Six Big Island programs granted funding for perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture

Six Big Island organizations have been awarded grant funding for projects dedicated to supporting and strengthening Native Hawaiian culture by providing genuine experiences for residents and visitors statewide.

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has awarded $900,000 in funding to 30 community-based organizations through the end of the year as part of its Kūkulu Ola program, administered in partnership with Kilohana, a division of the Hawaiian Council (formerly the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement).

The organizations were selected for their ability to perpetuate Hawaiian cultural practices, provide educational programs, preserve cultural sites, and build community pride.

“These organizations are advancing Native Hawaiian culture through education, stewardship, and cultural practice,” said Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. “Kūkulu Ola supports their work to strengthen connections to place and help residents and visitors better understand the culture and values that define Hawaiʻi.”

Many of the funded projects offer intergenerational learning opportunities, mentor emerging cultural leaders, and present authentic experiences accessible to both residents and visitors.

Hawaiʻi Island

Destination Hilo Foundation received funding for Hilo Visitor Greetings and Hawaiian Cultural Programs, which provides music, entertainment, and networking services to thousands of visitors arriving at Hilo Pier and in Downtown Hilo.

Hui Aloha ʻĀina Momona received funding for Hānai Maile, a program aimed at perpetuating the traditional gathering, growing, and care of the native maile, a sacred indigenous vine.

Lighthouse Project received funding for Made for Hawaiʻi Market, an event to promote native Hawaiian artisans, crafters, and local food producers in a local marketplace.

Men of Paʻa received funding for Hoʻokahua i ka Ike: Imu Mea ʻAi Cultural Preservation System, which is a program that teaches the ancestral culinary practices around the imu (underground oven).

Pōhāhā I Ka Lani received funding for Kawaikapu o Hiʻilawe, an initiative to protects and restores the land and waters of Waipʻo Valley.

Volcano Art Center received funding for Arts of Hawaiʻi: Aloha Friday Programs at Kīlauea, which are free, weekly cultural demonstrations that feature traditional practices like lei making, kapa stamping, and lauhala weaving.

Statewide

The Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Foundation received funding for Hawaiian History Month, which includes free public concerts, hula performances, historical walking tours, and film screenings.

The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture received funding for Kaulele, a program that creates informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities through indigenous Hawaiian knowledge.

Kāhuli Leo Leʻa received funding for Kani a Ola: Economic Resilience for Mele Practitioners, supporting the financial sustainability of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) musical and oral historians..