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.
- City of Redondo Beach (California) Request for Qualifications for a Pre-Qualified Mural Artist Roster: The City of Redondo Beach, CA Public Art Program (City) is seeking experienced artists or artist teams (Artist) to be included in a Pre-Qualified Mural-Artist Roster (Roster). The Roster will be used to identify Artists to invite for future competitions, either exclusively or in combination with an open call, if necessary. Entry deadline: November 15, 2024. For more information and to apply, please visit the posting on CallForEntry.org: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11490
- DLNR DOFAW “Nā manu nahele origami project” call for submissions, open to Hawaiʻi grade school students. Learn more on the Dept. Of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR DOFAW) website: dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/manu/origami.
- 14th Annual “Abstract Only!” call for artists. Submissions due by July 5, 2024. Exhibit at Wailoa Center (Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island) August 2 – September 26, 2024. For more information, please visit the call on Call For Entry: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=13281.
- Hawaiʻi Surrealist Exhibit 2024: in honor of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Surrealist Manifesto, Wailoa Center will be producing a surrealist exhibit in October 2024. Entries due September 6, 2024. Exhibit dates: October 4 – 24, 2024. For more information and to submit entries, please go to the call for artists post on CallForEntry.org: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=12599.
- 2024 HIFF Deep Blue Shorts Competition eligible films must have a subject matter about emerging technology in waterpower, or stories about the people involved with the technology. Submissions due by July 31, 2024. For more information, please visit the HIFF website: https://hiff.org/the-deep-blue-shorts-competition/
- Kauaʻi Society of Artists (KSA) “Wings and Woodlands: A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests 2024” exhibit call for artists. In partnership with Birds, Not Mosquitoes and Kamehameha Schools, KSA will be hosting an art show at the KSA gallery November 1 – 8, 2024. Artists of all ages and experiences are encouraged to create and submit art inspired by Native Hawaiian manu and their forest habitat. Entry day: October 25, 2024. For more information and entry forms, please go to the Google Docs document for the exhibit: KFBRP Art Exhibit Guidelines 2024 – Google Docs.
- 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
- Loʻi Gallery at American Savings Bank (downtown Honolulu) is taking applications for exhibits. Learn more and apply on their website: asbhawaii.com/loigallery.
- Manini Gallery “HERE: Pride Month Portrait Exhibition” call for artists. Exhibit will be at The Manifest in Chinatown, Honolulu. Submissions open until August 1, 2024. The SFCA Board of Commissioners has approved an Art Acquisition Selection Committee (AASC) visit to this exhibit. Learn more on the Manini Gallery website: beacons.ai/manini.
- 2024 Pacific States Biennial North American printmaking exhibition open to all artists 18 years or older presently residing anywhere on the North American continent, its islands, and outlying US territories. Entry deadline: August 18, 2024. For more information, visit the call information on Call For Entry: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=13097.
Job Opportunities
- Kahilu Theatre now hiring Development Director to drive fundraising efforts and support Kahilu’s long-term financial sustainability. Kahilu is a multidisciplinary arts organization, located in the historic town of Waimea (Kamuela) on Hawaii Island. Application deadline July 15, 2024. For additional information and to apply, please visit the Kahilu Theatre website: kahilu.org/jobs/.
- PCSU Urban Forestry Education Liason job posting, Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi, position with the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit and Division of Forestry and Wildlife Urban Forestry Project. Applications close July 9, 2024. Learn more on the RCUH website: https://www.rcuh.com/work/careers/
- City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation job postings currently include Carpenter, Carpenter-Cabinet Maker, and Lead Carpenter-Cabinetmaker. For more information, please visit the City & County of Honolulu civil service job opportunities website: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/honolulu. Please note that City and County of Honolulu job postings may close at any time.
- Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (DOE) job postings currently include Grade 6-8 Art Teacher, Wahiawa Middle School; Grade 6-8 CTE Arts and Communication Teacher, Kealakehe Intermediate; Grade 9-12 Drama and Performing Arts Learning Center Teacher, Hilo High. For more information, please visit the DOE job opportunities website: https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/hawaiipublicschools
- University of Hawaiʻi System job postings currently include Assistant Professor (Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian Visual Art) at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa; Lecturer (Performing Arts via Asian Languages) at University of Hawaiʻi West-Oʻahu; Lecturer (Creative Media) at Kauaʻi Community College. For more information and additional job postings, please visit the University of Hawaiʻi System career opportunities website: https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/hawaiiedu
- Bishop Museum job opportunities currently include Special Events and Stewardship Manager, Press Operations Manager, Entomology Collections Manager, Help Desk Technicians, and Informatics Web Developer. For more information, please visit the Bishop Museum website: BishopMuseum.org/careers.
- Honolulu Museum of Art job opportunities currently include Head of Retail and General Maintenance Assistant. Learn more on the Honolulu Museum of Art website: HonoluluMuseum.org/employment.
- ʻIolani Palace job opportunities currently 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 have recently included Grade 7&8 Art/Design teacher (Kailua Intermediate), Grade 9-11 Digital Design and Media Production Teacher (Kulanihakoi High), Grade 8 Digital Art/Art Teacher (Maui-Waena Intermediate), and Grade 6-8 Arts & Communication Teacher (Kealakehe Intermediate). For more information, please visit the Department of Education’s online postings: SchoolJobs.com/careers/hawaiipublicschools.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Bishop Museum Volunteer Opportunities: current volunteer opportunities include botany volunteer, donor research intern, exhibit greeters, 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].
Federal Grants and Programs
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 Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- Grants for Arts Projects application deadline July 11, 2024. For more information, please vist the NEA website: arts.gov/grants/grants-for-arts-projects.
- Grants for Arts Projects: Literary Arts information session on Zoom, June 26, 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. (Hawaiʻi Standard Time). Register online: Grants for Arts Projects Literary Arts info session.
- Our Town creative placemaking grants application deadline August 1, 2024. For more information, please visit the NEA website: arts.gov/grants/our-town.
- 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 Media Projects applications close August 14, 2024. This program supports collaboration between media producers and scholars to develop content grounded in humanities scholarship and prepare documentary films and television, radio programs, and podcasts that engage public audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. NEH makes Media Projects awards at two levels: Development and Production. For more information, please visit the NEH website: https://www.neh.gov/program/media-projects
- NEH Public Humanities Projects application close August 14, 2024. This program supports projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences through in-person, hybrid, or virtual programming. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history. For more information, please visit the NEH website: https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/public-humanities-projects
- NEH Public Scholars applications close August 28, 2024. This program is open to individuals and 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. For more information, please visit the NEH website: https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/public-scholar-program