Foundations for the Future: Empowerment Economics in the Native Hawaiian Context

The Foundations for the Future Report is a case study focused on Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA), and demonstrates how the organization worked closely with its members and partners to build wealth in Native Hawaiian communities through financial capability programming. The authors introduce the term Empowerment Economics to categorize this process and expand upon current approaches to financial capability. On the surface, what HCA offers to families is a classic financial capability program. But digging deeper into their approach, we found the seeds of empowerment economics in how these services and educational opportunities are designed, implemented in the community, and spread across generations