The Equitable Access Arts & Culture program awarded 2-year general operating support funding to arts & culture nonprofit organizations that currently utilize data and other information to understand access barriers and opportunities, have existing strategies and programs targeted to addressing equitable access, and utilize evaluation to assess the organization’s impact in addressing equitable access.
Grantees of this program are part of a “community of support” network. Through shared learning, the network will define the problem of equitable access for specific communities, islands, and across the state; generate ideas and solutions; and refine strategies to advance equitable access. The network’s shared learning will be a resource to the Arts & Culture sector and support more equitable access to opportunities to practice and participate in Arts & Culture.
HCF awarded 28 grants totaling $1,521,000 for this 2-year program (12/15/2024 – 12/15/2026). Learn more about the grantees below:
Anaina Hou Community Park – Kauai $55,500
Arts organization on Kauai
Anaina Hou Community Park is a community-gathering place on Kauai’s north shore that is rooted in our diverse history and honors the culture of these islands that calls us to Malama (care for) the land & sea, ourselves, and each other. With community partners, it focuses on eliminating barriers to participation including financial, logistical, and social to increase access to arts & culture programs on Kauai’s north shore.
East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center – Hawaiʻi Island $55,500
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center is an inclusive platform for culture and the arts. Through visual and performing arts and education, it gives voice to our diverse communities and provides a forum for inquiry into their experiences and histories. Through its center in Hilo, it brings the community together through a diverse range of arts education classes and cultural experiences which advance creativity, cultural exchange, and education.
Garden Island Arts Council – Kauai $35,000
Arts organization on Kauai
Garden Island Arts Council brings arts to the people and people to the arts. It enriches the lives of Kauai residents through diverse and accessible arts and culture programs in response to the desires, issues, and needs of the community.
Hāmākua Youth Center – Hawaiʻi Island $55,500
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Hāmākua Youth Center open doorways to the world by sharing life skills rooted in the Hawaiian values of kuleana, aloha, laulima, and mahalo. Its programs engage these values to cultivate the awareness necessary for Hāmākua youth to thrive both here and beyond. It addresses barriers associated with socioeconomic insecurity by supporting youth in cultural activities, creative expression, hands-on learning, and social-emotional development during non-school hours.
Hana Arts – Maui $55,500
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Hana Arts provides arts and cultural education, creating life-enhancing and income generating opportunities for all ages in East Maui. It provides accessible arts & cultural programs to the geographically isolated community of East Maui, ensuring equitable opportunities for creative and cultural education.
Hanona – Maui $60,000
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Hanona elevates Native Hawaiian wisdom and intellect by providing cultural learning opportunities for our communities to perpetuate Native Hawaiian traditional practices while maintaining the integrity of how indigenous knowledge is taught and learned. It provides Hawaiian cultural education, restores the Hawaiian historical site Kealakaʻihonua Heiau, and provides hands-on learning opportunities to create traditional Native Hawaiian arts.
Hawaiʻi Children’s Theatre – Kauai $35,000
Arts organization on Kauai
Hawaii Children's Theatre inspires youth through the study, performance, and appreciation of theatre arts. It strives to make live theater a vital part of the childhood experience for all young people on Kauai, ensuring that theater is accessible and impactful for every child.
Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre – Oahu $57,000
Theater Arts on Oahu including drama education
Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre enriches the quality of life in our island communities through the inspirational power and joy of opera. It supports and engages creators and music lovers who reflect the diversity of Hawaii. It has a variety of programs addressing equitable access including its arts education programs primarily serving Title I schools and its Opera for Everyone program which provides reduced tickets to increase access to its mainstage productions.
Hawaiʻi Science & Technology Museum – Hawaiʻi Island $55,500
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Hawaiʻi Science & Technology Museum is dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Its Na Kama o Kalai Waʻa traditional Hawaiian Canoe Carving program focuses on strengthening community bonds, cultural revitalization, and education opportunities. It aims to perpetuate this cultural art to continue passing on the techniques and cultural protocols to the next generation of canoe carvers.
Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra – Oahu $55,500
Professional orchestra or opera focused on classical music in Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra inspires and engages diverse communities across the islands by delivering world-class performances, expanding accessibility to classical and contemporary music, and promoting musical education. It engages diverse audiences through affordable and accessible performances, partners with local schools and organizations to promote music education, and continuously evolves its repertoire to reflect the dynamic culture and spirit of Hawaii.
Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony – Oahu $55,500
Non-professional orchestra performing symphonic music on Oahu
Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony fosters fun and creative experiences for youth that inspire a deep appreciation for music and lifelong relationships within the culture of our islands. With the vision that “Music is a Right for all those who wish to pursue it”, it focuses on equitable access to music education through financial accessibility, geographic and community access, and equitable opportunities for youth to achieve.
Hawaiʻi’s Volcano Circus – Hawai‘i Island $55,500
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Hawaiʻi’s Volcano Circus creatively promotes sustainable community development through arts and education. Its Advancing Arts for All initiative provides a diverse range of arts education classes for keiki, youth, and kūpuna, to address financial and geographic barriers experienced by the Puna community.
Hōkūlani Children's Theatre of Molokai – Molokai $55,500
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Hōkūlani Children's Theatre of Molokai enriches the lives of children on Molokai, to inspire them to create a better community through the performing arts, develop artistic expression through training and education, and become community builders. It removes financial, geographic, and cultural barriers, to ensure that children from diverse backgrounds can access performing arts experiences.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth – Oahu $57,000
Theater Arts on Oahu including drama education
Honolulu Theatre for Youth produces professional theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young people, families, and educators in Hawai‘i. It creates high quality, culturally based content that is relevant to our local community. It tours its plays recognizing that many children do not have the opportunity to experience live, professional theatre performances and arts education programs. It has many other programs focused on increasing access to the arts.
Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center – Maui $57,000
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center unlocks creativity through exceptional visual arts education and enhances this endeavor through the preservation of the historic Kaluanui Estate. It provides diverse visual arts education at its center and has a youth outreach program engaging low-income students at Title I schools who lack access to the arts because of geography, lack of transportation, or other barriers. It also has an “Art with Aloha” program featuring cultural practitioners teaching workshops in Hawaiian arts and culture.
Hui O Waʻa Kaulua – Maui $55,500
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Hui O Waʻa Kaulua develops and conducts model educational programs using voyaging to excite and challenge students and their communities to learn about, respect, and care for the natural and social environment. It has three waʻa programs that provide hands-on ʻaina-based learning and perpetuate Hawaiian culture including Hawaiian language, hula, oli, lei making, hale building, lashing & knot tying, woodwork, and protocol practices.
Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa – Hawai‘i Island $60,000
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Kahaluʻu Kūāhewa uplifts the collective of ‘aina, community, and culture, and preserves ancestral knowledge by reconnecting people to the land. Through ‘aina-based learning, it offers opportunities for our community to learn traditional Hawaiian practices, support local food production, and maintain our islands' unique biodiversity. It focuses on community engagement, accessibility, culturally relevant programming, free programming, and partnerships to provide equitable access to address disparities in the community.
Kahilu Theatre Foundation – Hawaiʻi Island $57,000
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Kahilu Theatre Foundation’s mission is to make a place where community, creativity, and inspiration thrive. It is a cultural hub where generations of families can gather together to experience diverse programming and arts education. To address economic barriers, it provides different ticket options and scholarships for its arts education classes. It also provides access through its Kahilu.TV platform which includes live streaming of events and a variety of original educational content.
Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society – Hawaiʻi Island $60,000
Professional orchestra or opera focused on classical music in Hawaiʻi
Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society is dedicated to bringing live, high-quality orchestral music to audiences on Hawai‘i Island. It fosters a deep appreciation for music, inspires young audiences, and offers performance opportunities for local musicians while promoting cultural and educational equity. It has several strategies and programs focused on ensuring equitable access to music education and performances for underserved communities across Hawai‘i Island including in-school music education, free community concerts, and partnerships with schools and community organizations.
