Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 10, 1 October 2014 — OHA opens grant process for two-year period [ARTICLE]

OHA opens grant process for two-year period

By Harold Nedd The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has announced it is making $8.9 million total in grant money available to community-based organizations that ean help address key priorities of improving conditions for Native Hawaiians. Community-based organizations may apply for between $100,000 and $500,000 in grant money to fund any one of six specific priorities meant to help enhanee OHA's efforts. At the top of OHA's priority list are grant proposals aimed at reducing obesity and improving the overall heahh of Native Hawaiians. Other priorities include increasing family ineome, homeownership, and housing stability for renters. Rounding out the six priorities are: improving test scores in middle school and high school; valuing history and culture; and achieving pae 'āina sustainability as responsible stewards of land and water. "Our priorities have been carefully considered," said Kamana'opono Crabbe, Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer at OHA. "We are extremely encouraged about the potential for our efforts to get a boost from collaboration with eommunity partners." The deadline to apply for an OHA grant is Dec. 17, 2014; the grants would fund a two-year period between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2017. Details about the applieahon process are available at www.oha.org/grants. ■

Here are the specific grant categories and available funds: • Obesity and Physical Heahh Improvement Services - $1.84 million • Housing Services - $1.82 million • Employment Core and Career Support Services - $1.82 million • Improving Middle and High School Testing Services - $1.4 million • Perpetuating Hawaiian Culture - $1 million • Pae 'Āina Sustainability - $1 million Here's the schedule for orientation meetings with organizations that want to apply: • Honolulu (O'ahu) - Tuesday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.* • Kaunakakai (Moloka'i) - Thursday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. • Waimea (Hawai'i) - Thursday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. • Llhu'e (Kaua'i) - Tuesday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. • Kapolei (O'ahu) - Thursday, Oct. 9, 2 p.m. • Hilo (Hawai'i) - Tuesday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. • Waimānalo (O'ahu) - Thursday, Oct. 23, 9 a.m. • Wailuku (Maui) - Tuesday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. • Honolulu (O'ahu) - Friday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.* Registration is required to guarantee a seat. *Web conferencing is available for these sessions.