With a recent $540,000 invested in University of Hawaiʻi programs and students, to create partnerships with community groups and to promote sustainability, the Alakaʻina Foundation has raised its total philanthropic giving to UH to more than $2.3 million. The latest investments align with the Honolulu-based Native Hawaiian Organization’s mission to aloha ʻāina (love the homeland) by supporting the teaching and preservation of Hawaiʻi’s lands and oceans.
The new gifts from the Alakaʻina Foundation create opportunities for UH West Oʻahu and Leeward Community College with MAʻO Farms on the Leeward Coast and for Windward Community College and Hoʻokuaʻāina in Windward Oʻahu.
“We feel it’s important not only that the young men and women of Hawaiʻi have the skills they need to be effective leaders, but that they have the competencies our communities need for a sustainable future,” said Alakaʻina Foundation Executive Director Kimo Bacon. “We hope that many lives will be improved through our partnership, and we will keep our Hawaiʻi moving forward.”
The three recently funded programs are:
- UH West Oʻahu: Alakaʻina Foundation Sustainable Food Systems Scholarship
- Leeward CC: Waiʻanae Moku Summer Bridge
- Windward CC: Ahupuaʻa Systems Apprenticeships
The Alakaʻina Foundation has supported other UH programs, such as the UH Community Colleges’ Online Associate in Arts Degree Program, the UH Hilo Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, the Kauaʻi Community College Digital Bus Program and scholarships for Kauaʻi CC students transferring to the UH Mānoa College of Engineering, as well as students enrolled in Kauaʻi CC’s Electronics Technology program.
“We are grateful for Alakaʻina Foundation’s innovative system-wide approach to giving,” said Tim Dolan, UH vice president of advancement and CEO of UH Foundation. “This focus on sustainability, especially food security, will benefit generations of Hawaiʻi students.”
The Alakaʻina Foundation Family of Companies disburses profits from its seven government service firms to nonprofit activities that benefit the Native Hawaiian community, primarily the youth of Hawaiʻi.
