Hula preservation society will complete the preservation of and expand national access to the kent ghirard collection, a unique american cultural archive documenting a pivotal period in hawai'i's…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Hula Preservation Society $249,981 on September 1, 2026, under the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program (CFDA 45.308) to preserve and expand national access to the Kent Ghirard Collection, a cultural archive documenting Hawaiʻi during the territorial era, World War II, and the path to statehood.

The recipient will assess, catalogue, and digitize materials in the collection, then disseminate the archive through a touring educational exhibition, workshops, and digital exhibition nationwide. Project activities will stabilize the collection and make it digitally accessible while activating the materials through educational programming that shares Ghirard's influential impact on hula.

Performance occurs in Kaneohe, Hawaii, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. The Hula Preservation Society is a nonprofit organization classified as minority-owned, woman-owned, and Native Hawaiian-owned, registered in SAM.gov since 2009 and focused on preserving Hawaiian cultural heritage through archival work and digital access.

Hula preservation society will complete the preservation of and expand national access to the kent ghirard collection, a unique american cultural archive documenting a pivotal period in hawai'i's history and its evolving relationship with the united states during the territorial ERA, world war II, and the years leading to statehood. Project activities will include assessing, cataloguing, and digitizing individual materials in the collection, and sharing the story of ghirard's influential impact on hula through a touring educational exhibit, workshops, and digital exhibition. The project will result in a stabilized collection that is digitally accessible nationwide and activated with a touring exhibition and related educational programs.