Policy Blueprint: A Roadmap for NHPI Power, Policy and Possibility

Written By EPIC

FEATURED STORY 

EPIC Launches Updated NHPI Policy Blueprint

Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) is proud to announce the official launch of our updated Policy Blueprint — a community-driven roadmap that centers Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) priorities across federal and state policy.

The Policy Blueprint is the culmination of years of listening sessions, national FONO conversations, data analysis, and relationship-building with NHPI leaders, families, youth, advocates, and practitioners across the country. It reflects what our communities have been clear about all along: policy must be grounded in lived experience, accurate data, and cultural context.

What is the EPIC Policy Blueprint?

The Policy Blueprint is both a vision and a framework. It:

  • Elevates NHPI priorities across data & categorization, economic justice, civil rights, and civic empowerment

  • Shares our hōkūpaʻa (north star) for each priority and what we envision our kuleana (responsibility/privilege) as in achieving those goals by developing policy playbooks with community partners

  • Serves as a resource for policymakers, advocates, funders, and community leaders committed to equity and accountability

At its core, the Blueprint is about powerbuilding — ensuring NHPI communities are not just consulted, but are shaping the policies that impact our lives.

Why This Matters

NHPI communities are too often rendered invisible in policy conversations and aggregated data. The Policy Blueprint pushes back against that erasure by:

  • Naming the structural barriers our communities face

  • Offering clear, actionable policy recommendations

  • Affirming NHPI communities as experts of our own experiences

This launch marks an important step in moving from data to action — and from stories to systems change.

What’s Next

EPIC will use the Policy Blueprint to:

  • Guide our federal and state advocacy efforts

  • Support NHPI leaders engaging with policymakers

  • Equip partners with language and data to advance community-centered solutions

We invite policymakers, community organizations, funders, and allies to read, share, and use the Policy Blueprint as a living document — one that grows alongside our communities.

Read the full Policy Blueprint here

STAFF UPDATES

A Letter from Outgoing Director of Strategic Advancement & Communications

Aloha mai kākou,

As I write this, I’m holding deep aloha for the EPIC community. January 9th was my last day serving as EPIC’s Director of Strategic Advancement & Communications, and I wanted to share a few words directly with our community, partners, and supporters.

As a Kānaka ʻŌiwi wahine, this role has never been “just a job.” It has been kuleana. Supporting stories, data, and strategies that reflect who we are as Pasifika peoples—and doing so with care and integrity—has been profoundly meaningful to me. Every report, message, and conversation was guided by the belief that our communities deserve to be seen fully, accurately, and with dignity.

During my time at EPIC, I’ve witnessed the power of pilina—relationships grounded in trust and shared purpose. I’ve seen how community stories, paired with strong data and collective advocacy, can move systems. And I’ve been continually inspired by the leaders, elders, youth, organizers, and families who remind us that policy work is, at its heart, about people and their everyday lives.

I’m especially proud of how EPIC continues to center community voice in national policy conversations. The updated Policy Blueprint launch reflects that commitment, carrying forward the ʻike, experiences, and aspirations of our people. I hope you receive it not just as a document, but as an invitation: to engage, to advocate, and to imagine what’s possible when our communities lead.

As I step into this next chapter, I do so with deep confidence in EPIC’s mission and future. This organization is guided by values that align with who we are as Pasifika peoples—collective care, accountability, and a long view toward generational change. I’m excited to see EPIC continue to grow and build power alongside our communities. 

Mahalo nui loa to the EPIC team, board, partners, and all of you who have supported this work. Thank you for trusting me with your stories and for walking this journey together. While my role here comes to a close, my commitment to our people and our collective liberation remains.

E ola!

Me ke aloha,
Jessica Kaneakua


EPIC UPDATES

Call for Bids: Grants and Communications Support for EPIC

EPIC is seeking bids from qualified consultants to support fundraising and visibility through professional grant writing and strategic communications services. We are looking for grants and communications experts and firms to support our ongoing and upcoming fundraising needs and strengthen our online presence. We are especially interested in partners with experience in:

  • Developing fundraising plans

  • Demonstrated success in securing grants from private or public funders

  • Strategic communications planning

  • Narrative change and storytelling

  • Policy and advocacy communications

  • Digital content, newsletters, and social media

  • Culturally grounded work with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities

This support will help ensure continuity in our programming and communications, strengthen our reach, and support key moments ahead. For more information, view the full request for bids for the Grants Consultant and Communications Consultant here. Applicants may apply for both consultant roles, however each will be reviewed separately and applicants should clearly describe how they would manage responsibilities for each scope. For priority consideration, submit materials by February 9th, 2026.

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