The National Endowment for the Arts provided funds received from the American Rescue Plan to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) to distribute to the arts and culture community throughout the State of Hawaiʻi. This emergency funding is designed to support the arts sector as it recovers from the devastating impact of COVID-19. SFCA is utilizing American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to administer grants benefiting the state’s arts community.
[Update March 8, 2022: a PDF version of the grants for organizations is now available: February 2022 SFCA ARP Projects]
SFCA American Rescue Plan Grants for Organizations projects update:
- Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum “The SFCA ARP Recovery Grant funding allowed us to share unique cultural arts methods and applications like weaving lau hala, making a fishnet and learning how to throw it, and the process of making and stamping kapa cloth. Opportunities for visitors to see these traditional practices are rare; even rarer is having hands-on experience learning the practice or art form. The Living Culture Program Series is impactful in itself in sustaining these traditional practices and sharing this important cultural knowledge. The benefit of personal interaction with practitioners is not limited to a first-time introduction to an activity. It is an opportunity for those who have a depth of cultural knowledge and experience to share what has been given to them with others.”
- Hawaiʻi International Film Festival “The two highlights of the 41st Annual Hawaii International Film Festival presented with support from the SFCA ARP Recovery Grant were the ability to once again present films in person in theaters on Oahu, and HIFF’s return to theaters on Kauai, Maui, and in Hilo on the Big Island. Though the events were presented in a reduced capacity with social distancing protocols in place, the ability to experience the cinematic arts together as a community was unparalleled.The response from cinema partners and community members on neighboring islands reiterated the importance of these arts and culture offering for communities statewide.”
- Kona Dance and Performing Arts “Another highlight of our ability to continue offering dance classes is the fact that dance has helped students maintain discipline and a positive outlook as well as physical fitness and creative development.”
- Monkey Waterfall “Being able to continue rehearsals through these long pandemic months inspired the creation of a piece titled “Spaces in Between,” an acknowledgement of measured social distancing, forced isolation, and increasing lost that has become part of our recent lives. Almost cathartic in nature, this piece has come to represent our collective grief.”
- Pulama Na Liko “Performing students were able to return to the stage at two private group functions. In October, students, ranging from 8 to 14 years old, from ʻAlohi Polynesian Dance Academy participated in a private performance at the Four Seasons Hualalai, perpetuating the Hawaiian Culture to the visitors. In November, students, from ages 8 to 65+ years old, from ʻAlohi Polynesian Dance Academy participated in a private performance at the Mauna Lani Resort.”
- West Hawaii Dance Theatre “With the help of the SFCA American Rescue Plan Recovery Grant, we were able to move forward with plans for a fundraiser and theatre performance of the holiday classic Nutcracker Ballet. With the SFCA NEA APR basic grant assistance: rent, utilities, artist, and administrative support, our contracted support team, studio operations, parent communicator, and teaching artists were able to move forward with preparations for the Nutcracker Ballet at the Kahilu Theatre without financial stress. As an additional perk, Broadway star Zachary James traveled to Hawaii and donated his time and talent to perform at three private homes to a small invited audience to raise funds for our organization. Everyone’s spirit was uplifted and excited for these events, helping to take the stress off of pandemic life.”
- Edith K. Kanakaole Foundation “The SFCA rescue plan recovery grant filled the hole made by distancing restrictions and afforded compensation to the kumu hula and other instructors to not only provide hula philosophy instructions via virtual meetings but also held hula classes several times a week in order to teach all students for shorter periods in smaller groups.”
- Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra “Your support made it possible for our community to experience the artistic integrity of our orchestra – and the professional, empathetic, well-trained and well-compensated staff required behind the scenes.”
- Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony Association “The pandemic has been extremely challenging, particularly because it has constricted enrollment (due to gathering limitations), and therefore our primary source for earned revenues (tuition & registration fees) are depressed. ARP grant funding has helped us to make up some of those losses.”
- Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society (KPOS) “Free Community Concerts were provided by musicians of KPOS to senior living facilities, outdoor stages at shopping centers, farmers markets and other outdoor approved areas. The concerts were provided free with the funding from the SFCA ARP Recovery Grant, which suported the KPOS musicians. The grant provided music at 18 different venues, employed 80 musicians and served approximately 2000 community members.”
