committee. Recognizing 
the unique status of bi-national center libraries (BNCs) 
in WHA, systematic support is addressed separately by 
the PD office in that bureau. 
 
¶3.  To qualify for sustaining funds in FY10, an AC must 
have officially opened by September 30, 2009, under the 
assumption that its first year was funded in FY09. 
 
¶4. Posts should carefully evaluate their existing ACs. 
For ACs that are active and serve their intended 
purpose, posts should prepare proposals for maintenance 
funding that will keep each active AC up-to-date in a 
hospitable location that welcomes visitors. For 
underperforming ACs, the improvement strategy should be 
outlined as the last element in the response to 
paragraph 5. For an AC that is inactive and fails to 
meet program goals, post should consider steps that will 
transfer or close the AC partnership.  The link to the 
"Guidelines for dissolving an AC partnership" is 
included in paragraph 14. 
 
¶5. Each post's proposal for sustaining funds should 
follow this narrative structure: 
¶A.  Summary statement giving a rationale that describes 
the overall impact and major activities of the AC and 
how it fits into post's PD program. Posts with multiple 
ACs can have one introduction for the country. 
 
¶B. Review and concurrence by the regional Information 
Resource Officer (IRO) is a required step in the 
process. IROs will be expected to comment on the 
viability of the AC and on the proposal for FY10. 
Regional IROs have actively monitored and supported ACs 
through visits and training for AC staffers in all 
regions. Each IRO is an invaluable resource for 
assisting in the development of AC sustaining funds 
proposals and for new AC proposals. Your IRO is prepared 
to review your proposal and to confirm your post's 
participation in the review of the core characteristics 
of your ACs.  For PD-lite or orphan posts not currently 
assigned to an IRO, courtesy visits and training have 
been conducted.  Please consult those IROs for review of 
your proposals. 
 
¶C. In narrative format, please supply brief descriptions 
of the following elements.  For posts with multiple ACs, 
please provide a description of how each element applies 
to each individual AC, as appropriate. 
 
*       How FY09 sustainability funding was used and its 
impact at individual ACs; 
 
*       Amount of  post funds provided in FY09 excluding 
sustainability funding; 
 
*       Value and description of private donations 
received, estimated 
in USD; 
 
 
STATE 00123621  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
*       Description of programs offered at the ACs listed 
by title 
 
*       Description of media coverage of AC events; 
 
*       Training and professional development of AC staff 
accomplished in FY09 through training at post or at 
regional venues; 
 
*       Plan of action for the near future; 
 
*       Strategy for improvement if the AC is 
underperforming. 
 
¶6. For each AC, the proposal should then include the 
following data in the required new spreadsheet format: 
 
*       Number of visitors per year; 
*       Number of programs held; 
*       Total attendance at programs; 
*       Most popular programs: Please use numbers to 
indicates categories, i.e., movie nights-1, Embassy 
speakers-2, exhibits-3, clubs-4, other-please 
specify); 
*       Most popular materials: Please user numbers to 
indicate categories, i.e., books-1, DVDs-2, 
periodicals-3, Internet research-4, ESL materials- 
5, other- please specify); 
*       Audiences reached (i.e., students-1, adults-2, 
professionals-3, children-4); 
*       Number of Embassy oversight visits to AC (FSO 
and/or FSN); 
 
¶7. The proposals, using the same new spreadsheet format, 
must also show that the post's AC participation in the 
American Corners Cooperative Database (ACCD) is up-to- 
date. To update your ACs' information in the ACCD, visit 
the site at http://accentral.state.gov. Registered 
editors can upload all necessary information. To 
register an editor, click on the Register New User link 
at the bottom right corner. Please designate an editor 
for this purpose before requesting sustaining funds. 
 
 
*       Each AC's directory information in the ACCD is 
complete and up-to-date. 
 
*       There are current reports in the ACCD relating to 
the activities of the post's ACs. 
 
*       Please confirm that you have a designated editor. 
 
