Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 4, 1 April 2006 — OHA community funding tops $5 million during course of current fiscal year [ARTICLE]

OHA community funding tops $5 million during course of current fiscal year

By KWŪ staff In early March, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs awarded a total of $525,488 in grants to four community groups. The grants represent the third round of awards from proposals submitted to OHA in April 2005, bringing the total of Grants Program funds awarded during the current fiscal year to nearly $2.4 million for 49 Hawai'i-based nonprofit organizations. In all, 146 applications were received last April, with requests topping $14 million. OHA grants funding is based on 10 percent of its total operating budget - $28 million for Fiscal Year 2006. Accordingly, $2.8 mil-

lion was budgeted for eommunity grants. However, additional funding is also provided by OHA to community groups through direct board initiative. So far in the current fiscal year, $2.58 million in such funding has been awarded in eight separate board initiatives. In addition, OHA's administrator is authorized to award a smaller amount in administrative grants; so far in Fiscal Year '06, nearly $266,000 has been awarded in such grants to 23 organizations. Thus, the total amount of community funding awarded by OHA so far this fiscal year is nearly $5.25 million. The grants awarded on

March 2 are as follows: • Global Medilink Technology ine.: $164,420, for the Hawai'i Oral Health Outreach Project Phase II. • Hui o Kuapā: $87,570, to provide a site on Moloka'i for a hands-on "classroom without walls" using loko i'a (fishponds) and ahupua'a (mountain-to-sea resources). • Nānākuli Housing Corporation: $187,658, for the site renovation of a facility and workshop for home repair and handyman training. • Waikīkī Ileallh Center: $85,840, to expandtheHo'ōla Like Outreach Program to

provide health services with a focus on diabetes management. Projects funded by OHA's Grants Program must address the goals and objectives of OHA's Strategic Plan in one or more of the following areas: advocacy/native rights, culture, eeonomie development, education, environment/natural resources, nationhood, policy, social services, land/housing and health. The Grants Program will begin accepting proposals for the next round of eommunity grants beginning on April 7. For information on how to apply, visit www.oha. org, or eall 594-1925. ^

Grants Program seeks community reviewers

OHA's Grants Program has elected to integrate outside community reviewers into its grant evaluation/recommendation process and is currently seeking community reviewers for its upcoming grant cycle. OHA is actively seeking community members with expertise in the following areas: • Education • Heahh • Human services • Housing • Native Hawaiian culture • Community development OHA will offer a small honorarium for your work. Anyone interested in serving as a grant reviewer or in referring someone else as a potential reviewer ean download the appropriate forms from www. oha.org, or eall 594-1972.

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