OHA Announces $14.9 Million in Grant Solicitations to Support Native Hawaiians

Grants targeted at strengthening family, culture and land connections and increasing supports in education, health, housing and economic stability.

HONOLULU (April 13, 2022) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) today announced it is making $14.9 million in grant solicitations available to support 12 granting categories intended to help Native Hawaiians.

OHA’s Grants Program aims to meet the needs of the Native Hawaiian community by providing support to Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs and initiatives that align with achieving the outcomes of OHA’s 15-year Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.

OHA currently receives $15.1 million a year in Public Land Trust revenues. This money goes directly to fund beneficiary and community investments, including grants and legal services. Last year, OHA awarded more than $16 million in grants to community organizations – a record amount for the agency.

“We have reorganized and streamlined our operations, so that all funds received from the Public Land Trust can go directly to our beneficiaries and support them in the areas of education, health, housing and economic stability,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey. “We’ve also set our overall two-year fiscal biennium budget for grants, including sponsorships, at $30.2 million, a record for OHA and up from the $24.5 million mark that we set for the last fiscal biennium.”

Solicitations cover community grants to strengthen ʻohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ‘āina (land) connections, and increase supports to Native Hawaiians for housing, education, health, and economic stability. OHA’s ʻAhahui Grant Program has doubled its available budget to support sponsorship of community events. Additionally grant applications will now be reviewed quarterly (instead of every 6-months) in order to accommodate community needs. View grants descriptions.

Grants orientation sessions will be offered as follows:

• Monday, April 18, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m. – “Overview of Grants Budget, Solicitations and Process Changes.” Session will be recorded and posted to website for future reference; your participation in the session is tacit permission to be recorded (e.g., image, likeness, voice).
• Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m. – “Technical Session.” Please refer to the posted, narrated orientation PowerPoint online at https://vimeo.com/696674206/1621e80c35. After reviewing the online PowerPoint, please feel free to submit questions to grantsinfo@oha.org by Monday, April 18, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. for discussion during the Tuesday, April 19, 2022, Technical Session. All questions, including those from the Tuesday, April 19, 2022, session, will be aggregated and a written response will be posted on the website no later than Friday, April 22, 2022. Again, participation in the session implies permission to be recorded (e.g., image, likeness, voice).
• Monday, April 25, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m. – “Munch and Mana‘o Work Session.” Online access to Grants Program staff to ask general questions or seek assistance regarding the applicant system. Another “Munch and Manaʻo Work Session” will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m.

Find the links for each orientation session and learn more about OHA’s new grant solicitations at www.oha.org/grants.