§ 290f — Inter-american Foundation

(a) There is created as an agency of the United States of America a body corporate to be known as the Inter-American Foundation (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Foundation”). (b) The future of freedom, security, and economic development in the Western Hemisphere rests on the realization that man is the foundation of all human progress. It is the purpose of this section to provide support for developmental activities designed to achieve conditions in the Western Hemisphere under which the dignity and the worth of each human person will be respected and under which all men will be afforded the opportunity to develop their potential, to seek through gainful and productive work the fulfillment of their aspirations for a better life, and to live in justice and peace. To this end, it shall be the purpose of the Foundation, primarily in cooperation with private, regional, and international organizations, to— (1) strengthen the bonds of friendship and understanding among the peoples of this hemisphere; (2) support self-help efforts designed to enlarge the opportunities for individual development; (3) stimulate and assist effective and ever wider participation of the people in the development process; (4) encourage the establishment and growth of democratic institutions, private and governmental, appropriate to the requirements of the individual sovereign nations of this hemisphere. (c) The Foundation shall carry out the purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this section primarily through and with private organizations, individuals, and international organizations by undertaking or sponsoring appropriate research and by planning, initiating, assisting, financing, administering, and executing programs and projects designed to promote the achievement of such purposes. (d) In carrying out its functions under this section, the Foundation shall, to the maximum extent possible, coordinate its undertakings with the developmental activities in the Western Hemisphere of the various organs of the Organization of American States, the United States Government, international organizations, and other entities engaged in promoting social and economic development of Latin America. (e) The Foundation, as a corporation— (1) shall have perpetual succession unless sooner dissolved by an Act of Congress; (2) may adopt, alter, and use a corporate seal, which shall be judicially noticed; (3) may make and perform contracts and other agreements with any individual, corporation, or other body of persons however designated whether within or without the United States of America, and with any government or governmental agency, domestic or foreign; (4) shall determine and prescribe the manner in which its obligations shall be incurred and its expenses, including expenses for representation (not to exceed $10,000 in any fiscal year), allowed and paid; (5) may, as necessary for the transaction of the business of the Foundation, employ and fix the compensation of not to exceed one hundred persons at any one time; (6) may acquire by purchase, devise, bequest, or gift, or otherwise lease, hold, and improve, such real and personal property as it finds to be necessary to its purposes, whether within or without the United States, and in any manner dispose of all such real and personal property held by it and use as general funds all receipts arising from the disposition of such property; (7) shall be entitled to the use of the United States mails in the same manner and on the same conditions as the executive departments of the Government; (8) may, with the consent of any board, corporation, commission, independent establishment, or executive department of the Government, including any field service thereof, avail itself of the use of information, services, facilities, officers, and employees thereof in carrying out the provisions of this section; (9) bequest, grant, or otherwise, and make advances, grants, and loans to any individual, corporation, or other body of persons, whether within or without the United States of America, or to any government or governmental agency, domestic or foreign, when deemed advisable by the Foundation in furtherance of its purposes; (10) may sue and be sued, complain, and defend, in its corporate name in any court of competent jurisdiction; and (11) shall have such other powers as may be necessary and incident to carrying out its powers and duties under this section. (f) Upon termination of the corporate life of the Foundation all of its assets shall be liquidated and, unless otherwise provided by Congress, shall be transferred to the United States Treasury as the property of the United States. (g) The management of the Foundation shall be vested in a board of directors (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Board”) composed of nine members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, one of whom he shall designate to serve as Chairman of the Board and one of whom he shall designate to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board. Six members of the Board shall be appointed from private life. Three members of the Board shall be appointed from among the following: officers or employees of agencies of the United States concerned with inter-American affairs, the United States Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank, or the Alternate Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank. Members of the Board shall be appointed for terms of six years, except that of the members first appointed two shall be appointed for terms of two years and two shall be appointed for terms of four years, as designated by the President at the time of their appointment. A member of the Board appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term; but upon the