OHA committee approves Q4 event sponsorships after presentations from 13 groups
February 05, 2026 | Task Force Created by Act 170, Executive , Hawaii
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The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Budget & Finance Committee voted to approve a slate of fiscal-year 2025–26 quarter-four event sponsorship awards after presentations from 13 applicant organizations on Feb. 4, 2026.
Grants manager Shantel Belay told trustees the committee received nearly 50 applications for the quarter, more than 30 of which completed the evaluation process; the deadline for this application round was Dec. 5. The batch before the committee included community events slated mainly in April and represented a mix of cultural, youth, environmental and health-focused activities.
Presenters detailed how OHA support would be used. Maile Chisotto, executive director of the Ho'omau Foundation, said the Relson Menehune youth surf contest in Makaha served 249 keiki last year and uses OHA support to provide safety, cultural learning and mentorship. Imiola/Emilio Canoe Club treasurer Heather Murakami and a club member described raising funds to repair a kua canoe, 'Kunane', and an inaugural preseason race at Moli Ola/Sand Island to fund reconstruction. Kiara Kalebehe, a high-school senior and youth leader, described the Makuu Cardboard to Soil Festival as a youth-led program that swaps cardboard for fresh produce and teaches closed-loop composting methods. Other presenters included representatives from the Hawaii Opera Theater, Hawaiian Community Assets (Project Maka'ala), Boys & Girls Clubs (Project Hope), Palihua Conservation Initiative, Purple Maya Foundation, and several youth- and community-focused events.
Trustees asked substantive process questions during the discussion. One trustee noted that some entries combined multi-session programs with single-day events and asked how those were classified under the sponsorship program. Grants staff explained the program allows community groups to include workshops held multiple times within a 30-day period under the sponsorship application. Another trustee raised a scoring discrepancy: in the materials before the committee Purple Maya and the Boys & Girls Club showed the same numerical score but different recommended awards. Grants staff acknowledged a clerical/forms-saving error during a migration to a new system and said evaluators' recalibrated scores would be provided to the full board before final approval.
After discussion the committee took a roll-call vote and approved the sponsorship package. Administrators said they will bring corrected scoring documentation to the board for the final vote.
The committee moved on to the next agenda item after approving the sponsorship awards.
Grants manager Shantel Belay told trustees the committee received nearly 50 applications for the quarter, more than 30 of which completed the evaluation process; the deadline for this application round was Dec. 5. The batch before the committee included community events slated mainly in April and represented a mix of cultural, youth, environmental and health-focused activities.
Presenters detailed how OHA support would be used. Maile Chisotto, executive director of the Ho'omau Foundation, said the Relson Menehune youth surf contest in Makaha served 249 keiki last year and uses OHA support to provide safety, cultural learning and mentorship. Imiola/Emilio Canoe Club treasurer Heather Murakami and a club member described raising funds to repair a kua canoe, 'Kunane', and an inaugural preseason race at Moli Ola/Sand Island to fund reconstruction. Kiara Kalebehe, a high-school senior and youth leader, described the Makuu Cardboard to Soil Festival as a youth-led program that swaps cardboard for fresh produce and teaches closed-loop composting methods. Other presenters included representatives from the Hawaii Opera Theater, Hawaiian Community Assets (Project Maka'ala), Boys & Girls Clubs (Project Hope), Palihua Conservation Initiative, Purple Maya Foundation, and several youth- and community-focused events.
Trustees asked substantive process questions during the discussion. One trustee noted that some entries combined multi-session programs with single-day events and asked how those were classified under the sponsorship program. Grants staff explained the program allows community groups to include workshops held multiple times within a 30-day period under the sponsorship application. Another trustee raised a scoring discrepancy: in the materials before the committee Purple Maya and the Boys & Girls Club showed the same numerical score but different recommended awards. Grants staff acknowledged a clerical/forms-saving error during a migration to a new system and said evaluators' recalibrated scores would be provided to the full board before final approval.
After discussion the committee took a roll-call vote and approved the sponsorship package. Administrators said they will bring corrected scoring documentation to the board for the final vote.
The committee moved on to the next agenda item after approving the sponsorship awards.
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