Grants
Grants and fellowships are major parts of the SFCA’s outreach, providing funding to support nonprofit organizations, individuals and schools that provide training and services in the arts, culture, and humanities across the state.
Current and Upcoming Grants and Fellowships
| Grant Name | Grantee Specifications | Enrollment Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach Initiative Program FY2027 (time of performance: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027) | nonprofit 501(c)3 arts and culture organizations | March 16, 2026 - April 30, 2026 in HIePro |
| America250 grant for Hawaiʻi veterans | nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations | Extended to Friday, February 6, 2026 |
| Community Arts Grant Program 2028 | nonprofit 501(c)3 arts and culture organizations | Intent to Apply opens August 1, 2026 |
FY2026 Grant Awards
| Organization Name | Island | Project Title | Amount Funded | Grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballet Hawaii | Oahu | Angel Program | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Diamond Head Theatre | Oahu | Piney Needlesmith & The Road Less Less Traveled, A New Musical | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hana Arts | Maui | HÄna Noâeau: Building the East Maui Community through Arts and Culture | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaiâi Council for the Humanities | Oahu | HawaiÊ»i History Day | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences, Inc. | Oahu | Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festivals and Showcases | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii International Film Festival | Oahu | 45th Annual Fall Film Festival & 3rd Annual Opio Fest | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Opera Theatre | Oahu | Hawaii Opera Theatre Education Programs | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Performing Arts Company DBA Manoa Valley Theatre | Oahu | Mainstage Season | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Symphony Orchestra | Oahu | HapaSymphony | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus | Oahu | Music Education and Performance Emphasizing Hawaiian Culture | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hawaii Youth Symphony | Oahu | Pacific Music Institute | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hilo Education Arts Repertory Theatre Company (HEART) | Hawaii Island | I HEART Musical Theater - A Zero To Low Cost Youth Performing Arts Program | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Holualoa Foundation for Arts & Culture DBA Donkey Mill Art Center | Hawaii Island | Donkey Mill Art Center Exhibition Program | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Honolulu Academy of Arts DBA Honolulu Museum of Art | Oahu | See Art Make Art and Soundshop | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Honolulu Foundation | Oahu | Ogasawara School Japanese Archery and Reiho (Court Etiquette) Demonstration | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Honolulu Theatre for Youth | Oahu | HTYâs Statewide Tour | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hula Preservation Society | Oahu | NÄ KÅ«puna Makamae, Honoring the Elders | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society | Hawaii Island | Youth Concerto Competition | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Kona Choral Society, Inc. | Hawaii Island | Kona Choral Society Concert Season | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Kumu Kahua Theatre | Oahu | Kumu Kahua Theatreʻs 55th Season | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Lahaina Arts Guild | Maui | We Make Art Happen | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Maui Academy of Performing Arts | Maui | Uncommon Stages Project | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Maui Pops Orchestra, Inc. | Maui | Maui Pops Orchestra Concert Season | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Molokai Arts Center, Inc. | Molokai | Art for Hearts Sake | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Nova Arts Foundation Inc. | Oahu | IONA's 35th Anniversary Celebration | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| ProArts Inc | Maui | ProArts Theatrical Season | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Inc. | Oahu | Music Connects: Engaging and Empowering Older Adults through Music Therapy | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Taiko Arts Center | Oahu | MA vs GROOVE | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| The Friends of the Palace Theater | Hawaii Island | Celebration of Hawaiian Music & Culture | $15,000 | Community Arts Grant |
| Hui Noeau | Maui | Art2GO Program | $40,000 | Outreach Initiative Program |
| Downtown Art Center | Oahu | Operating Cost Support | $100,000 | Grants In Aid Program |
| Hawaii Symphony Orchestra | Oahu | Operating Cost Support | $250,000 | Grants In Aid Program |
| Hokulani Children's Theatre of Molokai | Molokai | Operating Cost Support | $20,000 | Grants In Aid Program |
| Lanai Academy of Performing Arts | Lanai | Operating Cost Support | $25,000 | Grants In Aid Program |
| Ohana Arts | Oahu | Operating Cost Support | $100,00 | Grants In Aid Program |
| Bishop Museum | Oahu | Operating Cost Support | $6,750,000 | Special Purpose Appropriation |
| The Friends of Iolani Palace | Oahu | Operating Cost Support | $1,800,000 | Special Purpose Appropriation |
| $9,420,000 |
Grants and Fellowships Details
SFCA Outreach Initiative Program
The State Foundation on the Culture and the Arts (SFCA) Outreach Initiative Program provides public funds to nonprofit arts/culture/humanities organizations to support regional touring and outreach activities that increase opportunities for individuals to experience different forms of artistic and cultural expression and engagement.
Fiscal Year 2027 (time of performance: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) solicitation open on HIePro March 1 – April 14, 2026.
To promote and encourage appreciation of poetry and literary life in Hawaiʻi and the poetry community, while inspiring an emerging generation of new writers. The Hawaiʻi Poet Laureate will serve a three-year term, with duties including participation in events, a community-engaged poetry publication, facilitation of community-engaged poetry workshops, and readings featuring other local poets.
Nominations closed November 15, 2025.
Funding for organizations supporting programs and projects that advance the arts, culture, and the humanities in the lives of the people of Hawaiʻi.
- Grant cycle opens on Hawaii.GOSmart.org August 2026.
- Intent to Apply: August 1, 2026 – October 30, 2026
- Project Application: September 1, 2026 – October 30, 2026
To support advanced sustained training and mentoring of next-generation cultural practitioners, especially cultural practitioner teachers, in order to build cultural capacity living cultures in Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi GoSmart
SFCA Community Arts Grants and Artists in the Schools Intent to Apply forms and grant applications are submitted through the Hawaiʻi GoSmart system (www.Hawaii.GoSmart.org).
Past Grants and Fellowships
The State Foundation on the Culture and the Arts (SFCA) Culture Fellowship utilizes American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding with support from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. The Culture Fellowship is for active individual artists and practitioners living in Hawaiʻi, and is a project-based community impact arts and culture fellowship.
Program has been postponed indefinitely and no awards have been made at this time. Applications are closed.