OHA Awards More Than $2.8M in Grants

Support for traditional healing practices, training for next generation navigators, 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 (OHA) Grants Program.

At their September meeting, OHA trustees approved more than $2.8 million in grant awards to 16 community nonprofits offering services for the Native Hawaiian community. OHA’s Grants Program supports Hawaiʻi-based nonprofits 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, wellbeing 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.

To increase community participation, OHA has streamlined its grants process lowering application barriers. The number of eligibility requirements were reduced, and the application process and mandatory reporting requirements were simplified.

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

• Hui Mauli Ola was awarded $117,609 for it Hāinu Lāʻau Wellness project to educate Hawaiians on Oʻahu in traditional Hawaiian healing principles.
• Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaiʻi was awarded $250,000 for its Mana Mama, Healthy Babies, Strong Families project to deliver holistic care to hāpai and postpartum Native Hawaiian women across Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.
• ʻĀina Alliance was awarded $150,000 for its Indigenous Healing Hub project to 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 was awarded $200,000 for its Moananuiākea: A Voyage for Earth project to train Native Hawaiian voyagers and navigators and educate Hawaiian youth across Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Kauaʻi, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi
• Ka Honua Momona International was awarded $200,000 for its Mahuaola No Na Kualima (Nurturing the Next Generation) project to improve the health and education of Molokaʻi children by providing culturally rich, place-based programming to increase healthy life choices.

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

• Waiʻanae Economic Development Council was awarded $217,638 for its Native Hawaiian Entrepreneurship Initiative on the Wai’anae Coast project to provide business education in the areas of entrepreneurship, social enterprise and nonprofit development.
• Changemakers Community Economic Development Corporation was awarded $134,756 for its Philanthropono Native Hawaiian Fundraising Certificate and Professional Certification System to provide access to fundraising training and professional certification.
• Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association was awarded $250,000 for its Entrepreneur Development and Capacity Building project to strengthen community economic development by equipping entrepreneurs, nonprofits or community organizations with tangible pathways to enter the tourism sector and access new revenue streams.
• Mālama Kauaʻi was awarded $55,000 for its Hui Hānai ʻAi project which will support Native Hawaiian farmers to achieve growth and stability through technical support, marketing and distribution assistance, and grant-based capital investments in their operations.
• Lei Hoʻolaha CDFI was awarded $125,000 for its Kaiaūlu Investment fund project to invest affordable loan capital into Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses which 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 was awarded $141,944 for its Mana Mele Project intended to support 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 was awarded $109,637 for its Homestead Neighborhood Watch Project to 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 was awarded $330,000 for its Waimānalo Vulnerable Populations project to give homeless Native Hawaiians a safe, drug-free place to live with access to food, medical care, social services and job skills training.
• Waimānalo Health Center was awarded $323,065 for its Hale Kōkua Waiwai Program to 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 of 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 Hawaiian women.

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