Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Huakaʻi Travel Grants 2026
Issuer: Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF)
Deadline: Rolling until all funds are awarded or November 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. HST, whichever comes first.
Funding: Up to $5,000 per organization; $75,000 total available.
Eligible applicants: Hawaiʻi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Organizations that are not themselves 501(c)(3) public charities may apply with an eligible 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Schools and universities are not eligible. Organizations with overdue HCF final reports are not eligible.
Purpose: The program supports in-state travel, including inter-island and within-island travel, that increases access to Native Hawaiian cultural places and activities and perpetuates Indigenous knowledge and culture. HCF specifically gives an example of bringing youth in an after-school program to a significant Native Hawaiian cultural place for cultural learning.
Allowable uses: Travel expenses for program participants and staff or volunteers, including airfare, ground transportation, lodging, food, other travel costs tied to the identified activity or event, and post-travel events where participants share knowledge and impact with the broader community.
Youth travel requirement: Applicants traveling with participants under age 18 must maintain a comprehensive child-protection policy, including background checks and procedures preventing one-on-one unsupervised situations. Overnight travel requires appropriate chaperone and sleeping-arrangement policies, and guardian permission must be obtained before travel.
Application: Apply through the HCF Grants Portal. Applicants must have a certified Organization Profile. The application requests program overview information, four short narrative responses of about 1,000 characters each, the amount requested, and a program budget. An IRS determination letter is required for organizations that have not previously applied to HCF, unless applying through a fiscal sponsor. Fiscal-sponsored applications have additional sponsor profile, agreement, board-resolution, and certification requirements.
Match/cost share: No mandatory match or cost-share requirement is stated in the controlling funding opportunity.
Atlas assessment
Atlas Grant Fit Score: 72/100
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100
Dr. Miltie direct applicant: No. The program is limited to qualifying Hawaiʻi nonprofits or fiscally sponsored charitable organizations, and funds are restricted to cultural-learning travel and related activities.
Atlas note: This is an education and cultural-learning opportunity, not a healthcare technology or equipment grant. It may be especially useful to Hawaiʻi youth-serving nonprofits, after-school programs, rural community organizations, and cultural education programs whose participants face barriers to in-person cultural learning.
Official sources: HCF Open Applications | Huakaʻi Travel Grants Funding Opportunity