Joint Committee on Nonprofit Grants Program

Okay. Good morning. This is a joint informational briefing on Act 310 grants in aid. This meeting, including the audio video of remote participants, is being streamed live on YouTube.

Due to the volume of applications received, there will be no, no Q and A during the briefing, but legislators are encouraged to contact organizations directly with any questions they may have. Only one representative per applicant will be allowed to participate. There will be a one minute limit for testimony.

We will call organizations up in groups, so please be ready for your turn. The committees will hear from in person participants first. For those participating in person, please check in with the staff at the entrance of the auditorium. Zoom participants will be called after all in person participants have spoken.

If you are participating via Zoom, please log in no later than 12 noon and change your Zoom display name to match your organization's name as listed on the notice. You will not be permitted into the room after 12pm we will recess at noon and reconvene at 12:30am if necessary. Mahalo for your understanding. And so the how.

The House Members will begin calling the numbers of of the different organizations that have registered.

Aloha and good morning, everybody. So, yeah, we're going to start with the neighbor island guys first. We only have about a dozen of you folks, so if we could have you all start lining up by the microphone with number four is first. So Aloha Cares first.

And if everybody could just kind of line up in order in that area in the back over here. So, you know, we have a limited time of one minute.

If we could just focus on the effects of the federal cut that your organization faces specifically so that we can just get to the meat of it and just try to figure out, you know, the holes we're trying to plug here.

So if we can just, you know, get straight to it, just your organization's name and right to how the federal cuts have been affecting you folks, that'd be great. So first up, we have Aloha Care.

Aloha and good morning, Members of the Committee. Mike Nguyen with Aloha Care, Public Policy Director. I'm here today to share with you that Aloha Care and the safety net communities that we represent are being barraged left and right by federal impacts. Obviously, you know, there's the budget reconciliation bill with Medicaid and SNAP cuts.

We're experiencing a SNAP crisis right now and also the impending expiration of ACA tax subsidies. All of those are going to drive losses in enrollment and coverage, which will ultimately potentially shift costs to the state.

So our program today that we're presenting is intended to mitigate the loss of hundreds of millions of federal dollars coming into the state for Medicaid for other programs to help kupuna and folks accessing state social care. So that includes food, housing and things like that.

We have a network of community health workers that we would put together to help people navigate. We've done this during the unwinding and we intend to do that again with our proposal. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Thank you.

Next we have Community Clinic of Maui. Sorry, can we have all the neighbor island people up there so we can be ready to go? Thank you.

Aloha. My name is John Vaz. I am the CEO and practicing infectious disease physician at the Community Clinic. My ask today is to help us continue to meet a critical need on island and in Maui County for safe obstetric access. We have been providing and we are the only non Kaiser OB provider since 2023 on Island.

And we are being impacted by Title 10 cuts as well as the impending Medicaid cuts. It took us about three years to up staff with OB physicians and if we discontinue or interrupt this program, we would stand the very real risk of unsafe care for our families that cannot afford to fly to Oahu high risk pregnancies.

We do not have a neonatal ICU on Maui. And it took a lot of effort to get OB physicians on island in the middle of a physician shortage. So your support and help and investment would really help us continue to maintain trust and care and safety for our families.

Thank you. Just another tip if you could. You're fine. But if you could highlight the amount that federal cuts you are facing that would also help us out. Next is Hawaii Bicycling League.

Aloha and good morning. Eduardo Hernandez with the Hawaii Bicycling League. HBL has documented tectonic shifts in priority and funding away from complete streets, active transportation, public transit and transportation equity into the many tens of millions of dollars.

We still don't know the full extent of this funding loss, but we're also here to ask for your support for an that we are facing a lethal epidemic of traffic violence. Just in the last week since the Department of Transportation issued a press release noting that we've exceeded the total number of fatalities from last year.

We're already up to 111 fatalities. That's more than a Lahaina size epidemic of traffic violence. And we've asked for a small investment so we could do public education to address changing behaviors.

This is in line with the governor's recent Executive order to address the rising traffic fatalities on our roads and a clear need to reinforce behavioral change through education. Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you. Next is hoy Literacy.

Good morning, Members of the Committee. My name is Jill Takasaki Canfield. I'm the Executive Director of Hawai' I Literacy. We're the state's only nonprofit dedicated to helping the the 1 in 6 adults with the lowest literacy skills.

We're requesting $428,000 to restore lost capacity and sustain core literacy and digital inclusion programs serving communities from the Leeward coast to Kalihi and statewide from Kaua' I to Kona. Recent federal cuts, including the NTIA Digital Equity Competitive Grants, have reduced access to essential literacy, language and digital skill services that help residents access benefits, jobs, education and healthcare.

Without support, our statewide capacity could shrink by about a At a time when the need and demand for services is on the rise, we serve people most affected by all of the cuts. Low income families, Kupuna, people with language barriers, people with disabilities, and residents in rural areas.

Funding will allow us to continue to serve over 5,000 learners each year through staff and a network of volunteers. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next we have Hawaii Youth Symphony Association.

Aloha. My name is Randy Wong. I'm President and CEO of Hawaii Youth Symphony. We're seeking $300,000 to support our statewide programming to provide access to music education for youth of all backgrounds. Music education and the arts are a priority critical need at this point.

Many youth do not have a safe space or a place where they can really be themselves. And and so this funding will help us to sustain critical programs so that kids from all across the state can participate in music and find better futures for themselves.

We really appreciate your support in keeping arts at the table because the arts are just as necessary as every other program that's out there for youth development and creative capacity. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Next you have Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii.

Aloha, Chair Members of the Committee. My name is Sunny. I'm the CEO of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii. We are requesting $700,000 to prevent critical service cuts that we anticipate upcoming federal and Medicare reductions.

Today, over 80% of the clients that we serve are uninsured or Medicaid ins people who will be most affected by these federal changes.

The loss of funding means that we will be able not be able to go in our mobile clinics to serve our community, do home visits and work with our federal FQHC partners and community providers who depend on us to reach the most vulnerable and hard to reach clients in our community. We do work for the whole family.

Reproductive care, prenatal care, mental health, childhood immunity, immunizations, but also kupuna care as well. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next we have Pacific Tsunami Museum.

Good day Senator and reps. My name is Melanie Ede. I'm here on behalf of the Tsunami Museum, located in Hilo, but its work is statewide and its network stretches across across the Pacific. The museum's mission is to save lives through education. It's been doing this for over 30 years with proven programs and partnerships.

This past July, when the tsunami was headed towards us, our State of readiness was stress test. No surprise. We have lots of work to do. But our problem is the federal tsunami infrastructure is collapsing. Funding and staff at the tsunami warning centers have been cut.

FEMA canceled 3.6 billion in disaster preparedness grants and much of NOAA's staff has been terminated. Key agencies that are educational partners are being dismantled and overwhelmed. We need funding to help fill the gap in preparedness training, expand partnerships with emergency management agency and deploy multilingual and age appropriate tailored information.

We have the track record and can ramp up right now. Thank you.

Thank you. We have the Kohala Center.

Aloha. I'm Cheryl Ka'uhane Lupenui with the Kohala Center CEO. The Kohala center lost $1.35 billion in direct federal funding from USDA this year out of an annual budget of 3.5 million. We are requesting 1 million from the state, of which a third will provide direct financial assistance for food producers, especially Native Hawaiians.

The remaining funds will cover staffing in the Native Plan and Canoe Crop nurseries that provide training, technical assistance and planting material for over 300 farmers in North Hawaii. Our Hanaamahi program fills a unique gap by focusing on Native Hawaiians who make up less than 9% of our state's farmers.

TKC has been working on food and water security for over 25 years. All of our project teams, our Members, are deeply committed to this work because we are lineal descendants and are born, raised or live in the communities that we serve.

Now, with opportunities like the Medicaid 1115 waiver, promoting local food is medicine, we cannot afford to lose momentum. We urgently ask for your full support so we can keep our farmers growing, keep jobs in our communities and keep our people well fed. Mahalo for your support.

Thank you. Next we have West Hawaii Community Health Center.

Aloha. My name is Richard Taaffe. I'm the CEO of the Hawaii Island Community Health Center And as an FQHC, we currently care for 1 in 5 of the residents of Hawaii Island. However, with recent changes in migration, enforcement and dei, many of our non English speaking and immigrant patients no longer are seeking care.

No shows for this population is almost 45% compared to 20% for English speaking patients. Year to date, our patient census has dropped over 1300, which translates to a loss of nearly a half $1.0 million in just the past six months.

Now, with imminent cuts in Medicaid and reduction in snap, we anticipate fewer patients will seek care and will become uninsured, further straining our budget and jeopardizing our staff who support these patients.

These staff are our patient navigators, our eligibility workers, our community health workers, the staff who comfort patients in their own language, who help patients navigate the healthcare maze, and who help patients secure food, housing and other assistance. Our request is for 1.8 million to stabilize and sustain this workforce, jobs and keep people healthy. Thank you.

West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation.

Good morning. My name is Amy Feeley-Austin. I'm the President of West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation and I am also the COO of the West Hawaii Region, which includes Kona and Kohala hospitals. As you know, we provide over 70,000 people on the west side of Hawaii island care. We are a sole community hospital.

Kohala is a critical access hospital. Already we have seen a reduction in expected funds from female and federal appropriations to the tune of over $11 million. We expected to apply this to emergency management and failing equipment.

I expect in 2025 to see a reduction to the tune of the tens of millions of dollars for services that will be uncompensated. And I expect to see an increase in services coming into the ED because care is not available in the community to uninsured people.

We made a request for $460,000 for the replacement of certain pieces of equipment that we were expecting to replace in the beginning of the year. So thank you very much for your time.

Thank you very much. Next we have Sounding Joy Music Therapy.

Good morning, honorable Joint Committee Members. I am Nina Guerrero, Clinical Director at Sounding Joy Music Therapy. As the sole nonprofit music therapy organization in Hawaii, soundingjoy requests a grant for music therapy services to enhance the well being, resilience and quality of life of people with disabilities in underserved communities across the state.

