Real Impact for Hawaiʻi’s Youth
Since 2016, Nalukai Foundation has empowered Hawaii high school students to create tangible solutions for their communities' biggest challenges—from affordable housing to food security to mental health access. Our programs are 100% free, rooted in Native Hawaiian values, and designed to develop the next generation of community problem-solvers.
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE CREATED
At Nalukai, impact isn't measured by what students learn—it's proven by what they create. Since 2016, students have developed 100+ solutions addressing housing affordability, food security, mental health access, sustainability, cultural preservation, economic opportunity, and more.
Here are recent examples:
Hale Kōkua – Keeping Native Hawaiian Families in Hawaiʻi
With 28,000 families on the DHHL waitlist and three out of ten homeless identifying as Native Hawaiian, Team Hale Kōkua created a rent subsidy organization to address the immediate crisis. Their solution provides direct financial support to low-income Native Hawaiian families facing eviction, funding the gap between what families can afford and actual rent costs. Through community events, grants, and donations, they aim to keep families rooted in Hawaiʻi while preserving culture and community connections.
Puaʻa – Protecting Native Species Through Community Action
Hawaiʻi's 400,000 feral pigs destroy habitats, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry avian malaria - contributing to the near-extinction of culturally significant native birds. Team Puaʻa built a mobile app connecting civilians who spot pigs with licensed hunters who can respond. The platform addresses multiple problems: controlling the feral pig population, supporting local hunters, fighting food insecurity by distributing meat to families, and protecting native species and cultural practices.
Hina Ea – Expanding Access to Women's Healthcare
When Maui's only private obstetrics practice closed, over 118,000 women and girls lost access to reproductive healthcare. Team Hina Ea created a nonprofit platform connecting donors with women who need financial assistance for travel, lodging, and healthcare procedures on Oahu. Within days of launching, they secured their first business partnership and reached 1,200 people on social media, demonstrating immediate community need for their solution.
Where Students Go and What They Gain
Nalukai fundamentally changes how students see themselves and their potential. Here's what we've learned from staying connected with graduates:
Nalukai was and still is one of the most impactful programs I will ever participate in. At Nalukai, we not only learned the process of ideation and the creation of solutions to problems that resonate with us, but the importance of communication, teamwork and collaboration, creativity, acceptance and vulnerability, and networking and friendship building. ...This program is the first to have seriously restored my faith in the future leaders and generations of Hawaiʻi residents.
Kaniela Spalding - Summer 2023
Nalukai’s focus on innovation prompted my creativity to explore new creative mediums, such as writing, graphic design, motion graphics, videography, and more. Through guidance from mentors and team leaders, I realized the power of teamwork and contributing to a community-centered project. I started to apply my learnings from Nalukai Academy to Maui’s community. I reached out to Maui’s small businesses and offered to volunteer as their digital content creator, marketing manager, and, generally, any role focused on creative media and marketing. I have designed websites and logos, managed digital platform accounts, and produced digital content for over ten businesses.
Jazmyne Faith Viloria - Summer 2020
Impact Across Hawaiʻi
We serve students from all six major Hawaiian islands—Hawaii Island, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai. 63.5% of our students come from rural communities, including Kohala, Kona, Hilo, Waimea, Molokai, and outer island schools often overlooked by Oahu-centric programs.