OHA consolidates event grants and sponsorships into new Ho‘akuakua Lahui sponsorship program with stricter rules

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs presented new rules for event funding Wednesday, consolidating prior community grants and sponsorships into a single program called the Ho‘akuakua Lahui event sponsorship program.

The presentation outlined eligibility and documentation requirements, a scoring rubric, and a standardized eight‑step process for intake through post‑event reporting. Kapunui Ke Haupu'u, a staff member who led the presentation, said the new program was designed to “create a fair and equitable process and opportunity for all nonprofits” and to bring all event funding under the requirements of Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 10, section 17.

The change responds to audit findings and to previously inconsistent practices. Ke Haupu'u told trustees that prior practice split event funding between a community‑grant process (with a prior $10,000 maximum) and sponsorships (previously funded up to $25,000). Under the consolidated policy, the program’s maximum request is $15,000; organizations may apply for one event award per fiscal year and must submit proof of nonprofit status, a W‑9, a vendor compliance check and other documents before an application is considered complete.

Why it matters: HRS 10‑17 is the statute that gives OHA authority to award grants and sets minimum information and reporting requirements. The office said consolidating the processes reduces audit risk and aims to ensure consistent documentation, monitoring and public reporting for sponsorship dollars that OHA makes available to community events.

How applications will be evaluated: staff described a scoring rubric that weights event scope, alignment with OHA’s strategic plan (referred to in the presentation as Mana‘i Mauliola), and budget. Most criteria are scored 0–5; two questions (budget utilization and public recognition/benefit to OHA) are scored 0–10. Staff also described a three‑tier funding approach: applicants scoring 45+ may be recommended for full funding, scores 40–44 for 75% of the request, 35–39 for 50% and below 35 not recommended.

Staffing and process limits: Ke Haupu'u said the grants team is operating with limited capacity after personnel turnover and that the sponsorship work is being handled by a small team while the grants unit is rebuilt. The eight formal steps staff described are intake, eligibility review, evaluation, award recommendation, action‑item submission, decision communication, ratification/processing and post‑event reporting. Ke Haupu'u acknowledged the online portal does not yet accept all required uploads and that staff currently rely on e‑mail for supporting documents; she said a future system upgrade and applicant guides are planned.

Legacy sponsorships and budget line items: trustees pressed staff about longstanding “legacy” sponsorships that were established by prior boards and in some cases placed as recurring budget line items. Trustee Lindsey and others noted that some legacy recipients are reluctant to complete modern application packets. Interim corporation counsel Everett Ota told the committee legacy sponsorships historically were included as line items in approved budgets and that the board’s prior approvals do not replace current HRS 10‑17 compliance requirements. Ke Haupu'u and Everett said legacy recipients must be brought into the standard process or legal staff must identify a different lawful vehicle for a donation outside the sponsorship statute.

Compliance and disallowed costs: staff said HRS 10‑17(b) bars use of grants or sponsorship dollars for “entertainment or perks,” and that budgets will be reviewed to remove disallowed costs before determining eligible funding. Ke Haupu'u said the office plans to publish a clearer list of ineligible costs on its website and to post the full application as a PDF so applicants can see all questions before they begin.

Public participation and next steps: staff described quarterly application windows and said applications received in a cycle are held until the cycle’s deadline for simultaneous review. Ke Haupu'u said the office will bring recommendations to the Budget and Finance chair and then submit action items for committee and board ratification. She emphasized that, because the program is new, “we're asking everybody to apply. Everyone's going to be held to the same process.”

Trustees asked staff to pursue ease‑of‑use improvements for small and rural organizations, to examine whether some legacy recipients should remain on a list approved by the board, and to consider a streamlined annual update for repeat applicants. Ke Haupu'u said staff will work on templates, applicant guidance and communications and coordinate with communications and community engagement teams to support event logistics and public recognition obligations.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the sponsorship policy at the meeting; staff said the program will generate action items for future Board of Trustees consideration and for procurement/payment processing after ratification.