- Kona Historial Society “Funding provided by the SFCA American Rescue Plan Recovery Grant to help support key programming and operations staff, enabling the Kona Historical Society (KHS) to continue serving the community. KHS connects past, current, and future generations to Kona and Hawaii’s history and inspires an appreciation of its heritage. This is done through a variety of place-based programs at two historical sites and by maintaining a climate-controlled library, archive, and research facility to support public exhibits and community research, and to house historical documents, photographs, and other resources, all of which are held in trust for the people of Hawaii.”
- PAʻI Foundation “PAʻI Foundation hosted I Leʻa Ka Hula three day hula workshops in November. The workshops were held virtually and hosted a number of kumu hula who were compensated through funding from the SFCA ARP Recovery Grant. Attendees included residents and hula enthusiasts from all over the world.”
- Young of Heart “The SFCA ARP Recovery Grant provided facility support for our workshops and events space, as well as partial salaries for our contract program manager.”
- Kahuli Leo Leʻa “The ARP Recover Grant from the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has provided support for Kāhuli Leo Leʻa’s episodic series, Mele Huliāmahi, a program featuring live performances of mele as a nexus for education, and community building through aloha ʻāina.”
- The Friends of Iolani Palace “We want to mahalo the support The Friends of Iolani Palace received from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.This past year and a half have been extremely tough on our organization. The funding we received through the ARP Recovery Grant has helped us to continue to move our organization forward during uncertain times.”
SFCA American Rescue Plan Grants for Individuals
Funding has been released for these projects:
- Roberta LW Ahsing, “INSIGHT: Developing Student Voice and Visual Literacy through the Arts” (Dance); Maui and Oʻahu
- Wailani Artates “Hawaiian Music Album Concept Development and Package Design” (Cultural and Media Arts); Maui and Oʻahu
- Sean-Joseph Choo “Kamamo House Short Play Showcase” (Theatre); Oʻahu
- Shannon Hiramoto “Muʻumuʻu Digital Archive” (Visual Arts); Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Lanaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu
- Matthew Jakielski “Hot Glass Hawaii” (Visual Arts); Hawaiʻi Island
- Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl “E Huliāmahi: The Life of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi” (Literary, Media, and Theatre Arts); Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu
- Frances Kuba “Preserving the Legacy of our rich Okinawan culture” (Cultural and Dance); Oʻahu
- Anne Victoria Leilehua Lanzilotti “Sky Gate” (Music); Oʻahu
- Maile Loo “Auntie Nona’s Key to the Ki” (Cultural and Dance); Oʻahu
- Robin Lung “Short Documentary on Preservationist/Photographer Nancy Bannick” (Literary, Media, and Multimedia Arts); Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Lanaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu
- Mark K. Lupenui “PASSING NOTES: The Kohala Ephemera Project” (Cultural, Music, and Visual Arts); Hawaiʻi Island
- Julie Matheis “Elevating Foster & Biological ʻOhana Connections Through Art” (Visual Arts), Lanaʻi, Maui, and Molokaʻi
- Jeff Peterson “Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Instructional Method by Jeff Peterson” (Music); Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu
- Angel Prince “My Empty Body is Full of Stars” (Dance, Multimedia, and Theatre Arts); Hawaiʻi Island
- Christopher Ritson “Creating a Creator: Biogenerative Art and Sustainable Esthetics” (Media, Multimedia, and Visual Arts); Oʻahu
- Stefan C Schaefer “Short Film Created with Maui Teens (film title TBD)” (Literary and Media Arts); Maui
- Margaret Theresa Sutrov “Ulana ʻAina” (Visual Arts); Maui
- Dalani Tanahy “Supporting New Kapa Makers With Ongoing Classes, Interaction and Materials” (Cultural); Oʻahu
- Stuart Yamane “The Making of DAC: The Downtown Art Center” (Media Arts); Oʻahu
- Allison T Yanagi “Kucho Girl on YouTube: Classical and Traditional Okinawan Music and Poetry” (Dance and Music); Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Lanaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Oʻahu