OHA committee approves a slate of event sponsorships; trustees delegate line‑item legacy sponsorships for administrative execution

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Budget and Finance approved a slate of event sponsorships under the Ho‘āko‘a/Lahui sponsorship program, awarding grants to community organizations that applied for cultural programming, youth activities and business support events across the islands.

Kehau (administration presenter) and Grants Manager Chantelle Belay said these sponsorships are funded from the biennial sponsorship allocation established in the FY26–27 budget (administration referenced a $635,000 pool for Ho‘āko‘a/Lahui sponsorships combined with $235,000 in line‑item sponsorships budgeted in the biennium, a total OHA commitment of $870,000 for sponsorships this fiscal year). Kehau explained the quarter‑based schedule that the administration has adopted for processing sponsorships and said the team is moving the application platform into Foundant to standardize submissions.

The items voted by the committee (action identifiers correspond to the meeting agenda) included the following approvals and amounts as recorded in the public transcript: BF25‑53 Aina Momona, Oʻulu Festival (Molokai) — $10,015,375 (amount recorded in transcript); BF25‑54 Pohaku Pele/Malama Hala Festival — $9,834; BF25‑55 Sky Brothers Collective/Oʻahu Intertribal Powwow — $14,500; BF25‑56 Oʻahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, Na Waikine Okekai — $12,000 (trustee Lindsay recorded an abstention on this vote); BF25‑57 Hawaii Wildlife Center, Hawaiʻi Island Festival of Birds — $5,770; BF25‑58 Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, Malama ʻāina Kako — $10,000; BF25‑59 EPIC (Epic Vahine) — $15,000 (one recorded no vote); BF25‑62 Kualoa Heʻe (Key Project/Waihee Fest) — $7,500; BF25‑63 Ho‘olu ʻIke Center for Hula & Mele, Aʻi Kahula competition — $10,875; BF25‑64 Waianae Economic Development Council, Small Business Saturday Waianae — $10,000; BF25‑65 Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club, scholarship luau — $8,000; BF25‑66 Nakamakai, Keiki Surf Contest — $11,250; BF25‑67 Hamakua Youth Foundation, ʻOhana Day — $5,875; plus additional smaller awards and several deferred items noted on the agenda. (Transcript lists amounts and vote outcomes as recorded in the meeting.)

Administration said each application was screened for Ho‘āko‘a criteria and HRS compliance, and that internal evaluators (administrative staff and some trustee aides who volunteered) reviewed submissions; administration acknowledged outstanding process improvements and said a training for evaluators is planned. Trustees asked about conflicts of interest when trustee aides serve as volunteer evaluators; administration said volunteers must receive trustee approval and complete ethics training and recuse where conflicts exist. Some trustees urged sending the practice through the State Ethics Commission for confirmation.

Several public testifiers representing funded organizations spoke in support of their events during the public comment period. Speakers included Mercy Riddey for ʻĀina Momona (Molokai ʻulu festival); Kavehi Young for the Hala Festival (Big Island); Robert Kakalia for the Oʻahu Intertribal Powwow; Leila Kealoha for Pohaku Pele Maka; Angela Emiliano for the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center; Olu Campbell for Hawaiian Islands Land Trust; Rainbow Uliʻi for Key Project; Kalani (Hoʻolu ʻIke) for Aʻi Kahula; Siobhan Lave for Waianae Economic Development Council; Lou Anne Langford Febarito for Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club; Matt Kawe for Nakamakai; Mahalani Maikou for Hamakua Youth Foundation; and others.

The committee recorded roll‑call votes for each sponsorship and in most motions reported nine affirmative votes; a few items recorded an abstention or a single “no” during roll call. Administration will move forward with contract execution and expects to issue checks or reimbursements according to the sponsorship terms and the biennium budget provisos. Separately, trustees formalized a delegation authorizing administration to execute and administer sponsorship line‑items already approved in the biennium budget (legacy line items). Staff said that those line‑item sponsorships will be processed through administrative channels and will not undergo the competitive evaluation process used for open sponsorship solicitations.

Trustees asked administration to improve deadlines and community outreach to reduce last‑minute applications and ensure events receive funding decisions well before event dates. Administration said it will publish deadlines and move the application to its grants portal.

Because several sponsorship items represented relatively small awards and had limited debate, the committee processed them in a combined fashion but recorded individual motions and roll‑call outcomes for each award on the record.