OHA outlines education, cultural and small‑grant programs during Lanai visit

Office of Hawaiian Affairs staff used the Sept. 27 Lanai meeting to summarize programs aimed at supporting education, cultural perpetuation and local economic activity.

Chief Operations Officer Keeshawn Kikina highlighted several OHA initiatives including a Native Hawaiian student loan program (described as Mauna'i Ola Education Loan Program), cultural-preservation work with voyaging organizations and a suite of financial-resilience programs such as an emergency assistance fund and a Malama Home Improvement Loan program. Trustees and staff described a small-microgrant program for farmers (listed as $5,000 Maheeyi grants) to support local food production and small business development.

Staff stressed outreach and data collection as prerequisites to effective service delivery, encouraging beneficiaries to enroll in OHA's Hawaiian registry and inviting residents to sign up for OHA mailings and an online strategic-plan survey at oha.org to inform the 2026 legislative and strategic agendas.

Why it matters: The program overview linked OHA's statewide resources to local needs on Lanai, underscoring gaps in awareness and access that trustees said could be improved through targeted outreach and on‑island contacts.

What happens next: Trustees asked staff to follow up with community members who volunteered contact information and to bring proposed outreach options and implementation details to upcoming committee meetings.