About Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians.
Focus Areas
Housing counselingRent & mortgage reliefSmall business lendingFinancial educationWorkforce training / tradesDisaster reliefNative Hawaiian community development
Who They Fund
Native Hawaiian homeowners affected by Maui wildfiresfamilies and survivors of the Maui wildfiresresort-area community residents and event attendeeslocal cultural practitioners and communities focused on Hawaiian cultural preservation
About Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s recent grants show a funder built around Native Hawaiian community development, with large awards reaching cultural events, Maui recovery work, and services for homeowners affected by the wildfires. One of the clearest examples is a $350,000 grant to Gravitas Pasifika LLC for community event support, alongside $213,000 to Kahuli Leo Lea for Hawaiian culture in resort-zoned areas. Those awards sit within a broader pattern of support for Hawaiian cultural preservation, people–land connection, and natural resources programming, as well as direct recovery services after the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The foundation also supports organizations working on housing counseling, rent and mortgage relief, small business lending, financial education, workforce training, and disaster relief. Recent grants include support for distribution hubs, rental and subsidy programs, legal services tied to disaster response, and staffing or warehousing for recovery operations. The result is a grantmaker that combines cultural programming with practical assistance, often through project-specific awards to local nonprofits, associations, and community organizations in Hawaiʻi.
What Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Funds
The foundation backs Hawaiian cultural preservation through event-based support and programming. It gave $114,800 to Kauluakalana for a Hawaiian culture preservation event, $101,070 to Lalakea Foundation for the same purpose, and $96,000 to Pa'i Foundation for a Hawaiian culture preservation event. It also funds cultural gatherings tied to identity and community life, including $90,000 to The Merrie Monarch Festival for a community event. A second thread is people–land connection and natural resources work. Kupu received $80,000 for an event tied to cultural, people/land connection, and natural resources, while The Kohala Center got $72,000 for a similar purpose. Mala'ai was awarded $66,400 for the same kind of event. Maui recovery remains another active area. The fund gave $150,000 to Ekolu Mea Nui for workforce development and services for Maui recovery, and $100,000 to Hawaii Community Lending for support services for Native Hawaiian homeowners affected by the Maui wildfires.
How Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Gives
Typical awards cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $15,667, a median of $28,700, and a p75 of $49,500. The recent list also shows a much larger upper tier for select event and recovery grants. Grantmaking appears to be project-specific and operationally oriented rather than open-ended, with language such as support for community events, preservation events, warehousing, and recovery services. The foundation does not make grants to individuals. Its active programs, including Kākoʻo Maui Fund and Hawaiian Way Fund, do not accept unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.2M
Total Assets
$82.8M
Total Revenue
$86M
Total Expenses
$46.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $16K and $50K, with a median of $29K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$29K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Local4 states funded
About 96% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JOSEPH LEWIS
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