This grant will provide vital support in the wake of federal funding reductions directly and indirectly affecting our organization directly through loss of congressionally directed spending of 145 that was to have been administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.

By using music as a creative medium for non verbal communication and interaction, we promote equitable access to therapy, especially for people with limited verbal communication. On behalf of the clients, families and staff at Sounding Joy, Mahalo Nui for your efforts to sustain our communities.

Thank you very much. Do we have anybody else from the neighbor islands in the audience? See now to move on to our Oahu testifiers. We'll get to the zoom testifiers on completion of our in person testifiers. So if you have numbers 119 through 170 can we please line up in the corner?

So first up we'll have Action Digital. Yeah, so again that's 119 to 170. If we can line up in the back. And first up, Action Digital Inc. Aloha Chair and the Members of the Committee.

My name is Jaffer De Crew. I'm 15 years old and the co founder of Tech Savvy Teens. Tech Savvy Teens teaches Kupuna to use technology From Telehealth to ChatGPT helping them spot scams, protecting their info and staying connected.

Every week teens visit senior centers across Oahu while we're expanding to Hawaii centers across and we're expanding to Hawaii islands like Maui and Kauai. Losing federal funding has slowed our reach to Kupuna who need help the Most.

Last year Hawaii's kupuna lost over 18 million to online scams and our program is one of the few protecting them by teaching kupuna AI safety and spot scams. We're not just teaching tech, we're safeguarding their lives and saving dignity. Many of us earn IT certifications spending quality time with Kupuna and getting hired by local tech teen companies.

So I ask you to support Tech Savvy Teens program because we're not letting Hawaii's Kupuna conveys the digital world alone when we have the skills to help them. Mahalo.

Thank you. Next we have Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii.

Aloha Members of the Legislature. My name is Kathy Ogawa. I'm the school based Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii. We are humbly requesting $350,000 to help Hawaii's most disadvantaged youth. We serve youth who are from underserved, under resourced, underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities.

Our school based one to one mentoring program serve title one schools with the goal of ramping up to 22 schools by 2028 across the islands of Oahu, Maui and Kauai. Between the government's funding freezes and reductions. The youth and families we serve have been deeply affected by these cuts.

Without our mentoring model and interventions, our youth are at a higher risk for incarceration, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, gang activity, homelessness and repeating the cycle of poverty.

Lisa Preston, Iolani Spanish teacher and 16 year liaison and big Sister for the Iolani School Alawai Elementary School based program, recalls her littles Rolando and Aiden so fondly and experienced a chicken skin moment upon walking back into the same classroom where she mentored them. Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Hawaii thanks you for your time and consideration. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next we have Dynamic community solutions.

I'm Dr. Annie Anderson, Executive Director of Dynamic Healing Center. Many of our kupuna are facing a life threatening homelessness crisis. Nearly 40% of Hawaii's homeless population are over 60. Many live unsheltered on our beaches and parks, battling chronic illness, isolation and despair.

When federal relief funding expired this year, we had to close our senior emergency shelter, displacing medically fragile kupuna back onto the streets. The need for safe, stable housing for elders have never been greater.

The SAGE center, our proposed program in Waianae, will restore emergency shelter beds and provide comprehensive case management, healthcare coordination and cultural healing rooted in Hawaiian values. With your support, the SAGE center will once again give our kupuna safety, dignity and a pathway home. Mahalo for your time and for standing with our elders.

Thank you. We have Feeding Hawaii Together Aloha.

Good morning. My name is Jeanine Sullivan, Executive Director of the Pantry By Feeding Hawaii Together. Hawaii's only E-commerce food distribution program as of November 1, the USDA has confirmed that SNAP benefits will not be distributed, leaving tens of thousands of Hawaii households without their primary food support.

At the same time, many federal workers have gone weeks without pay. In response, we launched a special Monday distribution And after just two weeks, we are already serving over 600 new households every Monday on top of our regular demand.

In the last seven days alone, we have registered over 1,260 new families, many who have never needed help before. Our small team of four is doing 150% of the work with no additional funding and we are at risk of turning people away.

We are also purchasing produce directly from local farmers, supporting Hawaii's agriculture economy while meeting this surge. We urgently request the state's partnership to sustain expanded distribution, retain essential staff and ensure no keiki kupuna or working family goes hungry. Mahalo.

Thank you. We have Girl Scouts of Hawaii.

Aloha kakou. I'm Dr. Kanoe Naone with CEO for Girl Scouts of Hawaii. So we lost 150,000 in local foundation funding as a result of the federal cuts to grants this year.

These are foundations that we get funding from year after year and they have been holding onto their funding in anticipation of the federal cuts and the impact on other Hawaii nonprofits that rely heavily on federal funding. We launched an aggressive campaign to be on every public elementary school campus this year.

So this is pretty a pretty big impact for us. We hired eight staff across the state to lead 10 troops each, secured 70 new school partnerships and are moving full steam ahead. Roughly 34% of our girls are on 100% financial assistance. And that's before the launch. So we're just asking to support to keep the program alive.

Thank you.

Thank you. We have Dynamic Community Solutions.

Aloha. My name is James Pakele. I'm with Dynamic Community Solutions, the nonprofit firm to help Uhonua Wa and I move off the property next to Waianae boat Harbor.

In 2020, we purchased 20 acres of land and we're currently working to move the 200 some odd residents off the property next to Wayne and Port harbor onto the purchase property. The earlier this year we had an EPA grant that was granted signed contract and then they pulled it. I think the amount total was for $3.3 million.

We put it in, obviously we'll adjust the scope and we don't want to take everybody's money. It's pretty large sum but it was to run containerized climate controlled farms and the energy to power it to feed not only our community, but the wider community as well. Thank you Allah.

Thank you. Next we have Hawaii Disability Rights Center.

Good morning Committee Members. My name is Becky Gardner. I am the Staff Attorney for the Hawaii Disability Rights Center. I want to thank you for considering our request. Our application is asking for $250,000.

As indicated in our application, the President's proposal, our total projected grant revenue is expected to decline from 1,851,120 in fiscal year 2025 to $1,039,280 in fiscal year 2026. That's less $811,846.

While Congress has not acted on the fiscal year 26 budget, I will note that both the House and Senate committees have jurisdiction over our funding and has supported the 2025 levels. However, this situation is highly uncertain and our office is surviving today on carryover funds from 2025 and we anticipate, anticipate shutting down in mid November.

We believe our application is strong and speaks for itself. But we'd greatly appreciate favorable consideration by this Committee. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Hawaii Youth Services Network. Hawaii Youth Services Network.

Hawaii Youth Services Network, in partnership with seven organizations, is requesting funds to provide street outreach services to homeless youth and young adults statewide. Five of the partners have already lost $450,000 in federal funds. And all of the partners have federal monies that are severely threatened.

Homeless youth and young adults are the most vulnerable segment of our homeless population because they are emerging adults who have not completed their education and lack employment skills and experience. They are at high risk of assault, exploitation and trafficking. While on the streets, they experience hunger and lack of access to medical and mental health services.

With grant funds, we will reach up to 500 homeless young people. We will increase their safety while on the streets and help them to reunite with family or obtain other safe, appropriate living arrangements. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you. Next we have Hawaiian Lending and Investments.

Hi, my name is Rolina Faagai. I'm the Executive Director for Hawaiian Lending Investments. We're a U.S. treasury certified community development financial institution. And earlier this year, through the rollback of the EPA program through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, about 27 billion that was to go nationally investing in Clean Energy Financ Organization lost $11 million.

Other CDFIs have also experienced this loss. Overall, our grant proposal was to ask for 25% for operations and 75% of it was to go to sub granting to community Members who are directly impacted to support climate resilient investment statewide in conjunction with the Residential Clean Energy Credit and Energy Efficient Home Improvement credits.

Those have also been phased out. So we were trying to capital stack for the individuals to help them with their clean energy commitments. Thanks.

Thank you. Next we have Ho' O Mana Inapoakela.

Hello, my name is Lee Cobien. I'm with Ho'omana and we're a nonprofit. We provide social recreational opportunities to at risk adults and youths on the west side of Oahu from Kapolei all the way up to Makaha.

And our park project is a partnership with the city and County of Honolulu and with the National Park Service that that we've been working on for 27 years, since 1998, we finally got the property for this park.

And for this year we normally would have qualified for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grants with the Federal Government because this is a National Park Service program and that's been on pause and frozen and we're requesting only $130,000 for planning work. And also we requiring fire hydrants on the property.

This is part of the BR400 Acres that was given from the Navy to the city. And as I said, it's a project that we've been working on for 27 years. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Next we have Honolulu Theater for the youth.

Aloha. My name is Eric Johnson and we're requesting 110,000 to replace direct federal cuts from the National Endowment of the Arts and indirect pass through federal funding towards education, health and human services. Our programming is statewide.

We reach between 80,000 and 100,000 kids teachers every year, which means that we're the largest provider of educational services to youth outside of the doe.

Whether we're doing a multi week residency at an English language learner classroom whose funding is in jeopardy, or a kid from Laie coming to see they get one field trip a year and they're coming to see a show about a celebrity from Laie who invented the steel guitar, which is the funding we got cut.

This is important that we keep telling our stories for our young people and giving them arts education opportunities into the future. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Anybody else who has a number, if we could start lining up in the back as well and then we'll continue on with Kids Hurt 2. So yes, anybody else in the crowd? I think there should be less than a dozen of you left.

So if we can just start lining up in the back, Please proceed.

Aloha. My name is Walker Rowsey. I'm the Executive Director of Kids Hurt 2 Hawaii. We are requesting $394,500. Since the funding cuts, we have expanded our peer support, mentoring and community activities for grieving and traumatized youth and their families to hundreds of additional households. Filling gaps as other services have evaporated.

