The Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities aims to connect people with ideas that broaden perspectives, enrich lives, and strengthen communities. It emphasizes the movement of humanities knowledge beyond academic settings, fostering public engagement in vital community conversations concerning both current concerns and the exploration of possible futures. This mission is grounded in Hawai‘i’s unique context, emphasizing kuleana (responsibility) to its communities’ histories and futures, courage in addressing important questions, providing a space for diverse voices, and building connections that enhance community resilience and adaptability.
The Public Humanities Grants aim to support projects with up to $10,000 in funding. These grants encourage creativity in public humanities programming, focusing on activities that promote deep thinking, conversation, and connection on issues impacting communities in Hawaiʻi. Eligible projects can range widely but should include a significant component that is accessible to the general public and encourages broadening perspectives, enriching lives, and strengthening communities. Specific examples of eligible activities include organizing panels and discussions on relevant issues, developing community engagement for exhibitions and performances, creating humanities guides or materials to complement a program, launching media such as films and podcasts, designing collaborations between humanities and science communities, hosting community meetings or workshops, creating interpretive exhibits, guided tours of historic sites, historical theater performances, and conducting research in the humanities with results presented to the community.