Administration Priorities

Administration Priorities Listed in the HŌʻIHI NOFO and Their Relevance to Potential HŌʻIHI Projects

Executive Orders & Presidential Actions
E.O. 14308: Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response	EO 14308 advances a coordinated federal approach to wildfire mitigation and response, with a focus on risk-informed management, intergovernmental partnerships, and the integration of advanced technologies and traditional ecological knowledge. These priorities directly reinforce the objectives of the HŌʻIHI Grant Program. EO 14308 is particularly relevant in contexts where tourism pressure, culturally significant landscapes, and Native Hawaiian Community interests intersect with high-risk wildfire areas such as dryland forests, upland watersheds, and rural wildland–urban interface areas. Within these settings, HŌʻIHI-funded projects can operationalize the Order’s directives by supporting community-driven adaptation strategies that reduce fuel loads, restore native ecosystems, and strengthen landscape-level resilience. The Order’s emphasis on collaboration with Tribal, Indigenous, and local partners aligns closely with the Native Hawaiian Communityʻs approaches to mālama ʻāina, which integrate stewardship, cultural practice, and place-based knowledge. By elevating these approaches alongside modern risk assessment tools and fire management technologies, EO 14308 provides a policy framework that enables HŌʻIHI to advance prevention-focused, culturally grounded, and community-led resilience strategies.
E.O. 14225: Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production	For HŌʻIHI, EO 14225 is most relevant where a project is connected to upland forests, forest‑dependent watersheds, or educational programming about forestry management. If you feel your project aligns with this EO, consider discussing how your project supports healthy, resilient forests and watersheds that sustain the Native Hawaiian Community and visitor experiences (for example, by sharing ʻike kupuna about forest and watershed stewardship, or by educating visitors about the relationship between mauka forests and makai ecosystems).
E.O. 14276: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness	For HŌʻIHI, EO 14276 is most relevant where projects intersect with ocean, shoreline, or coastal community‑based activities connected to the visitor sector—especially those involving traditional fisheries, subsistence or small‑scale commercial fishing, fishponds, or seafood‑related cultural practices. Projects that uplift Native Hawaiian knowledge of sustainable fishing, nearshore resource management, and food systems can speak directly to the EO’s emphasis on ethical, sustainable, and domestically produced seafood, even if they are not part of large commercial fisheries.
E.O. 14212 Make America Healthy Again Commission	EO 14212 is part of a broader federal emphasis on prevention, children’s health, and addressing upstream determinants of well‑being. For HŌʻIHI applicants, this context may be relevant when describing how proposed projects support a healthier Native Hawaiian Community, intergenerational wellbeing, and culturally grounded approaches that can contribute to long‑term health and resilience for Native Hawaiian children and families.
E.O. 14313: Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission	EO 14313 emphasizes the importance of conserving America's natural beauty, including national parks, forests, and public lands. It criticizes past mismanagement and regulatory overreach that limited public access and led to significant maintenance backlogs. The administration aims to restore these lands and promote outdoor recreation, tying conservation to economic growth. HŌʻIHI’s broader aim is to implement the NATIVE Act through heritage (tourism) opportunities grounded in hōʻihi (treating places and people with reverence and respect), which naturally intersects with MABA’s focus on conserving lands and waters and enhancing visitor experiences. For HŌʻIHI applicants, EO 14313 is most relevant where projects: - Care for, restore, or steward Native Hawaiian cultural sites, landscapes, or waters that visitors experience. - Improve the quality of visitor access and interpretation in ways that protect natural and cultural resources while supporting local economies. - Use Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices to advance conservation, land and ocean stewardship, and community‑based management.
National Agriculture Day, 2025 Proclamation	The National Agriculture Day proclamation celebrates and supports agriculture, including small‑scale, culturally rooted, and specialty producers. For the HŌʻIHI program, which supports heritage- and culture‑based tourism led by the Native Hawaiian Community, this context is relevant where agriculture, foodways, and ʻāina‑based practices are integrated into visitor experiences. Projects that highlight Native Hawaiian food systems—such as kalo cultivation, loko iʻa, agroforestry, or other traditional and contemporary farming practices—can be framed as contributing to the broader national recognition of agriculture’s importance reflected in the proclamation. This is especially true where tourism projects connect visitors to Native Hawaiian agricultural traditional knowledge, local food, and stewardship of ʻāina that sustains both communities and visitors.
National Small Business Week	The National Small Business Week proclamation highlights the critical role that entrepreneurship plays in the American economy, driving growth and creating new jobs and strengthening families. Many HŌʻIHI projects either are themselves small businesses (for example, tour operators, cultural experience providers, food and agriculture ventures, or creative enterprises) or directly support them through training, product development, or market access. In that sense, HŌʻIHI advances the intent of the proclamation by helping small, locally rooted, Native Hawaiian‑led entities thrive in the visitor economy, while grounding that growth in cultural authenticity, community benefit, and respect for the ʻāina.

Secretary of the Interior Orders
SO 3434 - Strengthening Coordination with Gateway Communities	Secretarial Order 3434 requires coordination and partnership with communities around National Park lands to promote access. The Native Hawaiian Community, and many Native Hawaiian organizations eligible for HŌʻIHI funding, have members who live in or work with communities that function as gateway communities to national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other federal lands and waters in Hawaiʻi. HŌʻIHI’s focus on Native Hawaiian‑led heritage tourism, mālama ʻāina, and culturally grounded visitor experiences aligns closely with SO 3434’s vision of collaborative, community‑centered management of visitor access and services. Where Native Hawaiian organizations help shape visitor experiences, interpret Native Hawaiian history and culture, or steward ʻāina and kai around federal sites, they are natural partners under this order.
SO 3435 - Implementation of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act	Secretarial Order 3435, “Implementation of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act,” sets the Department of the Interior’s framework for fully implementing the EXPLORE Act across all Interior bureaus and offices. The EXPLORE Act, enacted in January 2025, seeks to expand outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands and waters while supporting rural economies, gateway communities, and resource protection. It modernizes recreation infrastructure and technology, streamlines permits for outfitters and guides, improves access for underserved communities, and supports new trails, campgrounds, and other facilities. HŌʻIHI funds Native Hawaiian organizations to implement the NATIVE Act through Native Hawaiian‑led, place‑based visitor experiences that center culture, ʻāina, and the well‑being of the Native Hawaiian Community. SO 3435 and the EXPLORE Act create a strong policy backdrop in which expanding outdoor access and partnering with communities (including Tribes and Native communities) are national priorities for Interior. Where HŌʻIHI projects involve activities on or connected to federal public lands and waters—such as national parks, wildlife refuges, trails, campgrounds, or other recreation areas—the order supports deeper collaboration between Native Hawaiian organizations and Interior bureaus. It also reinforces the importance of Native Hawaiian‑led guiding, interpretation, and ʻāina‑based experiences as part of a modern, sustainable outdoor recreation economy that benefits local communities and protects resources.

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