Mission:

The mission of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai‘i. HSFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts.

History:

The Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Art (HSFCA) was established by the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 1965, in large part through the vision and effort of Hawai‘i leaders such as architect and State Planning Coordinator Alfred Preis, HSFCA Founding Chairperson Masaru “Pundy” Yokouchi, State Senator Nadao Yoshinaga, and Governor John Burns.The creation of a state arts agency made Hawai‘i eligible to receive federal grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), newly established as part of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities on September 29, 1965.

The first HSFCA member and Chairperson was Pundy Yokouchi, appointed by Governor John Burns on January 14, 1966. The first HSFCA Executive Director was Alfred Preis, who served as Acting Executive Director until he was formally appointed to the position on July 1, 1966. Initially, the HSFCA was placed within the Office of the Governor and was located in the Princess Victoria Kamamalu Building at 250 South King Street in Honolulu. One of the original programs was the HSFCA Biennium Grants Program. This vital program has provided millions of dollars to nurture and invigorate arts and cultural programming statewide.