Sponsored by: Hawaiʽi Council for the Humanities (HCH), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP)
Project Cost: $16,697
Completed: 2022
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts United States Province received a grant award of $16,697 from Hawaiʽi Council for the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP). This grant program was an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with funding authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Its purpose was to provide funding for relief and recovery of nonprofit humanities organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the Sacred Hearts provincial archives and the suspension of all its outreach programs. The closure resulted in a decrease in visitor counts and revenue. It also impeded the ability of the archives to provide full access to its collections.
The SHARP grant award provided relief with partial funding of operational expenses for six months. It supported development of an archives website designed by Jason Kainoa Antonio of JKA Graphics. Through this website, the provincial archives is able to reengage with its target audiences as well as broaden its reach worldwide. Catalog records for collections materials, which were only accessible through an in-house database, are now accessible via an online platform hosted by PastPerfect Online. Researching the historical collections of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts is now no longer limited to on-site visits to the provincial archives.
