Heritage (Tourism) Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) NATIVE Act Grant Program for Native Hawaiian Organizations

The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations’ (ONHR) Heritage (Tourism) Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) Grant Program serves to implement the Native Hawaiian organization (NHO) provisions of the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act), 25 U.S.C. 4351 et seq for NATIVE Act Grants under CFDA 15.068. The purposes of the NATIVE Act are to establish a more inclusive national travel and tourism strategy and has the potential to deliver significant benefits for Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO), including jobs creation, elevated living standards and expanded economic opportunities.

For fiscal year 2022, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Indian Economic Development (OIED) has partnered with ONHR to provide funding to implement the Grant Program to empower NHOs to:

• Showcase the heritage, places, foods, traditions, history and continuing vitality of the Native Hawaiian Community; 
• Identify and enhance or maintain traditions and cultural features that are important to sustain the distinctiveness of the Native Hawaiian Community; and
• Provide for authentic and respectful visitor experiences in Hawaii.  

These grants and subsequent actions by NHOs are also expected to facilitate job creation, stimulate economic activity, and contribute to elevating living standards in the Native Hawaiian Community. This is the initial announcement of this program’s funding opportunity.

Under the HŌʻIHI Grant Program, grant funding will be made available to successful NHO applicants to increase their capacity to expand the reach of their existing traditional and cultural practices through the development and implementation, or enhancement, of an existing, visitor engagement program(s) whereby the NHO achieves the following objectives:

• Educates visitors on the history, usage, purposes of, and protocols associated with a traditional Native Hawaiian cultural practice in which they have amassed knowledge and demonstrated expertise
• Engages visitors in the conduct of a traditional Native Hawaiian cultural practice such that they develop a first-hand, authentic experience resulting in a greater understanding and appreciation for the Native Hawaiian culture and Hawaiʻi; and as appropriate, tangible products or outputs that reflect their participation in the cultural practice; and
• Undertakes related activities with visitors that convey respect and reaffirm the principle of reciprocation to the place, resources, and traditional knowledge holders and practitioners, as well as the sustainability of the cultural practice.  

For the purposes of this solicitation, Native Hawaiian cultural practices may include, but are not limited to, traditional: farming practices, food preparation, material gathering and production of implements, products, and adornments, and cultural activities such as dance, chant, song, arts, construction, and recreation.

Department of Interior may revise, cancel, or withdraw this solicitation at any time.

Additional information can be found at website below.

Nonprofit

• Nonprofits non-higher education without 501(c)(3)
• Other Native American tribal organizations

Miscellaneous

• Other