Hawaiian Homes Commission approves $9M in FY26 grants, seeks release of $1M contingency

The Hawaiian Homes Commission on March 16 approved $9 million in FY26 grant awards and authorized staff to pursue an additional $1 million that would be released only if the state frees the contingency. The package covers four solicitations: facility improvements (RFP 002), program implementation (RFP 003), capacity building (RFP 004) and disaster mitigation (RFP 005).

Lily Maka, acting planning program manager, and Gigi (GI) Cairo, grant specialist, led the presentation and noted minor corrections to the agenda tables before the commission took up the recommendations. Cairo said, “we did find a couple of oversights in the narrative. All the information is correct in the agenda tables,” and walked commissioners through revised award amounts and the RFP timeline. Staff told the commission the RFPs drew more than $21 million in requests while only $9 million was immediately available, and seven applications were disqualified for submittal or compliance issues.

Commissioners and community speakers described the awards process as competitive and encouraged steps to strengthen future applications. Commissioner Freighes said he supported pushing for the contingent $1 million and urged staff to pursue the funds. Several testifiers from Oʻahu homestead communities and nonprofit groups asked the commission to reconsider some denials and to expand outreach and technical assistance for beneficiaries. Patty Teruya and other public speakers pressed for deeper review of specific denials and for clear pathways where applicants could correct budget or permitting problems.

Staff described the evaluation process as a scored RFP that considers organizational capacity, community support, project readiness and budget justification. Cairo said she had made capacity‑building workshops available statewide and that a $20,000 capacity grant line was underused; she urged applicants to attend grant orientations and exercise available technical assistance. The department noted that many recent disqualifications were tied to Hawaii Compliance Express issues beyond DHHL’s control.

On the motion, commissioners approved the $9 million package and gave staff preliminary approval to pursue the additional $1 million contingent on release from the state’s budget authorities. The commission’s action allows staff to prepare contracts for the recommended awards and, if the contingency is released, to process supplements to selected contracts.

What’s next: Staff said grant agreements would aim to begin July 1, 2026. The department also plans follow‑up capacity‑building workshops and to offer applicants scorecards and technical assistance when practicable.