Since the announcements, the number of schools we serve has increased fourfold and we now have an active wait list for the schools. We have funded food for a DOE houseless outreach program this summer after federal dollars were pulled back.

And we continue to fill in service gaps as requested by our DOE partners as various DOE programs at the federal level get cut as other programs and services have retracted. We've worked closely with the DOE to fill these gaps.

And without this funding, we will not be able to serve the now dozens of schools and hundreds of families that have found us during these times.

Thank you. Next we have Kokua Kalihi Valley.

Good morning. My name is Michael Epp. I'm with Kokua Kalihi Valley in the beloved community of Kalihi. We're a community health center. Approximately 150,000 residents enrolled in Medicaid will be subject to new community engagement requirements mandating 80 hours per work, a month of education, volunteer or employment to maintain health coverage.

The impacts will be felt acutely in Kalihi where many of our residents are immigrants, COFA migrants and low income public housing residents. We anticipate that roughly 20% of our 9,500 active patients may lose Medicaid coverage which will disrupt care continuity and threaten our financial stability. We estimate an annual revenue loss of 2.5 million which is our request.

Funding through Act 310 will sustain our core operations during revenue losses and support a proactive outreach campaign with targeted communications, benefits, navigation, counseling and a referral system connecting patients to career education and volunteer opportunities. Our project is designed to be scalable. We are flexible entailing our approach within the funding parameters identified by the Legislative Review Committee.

Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Thank you. We have Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council.

Aloha Ko My name is Dave Dutra Elliott and I'm the Executive Director of Agriculture Stewardship Hawaii, a DBA of the Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council. Our mission is to serve the agricultural communities that nourish Hawaiis land and people.

In 2025 our organization has directly lost 2.2 million in federal funding due to USDA grant terminations that impact our ability to provide direct technical assistance to farms, ranches and food systems producers statewide.

These direct federal funding losses reduced our capacity to provide free grant writing services, loan literacy training and grant and loan capital access assistance at the exact moment our farmers and ranchers need it Most.

At least 88 million in federal agricultural funding has been terminated or placed at risk statewide threatening Hawaii's food security when we can least afford it.

We urgently need Act 310 funds to support staff positions and sustain our programs, including our Farmer Help desk intake and referral system to keep them operational for all farmers, especially those most affected by federal funding cuts. We have 25 years of proven results and trusted successful partnerships. Mahalo for your consideration.

Thank you. We have Papakolea Community Development Corporation,

Aloheme Representative Holt, Representative Takenoichi and Senators, I want to thank you for scheduling this briefing and providing this funding opportunity. Under Act 310, the Papakule Community Development Corporation received a $300,000 grant under the United Climate United Net Program which was funded by $7 billion EPA National Clean Investment Fund Congressional appropriation.

We're here today. We did not receive our award. We were funding in March and we did not receive Our award because Climate United decided to sue the EPA for not for freezing the funds.

We submitted an application under Act 310 to support $200,000 of our project because we had 50% of our staff and we had to cancel our contract that we had in place. We had to reprogram funds to have these services paid for staffing and the contracts, what little contract staff we could. Contracts work we could do.

Thank you very much as you support our program.

Thank you. The Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaii Aloha Committee Members.

My name is Brian Baker and I'm here on behalf of Hina Mauka or the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaii, which has helped Hawaii's most vulnerable residents find recovery for over 50 years. We care for those with the most complex needs, battling addiction and mental illness and serious medical conditions, many of whom are Native Hawaiians.

Justice involved or unhoused. But today our ability to serve them is at risk. We are seeking $250,000 due to federal cuts to Medicaid and behavioral health grants, which have forced us to stretch nursing coverage, limit care coordination and turn away patients needing the highest level of care. These aren't just numbers. These are our neighbors and Ohana.

With Act 310 support, we can keep our psychiatric and medical teams intact, sustaining Hawaii's only integrated treatment model, and keep more of our Ohana from ending up in the emergency rooms and on the streets. Mahalo for helping us keep hope and healing alive.

Thank you. Next we have US Vets.

Aloha. Members of the Committee appreciate it. My name is Tamalani NGO, program Director out at USFED's Barbers Point here, representing US vets, Barbers Point and Waianae site. I'm going to stand on my written testimony, but I just want to highlight a couple of things.

US Vets is the largest nonprofit organization that services veterans and families here in the State of Hawaii. Something that we're really proud of. But again, we also Service and help 2,600 individuals and over 700 kids every year.

The impact that Act 310 is going to have on us is going to be huge if we are not allowed to be supported by this. We are requesting $3 million to continue the services that we currently provide. As of right now, we haven't been impacted, but 80% of our budget is federally funded.

So we are going to be severely impacted should the funding not be appropriated. Again, we want to maintain our services to our veterans and our families and we want to continue to to provide that amazing support that we do. Again, mahalo. For offering this. Thank you and have a great day.

Thank you. Next we have Aha Pūnana Leo.

I'm with Aha Pūnana Leo as the CEO. First of all, mahalo to all of you for thoughtfully considering how this crucial funding will be deployed among our community service providers. Aha Pūnana Leo is a statewide provider Hawaiian language medium child care.

We have 12 license centers and two infant toddler programs throughout the state serving over 75 zip codes and approximately 300 to 350 keiki each year. Along with their Ohana, we've relied heavily on competitive federal funding programs under the NHEP program to sustain our work.

We employ nearly 100 limohana or staff members, also providing specialized professional development training to supply the education sector, supporting them with highly qualified and well prepared teachers in Hawaiian language medium or immersion. In addition, our organization will be impacted by the cuts to a significant amount of our families under the SNAP program.

The funding is needed to help ensure availability of childcare and jobs. Mahalo Nui.

Thank you very much. Next we have Goodwill Industries of Hawaii.

Aloha and good morning Senator Del Cruz, Senator Kanuha, Representative Holt and Representative Takenucci. My name is Casey Bui, Chief Operating Officer at Goodwill Hawaii. Goodwill Hawaii is in a critical situation. We are requesting 1.4 million in Act 310 funding to prevent the collapse of three federally impacted programs.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Adult and Dislocated Worker, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Without this funding, over 3,000 low income families will lose free tax preparation services and more than 600 residents on Hawaii island and Maui will lose access to employment opportunities.

In addition, the recent shutdown has put the SNAP employment and training funding of 500,000 at risk, affecting hundreds more who rely on us to find and keep jobs. These aren't just numbers or local families trying to get back on their feet.

The loss of these programs would leave a devastating hole in our state safety net for residents already struggling with unemployment, underemployment and the rising cost of living. Mahalo for your time in recognizing the urgency of this request.

Thank you. Hawaii Korean Citizens League.

Good morning. I want to say thank you for this opportunity. First, my name is Esther Kang and I'm speaking on behalf of the Hawaii Current U.S. citizens League.

For more than 13 years our organization has served Hawaii, Korean American and immigrants community through free citizenship classes, voter registration and education and conducting the US Census outreach and participation in Hawaii.

We also assist with US Passport renewal and help many seniors and limited English speaking residents complete important government form through this effort, we ensure our community is counted, represented and engaged in Hawaii's civic life. With this grant, we hope to continue expanding these services that empower every resident to fully participate. Participate in democracy.

Mahalo for your time and support.

Thank you very much. Is there anybody else in person left to testify? Seeing none. We'll go to Zoom testifiers. First up on Zoom, we have Access Surf just just in preparation. After Access Surf, we'll have adult friends for youth, alulike and Achieve for health, arts and spirit. So please get ready. So Access Sur.

You know, we will take a one minute recess. I don't know. Call your friends, tell them get back on the computers. We're going to continue the Zoom testimony in one minute.

All right. And we're back. Do we have Access Surf on Zoom?

Yes, thank you. My apologies. No problem. Please proceed. Yes, I'm here to today provide my statement of support of Access Surf Hawaii. Access Surf Hawaii is to provide life changing accessible water programs for people with disability of any age. That includes our keiki, our Kupuna and our wounded warriors.

I am a recipient of the benefits of Access Surf Hawaii when I broke my neck at Makapu' u eight years ago and as a quadriplegic learned very quickly how hard it is to get any physical activity or even safety to get back in the water. And due to Access Surfs support is able to do that.

Today we have a large number of participants through monthly programs both in water safety and clinics that help people get back in the water as well as safe beach activities for family and disabilities. So today I've regained some function and continue to work every day thanks to these programs.

And I want to just thank you for your help in providing our support for in this current environment of financial strain and how exacerf is valuable. Thank you. Both in water safety programs and activity. Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah. Okay, just real quick for everybody on Zoom, Just some tips for testimony since we only have one minute. We all know about you guys great organizations.

If we could just get quickly to the federal cuts you guys are facing and what the funding request that you guys would use these grant funds for, that would be the best use of our one minute. So next we have Adult Friends for Youth.

Good morning. Can everybody hear me?

Yes.

Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Good morning Senators and representatives, thank you for your time. Adult Friends for Youth. We do have a very high risk, 2.4 million of federal funding which is a big part of our organizational budget to be taken away or cut with all of this youth programs from OJJDP and so forth.

We are requesting 600,000 to continue our very much needed services within the communities and the public housings that we serve, especially with the youth violence being on, you know, on the rise.

So to continue to build safe and safe schools and communities, we are very much requesting for the monies to continue our services and we thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Next we have Alulike.

Aloha Committee Members. My name is Marvina Kashka and I am the CEO of Alulike in the purpose of our request is to maintain our statewide level of service of our employment and training program which was forced to reduce staff work hours by 20% to address the $189,403 cut in our Department of Labor federal funding.

The employment status of Native Hawaiians still falls short of the state's per capita income. In fiscal year ending 2025, Alulike not only increased the average salary per job placement, but also attained a 264% return on investment, which included $412,957 paid in state income tax. Our detailed return on investment figure is included in our written testimony.

We ask for your support of $189,403 to maintain our statewide level of service. Mahalo Nui for your consideration.

