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Grant Writing Guru

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This Page is dedicated to helping small and medium-sized non-profits or individuals that want to start a non-profit.

10/28/2026

This morning, Mari and I voted in person at Honolulu Hale (City Hall).

We both see voting as a right, a privilege, and a duty of citizenship.

Walking in, signing our names, and casting our ballots felt patriotic. In that moment, we were connected to the principles on which this nation was founded.

During my years in the Air Force intelligence community, I had access to information about totalitarian regimes around the globe. In many of those countries, citizens could not vote freely. In some, they could not vote at all.

That experience never left me.

Mathematically, our two votes are infinitesimal in the American electorate. But the size of a vote is not the point.

What matters is that we have a voice, and that voice makes us stakeholders in our country’s success.

Millions of people around the world would give anything for what we did in a few minutes this morning at City Hall.

And we are truly grateful for that gift!

10/27/2026

Professional Nonprofit Grant Writing and Post-Award Grant Management anywhere in the Nation…!

10/25/2026

$10 MILLION IN DHHL GRANTS: HOMESTEAD COMMUNITIES, THE CLOCK IS TICKING!

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) is offering $10 million in FY2027 grant funding through four statewide Requests for Proposals. The funds come from DHHL's Native Hawaiian Development Program and go to nonprofit organizations whose projects benefit native Hawaiian beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA).

FOUR FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. Improvements to Facilities in Existing Homesteads (RFP-27-HHL-003)
$5 million available | Maximum award $1,000,000

2. Program Implementation in Existing Homesteads (RFP-27-HHL-004)
$3.8 million available | Maximum award $300,000

3. Community Capacity Building (RFP-27-HHL-005)
$200,000 available | Maximum award $20,000

4. Building Sustainable Community Economic Enterprises (RFP-27-HHL-002)
$1 million available | Maximum award $250,000

DEADLINES
• RFPs 003, 004 and 005: Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 11:30 p.m. HST

• RFP 002: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 2:00 p.m. HST (revised)
IMPORTANT FOR NONPROFIT LEADERS

These are NOT open grants for every organization serving Native Hawaiians. Each RFP has its own requirements.

Our company -- Villa Business Consulting – has written successful DHHL grants for 25 years.

Winning a grant begins long before the application is submitted. It begins with preparation.

If your Hawaiian nonprofit needs professional assistance with its DHHL grant applications, contact us at (808) 367-1761.

10/24/2026

Giving without expecting anything in return. That's Kōkua Kahiau.

Yesterday the Prince Waikīkī's Piʻinaio Ballroom filled up for the Pacific Business News Kōkua Kahiau Awards, presented with the Hawaii Community Foundation.

The honorees showed what it looks like when businesses and leaders put community first.

They give their time, talent and resources to make Hawaiʻi a better place to live and work.

The room was full of: aloha; lei; shakas; old friends; and new connections.

Mari and I had an exhibitor’s booth, and we caught up with partners from across the nonprofit and business communities.

Congratulations to every honoree, and mahalo to Pacific Business News and the Hawaii Community Foundation for celebrating the people who quietly hold our communities together.

10/23/2026

What an hour with Rick Ralston, founder of Crazy Shirts!

Mari is president of the Sales & Marketing Executives Honolulu.

Tuesday's SME meeting had a full room hanging on every word Rick Ralston said. Rick told the story of how Crazy Shirts began, from airbrushing shirts as a young artist to opening the original Ricky's Crazy Shirts shop under the palm trees in Waikīkī.

He brought the history with him. Original artwork came out one piece at a time:

- His "Whaling Spree, Lahaina, Maui" design
- The framed pencil sketch of "RACE!" next to the finished sweatshirt it became
- A photo of that first thatched-roof storefront
- And many other items…

Rick was refreshingly candid. He talked about the wins that built a Hawaiʻi icon, and also about the mistakes and hard lessons along the way. That honesty is what made the talk so valuable for the business owners and entrepreneurs in the room.

For a full hour, nobody reached for a phone except to take a picture.

The big takeaway: great brands start with one person, one idea, and the willingness to keep going after things go wrong.

Mahalo nui loa, Rick, for sharing your story so generously. And mahalo to SME Honolulu for another outstanding program.

10/23/2026

This has been a CRAZY week for our company. We were invited to way more events and activities across the island than Mari and I could reasonably accommodate during the beginning of the critical grant writing season for us.

So we attended as many events and activities as we could and did our best to extend apologies to those events & activities we could not attend.

This was SUNDAY…

10/22/2026

Before asking, “Can we win this Hawaii City, County or State grant?,” nonprofit boards should ask another question:

“Can we finance the work while we wait for reimbursement?”

Maui County’s Niu, Kalo and ʻUlu grant guide illustrates the issue. Its payment structure generally requires grantees to pay eligible expenses and then request reimbursement.

