Moving Together Like Water for Hawaiian Immersion Education
During the Philanthropono Spring 2026 Hōʻike, Andrea Dias-Machado began with gratitude.
During her Hōʻike presentation, Andrea acknowledged the greatness of her fellow cohort haumāna and expressed mahalo to Olani and Doris for their support. Then she named something many emerging nonprofit leaders know well: her organization is young. “We are a baby in all of this non-profit, this non-profit world,” she shared, humbled to be part of the journey.
That humility became the doorway into a presentation filled with purpose.
Andrea represented Ke ʻAlohi ʻo ʻEwa — a newly established nonprofit working to advance Hawaiian immersion education. She shared that HI SCR162 (Hawaiʻi Senate Concurrent Resolution) had been successfully adopted by both chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, an important marker of momentum for the work to ensure access to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi education.
Her fundraising plan reflected the real conditions of early-stage nonprofit building. Since 2021, the work had been funded out of pocket, and the organization had only become a 501(c)(3) in January. Andrea’s strategy focused first on grants, followed by in-kind services and individual donors. She named potential opportunities through the State of Hawaiʻi Grant-in-Aid process and the Federal Administration for Native Americans language preservation grants.
But Andrea also made clear that funding this work is not only a technical process. It is relational.
“As we know, as Indigenous fundraisers, building pilina (relationship) is paramount to activating and resourcing the mission of Ke ʻAlohi ʻo ʻEwa,” she shared. That line beautifully captured the heart of her presentation: resources follow relationships, and relationships must be tended with aloha, reciprocity, and trust.
Andrea also recognized makua as a driving force of immersion education. Her plan included continuing to build relationships with parents and engaging them through efforts such as the Makua Imu Kalua Pig fundraiser.
She closed with an ʻōlelo noʻeau: “Let all travel together like wai, flowing in one direction.”
That image is the perfect reflection of Andrea’s leadership. She is not simply building an organization. She is helping gather a current — parents, educators, partners, funders, and community members — to move together toward a shared future for Hawaiian language education.
Andrea Dias-Machado is a Changemakers hero because she reminds us that even new organizations can carry deep ancestral purpose. With pilina as the foundation and language as the pathway, she is helping shape a future where Hawaiian immersion education continues to flow forward.
Ready to strengthen your fundraising practice?
The next Philanthropono cohort is an opportunity to build practical fundraising skills while staying rooted in Indigenous values, relationship, and community care.
Read more and watch other participants and the entire Spring 2026 Kaʻiʻi Hōʻike presentation.
