FY 2026 HŌʻIHI Grant Program Awardees

NHO: ʻĀina Momona

Project: Hōʻihi i Honuaʻula - Establishes a Native Hawaiian-led cultural-tourism platform in Maui's highest-traffic resort district (Wailea/Honuaʻula) that reframes the visitor experience around respect and kuleana through a visitor orientation framework and voluntary visitor-contribution model for long-term sustainability. Delivers 12+ ocean-resource educational presentations at hotels island-wide integrating ʻike Hawaiʻi to build visitor and resident understanding of Maui's marine systems and associated Native Hawaiian cultural practices.

NHO:  Hawaiʻi Land Trust - Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Refuge

Project: Reclaiming ʻĀina Momona - Restores a 7-acre loko iʻa kalo (fishpond and taro system) and engages residents, visitors, and hospitality venues through twice-monthly Volunteer Days where participants work alongside staff and cultural practitioners on wall restoration, loʻi kalo maintenance, invasive species removal, and native planting.

NHO: Hōlani Hāna, Inc.

Project: Mālama Maui Hikina 2.0 - Develops and disseminates the Maui Hikina Collective Stewardship Standards (MHCSS), an ʻāina-centered framework establishing pono guidelines for visitor and tour operator engagement with East Maui's lands, people, and culturally significant places. Pilots a training and certification program for tour operators and visitor industry professionals, reates visitor-facing messaging products distributed through hotel and venue partnerships, and establishes a proof-of-concept for long-term economic self-determination through community-controlled revenue streams.

NHO: Hula Preservation Society

Project: Ka Lei O Nā Hula - Provides community education and engagement for specific hula practices through in-person engagements and events with 4 exhibitions (1 physical, 3 digital via HPS's Digital ʻUmeke portal) drawn from HPS's lifetime-co-created elder archive. Reaches hula practitioners, cultural travelers, international indigenous education delegates, and Waikīkī visitors through place-based, practitioner-led experiences.

NHO: Kōkua Kalihi Valley - Hoʻoulu ʻĀina

Project: Ola Koa - Trains 60 Kalihi residents across 3 cohorts in wood milling, traditional woodworking, and forest stewardship, targeting 45 transitions into employment, apprenticeship, or self-employment through a new wood-mill facility ("Hale Lauele") currently under construction. Outcomes include the distribution of milled wood products crafted from invasive species removed during forest restoration and targeting specific buyer relationships cultivated through programming.

NHO: Kūkolu

Project: Alaea — A Native Hawaiian Entrepreneur Pathway into Hawaiʻi's Visitor Industry - This initiative will create a hospitality‑venue marketplace and provide training opportunities for Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs. Over two years, two major events on Oʻahu will engage at least 40 participants through structured training sessions. Each activation is grounded in cultural programming, with practitioners compensated through a formal fee model that professionalizes work that has traditionally relied on volunteer cultural labor.

NHO: Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli

Project: Kulāiwi Connection - An expansion of previous grant-funded work, this phase of the Kulāiwi Connection establishes sustained operations by building on existing tour content, trained staff, and established hotel and vendor relationships. The program delivers twice‑weekly, small‑group educational tours that connect visitors to kalo cultivation, native plant restoration, and Native Hawaiian stewardship at Māhaʻihaʻi. It also supports two continuing local positions that form the core workforce and provide essential capacity for ongoing operations and business development.

NHO: Waipā Foundation

Project: Education, Community, and Capacity Building at Waipa Farmers Market - Assists in transforming Waipā’s weekly farmers market from an unstructured, traffic‑hazardous operation into a structured cultural and economic hub. The project resolves chronic highway backups and access issues through dedicated parking and setup support, enabling market staff to focus on vendor coordination, community partnerships, and expanded cultural programming. It funds Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and musicians to provide Hana Noʻeau demonstrations and live music designed to deepen visitor engagement and connect them to Waipā’s Food and Farm Tours and workshops. The effort also establishes free tent space for Native Hawaiian and ʻāina‑based nonprofits to strengthen community networks and support youth entrepreneurial exposure.

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