Thank you. Next we have Achieve for Health, Art and Spirit followed by Armed Services, YMCA Hawaii, Awili, Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii and Bridge House. Please prepare so Achieve for Health, Arts and Spirit. Please proceed.

Aloha Mai Kakou. My name is Hōkū Pavao, Co Director of the Archive for Health, Arts and Spirit, or AHAS. We bridge arts, Health and Education to strengthen community wellness and resilience across Hawaii.

In 2025, AHAs lost more than $300,000 in federal support when national arts and health programs like the White House, AANHPI Initiative, NEA Big Read, Project Launch and DOE Title 4 were discontinued. These cuts directly affected youth and educators who rely on creative, culturally grounded healing programs in our schools.

Despite these losses, we continue to serve communities in Hilo, Oahu and Maui with integrity and care. I grant an AGRI request of $100,000 will help sustain and expand our program in Language There is Life, which uses poetry, storytelling and cultural arts to build empathy, belonging and combat hate speech, bullying and depression among Hawaiis youth.

With this support we can continue Arts for Healing residencies, provide training and stipends for teaching artists and strengthen evaluation systems that inform future state policy on arts and health integration. Maalo Piha for your leadership and for considering this investment in Hawaii's language, culture and collective healing, mahalo.

Thank you. Armed Services YMCA Hawaii Aloha Committee Members.

I'm speaking on behalf of the Armed Services YMCA Hawaii urging support to continue funding for our Food for Families program, which serves active duty, Reserve, retired and veteran military families as well as Department of Defense and federal employees across the island.

When pay and benefits are delayed, our community, many already living paycheck to paycheck, feel the strain immediately. Our programs help them stay stable and reduces the ripple effects on local food banks and community resources. So far we have served over 47,000 individuals and in October alone demand rose nearly 50%.

But we know that these will continue to grow. Families tell us. These programs are a game changer, especially as federal disruptions create uncertainty. We view our efforts as part of a larger network of community support, working alongside other organizations to ensure that all families families here have access to nutritious food and essential resources.

Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Willie Kako. My name is Andrew Friez and I'm here on behalf of ʻĀwili nonprofit on Hawaii Island. Better workforce cuts totaling $1.8 billion nationwide including $900 million for youth job training are happening now here in Hawaii on Hawaii island. That means 500 youth and 1300 adults are losing access to job training, intern and employment support.

These losses hit hardest on Hawaii island where every community is rural compared to that of its sister islands.

Our requests from Act 310 in the amount of $200,000 will directly fund and sustain our workforce readiness programs and staff at our new hub at Prince Kuhillo Plaza, a central low barrier and welcoming space providing certifications, career mentoring and targeted outreach to dislocated and disadvantaged youth and young adults.

Every dollar invested reduces dependencies, increases tax revenues and saves public funds yielding up to $37 for every dollar invested. This isn't temporary, it's a systemic shift built on our people, our culture and our Aina Mala Nui for this opportunity to share with you folks.

Aloha Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii Aloha.

My name is Patty Kalani, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawaii. BGCH serves 3,500 school aged youth through our sites on Oahu and Kauai, 90% of whom come from families who are designated low to extremely low income and many who come from active military families.

The losses in federal funding and government shutdown means that our families need our services more than ever. BGCH lost our Vista and we are at risk of losing critical funding through OJJDP and General federal support for after school programs. 28% of our budget is federally funded.

The support through Act 310 will allow us to remain maintaining and continue to charge only $25 a year membership fees while we provide safe spaces, caring adult mentors, life changing programs and meals and snacks in the clubs. Mahalo for considering our application for support.

Thank you. We have Bridge House followed by Catholic Charities, Hawaii Cattlemen's Association and Seeds of Peace. Bridge House.

Aloha Chairs and Members My name is Andi Pawasarat Losalio. I'm the Executive Director of Bridge House Inc. In we are requesting about 182,000 from the act of 310 funds to assist directly in purchasing food and helping with fees for housing for our clients.

While our housing programs are not directly impacted with funds and we're able to keep our transitional living program and our recovery houses and our five houses in the community for those who are homeless and at risk for homelessness, including families with children, our clients are the ones that are going to be impacted.

The concerns are not having funds from snap benefits on November 1st, but also the new federal SNAP rule changes as of November 1st.

We're really concerned that our clients, though certain ones who are unable to work at the moment, and also our small families that need additional assistance to help keep food on the table and be able to pay for the stable housing. So we're asking for assistance for food and for fees for housing. Mahalo.

Thank you. Catholic Charities Hawaii Aloha.

Every year, dozens of children are sent to Hawaii fleeing violence, extreme poverty or exploitation. They arrive in the US without their parents, traumatized and alone to face a complex immigration system. Federal funding for a program known as the Unaccompanied Children Program, providing legal representation and support services is scheduled to end tomorrow.

On October 31st, Catholic Charities Hawaii requests $317,000 to continue providing legal representation and support services for these children. Most of them live with sponsors on Maui, Hawaii island, mostly in Kona and on Oahu. All of the children are required to report to immigration court or Ayes office only located on Oahu.

Without this funding, over 50 children, many who are victims of trauma, will be left without legal representation, social support, protection, or help in avoiding the trauma of detention and deportation. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Cattlemen's Association Aloha.

My name is Nicole, Nicole Galassi. Here on behalf of the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council. Our Seminole requests funding for our organization to continue seeking out conservation and food production grants for ranchers to make up for the federal funds canceled. This was over $350,000 to our organization, as well as $1.7 million intended to go directly to rancher projects.

We also propose to streamline the process for ranchers to provide beef to the community even during disaster. Ranchers are key players in food security, providing a high quality protein and they can provide beef for our community even with limited resources.

We'd like to coordinate that effort better so a solid plan is in place when crisis hits, especially now. Beef donations are important, but more complicated than just handing out ground beef. There's a lot that goes on regarding transportation, processing, cold storage.

We want to streamline that process for the industry and find ways to ensure beef is always an option for feeding our communities. This investment in the Hawaii Cannabis Council will keep our small staff working towards these efforts to help our paniolo statewide as well as the community. Mahalo.

Thank you. Next we're going to have Seeds of Peace, followed by dvac, Ella Pio, Social Services, Emergency Animal Care and help.

Seeds of Peace chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Scott Mishimoto, Executive Director of Seeds of Peace. We're applying to sustain the community school coordinator position at Waianae elementary role that has become essential to our students well being. We're asking for $105,951.

When a child comes to school hungry, when a parent loses health coverage, when a family faces eviction, learning takes a backseat. Our community school coordinator is the person who connects them to food, counseling, health care, and in many cases, hope they hold together the web of support that allows children to show up ready to learn.

But with cuts to the federal DOE's Native Hawaiian education Program and congressional earmarks, this position is at major risk moving forward. And the absence of this position is only exacerbated by the threats to safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

By funding this request, you're sustaining not just a position, but an entire web of support to our students at Waianae Elementary. Mahalo.

Thank you. Next we have DVAC.

Aloha. I'm Laurie Tochiki, Interim CEO of the Domestic Violence Action Center. DVAC is requesting funding for a one year bridge that will help us pivot and strengthen services to transform this crisis into an opportunity.

DVAC has currently experienced and anticipated and anticipates federal funding cuts in excess of $1.0 million, especially for culturally specific supporting survivors of domestic violence who are immigrants, primarily mothers who are earning below $31,000 annually, who are trying to escape from violence with their children.

Survivors are particularly impacted by the loss of SNAP benefits and other essential benefits. We are requesting $450,000 to strengthen our helpline which connects the community to essential services. Without a lasting solution, survivors lose their safety net. Law enforcement faces increased domestic violence calls, and courts see more fatalities.

With the help of the Legislature during this critical time, we hope to emerge stronger, self sufficient and permanently capable of serving Hawaii's most vulnerable families. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Alepaio Social Services.

Aloha. My name is Alicia Higa, Executive Director of Aleppaio Social Services. Since the government shutdown, hunger has deepened across our community. Furloughed workers and families who rely on SNAP now face empty cupboards and impossible choices. Lines at our food pantries have doubled, turning a chronic struggle into an everyday emergency.

In Waianae, one of Hawaii's most food insecure communities, the loss of benefits has devastating ripple effects. And when families cannot meet basic needs, desperation can lead to increases in crime, violence and instability. Our small team of eight operates 11 school pantries and five kupuna pantries weekly serving over 6,000 people.

Yet demand has quadrupled and resources have not over the last few days. In addition to the thousands we feed weekly, we distributed over 344 farmers market gift cards with $250 loaded to furloughed families, investing $86,000 in local produce, poi and proteins that sustain both families and farmers.

Our farmers market offers the largest SNAP doubling program in the state. So when SNAP stops, our farmers and food producers also lose critical income that keeps local agriculture alive. Our emergency feeding response must balance. Thank you.

Emergency Animal Care and Help Aloha.

My name is Ayla Mader, Executive Director and Founder of Emergency Animal Care and help or each. We are requesting 50,000, just 0.1% of the total funds available, but huge for Maui Pets to continue providing emergency veterinary aid to low income Maui residents and to strengthen partnerships with local clinics and our island's shelter.

As a newer organization, we've been indirectly affected by federal funding cuts that reduce support for human service programs and for groups like the Maui Humane Society. When those programs lose funding, our Kupuna fire survivors families on fixed incomes, homeless and individuals with disabilities lose critical unrepresented safety nets for their pets and service animals.

Each steps in to keep pets with their families and ease the strain on clinics and the shelter already at capacity. With no paid staff or office, nearly every dollar goes directly to care. We are ready to use this funding immediately to sustain life saving assistance for Maui families and their pets.

Mahalo for considering our request and recognizing the connection between animal welfare and human well being on Maui.

Thank you. Next we're going to have Family Hui Hawaii followed by Feed My Sheep, foundation for Animal Care and Education and Friends of the Palace Theater.

