Hui Huliau

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
274710855
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Waianae, HI, US
Phone
4129990937
Rating
42
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$83,326,549
Expenses
$17,636,603
Assets
$71,599,790
Liabilities
$1,314,980

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DERYL WRIGHT (CEO/ASSISTANT SECRETARY)

Highest reported compensation

  • DERYL WRIGHT (CEO/ASSISTANT SECRETARY): $2,130,951 total reported compensation
  • ADRIAN NAKEA SILVA (FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN/SECRETARY): $2,109,721 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL O'CONNELL (DIRECTOR): $2,109,721 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Hui Huliau is a Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO) that generates income through contracting activities to fund its mission of supporting Native Hawaiian communities, including education, health services, and the preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture.

What it reported doing in 2024

Hui huliau leased 2.5 acres in waianae in february 2022 and began building a learning center with classrooms and an it lab, an aquaponics farming system, varied fruit trees, and a native plant nursery to serve multiple needs in the waianae community. This facility will host free technology courses for young people in support of Hawaii's workforce development program, offer interactive cultural experiences for grade school children, and grow food for those in need. In 2024 hui huliau began sponsoring training cohorts for youths in the local community, training over 24 students to prepare them with life and specific job skills. In 2024 hui huliau invested an additional $465k in this learning center, with a total invested amount exceeding $1.5m. Additionally, hui huliau leased 100 acres of property on oahu in 2024 to develop a ranch. In 2024, hui huliau began clearing and securing this property. The property will be utilized to raise over 100 cattle and allow training for local youth, while also establishing a sustainability program which allows for the return of local products to the community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 70% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 66% for direct work, and 34% for grants.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 16
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 18
  • Sustainability: 92
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 7.4%; rating input score 7
  • Program expense ratio: 35.2%; rating input score 35
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.8%; rating input score 98; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 78.8%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.06; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.3%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 41.6% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 51.2% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 59.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 7.4% of revenue deployed · 35.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $6.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2.1M · 3 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $385K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 35 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 7/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 35/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.