An upfront disbursement also requires justification and approval.

At Villa Business Consulting, we know cash-flow planning part of grant readiness.

Who pays the first payroll? Which funds cover supplies? What documentation supports reimbursement?

Our perspective is straightforward: a strong proposal connects the: community need; program budget; and organization’s ability to deliver.

Winning an award is one milestone. Financing and documenting successful delivery require their own plan.

10/18/2026

Homestead ʻOhana, the clock is already ticking.

If your nonprofit serves Homestead communities, please read this.

DHHL has three FY27 grant solicitations open:

- RFP-HHL-003: Improvements

- RFP-HHL-004: Programs

- RFP-HHL-005: Capacity Building

WHO CAN APPLY?

- 501(c)(3)s with board governance and board-approved authorized signatories

- Current Hawaii Compliance Express certificate of vendor compliance

Project primarily benefits existing Homesteads (applicants may also be served) One proposal per RFP.

No double-dipping with other funding requests.

Project must be shovel-ready, or able to start by July 1, 2027 and finish before June 30, 2032

WHERE THE POINTS ARE

- Organizational Capacity: 30
- Sustainability: 30
- Project Readiness: 20
- Community Support & Relations: 10
- Beneficiary Involvement & Partnerships: 10
- Matching Funds / In-Kind: up to 5

Sixty points ride on two questions:

- Can your organization deliver?
- Will the work last after the grant ends?

A beautiful idea will lose to a ready one.

After 27 years of writing federal grants for Native Hawaiian communities, here's the pattern I see most often: strong organizations lose on paperwork, not on mission.

- An expired HCE certificate.
- A missing board resolution.
- A PDF too big to email.

Please share this with your Homestead Association, board, and anyone doing the work on Hawaiian Home Lands.

If your organization needs experienced professional assistance, my inbox is open.

10/17/2026

Last night’s Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce (NHCC) 2026 ʻŌʻō Awards Gala was the 49th annual event. It was held at the Sheraton Waikīkī.

Mari and I are NHCC members, and our company was privileged to sponsor a VIP table.

Event’s Theme: Kūkulu i ka Hoʻoilina o Hawaiʻi, "Building the Legacy of Hawaiʻi"

2026 Honorees:
- Kuʻuipo Kumukahi, Guardian of Hawaiian Culture &; Mele. She's a kumu, cultural practitioner and Hawaiian music artist, and co-founder and president of the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society.
- Richard "Rick" Fernandez, Builder of Community and Opportunity. He's a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, a former AECOM vice president and a past NHCC president.
- Brickwood Galuteria, Connector of Community & Leadership. He's an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee and a former state senator.
- Kimo Kahoano, Ambassador of Hawaiʻi's Culture & Aloha. He's an entertainer and broadcaster who has emceed the Merrie Monarch Festival for 45 years.

Since 1977, the NHCC has presented the ʻŌʻō Award to Native Hawaiians who have made significant contributions to their communities.

Carved from native hardwood, the award represents the traditional Hawaiian ʻōʻō (digging stick), a tool used to cultivate the land.

It is a fitting symbol of the honorees enduring contributions. Just as the ʻōʻō helped cultivate the ʻāina (land), these exceptional individuals have helped cultivate Hawaiian culture, strengthen communities, create opportunities, and build a lasting legacy for future generations.

It was an amazing event and our table of professional colleagues had a great time…!

10/16/2026

Mahalo, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System

Yesterday was a privilege: serving as a Hispanic Heritage Month guest speaker at the Kapolei VA Clinic.

The allotted time slot was 15 minutes, 1/4 of the hour-long presentation I usually do on the history of Hispanics in Hawaiʻi.

So it was just a snapshot of our 232-year history in these beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

Even so, it covered a lot of ground:

- from the Spanish sailor who became a resident of Honolulu in about 1794;
- to the Mexican vaqueros that taught the Hawaiians the art of cattle ranching;
- to the Puerto Rican families who came to work on the sugar plantations;
- and on to the 152,000-resident Hispanic community that serves, works, and raises families across the islands today.

The best part came afterward. Attendee after attendee shared that they were surprised to learn how much of this history they had never heard.

When people leave wanting to know more, a presentation has done its job.

Speaking to veterans and VA staff meant a great deal to me. After 23 years in the Air Force, a room full of people who served – my tribe -- felt like home.

A special mahalo to James Ingebredtsen, Assistant Director -- and the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System team -- for the invitation, warm welcome, and certificate of appreciation.

And to everyone who came, asked questions, and stayed to talk story: Gracias, Thank You, and Mahalo…!

Hispanic Heritage Month ended yesterday, but these stories belong to our global Hispanic community all year long.

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