The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) FY2028 Community Arts Grants are open to eligible Hawaiʻi nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts and culture organizations. The FY2028 Intent to Apply opened August 1, 2026, and the Project Application opened September 1, 2026. Both close October 30, 2026 through Hawaiʻi GO Smart.
Applicants may request $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. A 1:1 match is required, and awards are reimbursement grants. Eligible categories include Heritage/Preservation; Community Arts, Community Development, Arts and Healing; Arts Education; and Presentation/Performing Arts.
Core eligibility includes Hawaiʻi incorporation, nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts/culture status, at least one year of experience with the proposed project, a Hawaiʻi-based project, Hawaiʻi Compliance Express compliance, an active SAM.gov registration, and required accessibility compliance. Fiscal sponsorship is not permitted.
Important exclusions include capital expenditures, equipment purchases or long-term rentals, technology-related expenses such as computer hardware/software and internet/web/email costs, indirect costs/grant management fees, and other listed non-allowable expenses. Accordingly, Atlas assigns N9+ Fit 2/100 and QC Healthcare Fit 8/100; the opportunity should be pursued for legitimate arts/education programming rather than forced into a healthcare-technology use case.
Atlas prospect: Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY), Atlas Opportunity Score 96/100. HTY serves young people, families, educators and schools across the Hawaiian Islands, and SFCA previously awarded HTY a $15,000 Community Arts Grant for its statewide tour. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant status: FALSE because the LLC does not meet the nonprofit arts/culture eligibility requirement.
Deadline note: The current public SFCA page identifies October 30, 2026 as the closing date but does not state an exact closing time. Applicants should confirm the live GO Smart deadline before final submission.