Office of Hawaiian Affairs awards $1.36 million in grants to four nonprofits

A $398,000 grant was awarded to Hawaiʻi Community Lending for its Native Hawaiian Owner-Builder Project as part of a $1.36 million grants package approved today by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. 

The Economic Stability Community Grant will help 58 Native Hawaiians in Nāʻiwa, Molokaʻi, by establishing a culturally relevant program that will increase access to capital, credit and technical assistance for Native Hawaiians to build and own homes on Hawaiian Home Lands.  

A $498,660 grant also was awarded to the Purple Maiʻa Foundation for its Mālama Design Studio, which plans to educate 20 Native Hawaiian business owners through a collaborative design research process that will result in the implementation of a technology solution to improve their businesses and ultimately cultivate economic development for Hawaiian communities.

Each participant will be provided a $2,500 stipend to implement a technology solution that improves their business. 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairsʻ  includes increasing the number of successful Native Hawaiian-owned businesses and increasing access to capital and credit to strengthen Native Hawaiian businesses and individuals.  

Two Health Community Grants were also announced, including a $220,000 award to Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke Building Program for its Mana ʻĀina, Mauli Ola project and a $250,000 award to Alu Like, Inc., for its Koho Pono project. OHA’s Health Community Grants supports initiatives, leverages partnerships and engages in strategies to promote healthy and strong families.  

In June, OHA announced more than $600,000 in community grant education awards along with ʻAhahui event grants, which were the first grant awards to be publicized this year.  

OHA’s Grants Program supports Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs and initiatives that serve the lāhui in alignment with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan.  

For more please visit www.oha.org/strategicplan/.