expiration of his term of office a member shall continue to serve until his successor is appointed and shall have qualified. Members of the Board shall be eligible for reappointment. All individuals appointed to the Board shall possess an understanding of and sensitivity to community level development processes. No more than 5 members of the Board may be members of any one political party. (h) Members of the Board shall serve without additional compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with section 5703 of title 5, while engaged in their duties on behalf of the corporation. (i) The Board shall direct the exercise of all the powers of the Foundation. (j) The Board may prescribe, amend, and repeal bylaws, rules, and regulations governing the manner in which the business of the Foundation may be conducted and in which the powers granted to it by law may be exercised and enjoyed. A majority of the Board shall be required as a quorum. (k) In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it, the Board may appoint such committees for the carrying out of the work of the Foundation as the Board finds to be for the best interests of the Foundation, each committee to consist of two or more members of the Board, which committees, together with officers and agents duly authorized by the Board and to the extent provided by the Board, shall have and may exercise the powers of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Foundation. (1) The chief executive officer of the Foundation shall be a President who shall be appointed by the Board of Directors on such terms as the Board may determine. The President shall receive compensation at the rate provided for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5. (2) Experts and consultants, or organizations thereof, may be employed as authorized by section 3109 of title 5. (m) In order to further the purposes of the Foundation there shall be established a Council to be composed of such number of individuals as may be selected by the Board from among individuals knowledgeable concerning developmental activities in the Western Hemisphere. The Board shall, from time to time, consult with the Council concerning the objectives of the Foundation. Members of the Council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be entitled to reimbursement in accordance with section 5703 of title 5 for travel and other expenses incurred by them in the performance of their functions under this subsection. (n) The Foundation shall be a nonprofit corporation and shall have no capital stock. No part of its revenue earnings, or other income or property shall inure to the benefit of its directors, officers, and employees and such revenue, earnings, or other income, or property shall be used for the carrying out of the corporate purposes set forth in this section. No director, officer, or employee of the corporation shall in any manner directly or indirectly participate in the deliberation upon or the determination of any question affecting his personal interests or the interests of any corporation, partnership, or organization in which he is directly or indirectly interested. (o) When approved by the Foundation, in furtherance of its purpose, the officers and employees of the Foundation may accept and hold offices or positions to which no compensation is attached with governments or governmental agencies of foreign countries. (p) The Secretary of State shall have authority to detail employees of any agency under his jurisdiction to the Foundation under such circumstances and upon such conditions as he may determine. Any such employee so detailed shall not lose any privileges, rights, or seniority as an employee of any such agency by virtue of such detail. (q) The Foundation shall maintain its principal office in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. The Foundation may establish agencies, branch offices, or other offices in any place or places outside the United States in which the Foundation may carry on all or any of its operations and business. (r) The Foundation, including its franchise and income, shall be exempt from taxation now or hereafter imposed by the United States, or any territory or possession thereof, or by any State, county, municipality, or local taxing authority. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not to exceed an aggregate amount of $50,000,000 of the funds made available for the fiscal years 1970 and 1971 to carry out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 [22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.] shall be available to carry out the purposes of this section. Funds made available to carry out the purposes of this section under the preceding sentence are authorized to remain available until expended. (2) There are authorized to be appropriated $28,800,000 for fiscal year 1992 and $31,000,000 for fiscal year 1993 to carry out this section. Amounts appropriated under this paragraph are authorized to remain available until expended. (t) The Foundation shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 91 of title 31. (u) When, with the permission of the Foundation, funds made available to a grantee under this section are invested pending disbursement, the resulting interest is not required to be deposited in the United States Treasury if the grantee uses the resulting interest for the purposes for which the grant was made. This subsection applies with respect to both interest earned before and interest earned after August 24, 1982. (v) Funds made available to the Foundation may be used for the expenses described in section 1345 of title 31 (relating to travel, transportation, and subsistence expenses for meetings). (w) Funds made available to the Foundation may be used for printing and binding without regard to section 501 of title 44.