OHA Awards $1.36M in Grants

A $498,660 award to the Purple Maiʻa Foundation for its Mālama Design Studio is one of four grants in a $1.36 million grants package approved July 26 by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The Mālama Design Studio is intended to educate 20 Native Hawaiian business owners through a collaborative design research process that will result in the implementation of a technology solution that can improve their businesses and ultimately cultivate economic development for Hawaiian communities. Each participant will be provided a $2,500 stipend to implement a technology solution that improves their business.

The purposes of OHA’s Economic Stability Community Grant include increasing the number of successful Native Hawaiian-owned businesses and increasing access to capital and credit to strengthen Native Hawaiian businesses and individuals.

An economic stability grant of $398,000 was also awarded to Hawaiʻi Community Lending for its Native Hawaiian Owner-Builder Project which will increase the economic stability of 58 Native Hawaiians in Nāʻiwa, Molokaʻi, by establishing a culturally relevant program that will increase access to capital, credit and technical assistance for Native Hawaiians to build and own homes on Hawaiian Home Lands.

Two Health Community Grants were also announced, including a $220,000 award to Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke Building Program for its Mana ʻĀina, Mauli Ola project and a $250,000 award to Alu Like, Inc., for its Koho Pono project. OHA’s Health Community Grants supports initiatives, leverages partnerships and engages in strategies to promote healthy and strong families.

“We are proud to partner with such outstanding entities like Purple Maiʻa, Hawaiʻi Community Lending, Ma Ka Hana ʻIke Building Program and Alu Like, Inc., to address the economic and health needs of our people, and we salute them for their innovative strategies and programs that will serve Native Hawaiians,” OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey said.

In June, OHA announced more than $600,000 in community grant education awards along with ʻAhahui event grants which were the first grant awards to be publicized this year.

OHA’s Grants Program supports Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs and initiatives that serve the lāhui in alignment with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.

For more please visit www.oha.org/strategicplan/.