If your organization has a World War I project in mind, you should always consider grant possibilities.  The Kansas Humanities Council is one potential source for funding.  Like most grant opportunities, you will be in competition for funding, but that shouldn’t frighten you away.  Check the KHC website for information, and if you aren’t sure, then e-mail or phone with questions.  Their website:  http://kansashumanities.org/

One KHC program that should also be considered is the Speakers Bureau.  KHC offers funding to bring speakers to your community on a variety of subjects.  For more information, see:  http://kansashumanities.org/programs/speakers-bureau/

Currently there is one talk with a World War I theme, and that’s being given by Kori Thompson on Hutchinson Community College.  Here is a description of her talk from the Speakers Bureau catalog:

Serving America While Serving Time
As the United States entered World War I, men across the country volunteered for service, including six inmates from the Kansas State Industrial Reformatory. When news of the inmates’ wishes to sign up for duty came to light in the local Hutchinson News, many people in the area questioned their morality and ability to serve. This presentation tells the story of these men and why, in 1918, the Kansas adjutant general instructed the draft boards and recruitment offices to induct them into service. Eventually, nearly 250 inmates and former inmates of the Kansas Industrial Reformatory were either drafted or enlisted and served in some capacity during World War I, and some even died in combat.
Presented by Kori Thompson.  Kori is an instructor at Hutchinson Community College.
Kori Thompson
520/610-0402
ko.jothompson@yahoo.com

Blair Tarr is the Museum Curator of the Kansas State Historical Society. He oversees the three-dimensional collections of the Society, but has special interests in the Civil War, Wichita-made Valentine diners, and Leavenworth's Abernathy Furniture. In the last few years he has also done a lot of cramming on The Great War. He is a past president of the Kansas Museums Association and the Civil War Round Tables of both Kansas City and Eastern Kansas. He is currently a board member of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City.