Commonwealth Speakers:Applicant Responsibilities

Note: All applications must be accompanied by a $75 application fee.


Independence Square: America's Birthplace explores how the hall reflects its 18th century roots. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.

What Are My Responsibilities?

Your event must meet all of the following criteria:

  • It must be free and open to the public
  • The location must be held in a public building, not a business establishment or residence
  • It must allow a minimum of 90 minutes for the presentation and discussion
  • It must not attempt to persuade the audience to a particular political, philosophical, religious or ideological point of view

If your application is accepted, you agree to:

  • Contact the Speaker to provide clear directions to the event location and to discuss necessary event details such as room set up, equipment needs, etc.
  • Arrange transportation to and from the program for any Speaker arriving at an airport, bus or train station located within 20 miles of your site
  • Pay for hotel expenses if a Speaker requires overnight accommodations
  • Provide any equipment required by the Speaker and to have that equipment set up and tested before the Speaker arrives

Notify PHC immediately of any changes to a scheduled program, such as a date/time change or cancellation.

Am I Required to Recruit an Audience?

Additionally, you agree to promote and evaluate the program as follows:

  • Recruit as large an audience as possible for the presentation. We expect your audience to consist of at least 25 people. (For context, the average attendance at Commonwealth Speakers events is 45)
  • Undertake significant publicity efforts to promote the event. PHC provides a comprehensive publicity guide to help you attract an audience
  • Administer and evaluate the program using PHC event and evaluation materials [235K PDF]
  • Return publicity material (such as flyers, newspaper coverage of the event, press releases, etc.) to PHC within two weeks of your presentation date

What Does PHC Provide?

In exchange for your efforts, PHC provides the following:

Note: If you are awarded a presentation and fail to comply with these requirements, future applications to PHC programs will not be considered. For materials to help administer the presentation, visit the administration page.

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