More than 200 Hawaii nonprofits seeking $143 million are competing for $50 million in state emergency grant funding. This funding aims to offset impacts from federal cuts imposed by the Trump Administration.
On Thursday, representatives for nearly 150 of the applicants made 60-second pitches to a special committee of four members of Hawaii’s Legislature. This committee will divvy up the appropriation among many of the 213 nonprofits seeking financial assistance often described as dire.
“Our food lines are long, and our phones are ringing nonstop,” Lisa Paulson, CEO of Maui Food Bank, told the panel of decision-makers.
Most applicants have missions to provide food, health care, housing, and education. However, some organizations focused on areas including the arts, public broadcasting, the environment, and other fields also applied.
Maui Food Bank is asking for $895,288 to offset the loss of 537,604 pounds of food assistance this year and next. This aid was canceled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to Paulson. She equated the loss to about 380,000 meals for an organization that distributes about 7 million pounds of food annually.
To be eligible for the special grants, nonprofits must provide documentation showing they lost federal funding or that the work they do primarily serves a population negatively affected by federal funding cuts.
Because so many nonprofits applied, Thursday’s briefing for the committee, held in the auditorium of the state Capitol, provided each applicant only one minute to make their case for funding. There was no question-and-answer time.
Rep. Daniel Holt, one of the evaluation committee members, encouraged presenters to focus on explaining the size and kind of federal funding cuts they face so the panel can determine which gaps in Hawaii’s safety net to plug.
“If we can just get straight to it — just your organization’s name and right to how the federal cuts have been affecting you — that would be great,” said Holt (D, Sand Island-Iwilei-Chinatown).
Many applicants with indirect connections to federal funding cuts, or those anticipating cuts, tried their best to convince committee members they deserve a share of the appropriation. This funding originated from a blank bill in February and became Act 310 with Gov. Josh Green’s approval in July.
For instance, the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo is seeking $400,000 to counteract what museum representative Melanie Ide characterized as the collapse of federal tsunami infrastructure. This includes cuts to FEMA disaster preparedness grants and staff reductions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
For many health care providers, planned federal changes to Medicaid are expected to result in service cost reimbursement declines if more patients lose such insurance coverage.
Michael Epp, collaborative projects coordinator for community health center Kokua Kalihi Valley, which is seeking $2.5 million, told the committee that an estimated 20% of the organization’s 9,500 active patients may lose Medicaid. This loss would result in a $2.5 million revenue decline.
“The impact will be felt acutely in Kalihi where many of our residents are immigrants, COFA migrants and low-income public housing residents,” he said.
According to an Oct. 2 analysis by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the Hawaii Community Foundation, $126 million in unpaid balances on 74 federal grants to 59 Hawaii nonprofits were considered “politically vulnerable” to loss.
One of the single biggest grant applications was a request for $6 million submitted by AlohaCare, Hawaii’s second-largest Medicaid plan that covers about 70,000 people and was created in part by community health centers. Mike Nguyen, the organization’s public policy director, told the committee that Hawaii organizations are having to shoulder fallout from federal policy changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act along with an ongoing federal government shutdown slated to halt Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits helping the needy buy food.
Nonprofits with direct funding cuts include The Kohala Center, which provides assistance for food producers and lost $1.4 million in USDA funding. The center, with a $3.5 million annual budget, is seeking $1 million.
Dynamic Community Solutions, a nonprofit working to relocate about 200 homeless individuals living around Waianae Boat Harbor to a piece of land it owns, is seeking to replace a suspended $3.3 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant. This grant is needed to provide off-grid power to the site and establish a containerized farm.
Elia Herman, director of advocacy for Hawai‘i Foodbank, told the panel that the organization is seeking $5.6 million to purchase millions of pounds of food cut under USDA programs.
“Kupuna alone lost nearly 104,000 meals due to cuts to our Senior Food Box Program,” she said. “Our priority is ensuring uninterrupted access to safe, nutritious food for those who rely on us, but we cannot do it alone.”
Nonprofits had until Oct. 24 to apply, and decisions could be made fairly soon by the panel. The committee members include Rep. Jenna Takenouchi (D, Pacific Heights-Nuuanu-Liliha), Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-Wahiawa-Whitmore Village), and Sen. Dru Kanuha (D, Kona-Kau-Volcano).
The committee, which reviews applications and can contact organizations with questions, tentatively plans to reconvene for another public meeting on Nov. 20.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/11/01/hawaii-news/more-than-200-hawaii-nonprofits-competing-for-50-million/
