The County of Maui Department of ʻŌiwi Resources has named 11 local projects that will receive a total of $450,000 in funding through its grants program.
According to a Tuesday release from the county, the awards coincide with Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month, which is celebrated each year in February and honors Hawaiian language and culture.
“Working alongside our local nonprofits honors the kuleana we have to ʻŌiwi Strongholds, ʻŌiwi Resources and ʻŌiwi Voices,” Director Kaponoʻai Molitau said. “Knowing that we only have one Maui Nui to care for, the Department of ʻŌiwi Resources reaffirms that, together, we can uplift the people and places that make our Islands nō ka ʻoi. These grant recipients are working tirelessly to strengthen our communities, and we look forward to their projects, as well as future opportunities that elevate Maui Nui.”
Grants were awarded across three divisions, which each play a different role in community: Kipuka Division (ʻŌiwi Strongholds), stewarding lands of cultural importance; Kumuwaiola Division (ʻŌiwi Resources), sustaining natural resources; and Pai Ka Leo Division (ʻŌiwi Voices), uplifting Native Hawaiian voices and use of Hawaiian language.
2026 grantees, with amounts awarded, include:
ʻŌiwi Strongholds
- Nā Hana Mālama Hou of Ke Ao Hāliʻi ($41,095) will continue conservation efforts and creating māla at Mokae and Makaʻalae.
- Canoe Culture, Stewardship and Youth Leadership of Nā Kai ʻEwalu ($50,000) will deliver a yearlong educational program that perpetuates Hawaiian culture, language, stewardship and canoe traditions.
- Pilina I Honolua of Aloha Puʻu Kukui ($50,000) will preserve the ahupuaʻa of Honolua and relationships with Hōkūleʻa, Moʻokiha o Piʻilani and others.
- Hoʻomaʻemaʻe of Paukūkalo Hawaiian Homes Community Association ($25,000) will create a safe, culturally pono space for ʻohana, be a resource for food sustainability.
- Hoʻoulu Mālalani of Keokea Homestead Farm Lots Association ($25,000) will expand the Mālalani community garden, implementing traditional and regenerative farming practices, and providing culturally appropriate agricultural education.
ʻŌiwi Resources
- Maui Hikina ‘Opihi Surveys of Kipahulu ʻOhana Inc. ($50,000) aims to restore ʻopihi populations through community-led monitoring, traditional management practices and collaborative research.
- Kūkulu Pilina of Maui Huliau Foundation ($28,000) will deliver a program supporting DOE educators in integrating ʻāina aloha practices and community partnerships into school culture and curriculum.
ʻŌiwi Voices
- I Ka ʻŌlelo No Ke Ola – Phase II of Ke Kula ʻo Piʻilani ($50,000) will strengthen Piʻilani’s teaching corps, support language revitalization and sustain a thriving school.
- He ʻŌlelo i Maʻa ai Oʻu Mau Kūpuna of Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke ($50,000) will provide access to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi education and improve vocational and cultural pathways for East Maui youth.
- ʻIke Pāpālua of Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui ($50,000) will deliver a program that integrates Hawaiian language and cultural practice.
- Collective Pilina Theater: Local Voices on Stage of Archive for Health, Arts, and Spirit ($25,000) is a theater initiative that uplifts Maui’s community voices, especially Native Hawaiian and underrepresented storytellers, through live performance, writing workshops and cultural mentorship.
For information about grants by The County of Maui Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, call 808-270-1719 or email oiwigrants@co.maui.hi.us.
According to its website, Maui County residents voted in In November 2022 "to amend the Maui County Charter and voted in favor of establishing the Department of ʻŌiwi Resources." As amended, the department was established in July of 2024. Read its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. here.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
