We are currently revising our grants program, and will have a web-based application and reporting process by the end of 2009. Until this is fully operable, paper applications will be accepted. For more information, and for application forms, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of Grants and Special Projects.
In addition to conducting humanities projects for Hawai`i's communities, the HCH gives grants for humanities projects for the general public that are planned and conducted by non-profit groups.
We know that humanities funding is strained in these tight economic times. The HCH is pleased to continue its grants program in full, a program that has provided monies for wonderful humanities programming in Hawai'i for over twenty years.
In fact, in 2009, HCH will increase funding limits for both its Research Assistance (from $1,500 to $2,500) and Planning (from $1,000 to $2,000) grant lines to better reflect the needs of our applicants.
What you need to know about applying for an HCH grant:
- Individuals may apply for Research and Publication grants. All other grants require a non-profit sponsor, the involvement of principal humanities scholar(s), and a project director/coordinator.
- Our Proposal Review Committee gives great priority to projects that clearly show deep and sustained involvement of humanities scholars in the development and execution of the project.
- Projects must reach and be of interest to the people of Hawai'i.
- You must be able to complete your proposed project within the grant period you apply for.
- Grant periods typically do not exceed one year.
- We recommend that you speak directly with the Director of Grants regarding your project before requesting an application, either by phone or email. Please be ready to describe your project, including how it connects to the humanities and how it will reach Hawai'i's people.
What is the HCH's Grant-Making Philosophy?
HCH gives grants to projects that best promote its mission:
The mission of the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities is to connect people with ideas that broaden perspectives, enrich lives, and strengthen communities.
What are the humanities?
The humanities can be difficult to summarize in one sentence, so we won't try. It's easier to describe what successful humanities projects do:
Humanities projects should promote public understanding and appreciation of the value and relevance of history, literature, philosophy, and cultural traditions.
What do successful humanities programs look like?
Successful humanities projects can and do:
Inform us how the present is rooted in the past,
Reveal the subtleties of our intellectual and cultural heritage that define who we are,
Help us to understand other societies and world views in an increasingly interdependent world,
Clarify and examine the fundamental beliefs that guide our actions,
Analyze value conflicts that fragment our society, and
Encourage us to ponder such enduring questions as the nature of justice, equality, truth and individual freedom and social responsibility at a time of diminishing resources and increasing technological complexity, where the sound byte is the common means of information dissemination and media "spins" color what we should know.