¶8.  The proposal must also confirm on the required 
spreadsheet that each AC partner conforms to these core 
characteristics: 
 
*       MOU with current effective date is posted to the 
ACCD and is signed by partners, i.e., the Embassy 
and the host organization; 
 
*       AC offers public access to collections of 
information about the U.S. such as books, IIP 
publications, CD-ROMs, periodicals, DVDs, and 
posters; 
 
*       Collections should have a minimum of 800 titles; 
 
*       AC staffer assigned by host organization speaks 
serviceable English; 
 
*       AC offers reference service that is modeled on that 
of a small American public library; 
 
*       AC offers supervised Internet access if country has 
Internet providers; 
 
*       AC serves as multifunctional program platform for 
the Embassy; 
 
*       AC provides adequate space for hosting collections 
and programs; 
 
*       AC hosts a minimum of SIX (increased from four) 
programs per year; 
 
 
¶9.  Submit an itemized budget not to exceed $10,000 per 
AC.  Posts should indicate how much of their own funds 
will be used for AC operations in FY10. Training needed 
for AC and FSN staff working with ACs is a high priority 
and travel to regional workshops should be included in 
 
STATE 00123621  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the budget section.  WHA posts should consider asking 
for travel funds to cover AC partners' attendance at the 
Association of Binational Centers of Latin America 
(ABLA) 2010 conference in Colombia in July.  EUR and 
Central Asian posts should consider asking for travel 
funds to cover participation in the international 
library conference in Crimea in June 2010.  "Sustaining 
funds are for sustainability" is the rule of thumb in 
prioritizing spending for ACs.  Thus, PAS travel to ACs 
should not be charged to AC sustaining funds unless 
there is a strong justification. AC funds should not be 
used to support other PD activities such as the travel 
and training of educational advisors. Because of serious 
computer security problems at some host institutions, it 
is advisable for posts to consider purchase and 
installation of anti-virus software on equipment granted 
to partner institutions.  Developing collections that 
match local needs is critical for creating vibrant 
American Corners.  Posts are encouraged to use 
sustaining funds to acquire bilingual dictionaries and 
locally appropriate materials that will help Corners 
reach and teach audiences with limited English language 
skills. 
 
Please note that use of FY10 sustaining funds for 
regular salaries of AC staff is not authorized. 
 
¶10.  Completed proposals for sustaining funds 
(prioritized as needed if there are multiple ACs) as 
well as for new ACs should be submitted NLT January 15, 
2010 by email or cable to the appropriate Cultural 
Coordinator in the regional bureau PD Offices AND to the 
AC Coordinator in IIP/IR, Barbara Conaty, 
conatybx@state.gov. Proposals will be reviewed and 
prioritized by regional bureau PD Offices in 
consultation with IIP, in the context of Bureau and 
Department strategic goals. 
 
¶11. FY06 Congressional Conference Committee language 
mandates that IIP exercise oversight of the AC program. 
The AC Steering Committee appreciates receiving reports 
from posts that provide the foundation for this 
oversight and for necessary funding decisions. The PD 
officers in the regional bureaus make the strategic and 
funding decisions, while IROs and the AC Coordinator can 
advise on training, resources, and compliance with core 
requirements. 
 
¶12. Please refer questions on AC policy to your regional 
bureau's PD Officer, your regional IRO, or to IIP's AC 
Coordinator Barbara Conaty conatybx@state.gov.  Barbara 
and Program Analyst Eileen Deegan, deeganeg@state.gov, 
can help with queries about the American Corners 
Cooperative Database. 
 
¶13. To compile the information asked for in paras 5-8, 
there is a required new template available at the IIP/IR 
portal. Please paste this URL into your browser: 
http://tinyurl.com/ye8x83q. The template can also be 
obtained from Barbara Conaty, conatybx@state.gov or 
Eileen Deegan, deeganeg@state.gov, on request. 
 
 
¶14. Closing or transferring ineffective ACs to new 
partners will enhance the integrity of the program and 
the ACs. Reports received at training workshops and in 
the American Corner Cooperative Database show that many 
ACs are struggling with uncooperative host institutions, 
lack of English language skills, lack of programming 
skills, lack of fresh resources from PAS, and lack of 
basic infrastructure to keep the venue in operation. 
While one factor is not enough to shut the AC doors, a 
combination of factors might mean that in FY10, the AC 
program at your post should be suspended until new 
partners and new resources can be identified. Please 
review the Guidelines for Dissolving an American Corner 
Partnership at http://tinyurl.com/ybsx4a6 to assist your 
analysis of the robustness of ACs in your country. 
 
¶15. Minimize considered. 
 
CLINTON 
CLINTON