Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority provides nearly $1 million to programs perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) has provided nearly $1 million in funding to organizations working to support and strengthen Native Hawaiian culture through tourism as part of its Kūkulu Ola program.

The Kūkulu Ola program supports organizations that perpetuate Hawaiian cultural practices, provide educational programming, preserve cultural sites, and build community pride.

“The Kūkulu Ola program enables us to invest directly in the people and organizations who are keeping Hawaiʻi’s culture thriving,” said Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of HTA. “These efforts enrich the lives of Hawaiʻi’s residents while giving visitors an opportunity to connect more deeply with our island home.”

Through the program, which is administered in partnership with Kilohana, $928,000 in funding was awarded to 26 community-based organizations committed to providing genuine experiences for residents and visitors statewide.

Many of the funded programs offer intergenerational learning opportunities, mentor emerging cultural leaders, and present authentic experiences that are accessible to both residents and visitors.

Three programs in Kauaʻi are being supported through the Kūkulu Ola program, including:

• An Interpretive Plan for Limahuli Tours – Creates new interpretive tools — signage, guidebooks and tour content — based on Hawaiian cultural values and practitioner collaboration, enhancing visitor understanding of the Limahuli Garden and Preserve.
  • Organized by the National Tropical Botanical Garden
• Hihiakalāhau – Revitalizes a 4.4-acre wahi pana along the Wailuā River into a cultural sanctuary for practitioners, residents and visitors. Formerly known as Kamokila Village, the site will feature traditional hale, gardens and educational spaces.
  • Organized by Pihana Ka ʻIkena
• The Mālie Foundation Festivals – Honors the legacy of Uncle Nathan Kalama through hula and music festivals, workshops and the Kauaʻi Mokihana Festival, fostering cultural pride and the transmission of hula and Hawaiian traditions.

One program located on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu was also supported:

• Moʻolelo Matters Speaker Series Screenings 2025–26 – Four free film screenings on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island, featuring the “ʻAi: Responsibilities and Privileges of Eating” series. The project explores the cultural, spiritual and environmental roles of food in Hawaiʻi, engaging residents and visitors through storytelling and discussion.
  • Organized by Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina

Two statewide programs supported by the Kūkulu Ola program, which includes:

• Kani a Ola: Economic Resilience for Mele Practitioners – Supports the financial sustainability of Kānaka ʻŌiwi mele practitioners by increasing earning potential, offering royalty training and creating paid performance opportunities, free public performances and workshops in resort areas, thus preserving mele as a cultural and economic resource for both residents and visitors.
  • Organized by Kāhuli Leo Leʻa
• Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Festival – Honors Hawaiʻi’s last monarch and perpetuates Hawaiian culture through the hula that features 25 hālau from Hawaiʻi and Japan competing in three categories.
  • Organized by Kalihi-Pālama Culture and Arts Society