In partnership with the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), the Artists in the Schools (AITS) program awards grants up to $8,500 per school for qualified teaching artists to conduct arts residencies within public and charter schools based on the Fine Arts Standards from the Department of Education. The residencies include a series of high-quality arts experiences for thousands of students throughout the state, including at schools with limited arts education experiences. Experienced Hawai‘i-based teaching artists bring dance, drama and theater, literary arts, music, puppetry, and visual arts to the classroom through arts residencies. The residencies can also include professional development sessions for classroom teachers. 

HCF has provided funding to support AITS since 2008, awarding more than $3 million to support arts education in Hawaiʻi’s schools.

For the 2023-2024 school year, HCF awarded $270,744 to support AITS arts residencies at 39 schools. The grantees are:

Interested in learning more about the Artists in the Schools Program? Contact Elise von Dohlen at evondohlen@hcf-hawaii.org.