Aloha. My name is Sherilyn Shiinoki, Executive Director of Family Hui Hawai'i. Funding cuts from multiple sources around maternal health, early learning, family engagement, SNAP and Medicaid and New Directions for Child Abuse and Neglect Funds will affect our families with young children, most who are Alice families greatly.

While many of these cuts are pending, we know that we are likely to lose approximately 250,000 that we desperately need to keep Hawaii families strong.

We have many mothers that come to us with undiagnosed postpartum depression but yet find a hui of other families to connect with and build a network of support and are encouraged to get professional help. Many share that hui save their, their and their baby's lives. This is what prevention looks like.

We've served over 1700 parents this year statewide. Our peer to peer model builds connection helps parents manage stress before it turns into crisis. Together we are building a community safety net, family to family, one that doesn't rely solely on institutional systems. We are seeking 250,000 to partially sustain these programs to build this critically family driven thank you.

Feed My Sheep.

Aloha My name is Scott Hopkins, Executive Director of Feed My Sheep which operates mobile food pantries on the island of Mauik serving between 3 and 10,000 unduplicated individuals per year. The program was designed to complement SNAP benefits, focusing on nutritional support through healthy food choices.

Feed My Sheep has seen a significant increase in new applicants and attendance since July when SNAP reduced benefits amounts. We anticipate additional demand as the government shutdown threatens to delay SNAP benefits for November.

We believe that our organization is well organized to address the disruptions in SNAP but request 75,000 in additional funding to maintain program capacity and food supplies in the midst of current and anticipated increase in attendance. Thank you Committee Members for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Foundation for Animal Care and Education Aloha.

I'm the Program Director for Foundation Animal Care and Education. We're a nonprofit that fills the gap for our low income families in Hawaii who are facing the all too often and difficult decision to euthanize an animal family Member because life saving veterinary costs are out of reach.

We consider ourselves a crucial anti poverty measure in the state as we've seen families go into debt, mortgage homes and the like to pay for ever increasing costs of emergency veterinary care. We've been privately funded since the start of the org and now given to federal budget cuts and economic instability.

Have been recently informed that our main private funding will not be renewed for 2026. Additionally, we have seen large increase in applicants who are facing economic hardship and thus cannot cover any costs or procedures. This has increased our average funding award drastically.

If we do not receive additional funding or bridge funding, our nonprofit will no longer operate as of December of this year. This will impact our created sustained partnerships which include 13 veterinary hospitals on Oahu. If our Save a Life program goes away, the number of family Member pets who will be euthanized around the state will increase drastically.

We're asking for $250,000 as bridge funding to create a strategic plan, pay for our staff and continue our program. Thank you.

Next we have Friends of the Palace Theater followed by Hale Mahaolu, Hale Makua and Hana Health.

Aloha Kakou. My name is Erin Chung. I am the Development Officer at the Palace Theater in Hilo, Hawaii. We are requesting $15,000 in Fund to support our Hawaiian Concert series. That may seem like a small amount, but it represents one third of the budget for that program. It covers artists fees. We've recently.

Well, we've received many, many requests for bigger acts from outer islands. We recently hosted Paula Fuga. We host Jake Shimabukuro. Every year we pair those with smaller artists guests on island and elevate the Hawaiian music scene here on Hawaii Island. 95% of our patrons feel more connected to the community after attending a live event.

96% agree that ticket prices are fair. If we have to reduce our budget, we will serve less of our community and have to raise our ticket prices. Mahalo for your time and supporting the arts in Hilo.

Thank you.

Good morning. My name is Marlene Tanji and I'm with Hale Mahaolu. With the current Federal Government shutdown and crippling budget cuts, our organization has experienced a 50% cut to our fiscal year 2026 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development Congregate Housing Services Program, otherwise known as a meal CHSB meals program.

Original grant amount for the fiscal year 2026 is 350,000. The grant amount was then reduced to 173,000 DOL with zero funding received by Hale Mahaolu. As of the submission of this grant proposal, our CHSP meals program provides 1,400 meals per day, seven days a week to Frio Kupuna and Mobility Challenge households living across Maui County.

Our Request is for $305,121 to cover our meals program budget shortfalls in addition to our other wraparound services. We humbly ask for your support and to our programs. Thank you.

Thank you. Next have Holly Makua.

Aloha Representatives and Senators. Wesley Lowe from Halemakua Health Services. We have been providing care transition services for vulnerable patients in Kupuna through the pandemic and the Maui fires and have been funded by ARPA funding which has ended.

Our model is to ensure that Kupuna patients discharged from hospitals or nursing facilities are provided services to transition to home in a safe, secure manner. We focus on medical and social needs. We address housing, food insecurity and other economic barriers that are being negatively impacted by the federal Funding cuts, SNAP housing programs, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

With these cuts in SNAP and Medicare Medicaid, the need will be even greater. This is a statewide crisis. We do not discriminate with any payers. We go see people in homeless shelters, medical respite. We are requesting 684,000 to continue this program. Without this funding, this program is in jeopardy and we respectfully request your support. Thank you.

Thank you. Next we have Hana Health, followed by Hoy Meals on Wheels, Hoy Public Health Institute, and Hawaiian Community Assets.

Good morning, legislators. Can you hear me okay?

Yes.

Okay. I'm Cheryl Vasconcellas. I'm the Executive Director of Hana Health. This is the only medical and healthcare provider in the Hana district, serving one of the most isolated areas in the state. Today, we've lost $75,000 in Title 10 funding.

But our bigger concern is what will happen with our base 330 funding going into the new fiscal year, as well as the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. We're anticipating losses of approximately $1.4 million over the next two years as a result of cuts in Medicaid funding as well as insurance premiums going up at the Affordable Care Marketplace.

So for us, it's really a matter of what we're going to be able to continue in the way of health care services to this remote community as the only provider in the Honda District. So we're hoping that we can count on your support to make us whole going forward. Thank you.

Thank you. Next we have Hawaii Meals on Wheels.

Aloha. My name is Michelle Corderoli and I'm the CEO of Hawaii Meals on Wheels. We are the only nonprofit in the state delivering medically tailored meals directly to Homebang Kupuna and adults with disabilities. These are renal diabetic chop pureed meals.

We are requesting 495,000 in emergency funds for meal delivery and social services for those who will lose Medicaid and SNAP benefit eligibility in 2024. We we served one in four clients who relied on SNAP Medicaid funds.

And we're already receiving calls from partner agencies and those who are seeing benefits reduced or cut entirely turning to us for help. Hawaii Meals on Wheels is Oahu safety net. The funds will allow us to continue serving our clients and those partner agencies who have nowhere else to turn.

Thank you for helping us sustain this service and protecting the fragile safety net that keeps our communities and households nourished, safe and independent in their homes.

Mahalo, Hawaii Public Health Institute.

Aloha. Members of the Committee, my name is James McAllen and I'm the Director of Community Preparedness and Resilience at Hawaii Public Health Institute. Climate change is already affecting our health and federal cuts to the CDC and EPA have left Hawaii with fewer resources to respond.

This funding request asks for $500,000 to sustain and expand several interconnected efforts directly impacted by federal cuts to the EPA and SNAP ED programs. We work with community based organizations and community health workers who bridge vital services to our most underserved families. This funding will allow outreach to continue to share new information on Medicaid and SNAP requirements.

In addition, this funding will train our partners to communicate the health risks of heat, wildfires and extreme weather. This Federal Administration has showed little interest in responding to public health emergencies, wildfires and other natural disasters.

Act 310 is a chance to act on the Legislature's vision, continue Hawaii's leadership as the first state to declare climate change a public health emergency and support the partnerships that keep our communities healthy and resilient. Mahalo for your time and leadership.

Thank you. Hawaiian Community Assets hi, good morning.

My name is Ashley Loa, on behalf of Hawaiian Community Assets, we are requesting 992,000 to ensure continuity of our work as we face the possibility of funding cuts through HUD. This funding will provide 800,000 in direct emergency financial assistance and support over 1200 households through home buyer and financial Education.

This will also safeguard over $300 million in contracts with our partners such as DHHL o of the counties that allow us to serve thousands of households across the state. Mahalo for your continued support.

Thank you. H. Ken.

Aloha. Thank you for your time and consideration. My name is Hannah London and I am the Deputy Director of Hawaii Diaper Bank. Hawaii Diaper Bank's application was submitted through Hawaii Children's Action Network, our fiscal sponsor. Hawaii Diaper Bank was indirectly impacted by the federal funding freezes and terminations.

Hawaii Diaper Bank's mission is to provide diapers, wipes, and other basic essentials to low-income children in Hawaii. Per month on average, we serve more than 600 children in need. We meet the needs of these children through our partnerships with 20 community-based organizations.

These partners provide families with vital services such as health care, housing and early education. Several of our partners were directly impacted by the federal funding freezes and terminations. You've actually heard from some of them already. And as such, families are having more difficulty accessing their needed supports.

More than 80% of the families that we serve are eligible to receive TANF and these families are experiencing an increased need for concrete supports. We'll use this funding to continue to support our partners and provide direct services. Thank you.

So next we have HOPE Services Hawaii followed by Hui Oho, Honua, Imua Family Imua Onepaa.

Aloha. Members of the Committee. My name is Brandon Menino. I'm the CEO of HOPE Services Hawaii. We are requesting support to sustain essential housing, shelter and outreach programs on Hawaii Island.

We face a potential loss of 1.4 million in federal funds, most of which provides rent assistance for formerly homeless individuals with disabilities and families fleeing domestic violence, people who simply cannot afford to lose their homes again. While these federal funds have not yet been cut, they are at serious risk.

And with reductions already happening in other safety net programs like SNAP and Medicare, we know these losses will ripple through our community. Across Hawaii, families are just one paycheck away from crisis, too often forced to choose between paying for food, health care or housing, which is without this state investment.

To bridge the growing funding gap, we will see more families, Kapuna and medically fragile residents fall into homelessness. We operate seven shelters with a thank you.

Okay, we'll come back to that one. IMUA Family.

