The Center for the Study of Science Fiction is a not-for-profit organization housed at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. We are dedicated to spreading interest in and education about science fiction, because we believe that this genre has the power to change the world. It inspires, informs, and warns like no other literary or visual mode. It prepares its readers for the future, for change, and for encounters with the Other. We believe that increasing access to SF through offering educational programs, sharing books, and enabling educators and librarians helps SF's reach and potential positive effect on the world, shaping a better future for us all.
Our Director and Associate Directors, Advisory Board, awards jurors, and many others volunteer their time and efforts to the programs we support, and receive no income from the Center. The University of Kansas English Department graciously provides office space, administrative help, and equipment for our volunteers. The University of Kansas IT department provides our Web hosting. The small salary paid to the AboutSF Volunteer Coordinator is supported entirely by donations.
Without donors and volunteers, there would be no Center or the Study of
Science Fiction. Can you help support, enhance, or grow our science fiction mission?
You can also help support the Center's mission by volunteering. Check out our list of "Volunteers Needed" over at AboutSF.com.
Center expenses include:
- Supporting AboutSF's programs and student Volunteer Coordinator.
- Putting on the Campbell Conference; expenses include conference-room and equipment rental, receptions, catering, and so forth.
- Creating the trophies that go home with the Sturgeon Award and Campbell Award winners, and engraving the Sturgeon Award and Campbell Award permanent trophies.
- Bringing Sturgeon Award and Campbell Award winners to Kansas for the Campbell Conference, and paying for their food and housing during their stay.
- Bringing guest authors and editors to Kansas for the Workshops and Campbell Conference, and paying for their food and housing during their stay.
- Purchasing various supplies (photocopies, posters, printer toner, and so forth).
- Student scholarships and awards.
Click the buttons below to make a donation to the various Center for the Study of Science Fiction programs by using your credit card (send checks to the address below):
Make a Donation to the
Center for the Study of Science Fiction:
This fund supports most of our projects.
Make a Donation to About SF:
This fund support AboutSF's mission and pays the hourly salary of the student Volunteer Coordinator.
Make a Donation to the
Christopher Gunn Graduate Assistant Scholarship:
This fund was set up to support a KU graduate student Research Assistant position in honor of James Gunn's son.
The above links allow you to use your credit card to make a donation. If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to Center for the Study of Science Fiction and mail it to:
Center for the Study of Science Fiction
Department of English
University of Kansas
1445 Jayhawk Blvd.
3001 Wescoe Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045
If you wish, please include a note about how you would like it used or if it should go into the primary fund.
We also have a general fund that we use for ongoing expenses (copying, printing, and other small expenses); this fund is administered through the KU English Department. To donate to this fund, please send a check to the above address.
The University of Kansas does not currently have a full-time science fiction faculty position. It would greatly enhance the Center's outreach mission, course offerings, and student scholarships if a donor were interested in endowing a faculty position in SF. If you are interested in this, please contact Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu), and we will be pleased to discuss your generous donation in support of science fiction at KU.
If you would like to donate SF books, magazines, audio/visual materials, clippings, art, or so forth, please contact us about logistics.
If you would like donate money to support a new program, a new scholarship, or something else, please contact us and we can set up an account especially for your donation.
Do you have ideas for other donations, such as supporting a speaker or guest author? Let us know! We are more than happy to institute new programs upon request and with support.
Finally, perhaps you live in the Lawrence area and have property that is not selling during this economic downturn. The Center has long sought a physical space that could hold our growing collection of research materials, and where we could host our events and other educational programs. If you have a building such as this and would like to donate it for tax purposes, please contact us to see if it would suit our needs.
Donors
We appreciate our supporters a great deal and like to sing their praises! Of course, if you wish to remain anonymous (as many of our donors do), let us know. This is a preliminary list of people who have recently donated funds and materials to the Center:
Amy and Gary Bennett (in memory of
Edward Dobert Spear)
Ken Biggle
James Gunn
Richard W. Gunn
Ann Hyde
Linda Jackson
Kij Johnson
Eric Kerner
Jack McDevitt
Chris McKitterick
Buzz Merritt
Andrew I. Porter
Kirk Snavely
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA)
Ben Trafford and NSightful Group
University of Wyoming (Donald A. Wollheim collection of books and papers)
And many others through gifts of time, money, and materials. If you don't see your name here and would like to be added, please let Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu) know, and we'll update this page.
Thank you for helping save the world through science fiction!