Hoʻākeolapono Trades Academy and Institute on Kauaʻi, and Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina and Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili on Hawaiʻi Island are among 16 Native Hawaiian nonprofits whose work is being supported by OHA grant funding.
HONOLULU (Oct. 20, 2023) – Two community nonprofits that would provide experiential employment and workforce development programs for Native Hawaiians highlight a slew of grant awards that were approved by Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ trustees yesterday.
An Economic Stability grant of $500,000 was awarded to the Homestead Community Development Corporation for its statewide Residential Employment Living Improvement Project, which would provide experiential employment opportunities and training including job placement services for an estimated 95 Native Hawaiians. Another $400,000 grant was awarded to the Hoʻākeolapono Trades Academy and Institute on Kauaʻi, for its Building Through Innovation Program which would offer workforce development services in the building and construction industry for an estimated 32 community members.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Grants Program supports Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs and initiatives that serve the lāhui (Hawaiian community) in alignment with OHA’s strategic plan, which targets economic, health, housing, and education strategic directions. More than $1.8 million was awarded yesterday to a total of 16 community nonprofits.
“It is our honor to stand side by side with these community partners as we work in unison to better the lives of the Native Hawaiians,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey. “Our intent is to strengthen our ‘ohana, our culture and our ‘āina, and together with these outstanding organizations, we can accomplish so much more for our beneficiaries.”
Six $100,000 ‘Āina Grants were awarded to:
Additionally, Ka Ipu Makani Cultural Heritage Center was awarded a $100,0000 Moʻomeheu grant for its Moaʻe Molokaʻi Digitization Project, which will assist with the preservation of content unique and specific to the Native Hawaiian Molokaʻi Community.
New Kākoʻo Grant Program Awards Announced
In July of 2023, OHA presented the first awards for its new Kākoʻo Grant Program. These grants are intended to strengthen community organizations’ grant applications and post-award monitoring and reporting – not just for OHA, but for county, state, federal and community resourcing as well.
Grants are intended for operational administration funding, andsupport services may include, but are not limited to: grant writers; program implementation and evaluation support; paying for financial audits, accountants and accounting services; business insurance; or Form 990 preparation.
Receiving $25,000 Kākoʻo Grants were Going Home Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Historical Society, and ʻAha Punana Leo, Inc; a $20,000 award went to Homestead Community Development Corporation and $15,000 was awarded to J. Walter Cameron Center.
Yesterday, trustees approved the awarding of Kākoʻo Grants of $25,000 to Laʻiʻōpua 2020, ʻĀina Alliance and Infinite Reach [dba Native Hawaiian Innovation Institute], and $15,000 awards to The Men of PAʻA and the Kalaeloa Heritage & Legacy Foundation.
For more on OHA’s Grants Program please visit www.oha.org/grants.
