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 Exhibit Proposals
- Downtown Art Center, “Artists of Hawaiʻi” call for artists opens on CAFE August 14, 2023. For more information, please visit the DAC website: DowntownArtHI.org/artistsofhawaii.
- Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2023 prospectus now available. Important dates: online registration August 1 – 31, exhibit open September 30 – October 28 at the Downtown Art Center (Honolulu), opening reception Saturday September 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the Hawaiʻi Craftsmen website: HawaiiCraftsmen.org.
- SFCA Art in Public Places RFQ Applications close September 1, 2023. The Art in Public Places Program of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) has posted a Request for Qualifications on Call For Entry (CaFE) for the SFCA Art in Public Places Program. The program is seeking qualifications from individual artists for artwork to be commissioned for various locations statewide. Sites for art may include opportunities for three-dimensional freestanding sculpture, two-dimensional images translated into durable materials, and large painted murals. Specific locations have not been announced. Through this call the SFCA intends to establish a qualified pool of professional artists for consideration. Applications will only be accepted online through CallForEntry.org (2023 APP Hawaiʻi Request for Qualifications). You must be registered on CaFE before you can log in and apply for a call for entry.
- 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.
- Kahilu Exhibits Call for Exhibition Proposals. Kahilu Theatre is a not-for-profit community arts and education center dedicated to serving the diverse Hawai’i Island community. Each season Kahilu Theatre fulfills their mission through presenting world-class artists from Hawaiʻi and beyond, sustaining a youth arts education program, providing performance space for community-based productions, and showcasing local visual artists in their two galleries. Applications close October 1, 2023. https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=12103
- Kauaʻi Society of Artists (Kukui Grove Center, Lihue)
- Art Kauaʻi 2023 entry day Saturday, September 9, 2023. Exhibit September 16 – October 27, 2023.
- 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
- Loʻi Gallery at American Savings Bank (downtown Honolulu) is taking applications for exhibits. Learn more and apply on their website: asbhawaii.com/loigallery.
- Mālama Wao Akua 2023, Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center and East Maui Watershed Partnership. Online registration August 15-29, 2023. For more information, please visit the Mālama Wao Akua website: MalamaWaoAkua.org.
Job Opportunities
- Bishop Museum job opportunities currently include Informatics Web Developer, Seed Bank Collection Manager, and Director of Grant Development and Administration. For more information, please visit the Bishop Museum website: BishopMuseum.org/careers.
- Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities hiring for Fiscal and Administrative Assistant and Development Director. For more information, please visit the HR Symphony website: hrsymphony.com/hrs/careers/hihumanities.
- Honolulu Museum of Art job opportunities currently include Marketing and Communications Manager, 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 opportunites currently include Guest Services Associate and Palace Guard. Learn more on the Iolani Palace website: IolaniPalace.org/job-opportunities.
- Lānaʻi Culture and Heritage Center is hiring for two new part-time positions: Museum Operations Coordinator and Program and Outreach Assistant. For more information: Lānaʻi Culture and Heritage Center August 2023 We’re Hiring.
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].
Small Business Resource Seminars
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) Business Development and Support Division and the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation are presenting a series of free small business resource seminars. For more information and to register, please visit HiSTEP/DBEDT on Eventbrite: eventbrite.com/o/histepdbedt-27603526515.
- Maui Small Business Resource Seminar, August 29, 2023. Online only. Pre-registration by August 26 required.
- Oʻahu Small Business Resource Seminar, August 30, 2023. In-person at the Homer Maxey Conference Center, Honolulu. Pre-registration by August 27 required.
- Hawaiʻi Island Small Business Resource Seminar – Kona, August 31, 2023. In-person at Hale Iako, Kailua Kona. Pre-registration by August 28 required.
- Hawaiʻ Island Small Business Resource Seminar – Hilo, August 31, 2023. In-person at Hawaiʻi Innovation Center, Hilo. Pre-registration by August 28 is required.
Grants and Resources
Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation Historic Preservation Grant Application
Eligible applicants include public agencies, 501c3, and other nonprofit organizations. Grant application deadlines September 1, 2023 and February 1, 2024. For more information, please visit the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation website: HistoricHawaii.org/2019/05/10/hhf-historic-preservation-grants.
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.
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. 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.
This post was updated on August 17, 2023.