FUNDING GUIDELINES TO SECURE
A GRANT TO HOST A SPEAKER
Through living history, lectures, and performances, Speakers Bureau programs are intimate explorations of what it means to be human. Schools (grades k-12) and non-profit organizations are eligible to host these enriching public programs. Follow these steps to schedule and process a Speakers Bureau program. It is part of NMHC’s mission to make public humanities programming more accessible, and involvement is limited to funding support tied to approved funding requests. NMHC staff does not provide event coordination services. Organization’s hosting an event are responsible for contacting and paying their speaker of choice. Below are the steps to obtain funding support.
If you have questions along the way please reach out to NMHC’s Speakers Bureau Manager, Keelyn Byram. Check out our staff directory for contact information. Below are more specifics about program eligibility, paying your speaker, how to contact your selected speaker, program restrictions and requirements as well as the funding guidelines.
FORM 1: PAYMENT REQUEST FORM DELIVERED AS AUTOMATED EMAIL
Under the funding guidelines section within Step 2 and Step 7 there are specific forms that are listed. Form 1 is automatically generated by our software system after the online application has been submitted. That form will be sent to you within an email and can be accessed by the provided link. Forms 2, 3 and 4 are available below. To download these forms from Google Drive click the “download form” link below. The document will open in your internet browser. Then go up to the main menu and click the word “file.” Next scroll down and click the word “download.” Once the forms are downloaded to your computer you will be able to fill them out.
This form is to document all cost sharing contributed by the host organization in order to meet the one-to-one matching requirement.
DOWNLOAD FORMThe event host needs to provide their reflections within this form.
DOWNLOAD FORMThis audience survey is meant to be printed out and distributed at the event. Please see further instructions in Step #2 and Step #7.
DOWNLOAD FORMRotate your phone to view the information below.
FUNDING GUIDELINES:
NMHC no longer pays speakers directly. Instead, the council makes a grant to the host organization (based on the information the organization provides in the payment request form) and the host organization makes payments to the speaker from that grant. NMHC makes an exception to this policy for requests from schools. In this case, NMHC pays the speaker directly.
Since NMHC no longer pays speakers directly, the host organization must provide them with a 1099-MISC form for tax purposes. Read more about the 1099-MISC form, get a printable PDF version here.
All non-profits, schools (K-12), and local, state, and federal government agencies are eligible to apply for funding to support a program.
- Host organizations must meet a one-to-one match with the total cost of their speaker program. (Please scroll down to Section 2, Step 2 for more information.)
IMPORTANT--> Food and beverage items are not able to count toward the one-to-one matching requirement. - Admission must be free, and venues must be able to accommodate at least 20 audience members.
- All programs must be open to the public (unless they are for a school) and advertised to the community at large.
- Programs may NOT be used for private audiences such as conferences, luncheons, meetings or fundraisers.
NOTE: However, as independent contractors, speakers are free to contract with for-profit organizations outside of NMHC's programming. This would not involve NMHC funding or support.
- Host organizations may receive funding support for up to 6 speaker programs per calendar year.
- Speakers may give up to 8 programs per calendar year.
- Please note that any recording of speaker presentations must be agreed to by both the host and the speaker prior to the event.
FUNDING GUIDELINES:
At least 45 days prior to your target event date, organizations seeking to host a speaker need to directly reach out and contact the selected speaker to arrange an event date, event time, and go over any necessary equipment.
IMPORTANT--> Speakers manage their own schedules, and their participation is dependent upon the host organization making arrangements based on direct conversations with the speaker (not NMHC).
- To request contact information for all speakers, click the "Request Program Information" button located at the top of the catalog page.
- To request contact information for an individual speaker click the "Request Program Information" button located within their catalog entry.
NOTE: You will be redirected to a window with a form to fill in. An automated message will notify NMHC staff to email you the contact sheet for speakers. NMHC's privacy policy protects the personal contact info of speakers. For this reason, the contact sheet is provided upon request rather than being displayed publicly on our website.
Once the speaker has been contacted and they have confirmed their availability, find their entry in the catalog and then you can begin the process of applying for funding by clicking on the button labeled: “Apply to Program.”
NMHC's involvement is limited to funding support tied to approved funding requests. (Please see Step 2 for more information.)
Once the speaker has been contacted and they have confirmed their availability, you may begin the funding application process. Please return to the catalog and click on the button labeled: “Apply to Program.”
Enter the requested information and click “Submit.”
- The request form is where your organization agrees to meet the one-to-one cost-sharing/matching contribution. Within this form is also where the applicant should confirm that the organization is eligible to receive the grant, not to determine the grant amount.
- In-kind is the value of the time you and others contributed to organizing this specific program/event, as well as the equivalent value of the program venue or other contributed materials. In-kind categories include:
- volunteer hours (includes individuals' unpaid time spent planning and executing the event);
- services and materials utilized to execute the event (example: paper and ink for flyers);
- wages (paid staff time spent on planning and executing the event);
- facilities (actual rental expenses paid to use a third party venue, or the estimated value of your own facility);
- other event contributions (a catch-all for things that do not fit clearly in the other categories listed above).
