Alakaʻina Foundation, Bering Straits Native Corporation sign agreement between two Native-led organizations

The Alakaʻina Foundation and Bering Straits Native Corporation, two Native-led organizations, formalized an agreement at a signing ceremony at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama in Honolulu. As part of the event, the Alaska Native corporation donated $50,000 to three Hawaiʻi organizations, including the Maui Economic Development Board.

The Alakaʻina Foundation is a Hawaiʻi nonprofit charitable trust that supports ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, technology and aloha ʻāina wellbeing initiatives, according to a news release. Bering Straits Native Corporation, known as BSNC, was established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and is owned by more than 8,200 Alaska Native shareholders. The Pauahi Foundation, a longtime partner of the Alakaʻina Foundation, hosted the ceremony.

Alakaʻina Foundation President Kimo Wong said the signing represents more than an agreement.

“We affirm a union built on trust, grounded in purpose and oriented toward something greater than either of us could achieve alone,” Wong said.

BSNC President Cindy Towarak Massie said her organization was honored to sign on the homelands of the Hawaiian people. Alaska and Hawaiʻi share strong connections between people and their lands and waters, she said.

The release identifies Bering-Alakaʻina Holdings LLC as a new entity representing the organizations’ shared mission and vision. It did not provide financial terms or explain the agreement’s structure.

The Alakaʻina Foundation Family of Companies has provided workforce development, education and culturally grounded programming for Native Hawaiians and underserved communities for more than two decades, according to the release. The release describes BSNC as steward of the Alakaʻina companies.

The Alakaʻina Foundation gave BSNC a lei hulu, or feather lei, named Kaʻalehoʻopili. The foundation described the name as meaning “the wave in open ocean that unites and holds fast across great distances.”

BSNC’s $50,000 community investment went to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, the Maui Economic Development Board and Lunalilo Home. The release did not say how much each organization received.

Pono Maʻa, executive director of the Pauahi Foundation, called the Alakaʻina Foundation “an amazing example of ʻōiwi leadership at work.” The Pauahi Foundation looks forward to welcoming BSNC as a partner, Maʻa said.

BSNC Board Chairman Robert “Bobby” Evans said he hopes the agreement benefits the communities the organizations serve for generations.

The Alakaʻina Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 2026. The trust and support of organizations such as the Pauahi Foundation are intended to serve the Native Hawaiian community in perpetuity, Wong said.