Hawaii Council for Humanities
Honolulu, HI · EIN 99-0153704. Reported 97 grants totalling $1,238,266 to 68 organizations across tax years 2020-2023, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. The IRS has no activity classification on file for this one, so we cannot tell you whether it is a community foundation or a single-institution support fund. The recipient list below is the better guide.
- How spread out its giving is. 68 distinct organizations, with 6% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 19% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $10,000. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $16,697; the smallest was $4,500 and the largest $20,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaii System | Honolulu, HI | $69,430 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| Kona Historical Society | Captain Cook, HI | $45,300 | 4 | 2 | 2021 |
| Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services | Honolulu, HI | $40,000 | 3 | 2 | 2021 |
| Bamboo Ridge Press | Honolulu, HI | $37,054 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Maui Arts & Cultural Center | Kahului, HI | $35,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bishop Museum | Honolulu, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| East Hawaii Cultural Council | Hilo, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of Iolani Palace | Honolulu, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kauai Museum Association Limited | Lihue, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kualoa Heeia Ecumenical Youth Project | Kaneohe, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Manoa Heritage Center | Honolulu, HI | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hui Noeau | Makawao, HI | $29,050 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dancers Unlimited | Princeton, NJ | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hana Arts | Hana, HI | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Read to Me International Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Daughters of Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hawaii International Film Festival | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hawaii United Okinawa Association | Waipahu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hawaiian Mission Childrens Society | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Historic Hawaii Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture | Holualoa, HI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Krause Family Foundation - Alana Ke Aloha | Kaneohe, HI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kuaaina Ulu Auamo | Kaneohe, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Moanolua Gardens Foundation Inc | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Palama Settlement | Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Lahaina Restoration Foundation | Puunene, HI | $19,991 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kauluakalana | Kailua, HI | $19,321 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ceeds of Peace | Honolulu, HI | $18,407 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Papahana Kuaola | Kaneohe, HI | $18,276 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lanai Culture & Heritage Center | Lanai City, HI | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Congregation of the Sacred Hearts-United States Province | Fairhaven, MA | $16,697 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kalihi Palama Cuture & Arts Society Inc | Honolulu, HI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| West Kauai Hongwanji Mission | Honolulu, HI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Civic Education Council | Wahiawa, HI | $14,970 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Malama Loko Ea Foundation | Haleiwa, HI | $14,798 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Merwin Conservancy Inc | Haiku, HI | $14,680 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| African American Diversity Cultural Center Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Aloha Kuamoo Aina | Kamuela, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Biographical Research Center | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Center for Independent Documentary Inc | Cambridge, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Enlivened Cooperative | Klamath Falls, OR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Filipino Association of University Women | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of King Kaumualii | Waimea, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park | Waipahu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Hawaii Symphony Orchestra | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hawaiian Historical Society | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hawaiian Legacy Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Honolulu Biennial Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Honolulu Printmakers | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center | Kaunakakai, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Kahuli Leo Lea | Kaneohe, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Malama Learning Center | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maui Academy of Performing Arts | Wailuku, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Hawaii Heritage Foundation | Honokaa, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| North Kohala Community Resource Center | Hawi, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pacific American Foundation | Kailua, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Playbuilders of Hawaii Theater Company | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Proarts Inc | Kihei, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pua Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Story for All | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Outdoor Circle | Honolulu, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Volcano Art Center | Volcano, HI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hawaii Book & Music Festival | Kaneohe, HI | $9,680 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hawaii Ponoi Foundation | Kailua, HI | $8,112 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lyman House Memorial Mueseum | Hilo, HI | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
16 of 68 (24%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Historic Hawaii Foundation
SHARP GENERAL OPERATING COSTS GRANT - Hana Arts
SHARP HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING GRANT - University of Hawaii (cosmic Dancer)
PRESERVATION & ACCESS GRANT - Filipino Association of University Women
FILIPINO VOICES IN HAWAII - Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum
HAWAIIS UNTOLD AFRICANA EXPERIENCES - Enlivened Cooperative
LAUHALA WEAVING KNOWLEDGES/PRACTICES
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 55 of 68 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20 | $194,185 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 41 | $684,140 | $18,407 |
| 2022 | 16 | $162,211 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 20 | $197,730 | $10,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
94% of its giving went to organizations in Hawaii. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
Find more funders like Hawaii Council for Humanities
We read newly filed IRS returns and email you the grantmakers whose giving matches your state and cause, as they are published. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $10,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Hawaii.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Hawaii Council for Humanities's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 20 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 3599 Waialae Ave 26, Honolulu, HI, 96816.
EIN 99-0153704 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your organization? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.