NAWAIPUNA

NAWAIPUNA (styled Nāwaipuna) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed in 2020 that advances Indigenous cultural learning, ʻāina (land) stewardship, and community leadership through immersive, place-based programs. Its flagship Makaliʻi Project (an evolution of the Blue Water Exchange) delivers multi-day, hands-on learning experiences that center ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge), ʻāina stewardship, and pilina (relationship-building) to strengthen youth and young adult leadership. The organization is stewarding Kahōkūwelowelo as a living cultural and environmental learning site and works through partnerships across Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and parts of the U.S. mainland to expand place-based cultural practice and long-term stewardship. The EIN 85-2060460 is recorded in public nonprofit filings and the organization filed a Form 990 for fiscal year 2023; financials from that filing show program-focused revenue and growing net assets, indicating active program delivery and fiscal activity in recent years.