In a surprise announcement made on the “Tamron Hall Show,” a Hawaii-based nonprofit program learned Monday that it won a prestigious national music award.

The Lewis Prize for Music presented Hawaii’s Mana Maoli with a $500,000 Accelerator Award.

Founded in 1999, Mana Maoli is a collective of educators, artists, musicians and more who share a common goal of community empowerment. In 2013, the Mana Mele Project began.

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V sits down and talks to Pomaikai Keawe, a kumu with Mana Maoli, and Dalouge Smith, who’s the CEO of the Lewis Prize for Music, about the program and award.