The Hall Family Foundation has made a nearly $1.5 million gift and challenge grant to the University of Kansas to support the humanities. The university says about $469,000 of the gift will be used to fund fellowships for four doctoral students. Dr. Victor Bailey, Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities at KU, says the Hall family decided 30 years ago that they prefer their gifts benefit the humanities and the university libraries rather than science or technology studies.
Bailey says such large grants are rarely available for humanities programs. The foundation also included a $1 million challenge grant which will be used to fund fellowships for mid-career faculty members in the humanities. The Kansas Endowment is seeking additional donors to qualify for the $1 million in matching funds.