Kaulana Nā Pua, Inc – Hawaiʻi Island $57,000
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Kaulana Nā Pua, Inc was established to serve in the healing of youth in our community through the arts of hula, chant, and teaching of Hawaiian culture, values, and tradition. It helps vulnerable youth find their self-worth and self-esteem through the arts of hula, chant, and Hawaiian culture.
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services – Oahu $55,500
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services is a community health center with the mission to work toward healing, reconciliation, and the alleviation of suffering in Kalihi through strong relationships that honor culture and foster health and harmony. It shares that “arts and culture are foundational and indispensable to healing in our community.” It fosters arts and culture programs in the context of the health care environment that serves populations typically underrepresented in more conventional arts context.
Kumu Kahua Theatre – Oahu $57,000
Theater Arts on Oahu including drama education
Kumu Kahua Theatre’s mission is to provide theatrical opportunities for the expression of local community lifestyles, whether contemporary or historical; to stage locally written plays set in Hawaiʻi or dealing with some aspect of the Hawaiian experience of residents; to provide training and theatrical experiences for local playwrights, directors, performers and other theatrical artists; and to develop an increasingly large audience sensitive to plays and theatre pieces dealing specifically and truthfully with local subject matter. It has an array of programs including nurturing artists and audiences to share the stories of people of Hawai‘i with the people of Hawaiʻi, providing opportunities for other groups and artists to present their work, and offering free or low-cost classes and discussions with artists.
Lānaʻi Academy of Performing Arts – Lanai $55,500
Community Arts Center on Neighbor Islands
Lānaʻi Academy of Performing Arts is devoted to enriching Lanai through the arts, fostering creativity, self-confidence, and teamwork. It provides diverse programming to inspire personal growth, empower individuals, and celebrate our island’s stories through the joy of performance. It addresses disparities through low-cost programming, inclusive programming for all, easily accessible programs, and partnerships to enhance equitable access.
Lotus Arts Foundation – Kauai $35,000
Arts organization on Kauai
Lotus Arts Foundation is dedicated to bringing forth a renaissance of music and creative arts through inspiring brilliance and creativity in artists and potential artists by means of its educational programs and performances. To address limited access, it partners with schools (especially focused on Title I and rural schools) to provide arts education.
Maui Public Art Corps – Maui $55,500
Public art focused on uplifting local people and places
Maui Public Art Corps connects people, place, and story through the development of exceptional public art. It advances equity through community-led initiatives focused on collaborating with local cultural organizations, artists, community groups, and local leaders. This program provides a platform for underrepresented community members to share their stories, cultures, and experiences, ensuring their presence is visible in public spaces.
Pōhaku Pelemaka – Hawaiʻi Island $55,500
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Pōhaku Pelemakaʻs mission is to protect, perpetuate, and enhance: the intrinsic qualities and heritage of lower Puna, Native Hawaiian wellbeing, and the transmission of intergenerational knowledge and practices in partnership with ʻohana, government, public and private sectors. Its strategy to address disparities in cultural access focuses on creating free opportunities for Native Hawaiian families to engage in traditional practices.
Pu'uhonua Society – Oahu $57,000
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Pu‘uhonua Society creates opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Hawai‘i-based artists and cultural practitioners to express themselves and engage with and impact audiences. It perpetuates Native Hawaiian knowledge through providing low-cost or free workshops in diverse Hawaiian art traditions including ulana lau hala, hula, lei making, cordage, kapa, and more; provides free public programming, exhibitions, and film screenings that focus on art making; malama ʻāina; sovereignty; social justice movements and practices in Hawai‘i and by Hawaiians; and provides myriad professional development opportunities for Hawaiian and Hawai‘i resident artists.
Ulu Aʻe Learning Center – Oahu $60,000
Organization perpetuating Native Hawaiian knowledge
Ulu Aʻe Learning Center empowers and enriches lives through programs that develop skills, build confidence, and promote healthy relationships based on Native Hawaiian values and customs. Through out-of-school and community programs, it aims to cultivate Hawai‘i’s rich native culture and arts byproviding opportunities for children and families to participate in Native Hawaiian art and practices daily.
Interested in learning more about the Equitable Access Arts & Culture program? Contact Program Director Elise von Dohlen at evondohlen@hcf-hawaii.org if you have any questions.