OHA Seeks Nonprofit to Administer Native Hawaiian Scholarships

OHA announced on Sept. 20, 2019, that it is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to administer a $1.1 million grant for higher education scholarships for Native Hawaiian students.

Between 2010 and 2018, OHA provided more than 2,000 post-secondary education scholarships, totaling more than $5.6 million. The goal of this current grant is to increase the number of Native Hawaiian students who graduate with an undergraduate degree or higher, or who earn a vocational education certificate.

The program has two priority areas: 1) to support scholarships for Native Hawaiians who want to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees; and 2) to provide wrap-around scholarship services for non-traditional Native Hawaiian students to complete a post-secondary degree or complete vocational or technical education.

The grant period is from Feb. 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, with $550,000 allocated for each year.

The grant award is subject to approval by OHA’s Board of Trustees and subject to the availability of funding.

Nonprofits must submit an online application on or before 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.

OHA recommends that prospective applicants participate in one of two orientation sessions. The Sept. 25 orientation starts at 10 a.m. and is available via Skype. The Sept. 27 orientation also starts at 10 a.m. and will be held at OHA’s Honolulu office.

For more information about the grant, including the solicitation, online application and orientation schedule, visit www.oha.org/grants.

About the Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Established by the state Constitutional Convention in 1978, OHA is a semi-autonomous state agency mandated to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Guided by a board of nine publicly elected trustees, OHA fulfills its mandate through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and the funding of community programs. Learn more at www.oha.org.