Resources
Providing resources to our lāhui is one way that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) fulfills its purpose.
OHA provides grants to support the operations and projects of Hawaiian-serving nonprofit organizations; sponsorships of events that directly benefit the Native Hawaiian community; and loans to Native Hawaiian-owned businesses and personal loans to Native Hawaiian ‘ohana.
In terms of communicating with our community, a key resource is the publication of our monthly Ka Wai Ola newspaper designed to inform, uplift and inspire our lāhui. OHA also maintains multiple social media platforms to share timely news and information, has a YouTube channel where livestreams of OHA Board of Trustee meetings can be viewed – along with a library of videos on a variety of topics that OHA has produced over the years, and our issues-oriented Kamakakoʻi website.
In the realm of information and data, OHA beneficiaries can access a collection of reports and research that include cultural, historical, and ʻāina research, demographic studies, and special projects. In addition, the world’s most comprehensive collection of Native Hawaiian historical and cultural information is available online via OHA’s Kīpuka Database (a searchable online geographic information system), Native Hawaiian Data Book and Papakilo Database.
Resources
- Grants – OHA’s Community Grants Program supports projects, programs and initiatives that address OHA’s 2020-2035 Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan priorities.
- Loans – OHA is committed to ensuring Native Hawaiians and their ‘ohana have access to resources to assist them in pursuing their financial goals.
- Ka Wai Ola – OHA’s monthly newspaper is published by OHA’s Communications Department. Ka Wai Ola has about 70,000 subscribers and strives to create rich content geared toward informing and inspiring our lāhui.
- Kīpuka Database – A geographical information system (GIS) utilizing the latest mapping technologies to provide insight into Native Hawaiian land, culture and history.
- Native Hawaiian Data Book – A compilation of basic demographic data on Hawaiians to identify gaps and important issues to ensure OHA’s actions and initiatives are based on the best information available.
- Papakilo Database – A comprehensive “database of databases” that includes a variety of data collections pertaining to historically and culturally significant places, events, and documents in Hawai’i’s history – including 19th century Hawaiian language newspapers.
- Reports and Research – A collection of reports and surveys intended to help guide strategic direction and policy decisions.
- Event Sponsorships – OHA provides funding support for nonprofit organizations to host events that provide significant benefits to the Native Hawaiian community.
- Kamakakoʻi – A website to engage, inform, activate and rally the lāhui on various community issues.
- Scholarship Directory – To kākoʻo our lāhui, OHA has compiled a directory of higher education scholarships with links.
