Maui Hui Mālama receives $410,000 OHA grant to support Native Hawaiian youth

The Wailuku-based nonprofit Maui Hui Mālama has been awarded a $410,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to expand its educational services for Native Hawaiian youth and families in Maui County.
The funding supports the organization’s initiative, “Breaking Barriers and Creating Connections to Education, Careers, and Culture,” which aims to strengthen ties to ʻohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻāina (land and water) through integrated, culturally grounded services.
The grant was initially awarded as $136,666 under OHA’s Kumuwaiwai Naʻauao – Educational Resources Grant. It will now be disbursed annually for three years, totaling $410,000, to support programming aligned with OHA’s Mana i Maoli Ola Strategies and Outcomes.
The program provides one-on-one tutoring, case management and Hawaiian cultural and art activities to help Native Hawaiian youth overcome barriers to education and career development. It also connects families with resources through warm-touch referrals and personalized support.
“If I had to describe in one word how this opportunity to partner with OHA has helped us, it would be community,” said Daisha-Ann Malagamaalii, program manager at Maui Hui Mālama. “With OHA’s support we’re able to meet and welcome new youth and provide our families with even more meaningful Hawaiian cultural opportunities to learn together. Caregivers get a chance to see their children, especially the ones who struggle in school, be inspired and motivated to learn and become the helpers and leaders who then support the younger keiki. Everyone who works with our keiki and ‘ōpio, from cultural practitioners and mentors to tutors and art instructors, believe in them and understand that it’s all of our responsibility as their community to support and celebrate them in reaching their educational potential and dreams.”
Founded in 1973, Maui Hui Mālama serves Maui’s marginalized youth, ages 5-24, with basic needs supports, educational services and project and place-based learning opportunities through programs in tutoring, art, culture and youth entrepreneurship.
To learn more about Maui Hui Mālama, follow them on Instagram @mauihui or on Facebook at Maui Hui Mālama, or visit their website mauihui.org.