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Education & Scholarship
Educational opportunities, scholarships, and mentorship that help Native Hawaiian youth pursue their academic and career goals.
Community & Culture
The mission is bigger than the mission.
JBW Federal is a Native Hawaiian Organization-owned company. Through the Kanaka Foundation, that identity reaches into education, culture, and the communities we come from.
Kanaka Foundation
A community rooted in resilience, pride, and self-determination.
The Kanaka Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Native Hawaiians and preserving the cultural heritage of the islands. Deeply rooted in the community, it addresses the needs Native Hawaiians face today while fostering pride, resilience, and self-sufficiency.
Through its programs and initiatives, the foundation works to honor the traditions of its ancestors and build a brighter future for the generations still to come.
Our Mission
To empower Native Hawaiians to thrive in every aspect of life, while preserving and celebrating the culture that defines them.
A foundation built on belonging, pride, and self-determination — helping every generation reach its full potential and give back to its communities and the world.
Core Values
Cultural Preservation
Preserving and perpetuating the traditions, language, and practices of Native Hawaiians, so they remain vibrant and relevant in the modern world.
Community Engagement
Believing in the power of community and collaboration to create positive change — working directly with community members, leaders, and organizations.
Empowerment
Helping Native Hawaiians take control of their own futures through education, economic development, and leadership opportunities.
Stewardship
Acting as stewards of the land, the ocean, and the resources entrusted by our ancestors — protecting the environment for the generations still to come.
Programs
Programs
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Cultural Enrichment
Workshops, language classes, and traditional arts programs that celebrate Native Hawaiian heritage and pass its knowledge to the next generation.
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Community Development
Economic development, small business incubation, and workforce training that create opportunity across Native Hawaiian communities.
Education & Scholarship
University of Hawai‘i Foundation
The Kanaka Foundation has established and fully funded a $1M endowment in support of Native Hawaiians pursuing STEM education.
The endowment is intended to give future generations a lasting source of scholarship as they pursue their studies. Reach out to us directly for further detail.
Community Development
A catalyst for change and growth in our island community.
The Kanaka Foundation works alongside the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, contributing direct cash support toward scholarships and other community programs for Native Hawaiians across the islands.
Rent Support
Housing support after the Maui fires
When wildfire tore through the historic town of Lahaina in August 2023, roughly 6,200 families were suddenly without homes — left to compete for long-term housing in a market reshaped by short-term rentals.
The Kanaka Foundation has supported Native Hawaiian families with a full year of rent coverage, giving them room to focus on rebuilding their lives.
Language & Culture
Native Hawaiian language and cultural support
The foundation is proud to support Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha with 30 iPads used for students’ home reading assignments. Kekaha is a rural West Kaua‘i community once built around the sugar industry, now home to diversified agriculture, shrimp farming, the Pacific Missile Range Facility, and tourism — and to the students and families of the Ni‘ihau community who live on Kaua‘i or move between the two islands.
The Kanaka Foundation has also provided cash support to Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, in support of Native Hawaiian culture. Learn more at hhklt.com.
Beyond the Mission
Community isn’t separate from the work. It’s part of it..
JBW Federal’s identity as a Native Hawaiian Organization runs through everything the Kanaka Foundation does — in classrooms, on the land, and in the communities it calls home.