Join me in supporting the 2021 Giving Project!

First and foremost I am not skillful in fundraising by any means. In fact, whenever there was a team fundraiser as a child I would have to break the news to my poor nanay(mother) that I ate most of the chocolate or snacks that were supposed to be for sale! lol

This time around I want to change it up and am calling on community, friends and especially visitors that make their way to Hawaii and more so during this global pandemic, to participate by making a donation to Hawaiʻi Peopleʻs Fund. Since the start of the year, I've had the honor to virtually meet with a beautiful cohort of people under the Giving Project deepening my understanding of Hawaii's unique history and social justice principles, as well as exploring what collective giving looks like.

As a Filipina American living in the Bay Area, I desired to challenge myself to move beyond putting money into the tourism industry and genuinely giving back to grassroots organizations dedicated to social justice in Hawaii. While Hawaii isn't my native homeland, our shared colonial history goes back and as a frequent visitor, I feel that there is a level of responsibility to respect the land and give back to the people at the same rate and if not, more!

Please consider giving a donation, and note that even a small donation goes a long way and will inch us closer to reaching my fundraising goal of $2300!

This giving project includes 18 grassroots organizations and community groups committed to the progress, sustainability and future throughout the islands. Below are a few examples of the grantees where your hard earned contributions will be going to continue their important work.

Hālau o Huluena conducts a lā‘au lapa‘au Master Class that restores authentic traditional herbal healing practice in the community by creating and implementing a structure for active learning and immersing students in a tradition-based process of obtaining cultural competency. The hui engages in nāʻau-based, ʻāina-based curriculum and approaches that convey traditional knowledge in the context of the present-day.

Hawai’i Workers Center aims to assist and organize non-union low-income workers through one-on-one counseling sessions and referrals, conducting workshops on workers’ rights to build contacts, and mobilizing these workers to address their identified needs and issues. The initiative develops leaders and the formation of workersʻ associations and committees that become conscious of their rights and their power to organize in concert with community partners in order to win their most urgent needs and demands.

Language Acquisition & Immersion for the New Generation (LAING)’s mission is to perpetuate, promote, preserve, and introduce the various heritage languages and cultures of the immigrant population of Hawai’i and the United States, and to use them as vehicles for community empowerment, heritage education, social services, and language and cultural access. Starting with the many languages of the Philippines, their goal is to expand to include classes in languages of the Pacific.

The mission of Maunakea Education & Awareness is to educate and raise the awareness of communities in Hawai’i and beyond on the spiritual, historical, cultural, environmental, and political significance of Mauna Kea and ALL sacred places, and provide cultural learning opportunities to everyone from keiki to kūpuna, residents, visitors and others concerned about indigenous rights and responsibilities in order to create a platform for protection of sacred places and for social justice and positive change. Summer 2019 through March 2020 positioned MKEAʻs critical role in leadership and frontline non-violent ceremonial stance on the mauna, and the hui remains pivotal as a pillar and piko for the lāhui, dedicated to keeping the movement grounded in ceremony and ritual by utilizing the ʻAha and the kapu aloha guidelines to ground supporters here and around the world in continued protocol.

Native Stories is a non-profit audio content platform and production house focused on providing access to authentic stories and experiences – of its people, place, perspective, history and culture – in service to those that came before us and the understanding of life that should be passed down through generations and around the world. It provides access to outside and in-house produced content through a mobile app and website.

Thank you so much for your time and dedication to building power and supporting this movement in Hawai'i that will have impacts for generations to come! Please share this widely if you can!

Be safe,
Nicole Manzana