Hawai‘i Community Lending is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Started in 2002 as a mortgage broker under Hawaiian Community Assets and founded as a subsidiary nonprofit in 2014, HCL funds affordable housing ecosystem from home buyers to home builders to homeowners.

Our mission

To build the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians.

Our vision

All Native Hawaiians will own a home and reconnect to ʻāina for spirituality, food security, and healing of generational trauma from the systematic separation of our people from our ancestral lands. When we realize this vision together, our ʻohana will anchor a 21st century Hawaiian economy centered on Hawaiian values, equity, and collective well-being throughout diverse and inclusive communities.

Our philosophy

Our organization is rooted by a philosophy of Kahua Waiwai, meaning Foundation for Wealth. We view the home as a foundation (Kahua). Upon this foundation is built a family’s spiritual values and teachings (Waiwai). It is the spiritual value of the home and its surroundings that provides stability and the opportunity for families to build a secure future. Opportunities that help stabilize family life help to create a more stable community. A strong foundation, if built property, will serve generations to come.

Our values

We embrace 3 core values that promote a Hawaiian-centered approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
`Ike – We empower our community and our team to be leaders in affordable housing and community development.
Eā – We motivate our community and our team through a Hawaiian way of being, thinking, and interacting with the world.
Pono – We establish and maintain relationships in our community and within our team that are mutually respectful and equitable.