Ka IPU Makani Cultural Heritage Center

Ka IPU Makani Cultural Heritage Center, a Native Hawaiian-owned nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Kaunakakai, Hawaii, is a federal grant recipient operating cultural heritage preservation and archival services on the island of Molokai. The center functions as a prime recipient across five federal grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey, with no contract prime or subcontract footprint.

The center's capability portfolio centers on digital archive development, historical collection processing and preservation, community-based library and archival services, and indigenous knowledge documentation. Recent representative work includes a $135,000 IMLS Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services grant (CFDA 45.311) awarded October 1, 2026, to establish a digital archive preserving Molokai's historical collections through processing and description of unprocessed photographs, newspaper clippings, historical records, and three-dimensional objects, rehousing two significant collections, and developing a public interpretive exhibit. An earlier $150,000 IMLS Native Hawaiian Library Services grant awarded October 1, 2025, focused on establishing the first community-based, professionally managed physical archive on Molokai with core archival infrastructure, policies, workflows, metadata standards, and secure storage systems. A $132,000 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey (Office of Acquisitions and Grants) awarded September 18, 2024, engaged the center in researching and translating Native Hawaiian traditional ecological knowledge related to waterbird phenology and migratory bird migration, developing educational curriculum materials, and providing professional development for Molokai educators.

Customer concentration is split across the Institute of Museum and Library Services (three awards), the U.S. Geological Survey (one award), and the National Archives and Records Administration (one award), accounting for one hundred percent of recent awards. Combined federal dollars obligated across all five awards total $532 thousand. Activity has remained steady at one award per year from 2022 through 2026. One award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.