OHA Awards Over $1M in Grants to 6 Hawaiʻi Island Programs

The OHA Board of Trustees approved $6 million in grants to 24 programs on Thursday, May 30, 2019. The programs will provide critical services to Native Hawaiians in the key areas of housing, income, health, education and culture.

Among these grant awardees are six Hawaiʻi Island programs that will receive a total of $1,129,290. Hawaiʻi Island will also be served by two statewide grant awardees.

The following grant awards are for specific Hawaiʻi Island projects:

KUPA Friends of Hoʻokena Beach Park, $99,920
The purpose of this project is to perpetuate Hawaiian cultural practice of ʻōpelu (mackerel scad) fishing as handed down to fishers in Hoʻokena and South Kona. The project will build on current OHA support to revitalize seasonal closures, train a new generation of ʻōpelu fishers and increase demand for traditionally-harvested ʻōpelu so these cultural practices continue.

Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi, $307,822
The purpose of Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi is to uplift the health of the Hawaiian nation. Hui Mālama’s indigenous knowledge programming aims to create a deeper understanding and practice of cultural methods by Native Hawaiians for their health and wellness via ho‘oponopono, lā‘au lapa‘au, lomilomi, and healthy hāpai (pregnancy).

Educational Services Hawaiʻi Foundation, $160,868
This project utilizes culture-based pedagogy to provide comprehensive differentiated instruction along with a variety of educationally-enriching activities, designed to increase the number of Native Hawaiian students in foster, kith and kinship care, to meet and exceed reading and math standards to achieve yearly grade promotion and graduation.

Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili, $120,480
The purpose of the Hoʻonohopapa Koholālele Project is to engage Native Hawaiian stewards of the ahupuaʻa of Koholālele in ʻāina restoration, Native Hawaiian research, and cultural regeneration to cultivate abundance, renew ancestral responsibilities, and empower ‘ohana with the capacity to live and thrive in Hāmākua for generations.

The Kohala Center Inc, $260,000
This project will re-establish native forest and stabilize two riparian restoration corridors in the ahupua‘a of Kawaihae. Our watershed restoration efforts with DHHL’s Kailapa Community will increase access to fresh water, provide habitat for native flora and fauna species and build Native Hawaiian stewardship capacity as aloha ‘āina practitioners.

Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, $180,200
The purpose of this project is to mālama the waters of Keaukaha surrounding the only remaining loko iʻa kuapā (fishpond) on the east side of Hawaiʻi Island through community engagement, education, research, social media and community events. This is a collaboration between Haleolono fishpond and Kaiaulu Hanakahi to mālama its coastal areas and to revive and sustain the local ecosystem.

Click here to read the full press release on the OHA’s Community Grants Program awardees, including the Hawaiʻi Island recipients.