HŌʻIHI Grant Program Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What determines eligibility for this grant opportunity?
Answer:  Your organization's eligibility for grant assistance will depend upon the specific eligibility criteria for the respective grant notice. Grant awards also depend upon other criteria generally evaluating whether an application or proposal meets the program's funding objectives.

For this specific opportunity, the HŌʻIHI program implements the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, for which eligibility is for Native Hawaiian organizations specifically defined in the NATIVE Act as:
1.    A nonprofit organization; 
2.    that serves the interests of Native Hawaiians; 
3.    in which Native Hawaiians serve in substantive and policymaking positions; and
4.    that is recognized for having expertise in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, including tourism.

Other grant opportunities may not have this specific of a definition for eligibility.

Question 2:  Does it [the proposed project] have to be site-specific? 
Answer:  It depends.  If the conduct of a traditional Native Hawaiian cultural practice is tied to, or dependent upon a particular place or location, then yes, the proposed project would be site-specific.   The opposite would be true as well. Proposed projects involving cultural practices that are not site dependent would subsequently not be site-specific.

Question 3:  After the selection [of a successful proposal] is made, when would be the tentative start date?
Answer:  The start date of a selected project would likely be based on the schedule and milestones identified in the successful NHO's project proposal.  Generally, we are looking at making awards the end of August, or early September.

Question 4:  Section 2(4) of the NATIVE Act says that the purpose of the Act is to enhance and improve self-determination and self-governance capabilities in the Native American community and to promote greater self-sufficiency.  Will there be more funding that will be geared towards this purpose?
Answer:  The Section 2 purposes of the NATIVE Act should be viewed in their totality, whereby implementing the provisions of the Act, Native American communities are afforded the opportunity to fulfill the various identified purposes in combination or collectively rather than in isolation – including subsection 4.  For the purposes of this Program, successful NHOs, through the implementation of their project, will be exercising self-determination and self-governance activities toward the preservation and stewardship of historic properties.  Should Congress appropriate additional funding for the NATIVE Act, other programs could be considered that support other provisions of the Act while advancing the Section 2 purposes.

Question 5:  For this proposal, are we looking at a time frame of one fiscal year?
Answer:  It is possible to propose a project that extends beyond a 12-month period.  Further, the start and completion dates for the project are not constrained to a federal, state, or other fiscal year.  Instead, the project duration is dependent upon the scope of work and delivery schedule included in the project proposal.  

Question 6:  Do we need to apply every year of the 3 years? Or is this a one-year funding only?
Answer:  A desired outcome of this Program is to support multiple NHOs at multiple locations in Hawaiʻi.  As such, responses to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are project and place specific.  A NHO only needs to submit one proposal for their particular site – even if the duration of the proposed project extends beyond a 12-month period.  However, if a NHO wants to propose different projects at different locations, then separate proposals should be submitted for each project.  It is also possible for a NHO to submit a phased proposal where different activities are conducted at a particular site.  For example, one phase might involve planning and research, a second phase might involve hands-on training, and a third might involve visitor engagement in preservation or stewardship practices.  In such an instance, the NHO would receive a single grant.  Also, see answers to Questions 3 and 5 above.

Question 7:  How does the agreement work as far as measuring the progress?  Do we need to submit receipts, photos?
Answer:  Progress measuring and reporting is dependent upon the scope of work and delivery schedule included in the NHOʻs project proposal.  Projects involving physical activities may consider monitoring and recording volunteer numbers and person-hours; weight or volume of material utilized or removed; linear feet of construction; or similar metrics.  Other actions might involve research or planning and completing subsequent reports.  Additionally, payment or reimbursement to the NHO will be based on terms and conditions agreed upon within the grant agreement. 

Question 8:  Does an entity registered with the Department of the Interior under 43 CFR 47.1 qualify as an NHO?
Answer:  See answer to question 1.  For the purposes of this Program, NHOs need to meet the definition of a Native Hawaiian Organization that is contained in Section 3(3) of the NATIVE Act (25 USC 4352): 
The term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ 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 is recognized for having expertise in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, including tourism.
Registration and inclusion on lists maintained by the Department of the Interior do not automatically qualify an organization under the NATIVE Act.  Section 2 of the Request for Expressions of Interest Application contains several questions and comment fields for NHOs to describe their organization.

Question 9:  What is the difference between this and HTA [Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority]?
Answer:  The emphasis of this program is towards the engagement of NHOs for the preservation and stewardship of Hawaiian places so that they may offer people interested in accessing their site with respectful and authentic experiences.  So, in many ways, this program is complementary to the work of HTA, but it is not intended to replace or compete with their programs and services.  

Question 10:  Can you clarify the environmental compliance requirements for and if they would apply to my organization?
Answer:  The compliance questions within the NOFO are only for an organization's project activities that will be conducted under the applicants request for federal funding, not to the organization's full activities itself.  As an example, if an applicant mentions invasive species removal and native out plantings will occur using the federal award in the project narrative of the proposal, those activities will most likely trigger the need for further reviews, such as the Endangered Species Act Section 7.  The compliance questions within the NOFO are only to help ONHR to be proactive in fulfilling these federal requirements if your organization is awarded funding.  However, if the invasive species removal/native out plantings are not being directly funded as a part of the proposed project, then the applicant would not need to answer the listed questions.