Papa Ola Lōkahi

What Papa Ola Lōkahi does

Papa Ola Lōkahi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Honolulu, Hawai'i, established under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act (42 USC Chapter 122) as the federally chartered coordinating body for Native Hawaiian health. The organization administers the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) — which has awarded 357+ scholarships across 20 health and allied health professions since 1991 — and coordinates five island-based Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems serving O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui, Hawai'i Island, and Moloka'i. Its core customer segments are Native Hawaiian individuals and ʻohana, Native Hawaiian health-professions students, and the five island health systems themselves. The organization serves as the backbone convener for the statewide Native Hawaiian health infrastructure and operates as the coordinating umbrella for a network of 30+ Collaborative Care Network partners and 50+ Nā Makawai community organizations.

The organization delivers services through six programmatic divisions: Hale Hoʻonaʻauao (community health initiatives spanning chronic conditions, cancer prevention, harm reduction, mental and behavioral well-being, nutrition, Māhū/LGBTQ+ health, tobacco cessation, traditional healing, and Kupuna Councils), Ka Pūnana (innovative projects including the Collaborative Care Network, Community Health Workers Network, Maui SERG, Nā Makawai, and Transportation Equity Hui), Hale ʻImi Hawaiʻi (data and research including the E Ola Mau health needs assessment and ʻImi Pono survey), Mauli Ola Mālamalama (health workforce/NHHSP), Hale Manaʻo Hoʻokō (Hawaiian health policy), and Hale o Lono (communications and the Native Hawaiian Health Archive). Its proprietary methodology is the Ahupuaʻa Cultural Healing Model, a culturally grounded framework linking people, land, and community to address historical and cultural trauma through Hawaiian cultural identity, family connections, and land stewardship.

Papa Ola Lōkahi's business model is federal-grant-dependent: revenue derives primarily from HRSA under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act, SAMHSA Emergency Response Grants (Maui SERG), State of Hawai'i legislative appropriations, and charitable contributions. Programs, scholarships, and resources are provided at no cost to Native Hawaiian beneficiaries; the organization has no commercial products or pricing tiers. The organization distributes ARPA pass-through funding to 50+ community partners via Nā Makawai, conducts the He Alo a He Alo nationwide listening tour covering all 50 states (Aug 2024–July 2025), and hosts the triennial ʻAha Hoʻolōkahi Hawaiian Health & Well-Being Summit. The operating model is currently exposed to material regulatory risk from the Do No Harm federal lawsuit challenging the racial eligibility of the NHHSP, in which Papa Ola Lōkahi filed to intervene in May 2026.

Name

Papa Ola Lōkahi

Legal name

Papa Ola Lōkahi

Website

https://papaolalokahi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Papa Ola Lōkahi is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that improves Native Hawaiian health by coordinating five island-based health care systems, administering the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program, and convening a statewide ecosystem of 50+ community partners through culturally grounded research, policy, and workforce programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (92312), American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (921150)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) (BPADAIAE), Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Partnerships (HLAJAOAL)

Keywords

• Native Hawaiian health
• Community health programs
• Health workforce development
• Cultural healing services
• Public health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grant Funding (HRSA / NHHCIA): Papa Ola Lōkahi operates primarily as a federally funded nonprofit under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act (42 USC Chapter 122). The organization receives grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other federal agencies to administer the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program, coordinate Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems, and operate public health programs.
2. Federal Emergency Response Grants (SAMHSA): Papa Ola Lōkahi receives SAMHSA Emergency Response Grant (SERG) funding in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Health to address behavioral health needs of survivors of the August 2023 Maui wildfires, coordinating nearly 20 provider organizations.
3. State of Hawaii Funding and Legislative Appropriations: The organization receives funding and mandates from the State of Hawaii, including Hawaii Revised Statutes 453-2 (Kupuna Councils of traditional Hawaiian healers), HRS 10-18 (Hui Imi Advisory Council), and Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 74 SD1 (2018) for health coverage assessment.
4. Charitable Donations: Papa Ola Lōkahi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that solicits charitable contributions. The website includes a 'Kōkua' (donate) page and notes that gifts are tax deductible as provided by law.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Papa Ola Lōkahi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, federally chartered under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act (42 USC Chapter 122), that coordinates five island-based Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and administers the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP). It delivers community health programs in chronic disease, mental and behavioral health, traditional healing, and Kupuna Councils; conducts Native Hawaiian health needs assessments and data research through Hale ʻImi Hawaiʻi; and carries out Hawaiian health policy advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels.

