The House Committee on Culture, Arts & International Affairs heard May 22 from the Hawaii Arts Alliance about the nonprofit’s arts-education programs, recent philanthropic grants and plans for expanded advocacy and professional development.

The Alliance told the committee it administers state-funded programs that send teaching artists into public and charter schools, and that it intends to use new multiyear philanthropic funding to build organizational capacity and advocacy ahead of the legislative interim.

“We believe that the arts are essential to Hawaii’s identity, well-being, and future,” said Gaye Humphrey, executive director of the Hawaii Arts Alliance. “We’re committed to listening first and being responsive, in terms of solutions and services that can help meet community needs.”

Humphrey said the Alliance manages two statewide programs under contract with the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts: the Artist in the Schools program and, newly for the year, the Folk and Traditional Arts program. She told the committee that Artist in the Schools funded 34 teaching partners this school year and that the Alliance passes a large portion of the program funds through to those partners.

On funding, the Alliance presented its current fiscal-year figures: total estimated revenue “just under $969,000,” Humphrey said, and “just over $656,000” of that amount passes through the Alliance to Artist in the Schools teaching partners. She said Keikumu Hawaii is the grantee this year in the Folk and Traditional Arts program and that $50,000 passes through to that organization. The Alliance retains between 10% and 14% of awards to cover administrative costs.

Humphrey also described recent philanthropy: the Alliance was awarded $300,000 over three years from the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Atherton Family Foundation to support four priorities, including strategic planning, development of a sustainable financial model, arts advocacy and arts-innovation pilots.

On program administration and transparency, Humphrey acknowledged the group’s website contains dated material and told the committee the Alliance will update public information and reporting for the Artist in the Schools program. “We will work to take down old information that you found on the website,” she said during questioning from committee members.

Humphrey said the Alliance provides program-level administration for Artist in the Schools, including contracts with teaching partners, background screenings for teaching artists, invoice tracking and final reporting to the State Foundation. She said per-partner payments vary by proposal and that there is not a uniform $8,000 allotment for every teaching artist; some partners receive smaller, single-school residencies while others receive larger multi-school contracts.

Committee members pressed for more transparent public reporting about how state funds flow through programs and for increased outreach to neighbor-island communities. Humphrey said the Alliance is launching statewide listening sessions as part of its strategic planning and will expand advocacy training this fall to equip artists and community members for civic engagement.

The Alliance asked the committee for continued collaboration during the interim to align policy priorities, improve communication between state agencies and community practitioners, and prepare for the next legislative session.