2025 Trans Justice Funding Project Grantee

UTOPIA Hawai‘i is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

serving LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islander communities through cultural preservation, advocacy, and community connection.

Our Work

UTOPIA Hawai'i creates meaningful pathways for community engagement by centering Pacific Islander cultural traditions, practices, and identities as sources of healing, pride, and belonging.

Our Mission

UTOPIA Hawai'i's mission is to create a safe, inclusive, and affirming space for LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islander communities -- honoring the cultural identities, traditions, and relationships that make our people whole.

Cultural Preservation

UTOPIA Hawai'i preserves and transmits the cultural heritage of Pacific Islander communities through education and practice of traditional dance, music, language, and storytelling -- reclaiming spaces where our MVPFAFF+ identities are not just included but celebrated.

Advocacy

UTOPIA Hawai'i connects LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islander individuals and families across Hawai'i to culturally responsive resources, community support, and advocacy -- working to dismantle the barriers that disproportionately impact our people.

Wellness

UTOPIA Hawai'i offers culturally grounded wellness programming that supports the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islander individuals and families meeting our community where they are with care that reflects who they are.

Our Impact

UTOPIA Hawai'i creates opportunities that build pilina -- connection and relationship within our community through mentorship, advocacy, and culturally grounded education rooted in an abundance mindset.

In 2025, UTOPIA Hawai'i was selected as a grantee of the Trans Justice Funding Project, receiving $5,000 in recognition of our work supporting transgender and gender-expansive Pacific Islander communities in Hawai'i.

UTOPIA Hawai'i holds the kuleana to protect and uplift our community by ensuring that LGBTQIA+ Pacific Islanders have meaningful access to cultural spaces, traditions, and relationships that affirm who they are.
Humility -- We center our community's voices and lived experiences in everything we do.
Integrity -- We show up with honesty and accountability to the people we serve.
Abundance -- We believe our community thrives when we operate from a place of generosity, not scarcity.
We recognize and honor the distinct cultural identities of gender-expansive and sexually diverse people across the Pacific:
MVPFAFF+ - Māhū (Hawai'i/Tahiti), Vakasalewalewa (Fiji), Palopa (Papua New Guinea), Fa'afafine (Samoa), Akava'ine (Avaiki Nui, Cook Islands), Fakafifine (Niue), and Fakaleiti (Tonga) Takutapui (Māori), Pinapinaaine (Kiribati & Tuvalu), Winimvan (Chuuk), Mengol a Otaor (Palau), Haka Huahine (Tokelau), Bufta (Vanuatu), Kakōl (Alon Kein Ad, Marshall Islands), Palao'åna Mamflorita (Guam)
LGBTQIA+ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual