2026 Schools of the Future Conference

Scholarships for Early Childhood Program Directors

For Licensed Private Preschool Directors

Thanks to the continued support from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, the Schools of the Future Conference is pleased to offer a limited number of registration and travel scholarships for directors of licensed private preschools to attend the 2026 Conference.

Early Childhood Preschool Directors from private, licensed preschools are invited to complete the application below to apply for a scholarship to attend the 2026 Schools of the Future Conference. Participants who reside on Oʻahu are only eligible for the 1-Day registration scholarships. Both the travel and 1-Day registration scholarships are available for those who reside on the neighbor islands (Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island)

All scholarship recipients are expected to attend a special reception event hosted by the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, which will take place the evening of Wednesday, October 21, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. There is no additional charge for the reception.

SOTF Registration Scholarships — For Private Preschool Directors from O’ahu and Neighbor Islands

Scholarships are available for a 1-day SOTF ticket, valued at $300 to attend the Private Preschool Directors Day programming. Scholarships will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis with a maximum of one (1) per preschool to the first 50 applicants.

Scholarship Eligibility and Requirements:

Applicants must be program directors from non-public, licensed, O’ahu-based or Neighbor private preschools that serve children under the age of 5 years old.
Each applicant must complete their own application.
The recipient will have 30 days to register using the discount code noted in the award letter.
Attendance is required on Day 1, October 21st which is the Preschool Programs Director’s day and the Preschool Programs Director’s Reception meeting. Completion of the participant feedback survey is also required of award recipients.

SOTF Travel Scholarships — For Private Preschool Directors from Neighbor Islands

The SOTF Early Childhood Education (ECE) travel scholarships are intended for program directors from private preschools located on the Hawaiian Neighbor Island (Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island). Scholarship awards will be limited to one per preschool or program.

Awards will be granted in an amount up to $225 for attending Day 1 of the conference which is October 21, 2026. The awards are intended to defray the costs of attending the Schools of the Future Conference and can be used to cover airfare, lodging and transportation. Reimbursement of expenses up to the maximum amount of the award will occur upon completion of the event and will only be paid out once attendance is verified. Please note that all receipts must be submitted to the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools to receive the reimbursement. Instructions for requesting reimbursement will be provided following the conference.

Scholarship Eligibility and Requirements:

Open to licensed non-public preschool directors serving children under the age of 5 years from Neighbor Island (Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island) private preschools.
Applicants must complete their own application.
The recipient will have 30 days to register using the discount code noted in the award letter.
Attendance is required on Day 1, October 21st which is the Preschool Programs Director’s day and the Preschool Programs Director’s Reception meeting. Completion of the participant feedback survey is also required of award recipients in order to receive reimbursement for travel expenses.

Deadline to apply: Friday, September 18, 2026 or until funds have been depleted. Notifications will be sent as applications are received and within two weeks of submission.

Please contact Dani Masuda with any questions.

SOTF Private Preschool Program Directors Scholarship Application

SOTF Arts Scholarships

Thanks to a generous grant from the Stevens World Peace Foundation, the Schools of the Future Conference is pleased to offer two scholarship opportunities. A limited number of registration scholarships are available for Oʻahu-based public, charter, and private school teachers and a limited number of need-based travel scholarships for Hawaii-based teachers from neighbor island public, charter, and private school teachers are available to attend the 2026 SOTF Conference.

All award recipients are required to attend the conference on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, which is when the arts-focused keynote presentation will take place. Participants who are awarded a 2-day ticket are required to attend both days of the conference (October 21-22, 2026).

Oʻahu-Based Registration Scholarship

Preference will be given to art teachers and educators who can demonstrate a commitment to integrating art into their work with students and who are interested in cultivating peace through the use of arts within their classrooms.

Scholarships are available for either a 1-day ticket for Wednesday, October 21 (valued at $300) or 2-day SOTF ticket (valued at $600). Scholarships will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis with a maximum of (2) recipients per school.

Scholarship Eligibility and Requirements:

Applicants must be classroom teachers from Oʻahu-based public, private and charter schools that serve children in a K-12 setting.
Preference will be given to art teachers or educators who integrate the arts into their curriculum.
Applicants must be willing to speak to their vision to “cultivate peace through the arts” in their application.
Each applicant must complete their own application.
The recipient will have 30 days or up until September 28, 2026, to register using the discount code noted in the award letter.
Attendance at the following SOTF Conference events and completion of a post-conference survey are required for award recipients.

Requirements for participants attending only on Wednesday, October 21

Attend the Arts & Peace Keynote on Wednesday, October 21
Visit and check in at the Arts & Peace Playground
Attend the Arts & Peace Featured Speaker on Wednesday, October 21
Attend two additional sessions in the Arts & Peace track.

Requirements for participants attending both Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22

Attend the Arts & Peace Keynote on Wednesday, October 21
Visit and check in at the Arts & Peace Playground
Attend the Arts & Peace Featured Speaker on Wednesday, October 21
Attend two additional sessions in the Arts & Peace track per day

Neighbor Island Travel Scholarship

Preference will be given to art teachers and educators from public, charter, and private schools on any neighbor island (Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokai, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi island) who can demonstrate a commitment to integrating art into their work with students and who are interested in cultivating peace through the use of arts within their classrooms.

A maximum of two travel scholarships will be awarded to educators from the same school. All award recipients are required to attend the conference on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, which is when the arts-focused keynote presentation will take place. Participants who are awarded a 2-day travel scholarship are required to attend both days of the conference (October 21-22, 2026).

Awards will be granted in an amount up to $500 if attending the conference for 2 days, or up to $225 if attending only 1 day of the conference. The awards are intended to offset the cost of attending the Schools of the Future Conference and can be used to cover airfare, lodging, and roundtrip transportation to and from the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort on Oʻahu. Reimbursement of expenses up to the maximum amount of the award will occur upon completion of the event and will only be paid out once attendance at the conference is verified. Please note that all receipts must be submitted to the Hawai’i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) to receive the reimbursement. All eligible expenses will only be reimbursed up to the granted amount.

Neighbor Island applicants are only eligible for the Travel Scholarships and cannot apply for the Registration Scholarships. The travel scholarships do not include conference registration. All recipients of the travel scholarships are responsible for completing registration and are required to pay the conference fee in effect at the time of registration.

Scholarship Eligibility and Requirements:

Open to teachers from any neighbor island (Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokai, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island) public, charter, or private school that serve children in grades K-12.
Preference will be given to art teachers or educators who integrate the arts into their curriculum.
Applicants must be willing to speak to their vision to “cultivate peace through the arts” in their application.
Each applicant must complete their own application.

Requirements if selected:

Registration must be paid in full ahead of the SOTF Conference.
Attendance at the following SOTF Conference events and completion of a post-conference survey are required in order to receive reimbursement for travel-related expenses.

Requirements for participants attending only on Wednesday, October 21

Attend the Arts & Peace Keynote on Wednesday, October 21
Visit and check in at the Arts & Peace Playground
Attend the Arts & Peace Featured Speaker on Wednesday, October 21
Attend two additional sessions in the Arts & Peace track.

Requirements for participants attending both Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22

Attend the Arts & Peace Keynote on Wednesday, October 21
Visit and check in at the Arts & Peace Playground
Attend the Arts & Peace Featured Speaker on Wednesday, October 21
Attend two additional sessions in the Arts & Peace track per day

Deadline to apply: Friday, September 18, 2026, or until funds are depleted.
Notifications will be sent as applications are received and within two weeks of submission.

Please contact Dani Masuda with any questions.

Registration Scholarship (Oʻahu) Travel Scholarship (Neighbor Island)