Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 8, 1 August 2003 — OHA resumes long-awaited community grants programs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA resumes long-awaited community grants programs

By Naomi Sodetani With its grantmaking authority restored, The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is poised to resume its long-anticipated community grantmaking with a streamlined grants process. "OHA grants help communities to make a difference for I Iawaiians," said OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona. "OHA is pleased to provide the resources and a more responsive grants process for community empowerment in advancing Hawaiian self-determination." The OHA Grants Program will provide funding awards up to $50,000 for the purpose of community development in the areas of education, health, human services and culture. In addition, OHA's Community Based Eeonomie Development Program has $150,000 available in grant funding for community-based eeonomie development planning and projects. CBED funding awards up to $30,000 are available for organizational

capacity building; feasibility study and planning; and business plan development. Both programs were stalled since September 2001, when the State Attorney General had issued an opinion that OHA's grants program needed to statuatorily establish its authority, and therefore all applications already received by OHA were held. Last year, OHA's grantmaking authority was reaffirmed with legislative and executive approval. Requests for current year funding up to $50,000 are now being accepted. In response to criticism by past applicants that OHA's grants program was laborious and too slow to process grant requests and to deliver funds to approved projects, OHA has streamlined its process. Grant requests of $25,000 and under are now deemed administrative awards that will be processed by grants program staff without board review, while requests over that amount are still subject to board approval. See GRANTS on page 1 7

Grants

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Māla'ai 'Ōpio farm interns Olana Kamohali'i (left) anel Kanoe Burgess, both Wai'anae High School '02 grads, gather and elean vegetables harvested at the farm project, whieh recently received an OHA grant. Burgess now works as a project assistant at the farm.

GRANTS from page 1 Interested applicants are asked to first submit a letter of interest. All requests are subject to a review process, after whieh organizations will be invited to submit a formal application. Letters of interest are due on Sept. 26. The deadline for formal applications will be Nov. 21. Awards will be made in 2004. To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be a non-profit organization incorporated in Hawai'i and demonstrate that the proposed project will better the condition of Hawaiians. CBED grant applicants must additionally have a clear potential to improve the socio-eco-nomie well-being of the community; include the community in membership, decision-making and project development; and demonstrate outreach and organizing activities. On May 1, the Board of Trustees approved $284,875 to five eommunity based non-profit organizations aligned with OHA's mandate, "to better the conditions of all Hawaiians." The five grant awardees were: He Mana'o Productions and Waipā Foundation, to produce a video on kalo production and ahupua'abased resource management; T.J. Mahoney & Associates, for a eomputer training program for female ex-offenders to transition from prison to society; Waikīkī Health

Center, to support clinics serving Windward and North Shore O'ahu; Wai'anae Community Redevelopment Corporation, to support the Māla'ai 'Ōpio Farm youth leadership project; and Legal Services for Children, to provide self-advocacy workshops for parents of special needs students. ■ For information on OHA grants programs, or to obtain grant packets, eall: • OHA Grants Specialist Nancy King at 594-1905. Neighbor islands, eall toll tree: Hawai'i, 974-4000 ext. 41905; Maui, 808-984-2400, ext. 41905; Kouo'i, 808-274-3141, ext. 41905; Moloko'i, Lōna'i, 808-468-4644, ext. 41905. • CBED Program Specialist Leona Kalima at 594-11920. Neighbor islands, eall tolltree: Hawai'i, 808-974-4000, ext. 41920; Moui, 808-984-2400, ext. 41920; Kaua'i, 808-274-3141, ext. 41920; Moloka'i, Lōna'i, 808-468-4644, ext. 41920. ■