The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has awarded over $600,000 to several organizations and events across the islands. A total of 13 OHA grant programs are being funded this year.
“OHA cannot achieve its vision of raising a beloved lāhui alone, and our goal is to support organizations and community entities that are already successfully serving the lāhui in the areas of education, health, housing and the economy,” said Carmen “Hulu”, chair of the OHA board of directors. said Lindsey in a press release. “By collaborating in the spirit of lōkahi, together we can achieve so much more.”
The grants include a $220,000 award to support Hoʻokākoʻo Corp.’s Ke Awa Ho’omalu (Safe Harbor) program, one of three education-focused grants announced on Tuesday, June 28. The two-year grant will increase access for Native Hawaiian schoolchildren and their families to educational, behavioral, and mental health services grounded in Hawaiian culture.
Waimea Middle School is one of the schools where Ke Awa Hoʻomalu will be implemented. The other is Kualapuʻu Nursery and Elementary School on Molokaʻi.
The Community Grants-Education and ʻAhahui Grants program scholarships, totaling more than $600,000, are the first OHA scholarships to be announced this year. This is the first of four rounds of awards the OHA will hold throughout the year for the Ahahui Grants Program.
The goal of the OHA Community Grants-Education program is to support cultural and community programs that use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and nohona Hawaiʻi to meet the educational needs of families and communities.
Additional scholarships have been awarded to:
- Hawaii Foundation Educational Services. The foundation received $180,000 to support its “Imi” Ike Learning Centers on the Big Island, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi and Kauaʻi.
- Laʻiōpua 2020. The Big Island non-profit organization has received $141,000 for its Waʻa Project, which aims to close the Haumāna educational achievement gap by improving their knowledge of Native Hawaiian language and culture and the systems of traditional learning.
The ‘Ahahui Grant Program provides funding to nonprofit organizations that organize a one-time community event that aligns with the framework of the OHA’s strategic plan and provides meaningful benefits to the Native Hawaiian community.
Ahahui awards totaling $72,170 were awarded to 10 organizations in the first round of grants.
Grants include:
- $10,000 to Aloha Week Hawaiʻi for its Aloha Festival Parade.
- $10,000 to Laʻiōpua for “Kona Mele-A Tribute to Kona”.
- $9,900 in support of ODKF for Duke’s Ocean Fest.
- $9,000 to the Big Island Substance Abuse Council for its Summer Jam.
- $8,200 to Ke Ao Haliʻi for Pule ʻĀina o Mokae a me Makaʻalae.
- $7,500 to Na Mamo O Muʻolea for Hanana No Nā Limu.
- $5,050 to Adult Friends for Youth for the PEARL conference.
- $5,400 to Kaikeha INC. for the Garden Island Boogie Board Classic and the Hubb Keiki Fest.
- $4,600 to Hana Arts for Uniting the East Maui Community.
- $2,520 to Ka Laʻi a ʻEhu for Lā Kūpuna and Lā ʻEhunui.
The OHA awarded some $16 million in grants to community organizations last fiscal year, a record for the agency. OHA grant programs make up the largest portion of the organization’s annual budget and support Hawaii-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs, and initiatives that serve the lāhui in accordance with the Mana Strategic Plan i Mauli Ola of the OHA.
Learn more about the OHA and its programs by clicking here.
