A list of federal, state, and other arts and culture grants/opportunities. Questions regarding a particular opportunity should be directed to the organization listed with the opportunity. Inclusion here should not be interpreted as an endorsement.
Calls for Artists and Exhibitions
Call for Entry (CaFE)
The Call for Entry (CAFE) website can be searched by state (choose the “sort by” menu on the left side of the screen). Search the Café website: Artist.CallForEntry.org.
- 2023 Hawaiʻi Nei Art Exhibition. Open only to Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island) artists. Entries due by October 6, 2023. For more information, please go to CallForEntry.org: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11167.
- City and County of Honolulu 36th Annual Holiday Wreath Contest wreaths will be on display in Honolulu Hale’s Lane Gallery December 2 – December 29, 2023. Entries will be judged on workmanship, creativity, use of materials, and best representation of the contest theme. Youth category ages 17 and younger, adult category ages 18+. Entries accepted November 27, 2023 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Lane Gallery of Honolulu Hale. For more information and entry form, please visit the Honolulu City Lights website: hnlcitylights.org/wreath-contest.
- Honolulu Mayor’s Office on Culture and the Arts (MOCA): ‘Ewa Mahiko District Park Gymnasium The City and County of Honolulu Commission on Culture and the Arts desires to commission a work of art for the ‘Ewa Mahiko District Park Gymnasium (91-1205 Renton Rd, ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, 96706). One location has been designated to receive art. This Request for Qualifications is open to all artists, or artist teams, qualified to work for the City and County of Honolulu. Application deadline is January 1, 2024. For For more information and to apply, please go to the Call For Entry website: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11723.
- Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) Call for 2024 Exhibition Proposals MOCA manages civic spaces inside Honolulu Hale such as the courtyard and Lane Gallery. These spaces are used to showcase the talents of visual artists and showcase the work of non-profit organizations and schools from our diverse community. Partnerships with community organizations have enabled MOCA to grace the halls of City buildings with a wide range of artwork displayed monthly. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information and to apply, please visit the MOCA website: HonoluluMOCA.org/call-for-exhibitions.
- Kauaʻi Society of Artists (Kukui Grove Center, Lihue)
- Small Works Show entry day Saturday, November 11, 2023. Exhibit November 18-January 5, 2024.
- For more information, please visit the Kauaʻi Society of Artists website: KauaiSocietyOfArtists.org.
- Kumu Kahua Theatre “Go Try Playwrite” monthly playwriting contest in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press. Submission due dates are the last day of the month. Learn more on the Kumu Kahua website: KumuKahua.org/gotryplaywrite
Job Opportunities
- Bishop Museum job opportunities include Informatics Web Developer, Amy Greenwell Garden Manager, and Director of Grant Development and Administration. For more information, please visit the Bishop Museum website: BishopMuseum.org/careers.
- Honolulu Museum of Art job opportunities include Marketing and Communications Manager, Director of Collections, Metal Work Studio Programs Teacher, Member and Donor Services Assistant, and Security Officer. Learn more on the Honolulu Museum of Art website: HonoluluMuseum.org/employment.
- ʻIolani Palace job opportunities include Guest Services Associate and Palace Guard. Learn more on the Iolani Palace website: IolaniPalace.org/job-opportunities.
- State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education job postings include Band and Ukulele Teacher (Nānākuli High and Intermediate School), Drama/Theatre Arts Teacher (Kauaʻi High School, half-time afterschool position). For more information, please visit the Department of Education’s online postings: SchoolJobs.com/careers/hawaiipublicschools.
- University of Hawaiʻi System job postings include Art Gallery Attendant (Leeward Community College), Lecturer Early College Art and Creative Media (University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu), Lecturer Digital Media Art (Hawaiʻi Community College), and Instructor Elementary and Performing Arts Teacher Education (University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa College of Education). Learn more and apply on the University of Hawaiʻi jobs website: SchoolJobs.com/careers/hawaiiedu.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Bishop Museum Volunteer Opportunities: current volunteer opportunities include exhibit greeters, press sales and marketing assistant, and wayfinders. For more information, please visit the Bishop Museum website: BishopMuseum.org/volunteer.
- Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) Volunteer Program: HoMA offers a variety of volunteer roles, such as engagement with the public around current exhibitions, facilitating art activities with families and children at Family Sunday, guiding tours through museum galleries and more. For more information, please visit the HoMA website: HonoluluMuseum.org/volunteer-program.
- ʻIolani Palace Volunteer positions currently include greeters, stewards, and palace shop kōkua. For more information, please visit the Iolani Palace website: IolaniPalace.org/contact/volunteer.
- Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) Seeks Grant Review Panelist Volunteers with a professional background in culture and the humanities to join our grant review panelist roster. Panelists must be Hawaiʻi residents with experience in Heritage & Preservation, Community Arts, Arts Education, and Presentation & Performing Arts. We encourage those with a background in Arts and Healing, Community Development related to arts and culture, cultural practitioners of all disciplines, and new and emerging members of the arts and culture community to apply. Contact the SFCA grants program at [email protected].
Grants and Resources
State of Hawaii Grants and Programs
Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation Historic Preservation Grant Application
Eligible applicants include public agencies, 501c3, and other nonprofit organizations. Grant application deadline February 1, 2024. For more information, please visit the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation website: HistoricHawaii.org/2019/05/10/hhf-historic-preservation-grants.
Federal Grants and Programs
FY2024 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Removal
Funding supports impactful, large marine debris removal projects. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and commercial (for-profit) organizations with expertise in a field related to marine debris. This funding opportunity requires a Letter of Intent to be submitted before a full proposal can be submitted, due October 27, 2023. For more information, please visit the Grants.gov website: grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=349974.
Library of Congress
Be a Virtual Volunteer: help transcribe Library of Congress documents online: Volunteers create and review transcriptions to improve search, access, and discovery of these pages from history. https://crowd.loc.gov/
National Archives and Records Administration (NHPRC)
NHPRC Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals to publish online editions of historical records. All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio. Projects may focus on broad historical movements in U.S. history, including any aspect of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American history, such as law (including the social and cultural history of the law), politics, social reform, business, military, the arts, and other aspects of the national experience. Projects that center the voices and document the history of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are especially welcome. Application closing date November 2, 2023. For more information please visit the National Archives website: archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/editions.html.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the only arts funder in the United States—public or private—that provides access to the arts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. Each year, the NEA awards thousands of grants to provide everyone in the United States with diverse opportunities for arts participation. Learn more about how to apply, the process, and more on the NEA website: arts.gov/grants.
Volunteer to be a National Endowment for the Arts Panelist
Arts Endowment panelists play a central role in reviewing applications for funding. The NEA relies on panels composed of individuals who represent a broad range of artistic and cultural viewpoints, as well as wide geographic and ethnic diversity, to provide advice about the artistic excellence and artistic merit of proposals in a variety of funding categories. Panels are composed of both arts professionals and knowledgeable laypersons. Most panelists are arts professionals who are qualified by their activities, training, skills, and/or experience in one or more art forms. Every panel also includes a layperson – someone knowledgeable about the arts but not engaged in the arts as a profession either full- or part-time. Learn more on the NEA website: arts.gov/form/volunteer-to-be-a-national-endowment-for-the-arts-panelist
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
NEH Public Scholars Grant
Eligible applicants: individuals. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting applications for the Public Scholars program. The program offers grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to the creation and publication of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public. It encourages non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books, and it encourages academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers. The program continues to offer special encouragement to independent writers, researcher, and scholars and others who have no long-term affiliation with an academic institution. Deadline: November 29, 2023. For additional information and to apply, please visit the NEH website: neh.gov/grants/research/public-scholar-program.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS)
U.S. FWS Youth Engagement, Education, and Employment Grant. Eligible applicants include nonprofits that reach or represent potentially underserved communities. Closing date for applications: September 10, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit the Grants.gov website: grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=344392.
U.S. FWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. This is a voluntary, incentive-based program that provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance in the form of cooperative and grant agreements to private landowners to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. Eligible applicants include individuals, for-profit organizations, and nonprofits. Private lands include Hawaiian homeland properties. Closing date for applications: September 30, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit the Grants.gov website: grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343732