The Washington Museum Association (WaMA) was established to represent and serve museums of all types and sizes throughout Washington State. WaMA offers an annual conference for peer-to-peer learning, networking, and idea exchange. The 2020 Washington Museum Association Conference will take place June 17 – 19, 2020 in Olympia, WA. This year’s theme is Museums and Democracy: Advocate, Educate, Participate.

To support professional development of heritage professionals in King County, we are offering four $500 stipends to individuals presenting at this year’s WaMA conference. The deadline to apply is March 13, 2020 at 5:00 pm PST.

To be eligible for a Presenter Stipend, you must present at the conference and be a King County resident, as well as a staff member, board member, volunteer, or intern at a heritage organization in King County, or a consultant, service provider, or independent historian who primarily works with King County heritage. 4Culture stipends may be used for conference registration, and to defray travel and lodging costs. To receive the stipend, you must attend and present at the conference and be prepared to write a brief statement about your experiences.

To apply, please submit a letter of interest via email. The letter should be no longer than two pages, including your daytime phone number, mailing and email addresses. The letter should include the following:

Itemized budget of conference attendance.

• Your current status with a King County heritage museum or organization.
• Title and abstract of your presentation.
• State the significance of your presentation subject to the heritage field. Connection to the key findings of 4Culture Heritage Report is a plus but not required.
• Please share how your conference participation will impact your career, your affiliated institution, and the heritage field. How will you utilize the information, connections, and inspirations you gain from attending the conference for your professional goals, your institution, and/or future of the heritage field?

Email your letter of interest to Megumi Nagata at megumi.nagata@4culture.org with the subject line WaMA 2020 Presenter Stipend.

4Culture staff will review and select applications based on:

Evidence of research on the cost, the conference, and WaMA.

• How clearly your interests or goals for career, affiliated institution, and the heritage field are articulated.
• How well your interests and goals align with the conference offering and WaMA’s mission.
• How well you illustrate the significance of their presentation to the heritage field.

We will notify stipend recipients via e-mail by March 20. Please contact Megumi Nagata, 4Culture Heritage Support Specialist, with any questions at megumi.nagata@4culture.org or 206-263-3474.