**Please note that we are no longer accepting applications for funding to host our 2017-2018 speakers. If you are interested in hosting one of our current speakers at your own expense, please contact the Program Manager directly at speakers@humanities.org or 206-682-1770 Ext. 101.

Every two years, we rotate our speakers to offer new programming to our partners. Our current presentations are available through December 31, 2018. We will announce our 2019-2020 speakers in October 2018. If you would like to host a speaker between January 1 – March 31, 2019, the online application will be due by December 3, 2018.

How to host a Speakers Bureau talk:

Step 1. Choose a talk you would like to host from the current speakers list, available on the sidebar to the left or in our printed catalog.

Step 2. Determine if your organization is eligible to host by reading our Host Requirements listed below. To be considered for funding, you must be a nonprofit organization (e.g., library, historical society, museum, social-service organization, or community center) or a K-12 school, college, or university.

Step 3. Connect with our Program Manager at speakers@humanities.org or 206-682-1770 Ext. 101 to receive the contact information for your chosen speaker. Please explain your eligibility for funding in these communications.

Step 4. Contact the speaker to propose a date and time for the program.

Step 5. Apply online. Once you and the speaker agree on a date and time for the talk, you will officially apply online using this link. Because Humanities Washington pays the speaking fee, and our funding is limited, the application process is competitive. You may submit applications for Speakers Bureau programs according to the following time frame:

If you are applying for a series of presentations, the application is due on the due date which corresponds to your first talk. For example, if you’re applying for talks in April, July, and October of 2018, your application is due by January 31, 2018.

Host organizations may book up to three presentations per year; additional talks may be available by request.

If you are not approved for a talk, you may be eligible to host the talk at your own expense.

Apply online to host a Speakers Bureau presenter

Host Requirements:

• Be a nonprofit organization (e.g., library, historical society, museum, social-service organization, or community center) or a K-12 school, college, or university.
• Make the Speakers Bureau event you host free and open to the public.
• Allow at least one hour for each presentation, including sufficient time for conversation.
• Generate publicity for the program, and secure an audience of at least 30 people (Humanities Washington will provide a toolkit to help promote the event). Any publicity costs are the responsibility of the host organization.
• Complete a short evaluation after the presentation.
• Return audience surveys to Humanities Washington within two weeks of presentation.
• Cover travel and lodging expenses, if applicable. These costs might include mileage (we recommend using the federal standard mileage rate), car rental, airfare, meals during the visit, ferry tickets, or overnight accommodations. Please discuss these fees with the speaker in advance, and ask if the speaker requires any special equipment or arrangements. Humanities Washington covers the speaker’s stipend.
• Unable to cover travel costs? Subsidies are available.

Travel Subsidies:

Because some organizations find it financially difficult to cover travel costs, travel subsidies are available for qualifying organizations. These travel stipends are meant to bring Speakers Bureau presentations to communities that would be otherwise unable to host them. If approved for a travel subsidy, Humanities Washington will directly reimburse the speaker up to $300 for travel expenses. Anything above that amount will be the responsibility of the host organization.

To be eligible for a travel subsidy, a host organization must be:

• Located 100 miles or more from the resident city of the speaker (exceptions may be made in situations involving mountain pass or ferry travel that necessitate an overnight stay).
• A community-based nonprofit organization with limited resources for public humanities programming.

Please note that travel stipends are limited and not guaranteed.