The Hawaii Pacific Foundation Inc

TO EMPOWER HAWAIIAN COMMUNITIES BY SUPPORTING PROGRAMS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS TO THE SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.

THE HAWAII PACIFIC FOUNDATION, INC. (HPF) IS A NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION (NHO) FOUNDED IN MAY 2010. NHOS ARE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY SERVICE ENTITIES THAT SUPPORT THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITY AS DEFINED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA). AS NATIVE HAWAIIANS HAVE BEEN DEEMED TO BE DISADVANTAGED, AN NHOS PURPOSE, AS DEFINED BY FEDERAL LAW, IS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITY THROUGH ITS MAJORITY OWNERSHIP AND OPERATION OF ONE OR MORE SMALL BUSINESSES AND SBA 8(A) FOR-PROFIT FIRMS. THESE PROGRAMS ALLOW NATIVE HAWAIIANS TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP SELF-SUFFICIENT ECONOMIC VENTURES THAT SUPPORT NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITIES. THUS, THE NHOS ABILITY TO ACHIEVE ITS CONGRESSIONAL MANDATE IS DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE SUCCESS OF ITS SMALL BUSINESS ENTITIES. UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII WEST OAHUIN RESPONSE TO THE SEVERE TEACHER SHORTAGE AND TURNOVER IN DISADVANTAGED SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAS IMPACTED EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS, THE HOOPULIKO KUMA HOU TEACHER PATHWAY PROGRAM AIMS TO EMPOWER AND STRENGTHEN THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO ARE ROOTED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND COMMITTED TO THE STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. HPFS CONTRIBUTION TO THE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY PROGRAM PROVIDE THE FUNDING TO EDUCATE AND TRAIN STUDENTS FROM WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES. THE GOAL IS TO RETURN GRADUATES, AS TEACHERS, TO THEIR COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY CAN RELATE TO SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND UNDERSTAND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES RESULTING IN HIGHER SUCCESS RATES FOR BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. HPFS 2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED TEACHER TRAINING THROUGH PROGRAM ACTIVITIES, STUDENT MENTORING, SUPPORT SERVICES, AND WORK-BASED LEARNING COMPONENTS. HAWAIIAN-PACIFIC STUDIES HUB PASIFIKA IS A NEW PROGRAM STRUCTURED ON THE BELIEF THAT A SINGLE OCEAN CONNECTS THE ISLAND PEOPLES OF HAWAII AND THE PACIFIC. EACH PACIFIC SOCIETY IS UNIQUE IN ITS HISTORIES, LANGUAGES, CULTURES, LITERATURE, ARTS, SOCIAL STRUCTURES, ARCHITECTURE, AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. THROUGH THE STUDY OF HAWAIIAN-PACIFIC PEOPLES AND CULTURES BASED ON ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATION, AND EMPHASIZING SOLUTION-ORIENTED OUTCOMES, GRADUATES DEVELOP THE CRITICAL THINKING AND CULTURAL AWARENESS SKILLS TO PLACE THEM INTO SUSTAINABLE CAREERS.HPFS 2020 GRANTS WERE USED TO ESTABLISH A SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT AND EXPAND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. IN ADDITION, HPF CONTRIBUTED TO THE UNIVERSITYS EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND IN RESPONSE TO DISRUPTIONS FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. CLASSES SHIFTED FROM IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE TO ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNING, REQUIRING STUDENTS TO RELY ON COMPUTERS WITH INTERNET ACCESS TO CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES. HPFS CONTRIBUTION PROVIDED DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WITH COMPUTERS TO ALLOW THEM TO CONTINUE THEIR STUDIES UNINTERRUPTED DURING THE PANDEMIC. UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII MANOATHE VISION OF THE THOMPSON SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK AND PUBLIC HEALTH IS TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HEALTH EQUITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAWAII AND CITIZENS IN