About Us
The Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities (HCH) is a private nonprofit educational organization dedicated to supporting and promoting activities that further awareness of the worth and value of the humanities among the general public in Hawai‘i. HCH uses the public humanities to connect people with ideas by nurturing the joy of learning and inspiring community and civic engagement.
Established in 1972 as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the HCH is funded by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations; and by the NEH. As a recipient of the NEH, we support public humanities projects proposed by other nonprofit organizations for the benefit of Island communities—particularly communities that are under-served—through our grants programs. We also conduct a number of public humanities programs, including Hawai‘i History Day, Motheread/Fatheread®, Museum on Main Street, and Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care®.
Our grants and public programs offer the people of Hawai‘i the opportunity to experience the humanities in a rich variety of formats and involve all islanders in understanding who we are as a community. We host programs in schools, libraries, correctional institutions, hospitals, and various other community sites throughout the state. Our goal is to improve the quality of life in Hawai‘i through public programs that apply the humanities to our everyday lives.
We seek to ensure that the humanities have a rigorous and relevant presence in schools; that the humanities are brought to under-served populations; and that partnerships and resources are developed and secured. The promotion of public understanding of and appreciation for the value and relevance of history, literature, philosophy and cultural traditions is at the heart of HCH’s work.
