Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 2, 1 February 1994 — OHA awards over $700,000 in grants [ARTICLE]

OHA awards over $700,000 in grants

by Jeff Clark Thanks to funding from the Offīce of Hawaiian Affairs: • Intermediate school students will attend a summertime Hawaiian culture immersion eamp mn by the state Department of Education. The Tri-Isle RC&D Council will attempt to eradicate snails in the kalo fields of Ke'anae by having workers use flocks of ducks.

• The Kona Outdoor Educational Circle will build a Hawaiian rock wall built around Kealakōwa'a Heiau, an ancient canoe-building temple in Kailua-Kona. These are a few of the 28 projects, totaling $753,549, that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is funding this year. "This represents an infusion of three-quarters of a million dollars to help the Hawaiian people," said OHA chairman Clayton Hee.

"It sends a message that OHA intends to serve Hawaiians in more meaningful ways as we receive the funds to do so." OHA's board of trustees approved Dec. 30 the first setof grants since implementing the office's Grants, Subsidies and Purchase of Services Program in 1993. "The grants system is a very positive thing by whieh we ean funnel tmst fund monies to peo-

ple that are Hawaiian or to activities that will have a positive impact on Hawaiians," said trustee Moses K. Keale, chairman of OHA's planning committee. "Finally we ean start giving the money directly out to the people it should benefit." Last July OHA's planning office published grant application packets that included guidelines, and the deadline to apply was Sept. 24. Almost 700 applications were distributed; 1 15 proposals totaling $6.7 million in requests were submitted. Not all made the cut. More Hawaiians should start attending OHA's grantwriting workshops, said OHA planning officer Chris Va0es. Eight workshops were held between July and October of 1993 and were attended by 170 people. "Most people don't know how to write grants - it's not something you do every day, it's not something you leam in school," Valles said. "Writing a good grant proposal is a special skill, and like anything else you get better at it with practice, so it helps if you have a little training in the beginning." The next grants application deadline is April 29, and a new series of statewide workshops is being scheduled. Watch Ka Wai

Ola O OHA for this schedule. For fiscal year 1993 (July 1, 1993 - June 30 1994), the board of tmstees approved a grants program of $1 million, divided this way: • 60% grants; • 30% purchases of service; • 5% donations; • 5% emergency grants. Funding for the next fiscal year (July 1, 1994 - June 30, 1995) will consist of half a million dollars plus 15 percent of ineome from OHA investments up to $2.5 million, bringing the possible grant total to $3 million. Grant proposals are reviewed by a panel of experts and approved by OHA committees. The review considers relevance to OHA's goals and objectives, impact on the Hawaiian eommunity, potential for success, technieal quality, and qualifications. Grant awardees include Kalama Productions, whieh will create a video version of the Kumulipo, the epie Hawaiian creation chant. Scholar Rubellite Kawena Johnson will assist Dave Kalama in the production. The Wai'anae Heahh Academy also received a grant, one whieh will enable Wai'anae residents to train to continued on page 1 7

OHA awards grants

from page 1 become community health care workers. The emergency grants program provides one-time grants to individuals or organizations needing assistance within a short time frame. For instance, a shelter for battered women might be eligible if it was in danger of closing because its operator couldn't eome up with the money to pay

rent or licensing fees or utility bills, and its clients would be returned to dangerous domestic situations if the shelter closed. "People think it's for personal emergencies, but it's not," explained Valles. "It's for services that are needed that can't wait for the next grant deadline." No emergency grants have yet been given.