Manawaleʻa Initiative
Funding Priorities
Focused on cultural preservation and empowerment, this initiative aims to strengthen and unite Native Hawaiian communities. It supports programs and projects that foster social, economic, and cultural opportunities for Native Hawaiians.
Programs We Support
- ‘Ahahui o nā Kauka
- Aloha Kuamo’o ‘Āina
- Awaiaulu, Inc.
- Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
- Domestic Violence Action Center
- Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation
- Friends of ‘Iolani Palace
- Friends of the Judiciary History Center of Hawai’i
- Hālau Wa’a Episcopal – Honouliuli
- Hale Mua Cultural Group
- Hawai’i Education of the Arts
- Hawai’i Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Action Group
- Hawai’i Land Trust
- Hawai’iKidsCAN
- HFD Explorers
- Honoka’a High & Intermediate School – Honoka’a Community Thanksgiving Dinner
- Ho’omāhua Foundation
- Huliauapa’a
- I Nui Ke Aho
- Imua Onipa’a
- Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture
- ‘Iole
- Ka’ala Farm
- Kailua High School
- Kāko’o ‘Ōiwi
- Kalaeloa Heritage and Legacy Foundation
- Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy
- Kapena School of Music and Creative Expressions
- Kaulike Academy
- Kawaihae Canoe Club
- Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo
- Kealakehe Complex Schools
- Keiki on the Rocks
- King Lunalilo Trust & Home
- Kīpuka Kuleana
- Kīpuka o ke Ola
- Kūkolu Organization
- Kula Community Watershed Alliance
- Kumuki’a
- Lahaina Community Land Trust
- Mālama Honua Public Charter School Foundation
- Mālama Loko Ea Foundation
- Mana Maoli
- Metro Christian Academy Preschool
- Moanalua Gardens Foundation
- Na Aikane O Puʻukoholā Heiau – Pualiʻahu Workshop Series
- Nā Kālai Wa’a
- Nā Kālai Wa’a o Kaua’i
- Nā Kama Kai
- Nā Mea Kūpono Learning Center
- Nānākuli High & Intermediate School – Golden Hawks Robotics
- Native Hawaiian Organizations Association
- Native Imaginative – The Foundation of an Engaged Pacific
- ‘Ohana 100, The Daniel Kahikina Akaka Family Foundation
- Pacific American Foundation
- Purple Mai’a Foundation
- RiseHI Foundation
- Royal Order of Kamehameha I – Moku O Kohala
- Sacred Hearts Academy – Kānālui Canoe Club
- South Maui Learning Ohana – Kihei Charter School
- St. Louis School – Hui O Nā ‘Ōpio
- Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i
- Trust for Public Land
- UH Foundation – STEMS^2
- Waimānalo Health Center
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
The Pualiʻahu Workshop Series, meaning “to never forget the ʻahu ʻula,” is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the ancient Hawaiian art of featherwork. Led by Kumu Hulu Nui Rick Makanaaloha Kiaʻimeaokekanaka San Nicolas, the hands-on program teaches participants the traditional process of creating ʻahu ʻula, or feather cloaks, while deepening their understanding of the history, cultural significance, and kuleana carried through this treasured practice.
Kumu Rick has practiced Hawaiian featherwork since 1997 and began teaching in 2018, sharing an art form once closely associated with Hawaiʻi’s aliʻi. Through intensive instruction and mentorship, students learn techniques used in creating ʻahu ʻula and other forms of featherwork, helping ensure this ʻike continues through a new generation of practitioners.
The artistry requires extraordinary patience and dedication. A single ʻahu ʻula can require hundreds of thousands of individual feathers and thousands of hours of work. Kumu Rick’s work has included historically inspired ʻahu ʻula and mahiole, museum and cultural exhibitions, and efforts to bring greater awareness to Hawaiian featherwork as a living cultural practice.
Nā ʻŌiwi Kāne has proudly supported this ancient Hawaiian featherwork program since 2019, helping provide opportunities for more than 200 students to learn, connect, and carry this remarkable tradition forward.
To learn more about this organization, please visit: The Pualiʻahu Workshop Series
Building Stronger Communities Together
Connect with us to learn more about our funding opportunities and how we can work together to strengthen Native Hawaiian communities.