HŌʻIHI NATIVE Act Grant Program for Native Hawaiian Organizations (United States)

Deadline: 21-Jun-23

The Interior Business Ceter is seeking applications for the HŌʻIHI NATIVE Act Grant Program to establish a more inclusive national travel and tourism strategy and has the potential to deliver significant benefits for Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) as distinctly defined in the NATIVE Act, including job creation, elevated living standards and expanded economic opportunities.

Purpose

The Hawaiian value of hōʻihi (to treat with reverence or respect), as reflected in the ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) “E hōʻihi aku, e hōʻihi mai,” meaning “show respect, get respect”, represents the core principle of ONHR’s HŌʻIHI Grant Program. Through showing respect, visitors (tourists) can then be welcomed as guests with a shared kuleana (responsibility) in perpetuating the values and importance of Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and cultural practices. This ʻōlelo noʻeau serves as a foundational guide for ONHR’s HŌʻIHI Grant Program to aide in actions that:

• Showcase the heritage, places, art, foods, traditions, history and continuing vitality of the Native Hawaiian Community;
• Identify, enhance, revive, or maintain lōea (cultural traditions and practices), wahi kūpuna (ancestral spaces) and wahi pana (sacred spaces) that are important to sustain the distinctiveness of the Native Hawaiian Community; and
• Provide for authentic and respectful visitor experiences in Hawaiʻi;

Program Priorities for 2023

For fiscal year 2023, ONHR will fulfill the core principles of the HŌʻIHI Program by providing grant funding to successful NHO applicants who meet the criteria for one or more of the following priorities:

• Uplift, perpetuate, and in some cases revive, traditional Native Hawaiian practices (e.g., ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, kapa making, lauhala and kaula weaving, hula, amongst many others including lesser known practices) by creating opportunities for demonstrations, visitor education on history, usage, and protocols, or hands-on visitor participation experiences in the cultural practice;
• Support the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources, wahi kūpuna, and wahi pana at areas impacted by tourism;
• Enhance the entrepreneurial capacity for the Native Hawaiian Community by helping create business opportunities in the visitor industry, offering business development training, or stimulating economic activity; OR
• Undertake related activities with visitors that convey respect and reaffirm the principle of reciprocation to the place, resources, and traditional knowledge holders and practitioners.
• For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), Native Hawaiian cultural practices may include, but are not limited to, traditional: farming practices, food preparation, material gathering and production of implements, products, and adornments, and cultural activities such as dance, chant, song, arts, construction, and recreation.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Funding $1,000,000
• Maximum Award $200,000
• Minimum Award $50,000
• Duration for a performance period of twelve to thirty-six months beginning on the award date.

Eligibility Criteria

• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Others
• Additional Information on Eligibility
  • Applicants must meet the definition of and criteria for a “Native Hawaiian Organization:
    • A nonprofit organization;
    • That serves the interests of Native Hawaiians;
    • That is recognized for having expertise in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, including tourism; and
    • In which Native Hawaiians serve in substantive and policymaking positions.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.