Lawmakers hear hundreds of brief GIA pitches as nonprofits seek funds for wildfire recovery, health and youth services

Honolulu — Representatives of dozens of Hawaii nonprofits delivered short, one‑minute presentations to a joint Senate Ways and Means and House Finance informational briefing on Feb. 14, asking lawmakers for state Grant‑in‑Aid (GIA) funding for projects ranging from wildfire recovery on Maui to local health care, food security and youth programs.

The committees heard rapid testimony from in‑person and Zoom participants; hearing staff limited each organization to one minute and directed that there would be no question‑and‑answer period during the briefing because of the volume of applicants. The committee recessed for floor sessions midmorning and reconvened in the afternoon to continue testimony.

The session covered a wide variety of proposals. West Hawaii Community Health Center asked for funds tied to a workforce housing project in Kaʻū; Rescue Tube Foundation asked for money to expand public rescue‑tube installations on beaches; and several Maui‑based arts, cultural and relief organizations made requests tied to recovery from the 2023 wildfires.

"We are a federally qualified community health center serving 1 in 5 people on the Big Island," said Natasha Ala, executive director for West Hawaii Community Health Center, in her one‑minute testimony asking support for workforce housing in Kaʻū. Rescue Tube Foundation executive director Branch Lotzpeech told committees, "Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 15 in Hawaii," and asked support to install 500 additional public rescue tubes in underserved areas.

Other requests highlighted public‑safety and health infrastructure needs. Steve Sparks, president of Puna Community Medical Center Foundation, described a proposed emergency room and medical campus for the Puna district that he said would create more than 200 jobs and cut long emergency transport times to Hilo. Ed Nishioka of Ronald McDonald House Charities asked for continued operating support for family housing for families with seriously ill children: "For more than 38 years, the Ronald McDonald House Charities has been serving the families of Hawaii with seriously ill children," he told the committees.

Several Maui organizations emphasized ongoing wildfire recovery. Autumn Ness of the Lahaina Community Land Trust said state funds would help "house fire survivors now, bringing them home and preventing the distress‑driven sale of their land." Others from Maui described programs for legal assistance, mental health, workforce training and cultural preservation tied to long‑term recovery.

Large institutional requests also featured. Greg Bridal, CEO of the YMCA of Honolulu, described a proposed multi‑phase redevelopment of the YMCA campus in downtown Honolulu, saying the plan would "include state‑of‑the‑art health and wellness programs, community gathering spaces, affordable housing, and an on‑site medical clinic and early learning center." Kapiolani Health Foundation sought funds for planning and construction related to a new Martha B. Smith Cancer and Infusion Center to expand oncology and infusion services for women and children.

Testifiers also made appeals on food security, workforce training, and special‑needs services. Food banks and food‑rescue groups asked for capital and operating funds to expand cold storage, commercial kitchens and mobile distribution; organizations focused on workforce training asked for support to expand STEM and vocational programs; and groups serving youth, seniors and people with disabilities described operating needs that they said would improve access to services statewide.

Committee staff kept the hearing to a compressed format: in‑person testifiers were called in a reverse alphabetical order from neighbor islands, then Oahu, with Zoom participants to speak after the in‑person roster. Staff repeatedly reminded applicants of check‑in, Zoom display name, and the 1‑minute time limit. The committees did not take public questions at the hearing but encouraged legislators to follow up with applicants directly.

The informational briefing did not include committee votes or formal actions. The requests recorded at the hearing will be considered through the legislature's budget and GIA review process. Lawmakers and staff did not announce funding decisions during the session.

The hearing provided lawmakers with a broad snapshot of local demand for GIA dollars: proposals for disaster recovery and affordable housing; public‑health and behavioral‑health services; childcare, youth and workforce training; food security and local agricultural processing; cultural and arts infrastructure; and numerous neighborhood‑level capital repairs.

Lawmakers will weigh these requests as part of the broader GIA and budget process in the coming weeks; applicants were advised at the hearing to contact their legislators and to provide supplemental information requested by individual offices.

— Reporting from the State Capitol.