Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

What Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts does

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is the State of Hawaii's government arts agency, established by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1965 with operations commencing in 1967. It is administratively attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) and operates with approximately 17 employees. SFCA administers the state's Art in Public Places Program, managing a permanent collection of more than 700 catalogued artworks installed in state facilities across all Hawaiian islands; in FY2026 the SFCA Board approved 23 new acquisitions, including works by artists from Guam (Guahan), Palau (Belau), and Chuuk. The agency operates Capitol Modern (formerly Hawaii State Art Museum), a free-admission public museum in Honolulu presenting rotating exhibitions alongside the permanent collection.

SFCA's core functions revolve around three programs: state arts grantmaking, public art administration, and arts education. In FY2026, the agency distributed $9.42 million across Community Arts Grants, Outreach Initiative, Grants in Aid, and Special Purpose Appropriations to more than 30 recipient organizations, with Bishop Museum receiving $6.75 million and Friends of Iolani Palace receiving $1.8 million as the largest line items. Education programs include Artists in the Schools, Poetry Out Loud, the Hawaii Regional Scholastic Student Art Awards Competition, and the Folk & Traditional Arts Program, which administers the NEA National Heritage Fellowship nomination process for Hawaii. The underlying technology stack is administrative rather than proprietary: Hawaii GoSmart for online grant applications, HIePro for state procurement compliance, and Call for Entry (CaFÉ) for artist-juried commission workflows, complemented by a new online searchable database for the public art collection.

The agency's revenue model is statutory rather than commercial. Funding derives from three sources: annual State of Hawaii general fund appropriations, federal NEA block-grant pass-throughs (Hawaii receives approximately 40% of its NEA allocation as federal pass-through funding), and the Percent for Art fund, which captures a statutorily mandated share of state capital improvement project budgets and was the first such law in the United States when enacted in 1967. SFCA does not generate commercial revenue from its programs; Capitol Modern offers free admission, and grants are disbursed rather than sold. The customer base, in functional terms, comprises three segments: (1) Hawaii-based nonprofit arts organizations receiving grants, (2) individual artists commissioned through Art in Public Places, and (3) K-12 schools, students, and the general public served through education programs and free museum access.

Name

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

Legal name

State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

Website

https://sfca.hawaii.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is Hawaii's state government arts agency, established in 1965. It distributes grants to arts nonprofits, manages a 700+ artwork public collection, operates Capitol Modern museum, and funds K-12 arts education programs statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Government Arts Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• State arts agency
• Public art programs
• Arts education grants
• Government arts funding
• Public art collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State of Hawaii Appropriations: Primary funding from Hawaii State Legislature annual appropriations to support arts programs, grants, and museum operations.
2. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Federal Grants: State arts agencies receive 40% of federal grant dollars Congress provides to the NEA. SFCA receives direct NEA grants for specific programs.
3. Percent for Art Fund: Hawaii was the first state to adopt a percent-for-art law in 1967, allocating a portion of state building construction costs to public artwork acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is Hawaii's state government arts agency, established by the state legislature in 1965. It administers grants to nonprofit arts organizations and individual artists, manages the Art in Public Places Collection of 700+ works displayed statewide, operates the Capitol Modern (Hawaii State Art Museum) free public museum in Honolulu, and runs arts education programs such as Artists in the Schools. Funding comes from state legislative appropriations, federal National Endowment for the Arts grants, and Hawaii's pioneering percent-for-art law enacted in 1967.

Product overview

The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is Hawaiʻi's state government arts agency offering a portfolio of programs centered on public art acquisition, arts education, grant funding, and museum operations. The core offerings include the Art in Public Places Program and its associated Collection (featuring over 700 artworks statewide), the Capitol Modern museum (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum), Artists in the Schools residency grants, Community Arts Grants, and the Outreach Initiative Program for regional touring. Supporting programs include Folk and Traditional Arts Grants, Culture Fellowships, the Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate position, Scholastic Student Art Awards, Poetry Out Loud, Hawaiʻi Open Arts (HŌʻĀ), and the ARTS First Partners network. The organization also operates museum event rentals at Capitol Modern. Programs are administered through partnerships with Hawaiʻi GoSmart and HIePro for grant applications, and Call for Entry (CaFÉ) for artist commission processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Capitol Modern: Free public art museum within the SFCA Art in Public Places Program, located in the No. 1 State Capitol Building. Features exhibitions from the State's Art in Public Places Collection and student exhibitions.

Products and services

• Art in Public Places Program Acquires completed portable works of art and commissions artists to create site-specific permanent works for state government locations including schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, and state office buildings across Hawaii.
• Art in Public Places Collection Searchable online database of 700+ artworks displayed at schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, state office buildings, the State Capitol, and Capitol Modern; available for loan to state government sites.
• Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum) Free public art museum in downtown Honolulu featuring exhibitions from the State's Art in Public Places Collection and student exhibitions, open Wednesday–Saturday with First Friday and other community events.
• Artists in the Schools (AITS)

Quantifiable outcome

• FY2026: $9,420,000 distributed to 30+ organizations including special purpose appropriations of $6,750,000 to Bishop Museum and $1,800,000 to Friends of Iolani Palace
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Alliance for Young Artists and WritersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026National organization administering the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. SFCA serves as the Hawaii regional affiliate for the Scholastic Student Art Awards competition.
• Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFCA is administratively attached to DBEDT, connecting the agency with Hawaii's economic development and tourism initiatives.
• Hawai'i State Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for arts education programs including Artists in the Schools (AITS), DOE art teacher exhibitions at Capitol Modern, and collaborative educational initiatives.
• Hawaii GoSmartcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline grant management platform used for Community Arts Grants and Artists in the Schools application submissions. Hosted at Hawaii.GoSmart.org.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• California Arts Council: California's state government arts agency with the same statutory mandate as SFCA — distributing grants, supporting public art, and funding arts education. Directly comparable as a state-level peer in the same functional category.
• New York State Council on the Arts: New York's state arts council performing grantmaking, public art, and arts education functions analogous to SFCA. Closest functional peer in scale and program portfolio among US state arts agencies.
• Texas Commission on the Arts: Texas state arts agency with percent-for-art-style programs and statewide grantmaking. Operates the same government arts-agency model as SFCA in a different state.
• Florida Division of Arts and Culture: Florida's state-level arts agency providing grants, cultural programming, and arts education across the state. Direct functional peer to SFCA in operating model.
• Oregon Arts Commission: Oregon's state arts agency offering grants, public art, and arts education programs comparable in scope to SFCA's portfolio.
• Washington State Arts Commission: Washington's state arts commission with grantmaking, public art (Art in Public Places), and arts education functions that parallel SFCA's program mix.
• Massachusetts Cultural Council: Massachusetts' state arts and cultural agency performing grantmaking and cultural programming comparable to SFCA's role in Hawaii.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts: Federal-level arts funder that channels 40% of its appropriations to state arts agencies including SFCA. Functions as SFCA's upstream federal counterpart and funding partner rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Bishop Museum: Hawaii's principal cultural institution and largest FY2026 SFCA grant recipient ($6.75M Special Purpose Appropriation). Operates a museum and cultural programming portfolio that overlaps with Capitol Modern's curatorial and exhibition mission in Hawaii.
• Honolulu Museum of Art: Major Honolulu art museum with permanent collection, exhibitions, and education programs that overlap with Capitol Modern's curatorial role. Comparable as a Hawaii-based museum peer though privately operated.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hawaii_sfca
• Facebookfacebook.com/hawaiisfca
• Instagraminstagram.com/hawaii_sfca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts