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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, June 29, 2006

Foundation donates to mausoleum

Advertiser Staff

A nonprofit group is the recipient of a $150,000 grant from the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation for restoration and renovation efforts at Mauna 'Ala, the Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu.

It's the latest in a series of pledges going toward the project, said Leinani Keppeler-Bortles, executive director of Hawai'i Maoli.

The organization was formed in 1997 by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs to pursue grants, contracts and donations for projects that promote Hawaiian culture, economic development and well-being.

Keppeler-Bortles said the project also received pledges of $150,000 each from the Charles Reed Bishop Trust, Kamehameha Schools, Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and The Queens' Medical Center. It also got a $500,000 grant from the state, $50,000 from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and $90,000 in individual donations.

In all, donors have committed to nearly $1.4 million. The original project cost was estimated at $1.6 million and Hawai'i Maoli continues to seek grants, Keppeler-Bortles said. The Legislature this year also committed to a one-time $180,000 infusion in ceded land revenues to the state for repairs and maintenance of Mauna 'Ala, the final resting place for nearly all of Hawai'i's monarchs.