Grants and Opportunities (January 2023)

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. This post was updated on January 12, 2023.

Highlights from this list were shared in the January 2023 SFCA email newsletter. To subscribe, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

State of Hawaiʻi

• City and County of Honolulu: Non-Profit Relief Program is now accepting applications for $30 million in relief for non-profit organizations that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-profits may be eligible to receive up to $100,000. Applications due January 27. Learn more and apply on the One Oʻahu website: OneOahu.org/nonprofitreliefprogram.
• City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation now accepting applications for Summer Fun staff: The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Human Resources are now accepting applications for seasonal staff to assist with the 2023 Summer Fun Program. Hourly salaries upwards of $15.56/hour; contracts May 24 – August 4, 2023. Summer Fun is a city-operated, seasonal day camp where children are engaged in learning experiences in a fun and safe environment. Recreation aids conduct games, sports, arts and crafts, music and dance, and creative drama. Learn more and apply online: Honolulu.gov/parks/program/summer-fun-program.
• Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities invites you to be a judge for 2023’s Hawaiʻi History Day district fairs: The impact judges have on participants is profound, providing opportunities for students to discuss their work and receive written feedback from an outside resource. Students and teachers often cite the interviews and individual written feedback as highlights of this educational journey. Learn more and sign up on the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities website: hihumanities.org/what-we-do/hi-history-day/guidelines-for-judges.
• Hawaiʻi State Legislature Grant-in-Aid applications due January 20, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit the legislature’s website: capitol.hawaii.gov/session/gia.aspx.
• Mana Maoli is hiring on Oʻahu for instructor or mentor positions, guest kumu (on-call substitute teachers), and short-term special topic mentors. The primary kuleana of the kumu is to foster student enjoyment and abilities in music, multimedia, or digital media (each class focuses primarily on one of these), as they increase college/career readiness and cultural grounding in the process. This will be done via piloting place and culture-based curriculum, developed and shared by Mana Mele’s Academy Design Team and instructors. For more information and to apply, please visit the Mana Maoli website: ManaMaoli.org/job-openings.
• Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership webinar Introduction to America’s Seed Fund for Innovators – how the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) can help you start a small business. Tuesday January 17, 2023, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Register online: clients.mcbl-hawaii.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=1430006.
• Prince Dance Academy will be on Oʻahu next spring, and is currently looking to book dates at Oʻahu schools (grades 2-6) for an entertaining and educational performance with an interactive lecture this spring. This free one-hour dance performance and lecture with interactive involvement from the student audience, grades two through six, will model the motions of cosmic bodies through dance and help to explain the phenomena of the galaxies. Angel Prince is the artistic director of the performance while an astronomer will provide expertise on the nature of galaxies: what they are made of, how they evolve, and how we learn about them from observations and theoretical investigations. This program is sponsored by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Prince Dance Company. There will be no cost to the schools to receive this program. The Prince Dance Company is currently looking to book dates the last week of March 2023 (3/27 to 3/31). Please let us know if you would like us to bring this show and STEAM focused program to your school by contacting Debra McGee at 808-769-0464 or email her at [email protected].

Calls for Artists in Hawaiʻi

• City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply Student Contest (K-12) 2023 Water Conservation Week contest: “How Do You Save Water?” Contest deadline: Wednesday, March 1, 2023. For more information and to submit entries, please visit the Board of Water Supply website: BoardOfWaterSupply.com/contests/wcw/about.
• Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife annual art contest for the 2023-24 Hawaiʻi Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp. Oil or acrylic paintings, entries due by February 25, 2023. For more information, please visit the DLNR website: dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2022/12/01/nr22-181.
• Hui Noʻeau 2023 Annual Juried Exhibition Online registration: December 27 – January 3, 2023. Open to artists ages 16 and up.  Exhibit: Friday, January 13 – Friday, February 17, 2023 at the Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center (Makawao, Maui). For more information, please visit the Hui Noʻeau website: HuiNoeau.com/exhibitions/2023/1/2023-annual-juried-exhibition.
• Maui Arts and Cultural Center MACC Biennial statewide exhibition for artists living in Hawaiʻi. Applications open March 15 and closes April 5, 2023. For more information, please visit the Maui Arts and Cultural Center website: MauiArts.org/MACCbiennial2023.
• Western Arts Alliance Performing Arts Discovery (PAD) Showcase Program, an international virtual showcase opportunity for U.S.-based performing artists who are ready to tour internationally. Applications are open to music, dance, and theater artists/ensembles with a demonstrated capacity to tour internationally. Applications are open until January 6, 2023. Learn more and apply on the Western Arts Alliance website: WestArts.org/pad.

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.  

• “Light and Shadow” a juried black and white photography exhibit at Wailoa Center (Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island). Entries due February 2, 2023. For more information, please view the call for artists on CallForEntry.org: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11164.
• “In the Time of Climate Change”, University of Hawaiʻi-Hilo Art Department. International exhibition open to artists ages 18 and older. Deadline: March 15, 2023. For more information, please view the call for artists on CallForEntry.org: artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=10885.

Federal Grants

The Grants.gov website can be searched by eligibility, category, and more. Below are a few currently open grants related to arts and culture.

Department of the Interior, 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.

Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS)

• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Development Grant. Eligible applicants: nonprofit 501(c)(3), other than institutions of higher education; Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, and Native American tribal organizations. Closing date for applications: January 9, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit the Grants.gov website: grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=344398.
• Department of State, U.S. Embassy Apia, Samoa Public Diplomacy Grants Program PDS Samoa invites Statements of Interest (SOI) for projects that seek to do at least one of the following: strengthen U.S.-Samoa cooperation and coordination on global issues of shared interest (e.g. combatting climate change); promote the mutual benefits of tech and innovation; and promote stronger connections between the people of the United States and Samoa. Eligible applicants include individuals and nonprofits. Closing date for applications: August 1, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit the Grants.gov website: grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=344349.

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-Mellon Planning Grants for Collaborative Digital Editions The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), with funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, seeks proposals for its planning grant program for Collaborative Digital Editions in African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American History and Ethnic Studies. Overarching goal to broaden participation in the production and publication of historical and scholarly digital editions. Application closing date June 7, 2023. For more information, please visit the NHPRC website: archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/digitaleditions

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.

• Webinar: FY2024 Grants for Arts Projects Guidelines: Arts Endowment staff will conduct a webinar on the Grants for Arts Projects guidelines. The webinar will include an overview of the funding category and tips for applicants, as well as a Q&A session. Grants for Arts Projects is the principal grants program of the National Endowment for the Arts for organizations based in the United States. January 11, 2023, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time (3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). For more information and to register: arts.gov/news/events/fy-2024-grants-arts-projects-guidelines-webinar.
• NEA Big Read – Grants to support community-wide reading programs. The NEA Big Read welcomes applications from a variety of eligible organizations, including first-time applicants; organizations serving communities of all sizes, including rural and urban areas; and organizations with small, medium or large operating budgets. Eligible applicants include (and are not limited to) arts centers, arts councils, and arts organizations; community service organizations, faith-based organizations, historical societies, and nonprofits. Intent to Apply due January 18, 2023. For more information, please visit the NEA website: arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read.
• Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines to reach historically underserved groups/communities that have rich and dynamic cultural identities. Challenge America may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding. The category features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000. Register for a guidelines webinar on Wednesday, March 1 10:00 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time (3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to learn more: arts.gov/news/events/fy-2024-challenge-america-guidelines-webinar. Application deadline: April 27, 2023.
• Creative Forces – Last year, more than $750,000 was awarded to 26 programs across the U.S.! They didn’t receive any applications from Hawaiʻi. Please help us get the word out to potential applicants! Projects will require at least one partner; and be led by or include at least one organization with a history of creative or artistic programming. Partnerships among arts organizations and veteran and military service organizations are highly encouraged.⁠ Creative Forces seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers, by increasing knowledge of and access to clinical creative arts therapies and community arts engagement. These Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants are intended to support non-clinical arts engagement programs taking place in healthcare, community, or virtual settings. Creative Forces-supported community programs have involved a range of arts activities, including visual, written, and performing arts offered through single events, drop-in programs, and ongoing engagement led by artists in residence, teaching artists, or creative arts therapists. Applicant organizations must be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3, U.S. organization, a unit of state or local government, or a federally recognized tribal community or tribe located in the U.S. (including the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories as well as the Native nations that share that geography). Applications due January 19, 2023. For additional information and to apply, please visit the Mid-America Arts Alliance website: maaa.org/creativeforces.
• NEA Creative Writing Fellowships The 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships program will offer $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) to published creative writers that enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Please go to the NEA website for more information: arts.gov/grants/creative-writing-fellowships. Application deadline March 8, 2023.
• NEA Literature Fellowships: Translation Projects FY2024 Through fellowships to published translators, the National Endowment for the Arts supports projects for the translation of specific works of prose, poetry, or drama from other languages into English. Application closes January 12, 2023. arts.gov/grants/translation-projects
• 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 Division of Preservation and Access, Cultural and Community Resilience Program The Cultural and Community Resilience program supports community-based efforts to mitigate climate change and COVID-19 pandemic impacts, safeguard cultural resources, and foster cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experience. The program prioritizes projects from disadvantaged communities in the United States or its jurisdictions, and NEH encourages applications that employ inclusive methodologies. This program is a part of the NEH special initiative “American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future”. Deadline: January 12, 2023. For more information, please visit the NEH website: neh.gov/program/cultural-and-community-resilience.
• NEH Digital Humanities Advancement Grants The Digital Humanities Advancement Grants program (DHAG) for organizations supports innovative, experimental, and/or computationally challenging digital projects, leading to work that can scale to enhance scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. Deadline: January 12, 2023. For more information, please visit the NEH website: neh.gov/grants/odh/digital-humanities-advancement-grants
• NEH Division of Research Programs Fellowships The purpose of this program is to support individual scholars pursuing projects that embody exceptional humanistic research, rigorous analysis, and clear writing. Fellowships provide recipients time to conduct research or to produce books, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, e-books, digital materials, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, or critical editions resulting from previous research. Deadline: April 12, 2023. For more information, please visit the NEH website: neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships
• NEH Public Humanities Projects The purpose of this program is to support 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. Deadline: January 11, 2023. For more information, please visit the NEH website: neh.gov/grants/public/public-humanities-projects.
• 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.