OHA awards $2.8M in grants to address Native Hawaiian health, culture, economy and homestead needs

Support for traditional healing practices, training for navigators involved in traditional Polynesian voyaging, business education for entrepreneurs, assistance for vulnerable populations and funding for neighborhood watch initiatives on homestead lands are just some of the projects that will be advanced thanks to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Grants Program.

At their September meeting, OHA trustees approved more than $2.8 million in grant awards to 16 community nonprofits that offer services targeting the Native Hawaiian community. 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.

“We are honored to invest in the incredible work of these community nonprofits whose missions are vital to the health, well-being and future of our Native Hawaiian community. These organizations represent the heartbeat of our community, and by working together we can create positive change for our people,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey. “These grant awards reaffirm OHA’s commitment to uplifting our people, and we are proud to partner with these dedicated groups as we collectively strive to raise a beloved lāhui.”

To increase community participation, OHA recently streamlined its grants process lowering application barriers for its nonprofit partners. The number of eligibility requirements has been reduced, and the application process and mandatory reporting requirements have been simplified.

Three nonprofits received a total of $517,609 in Ola Ke Kanaka-Physical, Spiritual, Mental & Emotional Health Grants including:

• Hui Mauli Ola has been awarded $117,609 for its Hāinu Lāʻau Wellness project which will educate Native Hawaiians on Oʻahu in traditional Hawaiian healing principles.
• Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaiʻi has been awarded $250,000 for its Mana Mama, Healthy Babies, Strong Families project which will deliver holistic care to hāpai and postpartum Native Hawaiian women across Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.
• ʻĀina Alliance has been awarded $150,000 for its Indigenous Healing Hub project which will educate Native Hawaiians on Kauaʻi on traditional healing practices such as lāʻau lapaʻau, lomilomi, ʻaipono and hoʻoponopono.

Two nonprofits received a total of $400,000 in Ola Ka Moʻomeheu-Culture Preservation & Perpetuation Grants including:

• Polynesian Voyaging Society has been awarded $200,000 for its Moananuiākea: A Voyage for Earth project which will train Native Hawaiian voyagers and navigators as well as educate Native Hawaiian students and youth across Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Kauaʻi, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi
• Ka Honua Momona International has been awarded $200,000 for its Mahuaola No Na Kualima (Nurturing the Next Generation) project which will improve the health and education of Molokaʻi children by holistically providing culturally rich and place-based programming to increase positive healthy life choices.

Five nonprofits received a total of $782,394 in Hoʻomohala Waiwai Kaiaulu-Community Economic Development Grants including:

• Waiʻanae Economic Development Council has been awarded $217,638 for its Native Hawaiian Entrepreneurship Initiative on the Wai’anae Coast project which will provide business education to Native Hawaiians in the areas of entrepreneurship, social enterprise and nonprofit development.
• Changemakers Community Economic Development Corporation has been awarded $134,756 for its Philanthropono Native Hawaiian Fundraising Certificate and Professional Certification System which will provide access to fundraising training and professional certification.
• Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association has been awarded $250,000 for its Entrepreneur Development and Capacity Building project which will strengthen community economic development by equipping Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs, nonprofits or community organizations with tangible pathways to enter the tourism sector and access new revenue streams.
• Mālama Kauaʻi has been awarded $55,000 for its Hui Hānai ʻAi project which will support Native Hawaiian farmers to achieve growth and stability through technical support including marketing and distribution assistance and grant-based capital investments in their operations.
• Lei Hoolaha CDFI has been awarded $125,000 for its Kaiaūlu Investment fund project which will invest affordable loan capital into Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses that have never received a loan from a bank.

Two nonprofits received a total of $251,581 in ʻĀina Hoʻopulapula- Hawaiian Homestead Communities Grants including:

• Mana Maoli has been awarded $141,944 for its Mana Mele Project intended to support Native Hawaiian youth enrolled or living near 10 Hawaiian-focused charter schools by connecting them to mentors and material resources to foster cultural and academic growth through musical storytelling.
• TiLeaf Group has been awarded $109,637 for its Homestead Neighborhood Watch Project which will train Native Hawaiians and institute neighborhood watch initiatives in four Hawaiian homestead communities on the island of Oʻahu.

Four nonprofits received a total of $873,065 in Ola Ka Lāhui-Vulnerable Populations Grants including:

• Hui Mahiʻai ʻĀina has been awarded $330,000 for its Waimānalo Vulnerable Populations project which will give homeless Native Hawaiians in Waimānalo a safe, drug-free place to live with access to food, medical care, social services and job skills training.
• Waimānalo Health Center has been awarded $323,065 for its Hale Kōkua Waiwai Program which will provide Native Hawaiian families and individuals who are currently homeless and those at risk of homelessness with rent or mortgage and/or deposit payments for rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention
• Kū Ānuenue has been awarded $100,000 for its Kū Ānuenue: No ka pono o ka Māhūi project which focuses on supporting Native Hawaiian māhū and queer people and their families who live on Hawaiʻi Island by increasing access to supportive relationships and safe environments and providing opportunities for social engagement and to learn cultural competencies.
• Housing Solutions Incorporated has been awarded $120,000 for its Mohala Mai project which will provide rent subsidies for Native Hawaiian Justice-involved women at Mohala Mai, an affordable supportive housing project of Housing Solutions Inc. in partnership with the Womenʻs Prison Project, which has a goal of preventing recidivism among Native Hawaiian women.

For more on OHA’s Grants Program please visit www.oha.org/grants.