Aloha. IMUA Family Services provides Mauinui as one of the leading early childhood service providers. We screen newborns for hearing loss, provide mental health care counseling, run our inclusion preschool with our special needs children. IMUA is seeking $500,000 for our critical early childhood intervention programs and healthcare SNAP program.

Federal cuts, especially to the Department of Education will directly impact the vulnerability the vulnerable populations that we serve as DOE services are reduced. The demand on IMUA increases and we need support to ensure these essential services remain available to to Maui County Maui Nui families. Thank you.

Thank you. IMUA Onipa'a.

Aloha Chair and Members of the Committee My name is Nick Winfrey, Executive Director of Imua Onipa'a based on Maui. Our mission is to strengthen Hawaii workforce and economic resilience through career training, digital skills and community partnerships. The federal shutdown has left hundreds of Hawaii federal employees suddenly furloughed without income, structure, or opportunity.

These are skilled individuals who want to work, contribute, and support their families. Our $170,000 request will fund statewide training and career advancement programs that help furloughed workers upskill into high-demand living wage industries like technology, renewable energy, and project management.

By doing so, we not only protect families today, but we strengthen Hawaii long term Hawaii's long term economic foundation. This investment turns crisis into opportunity, helping displaced workers transition from uncertainty to stability and from survival to success. Mahalo for supporting a stronger, more resilient Hawaii.

Thank you. We have In Peace followed by Kahaku Kahi Key Project. In Peace you're up.

Aloha. My name is Gina Koka from the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture. We lost 2.4 million in federal funding cuts including 1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education and nearly 1 million from the National Science Foundation. These losses threaten three of our long standing programs that have transformed lives across Hawaii.

Our Columbia Education Academy which for 30 years has been supporting community members aspiring to become educators in high need schools. Our Kaulele program delivering hands on STEM experiences to rural and underserved communities across the state through our traveling science exhibits and our Center for Entrepreneurship supporting low to moderate income families with working to grow their small businesses.

We're humbly requesting 1.9 million from Act 310 to sustain our teacher mentors, our STEM educators and our business coaches to continue to serve children and families in Hawaii. Mahalo for your consideration.

Thank you. Kahaku Kahi.

Aloha Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Shawneen Schweitzer and I am a founding board Member for the nonprofit Kahakukahi Foundation. We're on the front lines of supporting Mauis Keikis and families through free child care and mental health programs rooted in ocean connection, Hawaiian culture and trauma healing.

With the federal shutdown, families already impacted by the Lahaina fires are facing even more uncertainty. Child care gaps, food and income stability and emotional strain. Our programs have become safe, trusted spaces for both children and caregiver givers that are desperately needed.

The funding request of $72,496 before you will help us to continue our programming, sustain staff, expand mental health resources and ensure no family loses access to the support they rely on. This is an investment in Maui's recovery and in the long term well being of Hawaii's next generation.

Mahalo for your time and consideration and for standing with our community as we rebuild Maui stronger together.

Thank you. KEY Project.

Aloha, my name is Rainbow and I'm here on behalf of the Kualoa Ecumenical Youth project or KEY project serving windward Koolau, Oahu. We're requesting $250,000 to sustain three direct social service outreach positions that are at threat due to organizational funding on the federal level lost in April 2025.

These positions are critical due to the ongoing federal shutdown and snap changes beginning November 1st. In just the first half of 2025, Key served over 2,000 households in Kahaluu, Oahu with food support alone. Without this funding, our community will lose access to a vital safety net.

We are also seeing an increase in need via phone calls and requests in the last two weeks. Continued funding ensures that our community's basic needs and food security are met. We have the experience, capacity and community trust to meet this urgent need. Mahalo for your consideration.

Thank you. Next we have KIFB followed by AKCR, Kini Medical center and KUPF. KIFB, I'm guessing that's Kauai Island Food Bank.

Good morning Committee. It's Kauai Independent Food Bank. My name is Jennifer Harper. Thank you for the opportunity to address you this morning. As you know, like most food banks, we support our low income residents here on the island of Kauai who are already at risk for hunger and food insecurity.

We are requesting $100,000 for our operations to continue with our emergency food distribution program.

We have had unprecedented number of residents coming for food support throughout 2025, but as I'm sure you can imagine, we've seen a sharp increase just in the last 10 days or so where people are coming for food support that really were already at risk and already struggling.

We are an indirect grant request as we did not receive a direct federal cut. But what we are seeing is many of those programs being cut. As you know, our safety net programs are either being eliminated, severely reduced and now we face the SNAP cut on Saturday. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it.

Next KKCR.

Aloha and thank you for the opportunity to come before you today. My name is Anni. I'm the Executive Director of the Kekahu foundation, which supports Kauai Community Radio. Community radio is public radio and we're the public radio station for Kauai and beyond.

With the closure of the corporation for public broadcasting, KKCR lost $83,000 of funds that were originally congressionally appropriated to us. That represents 27% of our budget for fiscal year ending 2026, which we already have a very constrained budget.

And the way this affects us is that it's, it's General operating support that was given to us by the government previously and we end up being emergency support services, communicating emergency disasters to people in need and underserved areas that don't have Internet access or anything. In addition to being a cultural resource, we are Kaua' I Community Radio.

Thank you.

Kuakini Medical Center.

Aloha. My name is Greg Oishi, CEO of Kuakini Health System. Purpose of the grant is to protect Hawaii's low income seniors whose health care is at risk. Hawaii seniors face uncharted and adverse impacts resulting from the federal laws and cuts. Kuakini is an indirectly impacted organization because a significant portion of our patients are seniors.

Over 80% of our patients are on Medicaid or Medicare. Federal cuts to senior health care programs will already add to Kuakini's uncompensated care of about 3.3 million annually. Act 310 funds will be used to provide financial relief and additional care management services for seniors. We hope you will support our grant request to assist Hawaii seniors in need. Thank you.

Thank you. Kupu.

Aloha. My name is Kaulana McCabe, Vice President of programs at Kupu. This past June, AmeriCorps zeroed out $3.5 million of our federal funding which should have started this past September, not because of performance, but purely due to cuts. Even worse, we normally leverage these federal dollars to double our impact to approximately $7 million each year.

With your support today Hawaii can retain over 50. But when funding is leveraged up to 130 full time positions servicing many of Kupu partners statewide, three and a half million will allow us to sustain these positions that are depended on by our community organizations, our landowners, residents and visitors alike.

While we seek to diversify funding through new opportunities within the state and abroad, this support will keep our youth working and paid, protect our natural and cultural resources and ensure Hawaii's future workforce continues to thrive. Mahalo for your time and for your consideration. Aloha.

Thank you. Next we'll have Hawaii Food bank followed by Living Pono Project, Makana North Shore Urgent Care, Malama Kai Foundation.

Aloha My name is Elia Herman and I'm the Director of Advocacy at Hawaii Food Bank. Working with a network of over 250 relief partners, we serve Oahu and Hawaii and we are proud to partner with the Food Basket and Maui Food Bank. Together we work to ensure that all communities receive the food they need.

Hawaii Food bank has requested $5,644,000 to replace the millions of pounds of quality, healthy food lost to the cuts to U.S. staples, USDA programs that feed some of our most vulnerable populations. Kupuna alone lost nearly 104,000 meals due to cuts to our Senior Food Box program.

One in three households in Hawaii are food insecure and last year we served as many people each month as we did during the peak of the pandemic. And now, on top of the federal cuts to the food banks that we received, we're managing cuts to SNAP and the federal shutdown.

Our priority is ensuring uninterrupted access to safe, nutritious food for those who rely on us. But we cannot do it alone. Mahalo for your consideration.

Yes Living Pono Project.

Aloha Chana Makale'a Dudoit Ane or Executive Director Know the Living Pono Project located on Maui. We are seeking $260,000 of our $1 million budget to sustain and expand our Food Is Medicine program which provides produce baskets to families impacted by the Maui fires. Along with our Kupuna, Keiki and other disadvantaged and low-income community members.

Providing access to Poi, Kalo, Uala and other local produce, we currently serve over 700 families representing 3,000 individuals each week and purchase produce directly from 50 farmers and ranchers, strengthening Maui's local food economy.

With ongoing federal reductions, the USDA, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP programs, we have already seen an increase in demand from families seeking support for basic food needs. We recently lost 12 workforce development positions previously supported through MEO's Federal Displaced Worker Program.

With your support, you'll help us continue feeding Maui's families while building a resilient and island based food system that ensures families the most in need have access to nutritious, culturally grounded foods. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Makana North Shore Urgent Care followed by Malamakai Foundation, Malamakaui Malama Pono Health Services.

Aloha Members of the Committee. My name is Beth Champlin. I am a nurse and Executive Director for Makana North Shore Urgent Care on Kauai. We are more than an urgent care. We provide accessible, affordable healthcare to our North Shore community where for some, the nearest hospital can be more than an hour away.

We offer X ray, EKG labs, dermatological care and are launching a new outpatient ultrasound clinic open seven days a week. We reduce the burden on our emergency departments while providing comprehensive, high quality, timely care to our patients, including underserved, low income and rural populations.

We are requesting 750,000 to sustain operations amid an unexpected USDA loan repayment demand of over $1.5 million within six months that threatens closure. Without this funding, our community risks losing the only urgent care provider on the North Shore. This funding is critically needed. There are no alternative sources prepared to cover this immediate financial burden.

We're fully prepared to use the funds immediately. Staff systems processes are in place. Mahalo Nuiloa for your support of rural healthcare access for Kauai's North Shore.

Thank you. Malama Kai foundation.

Hello, can you hear me? Okay, great. Hi, my name is Alyssa Garbin. I'm the Deputy Executive Director with Malama Kai Foundation. We're a statewide nonprofit that has provided place based education on Hawaii island for more than 15 years.

The sudden loss of federal support from NOAA's Bay and Watershed Education and Training Program has had overwhelming impacts on our organization's rich Reach education programming and the communities that we serve through that program.

