Office of Hawaiian Affairs awards $2 million to support housing, education

The trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs awarded a $1.5 million grant to Hawaiian Community Assets that is intended to increase the occupancy readiness of Native Hawaiians by improving their financial capacity to rent or own homes.

The housing grant would create a Native Hawaiian Occupancy Ready database consisting of Native Hawaiians residing in Hawaiʻi who have enrolled in Housing and Urban Development housing counseling so they can access match savings, grants, loans and referrals to housing opportunities when they become available.

The database would connect Native Hawaiians with up-to-date information about Housing and Urban Development counseling services and grant and loan programs that would assist potential renters and homebuyers.  

A $300,000 economic stability grant also was awarded to Ma Ka Hana ‘Ike Building Program on Maui to provide job readiness training for students in vocational trades.

A $200,000 education grant also was awarded to the Purple Maia Foundation to equip Native Hawaiian students and kumu with artificial intelligence knowledge and skills increasing college, career and community readiness.  

A $10,000 ʻAhahui event grant was awarded to Hāna Arts to help support the Hāna Farmers Market.  

“It is our honor to partner with such solid community nonprofits that have long demonstrated the capacity to successfully serve the Hawaiian community,” said Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey, board chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. “Whether itʻs increasing the financial capacity of our people, providing job readiness training for our ʻopio, or building college and career readiness, we can most effectively strengthen our lāhui by working together in lōkahi. Our grants program is a key strategy in achieving that goal.”

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Grants Program supports Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations that have projects, programs and initiatives that serve the lāhui in alignment with Office of Hawaiian Affairsʻs strategic plan. For more on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Grants Program, visit www.oha.org/grants.