Product overview

Papa Ola Lōkahi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that administers the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) and coordinates five island-based Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems. The organization operates through a hub-and-spoke model centered around six programmatic divisions: Hale Ho'ona'auao (Community Health Initiatives) covering health education, chronic conditions, mental health, and traditional healing; Hale 'Imi Hawai'i (Data and Research) conducting health needs assessments and research; Ka Pūnana (Innovative Projects) including the Collaborative Care Network and Nā Makawai initiative; Mauli Ola Mālamalama (Health Workforce Development) administering the NHHSP scholarship program; Hale Mana'o Ho'okō (Hawaiian Health Policy) handling federal and state advocacy; and Hale o Lono (Communications) managing outreach and the Native Hawaiian Health Archive. This is not a technology product company but rather a public health and healthcare workforce development nonprofit organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) Merit-based scholarship program that provides tuition, books, educational costs, and a monthly stipend to Native Hawaiian students enrolled full-time in accredited health and allied health degree programs; recipients commit to 2–4 years of service in medically underserved Hawaiian communities. Has awarded over 357 scholarships across 20 health professions since 1991.
• Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems (5 island-based systems) A statewide delivery network of five nonprofit health care systems — Hui No Ke Ola Pono (Maui), Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi (Hawaiʻi Island), Nā Puʻuwai (Molokaʻi), Ke Ola Mamo (Oʻahu), and Hoʻōla Lāhui Hawaiʻi (Kauaʻi) — that provide comprehensive health promotion, disease prevention, behavioral health, nutrition, and traditional healing services to Native Hawaiians across all major Hawaiian islands.
• Hale Hoʻonaʻauao (Community Health Initiatives) Programs focused on health education, training, and cultural healing for Native Hawaiians, including chronic conditions, mental and behavioral well-being, cancer prevention, nutrition and food systems, harm reduction, tobacco and vaping control, Kūpuna brain health, ʻOhana well-being, Māhū/LGBTQ+ health, and Traditional Healing & Kūpuna Councils.
• Hale ʻImi Hawaiʻi (Data and Research) Data and research center that perpetuates the E Ola Mau Native Hawaiian Health Needs Assessment, conducts Hawaiian genomics and genetics research, the Nā Leo Kaiāulu community voices survey, the ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey, the Native Hawaiian Health Survey, and the He Alo a He Alo nationwide listening tour. Serves policymakers, researchers, and program developers.
• Ka Pūnana (Innovative and Incubated Projects) Incubator for innovative community health projects including the Collaborative Care Network, Community Health Workers Network, Maui SERG behavioral health response, Nā Makawai American Rescue Plan Act initiative, NHPI 3R COVID-19 response, and the Transportation Equity Hui.
• Mauli Ola Mālamalama (Health Workforce Development) Health workforce development division (Kakoʻo Ulu Oihana) that supports the development of Native Hawaiian health professionals, administers the NHHSP scholarship program, and provides continuing education.
• Hale Manaʻo Hoʻokō (Hawaiian Health Policy) Federal, state, and local advocacy and policy work guided by federal trust responsibilities for Native Hawaiians, including the Myron B. Thompson Center for Hawaiian Health Policy.
• Hale o Lono (Communications and Native Hawaiian Health Archive) Communications division that maintains the online clearinghouse of Native Hawaiian health resources, publications, news, the Native Hawaiian Health Archive, and the triennial ʻAha Hoʻolōkahi Hawaiian Health & Well-Being Summit (next: April 21–23, 2027 at Hilton Hawaiian Village, Waikīkī).