In January 2025, the fiscal year 2025 funding opportunity was canceled just one day before proposals were due, eliminating nearly $150,000 in anticipated student programming support that we've received consistently for the past several years for this program.

And then in September, NOAA confirmed that no fiscal year 2024 awards would be issued for Hawaii, resulting in a total loss of about $300,000 in federal funding.

So without replacement support, all the funding for Ridge Reef Education and teacher professional development programming will dry up in January 2026, leaving our three educators without work and hundreds of Hawaii island students without hands on science and stewardship experiences that connect them to their aha strength in environmental literacy and cultural identity and spark future careers.

Thank you. Malala Kauai.

Aloha. I'm Megan Fox with Malama Kauai and we are seeking a modest $100,000 to support food access work on Kauai.

This includes funding for our Kauai Food Access Coordinator role which was cut from the Department of Health SNAP ED Funding via the Big Beautiful Bill, as well as support for Kaukau for Keiki to fund local food box distributions for vulnerable children in need of food access when they're out of school, especially those whose SNAP has been cut.

Food is a basic need and support is needed now more than ever. All of our funding will stay in Hawaii, funding local staff and local food. The timing could not be more critical. Via the SNAP pause, our island will be losing $350,000 per month in food benefits that support local families in need and our local farmers.

So thank you for your time and consideration of this Kauai grown solution.

Thank you very much. Malama Pono Health Services followed by Mana Maoli, Maui Economic Development Board and Maui Food Bank.

Aloha Committee Members. My name is Melanie Rule and I'm the CEO of Malama Pono Health Services on Kauai. For nearly 40 years we've been the safety net for those who have nowhere else to turn. But today we are at risk of closing our doors.

We have lost over $300,000 in revenue due to cuts in Ryan White HIV funding, LGBTQ funding and we are anticipating tremendous impact from the impending Medicaid cuts. And perhaps the most concerning the populations we serve are being directly targeted by the current Administration that devalues their very existence.

Any organization supporting transgender individuals is now ineligible for federal funds, but we need to show our Mahu community that they are valued and loved. The direct and hostile attacks have put us in survival mode.

We serve hundreds of clients each month and with your support we can keep our doors open and ensure Kauai continues to have a place where everyone is seen, valued and cared for. Mahalo for standing with us in the community we serve.

Thank you Mana Maoli.

Aloha Kakou. We humbly request their read of our written testimony. We've lost half of our $130,000, 2-year NEA award eight months into implementation. Thus we're requesting a $65,000 for services that we'd have to cut otherwise.

Our Mana Maoli project serves thousands of Youth annually at 23 DOE and public charter schools across four islands via culture based music and multimedia education. These cuts impact the disproportionately high number of students who are low income or labeled at risk who make up most of the youth we serve.

Our year-long classes that were cut teach Mana Maoli's ABCs, academics, business, and culture through music and video production. We also lost long-term to long term memberships on campus and internships off campus in real world settings, Artist school visits providing small group workshops and a school concerts where students perform alongside pro artists or join our AB crew.

This includes one that was slotted to serve all four public Lahaina schools impacted by the wildfires and these programs do more than teach creative and technical skills. They also help build youth identity, confidence and leadership.

Maui Economic Development Board.

Aloha. My name is Hannah Trees. I'm representing Maui Economic Development Board's STEMworks Program. We are seeking critical funding to sustain our computer science and a teacher training across the state. As the Hawaii regional partner for Code.org STEMworks has trained over 2,000 public school teachers and impacted more than 100,000 students statewide to date.

The requested $60,000 will allow us to continue offering completely free, high quality credit bearing professional development especially to educators in rural and underserved communities, ensuring equity of access to teaching resources and helping us reach our goal of having trained computer science teachers in every public school in Hawaii.

Our federal funding has been cut by almost 1 million dollars due to our commitment to equitable and inclusive programming and our partner, code.org has also lost DEI-related federal funding, which they have historically passed on to us.

This Act 310 grant will be essential to maintaining our computer science teacher trainings and preventing disruptions to our work which helps prepare Hawaii's students for fulfilling high wage careers in science, technology, engineering and math related industries. Mahalo.

Thank you. Maui Food bank followed by Molokai Community Health Center, Naholo, Maui and Nakiai of Maui Aquino.

Aloha. My name is Lisa Paulson and I serve as the CEO of Maui Food Bank. We are requesting $895,000 to offset the loss of 537 pounds of federal food assistance canceled by the USDA in March of 2025 by the Trump Administration.

And every dollar will go directly towards purchasing nutritious foods, providing the equivalent of 380,000 meals for Maui County residents, allowing us to maintain our goal of distributing 7 million pounds of food annually. Since the wildfire disaster, Maui Food bank has met extraordinary community need and now with the November 1st lapse in SNAP benefits, we again face dire demand.

Our food lines are long and our phones are ringing non stop. Together with Hawaii Food Bank and the Food Basket, we stand on the front lines of Hawaii's emergency food safety net. We ask for your support of our collective efforts to relieve hunger during these distressing times. Mahalo.

Next we have Molokai Community Health Center.

Aloha. I'm Terry Radi testifying on behalf of Molokai Community Health Center. The health center recently received congressionally directed spending to complete a three year dental expansion program. The expanded program is needed on Molokai right now.

Two longtime dental practitioners have retired within the last year, which leaves our dental practice and one Private practice to serve all of Molokai. The private practice that's open operates on a cash basis only. We accept all regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

As a result, we have registered over 500 new patients since January 1st and we currently provide dental care to an average of 50 patients per day. The project is 90% completed, but we do have outstanding expenditures and we've been unable to access the CDS grant funds since the government shutdown.

Based on the fact that CDS grant funding is being revoked across the country, we anticipate these funds will also be revoked. Therefore, our request is for $188,000 to cover the existing expenditures as well as the anticipated loss of the remaining funding in the CDS grant. Thank you. Appreciate your consideration.

Thank you. Na Hoaloha Maui.

Mahalo. Honorable Committee Members. For 30 years, Na Hoaloha has provided free supportive services to homebound older adults through our network of trained volunteers. Na Hoaloha Services population has been directly and indirectly impacted by significant federal funding reductions in key programs that support older adults and persons with disabilities.

Specifically, federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare to SNAP as 42% increase in client reporting, food insecurity and difficulty affordable nutrition. Reductions in federal transportation and health care support programs, fewer federal housing and case management dollars. As a result, our organization faces rising demand for services while public and federal safety nets have shrunk.

Na Hoaloha is requesting $87,000 in General operating support to continue to provide free supportive care with limited resources, ensuring that vulnerable older adults are not left isolated and without emotional support. Thank you.

Nā Kia’i O Maui followed by Nalukai Foundation, Native Hawaiian Philanthropy and Navient Hawaii.

All right, aloha everybody. My name is Nettie Aquino, Executive Director of Nā Kia’i O Maui, a disaster relief organization. We are asking for $200,000 to help us to continue serving our fire survivors who are deeply impacted by the SNAP benefits.

We are serving 4,000 plus individuals fire survivors and are expecting a 25% increase new applicants as we open to the community in this time, food is our greatest need. Mahalo for your consideration. Aloha.

Thank you. Nalukai Foundation Aloha Committee.

I'm Allen Murabayashi. Thank you for this opportunity to address you on behalf of Nalukai Foundation. The federal cuts to Native Hawaiian and National Science Foundation programs threaten higher education and career pathways for many native Hawaiian and AAPI students.

For nearly 10 years, Nalukai has taught high school students an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving at no cost so they can create their own solutions in their own communities. From housing affordability to feral pigs to starting a food truck, we strive to create cohorts in our programs that match the demographics of rural Hawaii.

This year our three cohorts exceeded 53% Native Hawaiian participation. We're asking for a modest 50K grant representing less than 20% of our operating budget, to fund a program manager and expand our programs to provide a path for economic diversity, diversification and prosperity for Hawaii's future. Mahalo for your consideration.

Thank you Native Hawaiian Philanthropy.

Aloha Chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Cherry Yamane and I'm here on behalf of Native Hawaiian Philanthropy to share pressing concerns regarding our Native Hawaiian Storytelling Program and the Maliola Program supporting Lahaina wildfire survivors.

In August 2024, an NHP was awarded $1.29 million for a three year Native Hawaiian Storytelling Program from the U.S. Department of Education. Year one was a success and NHP had planned to implement year two on August 1st. However, the DOE verbally informed us that funds would be delayed and may be released by October 1st, if at all.

NHP has faced significant challenges over the past few months due to this delay. Our year two funding, which was scheduled for release on August 1, was only granted to us on September 23, a full eight weeks late.

This delay forced us to have layoffs, reduced staff hours, and even cancel important programs such as our Fall Music Video Production and Cohort two Arrangers Immersives. We are now uncertain if the current Administration will continue to make these critical funds accessible, raising concerns about future funding for Year three.

Additionally, our Maui Ola program, which integrates cultural and mental health supports for survivors of the devastating Maui Wildfires, has faced drastic cuts to FEMA funding to our partners. Without immediate financial support for NHP and our partners, we further diminish our ability to provide essential services to vulnerable communities.

You made it, Navian Hawaii.

Aloha Chair Members of the Committee I'm Dan Haire, President and CEO of Navian Hawaii. As part of our overall care services, Navian Hawaii operates the Kailua Hospice Home, a licensed skilled nursing facility that's cared for over 3,000 Kupuna since 1994. About half of these patients receive charity care annually.

Our organization budgets to deliver charity care equal to about $700,000 specifically for these patients. Given the federal uncertainty, Navian Hawaii is aiming to provide an additional 1250 free days of charity care, costing about half a million dollars more in 2026, ensuring meals, housing and skilled nursing care for those who need it most.

Providing this additional charity to care will ease hospital demand and save public health care costs. Hawaii's healthcare system seeing more people show up in hospitals and emergency rooms because they don't have access to affordable, preventable and end of life care.