IMPORTANT--> Food and beverage items are not able to count toward the one-to-one matching requirement.
- volunteer hours (includes individuals' unpaid time spent planning and executing the event);
- After you have submitted the electronic application form mentioned above, you will be expected to fill out four additional forms.
- FORM #1: A payment request form, which will be shared as a link. This form determines the grant amount. This form is returned prior to the event. This will be sent in a separate email with a link to the form. (NOTE: This is the only form sent to you via email.)
- FORM #2: An in-kind form (MS Excel file). This form is returned after the event and should include all in-kind from program planning and execution. By applying funding support you agree to report cost share. (NOTE: Please download this form at the top of this page.)
- FORM #3: The Project Director's evaluation form (MS Word file). This form is returned after the event. (NOTE: Please download this form at the top of this page.)
- FORM #4: An audience survey form (MS Word file). Multiple copies of this form should be printed and distributed at the event to the audience. These forms should be gathered by the host and returned to NMHC after the event. (NOTE: Please download this form at the top of this page.) Collected forms should preferably be scanned and emailed to NMHC. However, if scanning is not an option, you may send the forms to our physical address.
- FORM #1: A payment request form, which will be shared as a link. This form determines the grant amount. This form is returned prior to the event. This will be sent in a separate email with a link to the form. (NOTE: This is the only form sent to you via email.)
IMPORTANT --> Please note, funding IS NOT confirmed at the conclusion of this step.
After receiving the payment request form, the host organization and speaker are expected to work together to determine the total program cost that NMHC will cover.
This will include:
- standard honorarium ($250 per speaker and/or accompanist);
- mileage reimbursement, calculated at the current federal rate of $0.655 per mile;
- lodging (if needed), calculated at the current federal rate of $107 per night;
- per diem, calculated at the current federal rate of $54 per day ($13 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, $26 for dinner).
The most current federal rates for mileage, lodging, and per diem can be found here.
In order to qualify for lodging reimbursement, a Speaker must be traveling a minimum of 2 hours (4 hours round trip) for the program. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis if justification is provided.
No later than, 30 days in advance, please fill out and submit the payment request form mentioned in the step above.
- Be sure all the related and allowable expenses are included.
- Submit the payment form using the link provided after your application has been confirmed as received.
- While NMHC staff will contact you within 5 business days to let you know if your request has been approved, your initial submission must still be sent in 30 days in advance.
The 30 days allows time for NMHC to fully process the request and send the funds to you, the host organization, before the speaker's event.
This 30 day period also enables you, as the host organization to process and pay the speaker in a timely manner.
IMPORTANT--> Payment to the hosting organization will only occur after NMHC's approval has been confirmed. NMHC's sponsorship of the speaker that your organization has scheduled is considered official after NMHC approves them as part of this step.
As soon as the speaker has confirmed their availability and NMHC has approved the request for grant funding support, the host organization is expected to promote the event to obtain a public audience (not just pursue attendance from the organization's members).
Additionally, advertisements should highlight the following.
- A free event.
- NMHC's logo paired with the logo of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
NOTE: NMHC funding support is made possible through grant funds coming from the NEH.
- If your organization has a Facebook presence, create an event and add NMHC as a co-sponsor so we can share the event.
- Please send an event invitation to your NM state and federal representatives to attend the speaker presentation event. These individuals help secure federal funds for the NEH and NMHC.
NOTE: After the event is over your organization will be asked to supply examples of how the program was marketed. Please see Step #7.
As the event host, your organization will be coordinating all the needs related to the speaker's presentation (venue space, equipment, technical support, etc.)
At the event’s opening, acknowledge NMHC's support, to help us generate more awareness for of public programming supported by the Humanities Council.
Within 5 business days after the speaker event is over, please fill out and return the program paperwork via email to the Speakers Bureau Manager, Keelyn Byram along with a note regarding any remaining grant funds. Check out our team directory for contact information.
- NOTE: Unused grant funds must be returned to NMHC within this same 5 day period.
Documents/forms to be sent via email to NMHC at this point in the process include the following.
- DOCUMENT#1: In a single scanned PDF document please provide copies of the marketing materials used to promote the program (flyers, news articles, a list of online links to content on your website, links to community event calendars, links to social media posts, etc.).
- DOCUMENT/FORM #2: A completed in-kind documentation form.
- DOCUMENT/FORM #3: A fully completed Project Director’s evaluation form that includes substantive comments regarding the presentation.
NOTE: Incomplete evaluations will be returned and additional grants for funding speakers will not be permitted until they are corrected.
- DOCUMENT/FORM #4: A PDF of all scanned audience surveys.
These documents that need to be completed were previously provided as forms and outlined in Step #2. These forms should have been previously downloaded at the start of the process. If you need to redownload these forms please visit the boxes at the very top of this page.
NOTE: You may type directly into the MS Word and Excel documents only after they have been downloaded to your computer.
Please visit our team directory for contact information.