Quantifiable outcome

• 357 scholarships awarded to Native Hawaiians across 20 health professions since 1991
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hui No Ke Ola Pono (Maui)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based Native Hawaiian Health Care System serving Maui. One of five island organizations that comprise the statewide network of Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems established under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Provides comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention services to Native Hawaiian communities on Maui.
• Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi (Hawaiʻi Island)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based Native Hawaiian Health Care System serving Hawaiʻi Island. One of five island organizations in the statewide network. Provides health services and coordinates with Papa Ola Lōkahi on health programs for Native Hawaiians on the Big Island.
• Na Puʻuwai (Molokaʻi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based Native Hawaiian Health Care System serving Molokaʻi. One of five island organizations in the statewide network, providing culturally appropriate health services to the Native Hawaiian community on Molokaʻi.
• Ke Ola Mamo (Oʻahu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based Native Hawaiian Health Care System serving Oʻahu. One of five island organizations in the statewide network, delivering health services to Native Hawaiian communities on Oʻahu.
• Hoʻola Lahui Hawaiʻi (Kauaʻi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland-based Native Hawaiian Health Care System serving Kauaʻi. One of five island organizations in the statewide network, providing health services to Native Hawaiian communities on Kauaʻi.
• ALU LIKE, Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Collaborative Care Network. ALU LIKE is a Native Hawaiian organization focused on education and workforce development, collaborating with Papa Ola Lōkahi on initiatives that strengthen the health and well-being of the Native Hawaiian community.
• Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (Office of Health Equity, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner collaborating with Papa Ola Lōkahi through the Collaborative Care Network and on specific initiatives including the Transportation Equity Hui (contracted by DOH's Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Division) and the Maui SERG program (SAMHSA grantee).
• Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center (H3RC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Papa Ola Lōkahi to release a harm reduction toolkit for Native Hawaiian communities, focusing on reducing harms caused by colonization and introducing a cultural approach to harm reduction and healing. H3RC funded the project.
• Kamehameha SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2026 ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey, partnering with Liliʻuokalani Trust, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Papa Ola Lōkahi, and The Queen’s Health Systems to survey Hawaiʻi residents and Native Hawaiians on well-being.
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2026 ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey. OHA also participates in Papa Ola Lōkahi's Board of Directors through its representative Kūʻikeokalani Kamakea-ʻŌhelo.
• Liliʻuokalani TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2026 ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey, partnering with Kamehameha Schools, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Papa Ola Lōkahi, and The Queen’s Health Systems.
• The Queen’s Health SystemsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2026 ʻImi Pono Hawaiʻi Wellbeing Survey. Also a key healthcare provider partner in the Native Hawaiian health ecosystem, with representation on the Collaborative Care Network.
• University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Native Hawaiian health research and education. Papa Ola Lōkahi participates in the JABSOM-convened Native Hawaiian Health Task Force and collaborates on the E Ola Mau health needs assessment. JABSOM's Department of Native Hawaiian Health conducts related research and training.
• I Ola Lāhui, Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health services organization and partner in the Collaborative Care Network and Maui SERG program, providing services to Native Hawaiian communities and Maui wildfire survivors.
• Planned Parenthood HawaiʻiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Collaborative Care Network and Transportation Equity Hui, providing reproductive and sexual health services to Native Hawaiian communities.
• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian First Nations health authority that informed the development of Papa Ola Lōkahi's Harm Reduction Toolkit for Native Hawaiian communities, sharing best practices in Indigenous harm reduction and cultural approaches to healing.
• NHPI 3R (Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Hawaii COVID-19 Response, Recovery & Resilience Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of public and private partners formed in early 2020 for COVID-19 response, recovery, and resilience for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Hawaiʻi. Papa Ola Lōkahi serves as the backbone organization for this initiative, with CEO Sheri-Ann Daniels sharing co-leadership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC): ANTHC is a tribal nonprofit consortium that coordinates statewide Alaska Native health services, including workforce development and health system oversight. It is structurally the closest analog to Papa Ola Lōkahi as an Indigenous-serving health coordinating body with similar statutory grounding and hub-and-spoke service delivery.
• National Indian Health Board (NIHB): NIHB is a nonprofit advocacy organization that represents Tribal governments in federal Indian health policy. It mirrors Papa Ola Lōkahi's role as a coordinating and policy advocacy body for an Indigenous population, though for American Indians/Alaska Natives rather than Native Hawaiians.
• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA): FNHA is the Canadian health authority for First Nations in British Columbia and a stated peer reference for Papa Ola Lōkahi's harm reduction toolkit. It serves a similar Indigenous health coordinating function across multiple communities and health system partners.
• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO): AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations serving Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. It overlaps with Papa Ola Lōkahi on NHPI health advocacy, workforce development, and federally funded program coordination.
• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF): APIAHF is a national health advocacy organization influencing policy, research, and programs for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Comparable in policy advocacy, research publication, and federal grant management focused on AANHPI health.

Broad incumbents

• Indian Health Service (IHS): IHS is the federal agency responsible for delivering health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. It is comparable in mission (Indigenous health) and federal funding relationship but is a much larger federal agency rather than a coordinating nonprofit.
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA): OHA is a state agency responsible for improving the well-being of Native Hawaiians. It overlaps with Papa Ola Lōkahi on health policy and serves on its board, though it is a broader socioeconomic agency rather than a health-specific coordinator.

Others

• Kamehameha Schools: Kamehameha Schools is a private charitable trust serving Native Hawaiians primarily through education. It is comparable as a major Native Hawaiian-serving institution and a co-partner on the 'Imi Pono wellbeing survey, but its core mission is education rather than health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/papaolalokahi
• Xx.com/PapaOlaLokahi
• Facebookfacebook.com/PapaOlaLokahi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/papa-ola-lokahi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Papa Ola Lōkahi