This grant, offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR), implements the NATIVE Act to establish an inclusive tourism strategy benefiting Native Hawaiian organizations (NHOs). The HOIHI Grant Program aims to bolster economic development within the Native Hawaiian Community by expanding entrepreneurship, integrating traditional knowledge for innovation, and fostering new business growth. Its central purpose is to transform tourism involving sacred and historical sites into regenerative, collaborative experiences, thereby preserving unique natural and cultural resources. This initiative promotes respectful visitor engagement, showcases Hawaiian heritage, maintains vital cultural traditions, and ensures authentic experiences, ultimately contributing to economic expansion and reduced unemployment.
Opportunity ID: 358647
General Information
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | D25AS00271 |
| Funding Opportunity Title: | HOIHI Grant Program for Native Hawaiian Organizations |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation: | – |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Grant |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Community Development |
| Category Explanation: | AG(Agriculture)AR(Arts)BC(Business andCommerce)CD(CommunityDevelopment)NR(NaturalResources) |
| Expected Number of Awards: | – |
| Assistance Listings: | 15.068 — Native Hawaiian Community Guest Stewardship |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Version: | Synopsis 1 |
| Posted Date: | Apr 08, 2025 |
| Last Updated Date: | Apr 08, 2025 |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | Jun 09, 2025 Applications must be submitted electronically to the Grants.gov website no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), thus 5:59 pm Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST), on the listed application due date. |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | Jun 09, 2025 Applications must be submitted electronically to the Grants.gov website no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), thus 5:59 pm Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST), on the listed application due date. |
| Archive Date: | – |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | $1,000,000 |
| Award Ceiling: | $200,000 |
| Award Floor: | $50,000 |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants: | Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education |
| Additional Information on Eligibility: | Applications are welcome from organizations that meet the following criteria:Eligible applicants are Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs). NHO means a nonprofit organization: (A) that serves the interests of Native Hawaiians; (B) in which Native Hawaiians serve in substantive and policymaking positions, and; (C) that are recognized for having expertise in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, including tourism. |
Additional Information
| Agency Name: | Interior Business Center |
| Description: | This notice of funding opportunity is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Interior Business Center, Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD) as part of the U.S. Government Interagency Agreement between the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) and AQD. The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations’ (ONHR) Heritage (Tourism) Opportunities in Hawaii (HOIHI) Grant Program serves to implement the Native Hawaiian Organization NATIVE Act Grants under CFDA 15.068 and the provisions of the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act), 25 U.S.C. 4351 et seq. The purpose of the NATIVE Act is to establish a more inclusive national travel and tourism strategy that delivers significant benefits for Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) as distinctly defined in the NATIVE Act, including job creation, elevated living standards, and expanded economic opportunities.Tourism in Hawaii has grown with 9.4 million visitor arrivals in 2022 in a State whose population is less than 1.5 million people. This volume of visitors over a sustained period has led to depletion of natural and cultural resources, including the desecration of sites sacred to the Native Hawaiian Community, and the displacement of its members due to a lack in economic opportunities.The HOIHI Grant Program is an innovative effort to utilize Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge to bolster economic development in the Native Hawaiian Community, advance economic growth in the State of Hawaii, and to equip Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) with the needed resources to transform tourism involving historical and sacred sites to be regenerative and collaborative. The HOIHI Grant Program seeks to increase economic development within the Native Hawaiian Community by expanding opportunities for entrepreneurship among members, increasing innovation potential on the usage and incorporation of traditional knowledge, and ultimately increasing growth of new businesses within the Community. This, in turn, broadens the ability of Native businesses to flourish and contribute to lowering unemployment and increasing expanding economic growth. HOIHI also furthers the opportunity to promote the incorporation of regenerative tourism models, and in doing so allows for the conservation and preservation of unique natural and cultural resources, and historic sites. The NATIVE Act plays an important role in promoting heritage and cultural tourism opportunities through the self-determining participation of Native American communities, including the Native Hawaiian Community, in the visitor industry. The Hawaiian value of HOIHI (to treat with reverence or respect), as reflected in the olelo noeau (Hawaiian proverb) “E hoihi aku, e hoihi mai,” meaning “show respect, get respect”, represents the core principle of ONHR’s HOIHI Grant Program. Through showing respect, visitors (tourists) can then be welcomed as guests with a shared kuleana (responsibility) in perpetuating the values and importance of Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and cultural practices. This olelo noeau serves as a foundational guide for ONHR’s HOIHI Grant Program to aide in actions that:Showcase the heritage, places, art, foods, traditions, history and continuing vitality of the Native Hawaiian Community;Identify, enhance, revive, or maintain loea (cultural traditions and practices), wahi kupuna (ancestral spaces) and wahi pana (sacred spaces) that are important to sustain the distinctiveness of the Native Hawaiian Community; andProvide for authentic and respectful visitor experiences in Hawaii. |
| Link to Additional Information: | – |
| Grantor Contact Information: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
Tristan Harley
tristan_harley@ibc.doi.gov Email:tristan_harley@ibc.doi.gov |
Version History
| Version | Modification Description | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
Related Documents
Folder 358647 Full Announcement-D25AS00271 -> B103 NOFO D25AS00271.pdf
Packages
| Agency Contact Information: | Tristan Harley tristan_harley@ibc.doi.gov Email: tristan_harley@ibc.doi.gov |
| Who Can Apply: | Organization Applicants |
| Assistance Listing Number | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.068 | D25AS00271 | HOIHI Grant Program for Native Hawaiian Organizations | PKG00290558 | Apr 08, 2025 | Jun 09, 2025 | View |
Package 1
Mandatory forms
358647 SF424_4_0-4.0.pdf
358647 SF424A-1.0.pdf
358647 SF424B-1.1.pdf
358647 BudgetNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
358647 SFLLL_2_0-2.0.pdf
358647 GG_LobbyingForm-1.1.pdf
358647 Key_Contacts_2_0-2.0.pdf
358647 Project_AbstractSummary_2_0-2.0.pdf
358647 ProjectNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
Optional forms
358647 AttachmentForm_1_2-1.2.pdf
358647 OtherNarrativeAttachments_1_2-1.2.pdf
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