OHA previews $93.5 million core biennium budget, prioritizes grants, personnel and housing programs

Stacy Kealohalani Ferrera, CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, presented a preliminary fiscal-year 2026–27 biennium budget at a community meeting, outlining a $93.5 million core operating budget and roughly $122 million in total uses over the two-year period. The presentation set a biennium spending ceiling of about $101 million in core revenue sources and detailed proposed allocations across personnel, grants and programs.

Ferrera said consultation with beneficiaries is both a legal requirement and central to OHA's work, referencing “Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 10-14.5” as part of the agency’s consultation framework. “This budget we present today is more than just numbers and programs, it's a blueprint for our future,” Ferrera said.

The proposal relies on three core revenue streams: projections from the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund ($24.9 million in FY26 and $27.1 million in FY27), public land trust revenues (about $21.5 million annually), and State of Hawaii general fund appropriations ($3 million annually). Administration staff described a conservative spending approach: a 4.4% spending rate for the trust fund…