Meet with your planning committee and select the dates, times, locations, and books for your OpenBook series. Contact Humanities Montana to discuss potential discussion leaders and availability of books.

Fill out the OpenBook Application Form. Humanities Montana must receive your application at least four weeks before your first program. Included on the application are:

• DATE:
  Allow at least four weeks before your first program for Humanities Montana to mail you the books and other information. Allow at least two weeks between each program; this should give your participants enough time to read each book.
• LOCATION:
  Confirm the location(s) of all your programs. Make sure you have access to the program site and that the site can comfortably accommodate the participants.
• DISCUSSION LEADERS:
  Humanities Montana will be happy to help you chose discussion leades who live close to your group. If you have a particular discussion leader(s) in mind, please discuss your choice(s) with Humanities Montana. Humanities Montana will pay the Discussion Leaders directly.
• BOOKS:
  Each OpenBook program focuses on one book (or selections from an anthology) and a series of programs focuses on a theme. Select as many and whichever books you like from one of the themes, or select individual books from different themes. Humanities Montana will send you up to 25 copies of each book, which you will return at the end of your program.
• ESTIMATE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
  Humanities Montana will use this number to determine how many copies of each book your organization will need. If you find you have estimated incorrectly, please let us know so we may adjust the number of books we send you.
• COST SHARE OR "IN-KIND" ESTIMATE:
  As you know, your sponsorship demands a real investment of volunteer time and often money for the indirect costs involved in promotion, telephoning, travel, hospitality, supplies, and even rentals. Nothing is really free. In fact, when you attach a monetary value to your services and keep track of cash expenses on behalf of your program, you will discover that your "in-kind" expenditures actually exceed Humanities Montana’s contribution. On your application, you will need to estimate your cost share and "in-kind" contributions. As your program series progresses, you will need to track these contributions and report them at the end of the project. The cost share and "in-kind" requirement demonstrates to our principle source of funds, the National Endowment for the Humanities, that the sponsor shares the cost of public humanities programs in Montana.
  • First, estimate the total number of hours that you and other volunteers will spend in planning, promoting, presenting, and evaluating the program. Experience shows that organizations typically devote over ten hours per program in a series to these necessary details. Multiply your estimated number of hours by the standard salary equivalent or $10/hour minimum. Enter this dollar figure on Line A of your application.
  • Next, estimate actual out-of-pocket expenses. Has a program planning committee traveled to a single location to assist with final arrangements? Will you need to rent any equipment? Calculate any round-trip mileage at $.485 per mile. Add this to the total of all other cash expenses, and enter this figure on Line B of your application.
  • Finally, there are costs that do not require cash but possess calculable value nonetheless. An example is the room in which your programs take place. Chances are you have obtained the meeting spot "for free". Unless you have actually rented the space, Humanities Montana will accept a flat figure of $50 per program for the meeting space. Add this figure to the estimated cost of any other non-cash contribution (donated airtime on the radio for publicity, loaned equipment, etc.) and enter it on Line C of your application.
  Add lines A, B, and C. Write your total on Line D.
  
  Mail your completed application to
  Humanities Montana
  311 Brantly Hall
  Missoula, MT 59812-7848.
  
  We will respond to your application within approximately two weeks.

PROGRAM PROCEDURES

Await acknowledgment of Humanities Montana approval of your application. Such notification, in the form of a "Grant Award Packet", will be sent to you upon acceptance of your application. The "Grant Award Packet" will include two copies of the "Award Letter" for your programs. One copy of the "Award Letter" must be signed and returned to Humanities Montana. The signed "Award Letter" serves as a contract between your organization and Humanities Montana and shows that you are in agreement with the conditions of the grant. Also included will be the other information you will need to organize and publicize your OpenBook series. Please do not publicize the OpenBook series until you receive word that MCH will support it.

BOOK INFORMATION

You will receive the first set of books (the first title in your series) approximately four weeks before your first program and we will time the mailing of each successive set of books to coincide with your program date. (For example, if your programs are Beloved: Feb 1, Ceremony: March 1, The Great Gatsby: April 1, Humanities Montana will send you copies of Beloved around Jan. 1, copies of Ceremony by Feb. 1, and copies of The Great Gatsby by March 1.)

The success of the program throughout the state depends on promptly mailing the sets of books either back to Humanities Montana or to other sponsoring organizations. You may be asked to mail the books directly to other sponsoring organizations. Please check the "Shipping Form" enclosed in each book shipment to see where you are to send the set of books. If no other sponsoring organization is listed, return the books to Humanities Montana as soon as possible. Mailing labels will be attached for your convenience.

PUBLICITY

Publicize your event to secure the largest possible participation. Included with your "Grant Award Packet" will be publicity materials. Possible publicity resources include news releases (to newspapers and radio stations), organizational newsletters, flyers, and telephone announcements. Please be sure to credit Humanities Montana. Include our name and logo on all print materials.

HOSTING YOUR PROGRAMS

One week before each program, call your Discussion Leader and reconfirm details for the program. Answer any questions the Discussion Leader may have about directions to the program site or audience composition and inform the Discussion Leader if participants have received copies of any "Discussion Guides" for the book. If the Discussion Leader has not already sent you a brief biographical sketch of her/himself, ask her/him for one at this time. The biographical sketch will help you with publicity and with your introduction.

One half hour before each program, meet with your Discussion Leader and introduce her/him to members of your staff or planning committee. Assign someone to greet participants and give them an evaluation form as they enter.

Introduce your Discussion Leader; remember to:

• Give the title of the OpenBook theme (if applicable) and book.
• Give credit to Humanities Montana for funding the program and making it available to your organization.
• State the credentials of the Discussion Leader, which will help to make her/him interesting to the audience.

EVALUATION

Evaluation is an important part of all Humanities Montana programs. Included in the "Grant Award Packet" are evaluation forms for the project director and program participants. You will need to reproduce the forms for program participants so you have enough for all of your participants. Please return these completed forms to Humanities Montana at the conclusion of your programs.

FINAL REPORTING

Humanities Montana will pay the honorarium and travel expenses for the Discussion Leaders directly to them.

Your single most important responsibility is to submit documentation to Humanities Montana for the cost sharing and "in-kind" contributions for this project. Included in your "Grant Award Packet" are the necessary financial reporting forms. Keep track of actual expenses and volunteer time as the series of programs progresses. Include the cost of photocopying materials, telephone calls, and postage. Return the completed financial report to Humanities Montana at the end of your series. If you have any questions about your financial report, do not hesitate to call us at 243-6022.