OHA committee approves a slate of event sponsorships for early 2026, defers one application

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Budget and Finance Committee on Oct. 15, 2025 approved a series of event sponsorship requests from Hawaiian cultural and community organizations for events scheduled in early 2026, while deferring one application for additional vetting.

Committee members heard in-person and virtual testimony from representatives of community organizations and considered staff recommendations before voting. Trustees repeatedly emphasized cultural value and community impact when supporting requests and asked administration to track the outreach and in-kind benefits OHA receives for its sponsorships.

The committee approved sponsorship requests that included cultural festivals, Makahiki events, a Brighter Futures Gala fundraiser and a 5K language event. Testimony described events as intergenerational cultural gatherings, school partnerships and fundraisers for homelessness services and local stewardship. Several testifiers described programming that involved schools, kupuna and cultural practitioners and emphasized the role of the events in language and cultural continuity.

The committee deferred one application — a local Makahiki event that had scored just below…