Apply now for the Ho’ākoakoa Lāhui Event Sponsorship Program!
Purpose
The purpose of the Hoʻākoakoa Lāhui Event Sponsorship Program is to provide funding support for nonprofit organizations to host events that provide significant benefits to the Native Hawaiian community; align with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan; and offer OHA valuable opportunities for community engagement, partnerships, and public relations. Hoʻākoakoa Lāhui means “to assemble the lāhui together.” This program is a consolidation of OHA’s former sponsorship and ʻAhahui grant programs.
Qualified Events
All events must occur within the State of Hawaiʻi. Eligible events include the following:
- Award/Recognition events
- Building dedications or groundbreaking ceremonies
- Community events that are free to the public and increase access to public and private resources, programs, and information
- Community events that are free to the public and celebrate or highlight our aliʻi or significant historical events
- Community gatherings of Native Hawaiian practitioners for the purpose of education and/or to perpetuate cultural practices
- Community events that provide services that benefit our ʻāina and culture (mālama ʻāina, mālama iwi kūpuna, ʻōiwi wellbeing, etc.)
- Native Hawaiian conventions
- Fundraisers or charity events that benefit the Native Hawaiian community
Note: Multi-day events are allowed, however, event dates must occur within a 30-day (one month) period. Events that extend beyond 30 days are ineligible. OHA funds shall not be used for entertainment or perquisites (perks) per HRS 10-17(b)(3) however, HRS 10-17(b) does not expressly prohibit grantees from having or providing “entertainment or perquisites” as some aspect of their event.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a nonprofit, community-based organization in the State of Hawaiʻi verifiable by a required IRS letter of determination.
- Must complete the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Hoʻākoakoa Lāhui event application.
- Must submit a certificate of vendor compliance.
- Must submit a W-9.
- Must comply with all HRS 10-17 requirements.
- Maximum budget request is $15,000.00, no minimum requirement. Requests for exceptions to the maximum budget request require justification in the comments/questions section of the application.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria in the table below. The information is requested as part of the Hoʻākokakoa Lāhui application.
Important Information
- Deadlines for Application Submissions:
- Fiscal Year 2025
February Events: Closed
March 2025 Events: Closed
April – June 2025 Events: 30 Days Prior to Event
- Fiscal Year 2026
July – September 2025 Events: March 31, 2025
October – December 2025 Events: June 2, 2025
January – March 2026 Events: September 1, 2025
April – June 2026 Events: December 1, 2025
- Applications will be evaluated by assigned OHA staff. If recommended for approval, request will be taken before OHA’s Board of Trustees (BOT) for approval. Event representatives will be asked to attend the BOT meeting in person or virtually to represent the event and organization and be available to provide additional information and answer any questions.
- Note: Organizations shall be awarded no more than one (1) OHA grant to support an event within any given fiscal year (i.e., July 1 – June 30) and only one (1) OHA grant shall be awarded per event. Organizations may be awarded an OHA sponsorship to support an event in the same fiscal year as an award to support a project through a community grant.
OHA’s 10-17 granting authority is the ONLY authority through which OHA will fund nonprofit events or act as an event sponsor.
