Meet our 2026 Speakers

1. Hosts choose from a curated roster of presenters, listed above
2. Hosts then coordinate directly with their selected speaker to set up a date, time, and location
3. After confirming with their speaker, hosts complete Georgia Humanities’ online event application
4. Please allow four weeks for our team to confirm the event application.
5. A completed application ensures that speakers are compensated appropriately

We’re looking for organizations that bring people together around shared ideas and experiences through free public programming. If your organization hosts lectures, workshops, cultural events, or community gatherings, you’re a perfect fit for the Georgia Circuit.

Ideal hosts include:

• Public libraries and library systems
• K–12 schools and colleges
• Museums, archives, and cultural centers
• Historical societies and civic organizations
• Arts councils and community-based nonprofits

To ensure equitable access across Georgia’s diverse communities, a limited number of subsidized speaking engagements are available each year. We encourage organizations to schedule early, as funded slots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis with attention to geographic distribution and organizational capacity.

Submission of a request does not guarantee approval and is contingent upon the availability of GH program funds.

Annual Booking Limit (2026)

To ensure broad statewide access, each organization is eligible for one (1) free or reduced-cost Georgia Circuit booking in 2026.

Additional public program bookings within the same calendar year may be approved at Georgia Humanities’ discretion and, if approved, will be charged at the corporate host rate of $500 per program, regardless of organizational type.

Georgia Humanities is committed to ensuring that communities across Georgia—regardless of size, geography, or budget—have access to high-quality humanities programming. The Georgia Circuit helps extend that access by offering presentations to nonprofits and public-serving organizations at free or low-cost rates, while larger institutions and businesses help sustain the program through a sliding scale fee structure.

To uphold the spirit of statewide access, hosts receiving Georgia Circuit programs are expected to make their events free and accessible to the public, unless otherwise approved in writing by Georgia Humanities.

Unless specifically authorized by GH:

• Programs must be free and open to the general public
• Programs may not require paid registration, admission, membership fees, or required contributions
• Programs should be promoted in ways that welcome broad community participation

Closed-audience or fee-based engagements—for example, internal business events, member-only programs, or paid-attendance gatherings—may be approved on a limited basis and will incur additional host fees, with priority always given to opportunities that advance public access and community benefit.

Fee: $0

GH Covers: Full $300 honorarium + travel stipend

Eligibility: Volunteer-led organizations or operating budgets under ~$250,000

Purpose: Guarantees access for communities with the fewest resources

Fee: $150

Cost Share: GH covers half of the honorarium + travel stipend

Eligibility: Annual operating budgets roughly $250,000–$2 million

Purpose: Shared responsibility keeps the program sustainable while minimizing barriers

Fee: $300

Cost Share: Host site covers the full honorarium; GH covers travel stipend

Eligibility: Organizations with budgets above ~$2 million

Purpose: Aligns with national humanities norms and recognizes institutional capacity

Flat Fee: $500

Cost Share: Host covers the full honorarium + contributes to statewide program sustainability; GH covers travel stipend

Purpose: Ensures that corporate and civic partners help underwrite The Circuit, expanding access for small communities across Georgia

While The Georgia Circuit is primarily intended to support free and public programs, GH may approve, on a limited basis, closed-audience or paid programs for businesses, corporations, or professional associations.

Examples include:

• Employee-only or internal staff programs
• Member-only or invitation-only events
• Programs requiring paid registration or attendance fees

Closed-audience programs:

• Must be approved in advance and confirmed in writing by GH
• Must align with GH’ nonpartisan public mission
• Are subject to additional host fees beyond the $500 Tier 4 rate, as determined by GH

These additional fees reflect the private benefit of the engagement and serve as earned support for GH and The Georgia Circuit, helping subsidize free and reduced-cost public programming for communities across the state.

Final host fees for closed-audience programs will be established and confirmed prior to scheduling or promotion.