Funding

Request for Lectures Funding
Application for Lectures Funding (Word document)
Request for Lectures Publicity
FOCUS Grants

Request for Lectures Funding

In addition to helping plan lectures and events on campus, the Committee on Lectures offers financial assistance to student clubs and organizations that wish to sponsor a public lecture or cultural event. The funds allocated by the Committee on Lectures are student fees provided by the Government of the Student Body.

Eligibility for funding

Requests for funding will be considered only if students are included in the planning and presentation of the event.
Student groups may request funding for only one speaker per academic year, except in extenuating circumstances.
A three-year wait is enforced for returning speakers except under special circumstances. Contact the director if there is a question about a previous campus visit.

Be aware that the Committee on Lectures struggles to meet the needs of the many campus organizations in the face of escalating expenses and reduced resources. Because the committee is charged with providing the entire campus with a series of speakers on a broad range of topics, some requests may have to be deferred to a later date or denied.

Submitting a Request for Funding

Contact the Lectures Program office early in the planning process for assistance contacting speakers and/or agents and making initial arrangements. It is especially important to work with the staff when considering dates and venues, and for the negotiation of the lowest possible speaker fees and travel costs.

All proposals for funding (see electronic application below) must be reviewed by the Lectures Program staff before being taken to the Committee on Lectures for consideration.

The Committee on Lectures meets twice a month to review requests for funding. The Lectures Program director can provide the days and times of upcoming meetings. A representative from the requesting group must be present at the meeting to present and answer questions about the proposal.

Applications for funding must be received at least one month in advance of the event in order to be considered for full funding.

Consider the following information when preparing a budget for the proposal:

Honorarium - If the speaker's fee is unknown and not publicly available (e.g., posted on his or her website), please work with the Lectures Program staff to obtain this information. In some cases the office staff is able to negotiate a reduced fee.

International speakers must have a Social Security number, and the country in which they reside must have a treaty with the United States or 30% of any fee paid will be withheld from the honorarium check when it is issued. This should be discussed with the speaker when negotiating fees.

Travel - Contact a local travel agency (515-292-8182, Travel and Transport) or consult an online reservation service (www.travelocity.com) in order to include accurate travel expenses in your budget. The Committee understands that travel costs are subject to change.

Lodging - Accommodations at the Memorial Union are $73/night; the Gateway’s rate is $75/night. Some guests’ itineraries may require an overnight stay at the Des Moines Radisson Airport Hotel. The Committee understands that lodging costs are subject to change.

Meals - It is reasonable to figure $20/day for meals. Government of the Student Body guidelines do not permit the funding of receptions.

Publicity - The Committee on Lectures calculates its publicity costs at $100/event. This includes electronic publicity, campus flyers, and one ad in the Iowa State Daily.

Other Funding Sources - Contact as many departments, organizations, and class instructors as possible for additional financial and publicity support. The Lectures Program staff will assist in this effort.

Do not confirm your speaker until you have received approval of funding from the Committee on Lectures.

Download, complete, and submit the following application electronically to for review before submitting 20 copies for the Committee.

Application for Funding (Word document)

Request for Lectures Publicity

All student organizations, administrative offices, and academic departments and programs sponsoring public lectures, panels, or symposia are encouraged to work directly with the Lectures Program office staff for scheduling, room reservations, and event logistics. Units that do not require financial assistance for a lecture but wish to work with the Lectures Program to publicize an event should contact the program director.

The Committee on Lectures considers requests for the following two types of publicity:

Web-only - A posting of the event on the Lectures website and the university online calendar as well as inclusion on a schedule of events distributed bimonthly to an e-mail listserv of faculty, staff, community members, and central-Iowa media.

Full publicity - Copies of an individually designed flyer posted across campus and distributed at other events; an ad in the Iowa State Daily; a posting of the event on the Lectures website and the university online calendar; inclusion of the lecture on a schedule of events distributed bimonthly to an e-mail listserv of faculty, staff, community members, and central-Iowa media.

Requests for assistance publicizing an event should be sent to and include the following:

Name of the speaker
Title of lecture
Date, time, and place of event
A short bio of the speaker, including his or her current position, relevant prior position(s), important publications, honors/awards, and degrees obtained.
A URL for the individual’s or organization’s website (if available)
Cosponsors of the event
Contact information for the event organizer