A CHANGING WORLD. THEIR UNIQUE FOCUS IS ON RESOLVING PROBLEMS AND BUILDING RESILIENCY IN A CULTURALLY DIVERSE WORLD, WITH SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND INDIGENOUS WISDOM AND PERSPECTIVES. THEY ARE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING AN ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL WORK, PUBLIC HEALTH AND GERONTOLOGY. PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM THEIR WORK ARE FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS WHO EXPERIENCE DEVASTATING PROBLEMS OF POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; DEBILITATING ILLNESSES SUCH AS CANCER, HEART DISEASE, AND DEMENTIA; AND TRAUMATIC NATURAL DISASTERS. THE SCHOOL DISTINGUISHES ITSELF AS THE ONLY HIGHER EDUCATION UNIT IN THE PACIFIC BASIN REGION WITH THREE PROGRAMS ARTICULATING UNDERGRADUATE (BSW) AND GRADUATE EDUCATION (MSW, PH.D.). HPFS 2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED SCHOLARSHIPS, OFF-SITE AND COMMUNITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, STUDENT RECOGNITION EVENTS, AND A SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND.IN ADDITION, HPF CONTRIBUTED TO THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENT AID FUND IN RESPONSE TO DISRUPTIONS FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND SHIFTS TO ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNING.HAWAII NATIONAL GUARDS YOUTH CHALLENGE ACADEMY TRAINS AND MENTORS 16-18 YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL DROP-OUTS TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS. THESE TARGETED YOUTH HAVE THE GREATEST RISK FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE, TEEN PREGNANCY, DELINQUENCY, AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.HPFS 2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED SCHOLARSHIPS AND A BRIDGE PROGRAM FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) STARBASE HAWAII IS PART OF A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS) PROGRAM SPONSORED BY THE DOD. THE PROGRAM TARGETS 5TH GRADE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHO ARE SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMERS OR DISABLED. THE 5TH GRADE IS A PIVOTAL LEVEL IN A STUDENTS LEARNING TRAJECTORY. THE PROGRAM EXPOSES YOUTH TO STEM FIELDS THROUGH LECTURES AND HANDS-ON EXPERIMENT-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES. IN RECENT YEARS, STARBASE HAWAII HAS EXPANDED AND SPONSORS A VEX ROBOTICS PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 5-12. BEYOND SCIENCE, THE VEX PROGRAM ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY, TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP, AND PROBLEM SOLVING AMONG GROUPS. HFPS2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED THE ELEMENTARY STEM PROGRAM AND ROBOTICS TOURNAMENTS. HALAU NOHONA HAWAII IS A CULTURAL SCHOOL LOCATED IN SILVER SPRINGS, MARYLAND. THEIR MISSION IS TO PERPETUATE HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTICES, KNOWLEDGE, AND TRADITIONS AND TO LIVE A LIFE OF HAWAIIAN VALUES TO BUILD A STRONGER HAWAII COMMUNITY IN THE NATIONS CAPITOL REGION.HPFS 2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED TUITION ASSISTANCE AND CULTURAL EVENTS AT THE SCHOOL. NA PUALEI O LIKOLEHUA PREPARES WOMEN, MEN, YOUNG ADULTS, AND CHILDREN TO BECOME PRACTITIONERS AND STEWARDS OF HAWAIIAN CULTURE, PRESERVE AND CARRY ON THE TRADITIONS SURROUNDING HULA AS A LIVING ART AND DANCE FORM, BE LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND BECOME TEACHERS OF HULA. WITH ALL THE KNOWLEDGE AND TALENT WITHIN THE HALAU (SCHOOL), NO ONE COULD DEVELOP, DESIGN, AND MAINTAIN A WEBSITE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. THEY NEEDED A MODERN VENUE AND RESOURCEFUL WAY TO PROMOTE THEIR EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND EDUCATIONAL WORKS TO ASSIST IN TEACHING AND SHARING CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE ACROSS GENERATIONS, FAMILIES, VISITORS, AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.HPFS 2020 GRANTS SUPPORTED THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A WEBSITE, AS WELL AS ARCHIVAL RESEARCH.