What seemed uncertain just months ago has become a powerful example of what collective advocacy can achieve. Thanks to the efforts of Native Hawaiian organizations, partners such as Partners in Development, and the support of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation, including Senator Brian Schatz, Native Hawaiian education programs will receive much-needed federal funding for another year. INPEACE is honored to be one of several organizations receiving this support.

Cuts to family learning programs could affect 3,000 families and result in the loss of more than 100 teacher positions, said Jared Ellis, policy lead at Early Childhood Action Strategy. Many programs are already struggling to keep up with demand from parents.

In the midst of recent funding cuts by the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, known as INPEACE, lost $1.6 million in federal funding — 85% of the operating budget — for its flagship program Ka Lama Education Academy, a program focused on growing teachers from local communities.

Nānākuli, HI — INPEACE (Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture) was notified last week that $1.6 million in funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Education place INPEACE’s cornerstone program — Ka Lama Education Academy — at risk.

INPEACE, among the local nonprofits hurt by cuts in federal grants, has pivoted to seeking new funding while keeping its programs running, CEO Sanoe Marfil says.

Athena Bite-Aken Kane, a mother of two young children under the age of three, was initially a participant in the Hoʻāla Program a few years ago. After reconnecting with Hoʻāla at the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Pediatrics event in 2024, Athena returned for assistance, hoping to secure early education opportunities for her keiki.