Best Hawaii Grants for Nonprofits

About

The Costume Society of America (CSA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded on March 23, 1973, and incorporated in the state of New York on September 12, 1973. CSA serves it members, and promotes its goals with national symposia and publications including the journal Dress and its monthly electronic newsletter CSA e-News.

The organization began forming regional groups in 1978. There are six regional groups in the United States and Canada, and one international group. Individual regions hold annual meetings, sponsor programs and publish newsletters.

Our Mission

The Costume Society of America fosters an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design. Our network of members studies the past, examines the present, and anticipates the future of clothing and fashion.

Jack Handford Summer Internship

The Western Region actively supports student members who show promise as new professionals and encourages institutions and students to apply for the Jack Handford Summer Internship offered every other year, i.e. 2026 and 2028. The internship is appropriate for students with majors such as costume studies, material culture, museum studies, fashion history, or similar. The internship is intended to average duration of six weeks or a total of 120 hours. The grant may change depending on the budget; the 2024 winner received $3,000.

Student applicants must be current CSA Western Region members to apply. Check the forms: Institution Application and Student Application. All forms and other materials stated in the form should be submitted to Naomi Arnst, CSA-Western Region, Student Awards and Summer Internship Chair.

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

Hawai‘i Community Foundation invests charitable funds in communities across the State primarily through nonprofit organizations. Our core programs are designed to support a stronger nonprofit sector as we believe that these organizations are one cornerstone of a vibrant civic society.

We administer a number of grantmaking programs with targeted purposes or an island-based focus. Hawai‘i Community Foundation also assists several private foundations in delivering their grantmaking programs according to their specific strategies.

Artists in Residence – Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund

Artists in Residence

HCF is currently accepting applications for the Artists in Residence 2026 grant program. Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations/programs can apply to host artists in residence for a defined period. During the residency, the artists in residence focus on developing their own artistic practice while engaging with Hawaiʻi-based artists and the broader community through dynamic, meaningful interactions that have the potential for long term impact. Artist(s) in residence should be widely recognized, outstanding artists, including visual artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and other performing artists. Artists may be based in the continental United States, foreign countries, or Hawaiʻi. For Hawai’i-based artists, the residency must support new relationships with a host organization/program and new forms of community engagement; ongoing or existing collaborations are not eligible.

Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund

The Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund (LAF) was created to carry her ambition forward, for the benefit of the arts and artists of Hawaiʻi and beyond. It aims to nurture and promote Hawaiʻi as a global center for the exchange of contemporary arts and artists. LAF is intended to support projects and initiatives that afford artists opportunities to immerse themselves in new environments, to absorb different influences, and to realize fresh visions.

LAF has an advisory committee of volunteer community members with expertise in the arts who provide recommendations on the fund’s strategy and recommend grant funding.