When federal funds are frozen or reduced, this pressure grows and hospitals bear the cost of patients who could better be served elsewhere. Hospice is an essential service that provides dignity ability for patients in the final stages of life.

North Shore EVP followed by Obama Hawaiian African Museum, Olalo Community Museum and Pacific Asian Affairs Council thank you.

Aloha. My name is Lisa Rhoden. I'm the Executive Director of North Shore EVP, managing the Hawaii Group GAP program. Hawaii Group GAP was developed and has been supported by a variety of federal awards, many of which are no longer funded. We are asking for $127,000 to continue to provide food safety training and certification support to Hawaii farmers.

In September, we completed a multi year USDA project to assist socially disadvantaged farmers. We have been waiting for USDA to reimburse US costs totaling approximately $140,000 since June. Concrete funding available for our operations in the coming year is approximately $215,000, which is less than half of our annual operating budget.

We provide essential food safety training and certification support to Hawaii farmers, enabling access to traditional commercial markets as well as institutional markets. We are a team of five staff Members supporting 54 farmers across the state. At present, in light of the federal funding cuts affecting food and medical assistance services, food safety programs may seem a lesser need.

However, the effects of these cuts are constricting local markets and increasing.

Obama Hawaiian African Museum.

Community Media

Aloha Kakou, I'm Roger McKeague, President CEO of 'Olelo Community Media. Title two and federal funding cuts to Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have threatened vital educational and health and human service programs that OLELO normally provides.

Our Integrating Media for Education initiative supports teachers and students by providing hands on training, professional development and workforce opportunities. Our Giving Voice Community Information Hub enables government agencies and nonprofits to share critical information on how and where to receive health and Human Services.

With $1,765,000 grant, we can serve over 400 teachers and 80 students for workforce opportunities and 12 Health and Human Services agencies and MPOs to continue their communications and relations serving their recipients statewide. Mahalo for supporting these vital ongoing community services.

Thank you Pacific and Asian Affairs Council Aloha.

My name is Niki Shishido and I'm the Executive Director at the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, or PAAC. In the face of cuts to international programs and uncertainties arising around funding for after school and Title I programs, PAAC continues to provide high quality education, global education to Hawaii's youth, especially those in underserved communities.

Nearly 40% of our students attend Title 1 schools where opportunities for enrichment and leadership are increasingly limited. Now more than ever, it's essential that Hawaii's youth development programs not only endure but expand their reach to build empathy, understanding and appreciation of diversity in our next generation.

As one Kealakehe High School student said, PAAC has provided me with more opportunities than I can ever imagine. PAAC was really my first leadership program and it effectively built up my leadership skills from the ground. It's because of PAAC that I am motivated to participate in other programs and help others. Mahalo.

Thank you Pacific Birth Collective.

Good morning Committee Members, and thank you. My name is Sara Cousineau. I'm the Director of Finance at Pacific Birth Collective and a birth worker. We're requesting $433,445 to sustain community Birth Project, a program that fills critical health care gaps for birthing families at risk of losing insurance coverage.

More than two thirds of the families we serve rely on MedQuest, SNAP and WIC. With proposed Medicaid cuts threatening up to 400,000 Hawaii residents, many anticipate losing access to perinatal care and safe birth services for uninsured families. A single hospital birth can easily cost 15 to $25,000, forcing many to choose between safe care and financial survival.

Our program provides accessible, preventative, community based midwifery care for families who fall through the cracks of their insurance systems. For the past two years we've received over 500 applications. Demand continuing to rise as more families face coverage loss. Your support will allow us to continue serving mothers, babies and the future of our communities.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you. Pacific Gateway Center

Good morning everyone. My name is Matt Johnson. I'm the Executive Director for Pacific Gateway Center.

Pacific Gateway center is requesting $251,000 in grant and aid funds to support staffing to continue supporting Hawaii's immigrant and refugees through legal, social and economic development support. Funding cuts that have occurred and that are anticipated to occur from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, USCRI and also USDA totaling $2.8 million.

The withdrawal of these funds has left large service gaps that directly affect some of Hawaii's most vulnerable populations. Without dedicated federal support, many newly arrived immigrants and refugees now lack access to affordable services. PGC's workers become even more critical in this environment.

Organization continues to provide holistic wraparound services that promote economic Independence, food security and community integrations for Hawaii's immigrants and refugees. Mahalo.

Pacific Islanders in Communication.

Aloha and mahalo for this opportunity to speak. My name is Cheryl Hirasa, Executive Director of Pacific Islanders and Communications or PIC. We're a public media organization that's been committed to amplifying Pacific Island stories through film and media for the last 34 years.

The recent federal rescission of advance appropriations for public media has resulted in a budget cut for pick of 1.8 million for two years. This accounts for roughly 75% of our annual budget. Currently, we've paused our funding initiatives for independent films and media along with our Leanne K. Ferrer Fellowship program.

Without funding to offset this loss, Hawaii is at risk of a sizable gap in our creative economy and our stories will lose access to national distribution.

We're respectfully requesting $956,705 that will enable PIC to continue our funding artists and professional development initiatives for film and media while we develop and implement a new revenue generating business model in the next two years. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you Akelele's AI Brain. Piku Co.

Aloha Chair and Committee Members. My name is May Sermonia, Operations Director at Piku Company. Piku runs PACE work-based tech internships with local companies, including Zippy's which hosted our last program.

Since 2023, we've graduated 44 interns across four cohorts with over 65% securing jobs within six months and earning an average of 44 per hour. No college degree is required for our program. However, federal funding harms Native Hawaiian access to career opportunities we're requesting $191,000 to sustain and grow our program.

Expanding access to more local talent with a focus on Native Hawaiian populations. To help prevent the continued brain drain from Hawaii and launch a business coalition where local companies co-fund the future programs and hire our graduates. With your support, we hope to continue the momentum of growing the next generation of local tech leaders without leaving home. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you Project Dana

Aloha Committee Members and thank you for this opportunity. I'm Maria Morales, Executive Director of Project Dana which serves Kupuna and family caregivers across Hawaii of all faiths, ethnicities and incomes.

The Kupuna Reserve we serve are among those hit hardest by recent federal reductions in aging, nutrition and volunteer programs, leaving many struggling to stay safe and independent at home. We are asking for $100,000 to grow a movement of volunteers who care for Kupuna and their caregivers as a community.

We can ensure that every elder in Hawaii has the support and services they need to maintain Independence and dignity in their own homes. Mahalo for your support of Hawaii's aging community,

Project Expedite Justice.

Thank you. Aloha esteemed Senators and representatives. My name is Cynthia Tai and I'm the founder and Executive Director of Project Expedite Justice. We are a decade old Hawaii nonprofit with a global footprint. Our mission is to protect the most vulnerable people from the most egregious crimes, genocide, war crimes and human rights violations that plague all of humanity.

Our tools are the law. Our courtroom reach is global. Together, we provide legal services to over 220 million individuals across three struggling democracies. We are proudly headquartered in Kealakekua, Hawaii and our our loss and our ask is 510,000 resulting from direct cuts from the Department of State. On January 24th, federal funding for our Sudan project was suspended.

By September, it was effectively terminated. We were forced to relieve staff with no notice just as Sudan continued to descend into the world's largest humanitarian crisis, affecting around 25 million people, six times the population of the entirety of Hawaii.

In the last few days, more than 2,000 husbands, mothers and children have been killed in a genocidal attack in Sudan.

Rainbow Health. Rainbow Learning Academy. Reno Abihai.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay. Hi, my name is Reno Abihai and I represent Kaka 'ako Boxing Club. Our mission is to provide underserved and at risk youth and young adults with a safe and positive environment to develop confidence, healthy habits and life skills. Through the sport of boxing. We serve a population in Kalihi disproportionately impacted by recent federal funding cuts.

Our community is comprised of youth who are at heightened risk of homelessness involving in criminal activity, low educational attainment and food insecurity.

With this $262,000 grant request, we'll continue to serve and provide a safe space for over 100 high risk, low income youth in the Lower Kapalama area community, located in the heart of four major housing projects in the City of Honolulu, Mayor Rights Homes, Kuhio Park Terrace, Kali Valley Homes and Mauna Kilo Public Housing.

Through this investment, we'll deliver social, social, emotional learning and programming using the sport of boxing as a vehicle to build self confidence, resilience, discipline and leadership. We provide structured training, competition opportunities to help the youth pursue goals and excellence in the sport while developing life skills that extend beyond the ring.

In addition, we'll design and implement a comprehensive thank you.

Next we have Reuse Hawaii.

Aloha It's Quinn, Executive Director. As you know, Reuse Hawaii is a nonprofit social employment enterprise that turns demolition into an opportunity. We divert materials from the landfill, redistribute them to the community as an affordable resource, and provide training and support for individuals facing barriers to employment.

Since 2006, we've reclaimed thousands of tons of material from the landfill, trained hundreds of people for careers in construction and sustainability. Our mission is to give second chances to both people and material.

The goal of Reuse Wise programs is to sustain and expand our workforce development populations facing barriers to employment who often are disproportionately affected by federally funded assistance programs. With support from the 310, we hope to expand this program. So thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

Thank you. Spill the Tea Cafe.

Aloha My name is Kiki Rosario, Co founder and Outreach Coordinator of Spill the Tea Cafe. We're Hawaii's first and only gender affirming youth mental health clinic. In just three years, we've provided over 11,000 hours to more than 700 youth, many struggling with depression, suicidal ideation and family rejection.

But with recent federal funding freezes, new referrals are now coming our way and we're working to keep services running as we move into a larger, compliant clinical space.

We are requesting funding through the Act310 to stabilize and sustain these critical services, retaining 95% of our workforce, launching a care coordination unit for 350 families, and ensuring 6,000 therapy and peer support sessions for at least 700 youth statewide until insurance reimbursement can catch up.

Without this investment, Hawaii risks losing its only specialized safety net for LGBTQIA youth and at a time where suicide risk is at historic highs. With it, we can preserve life, saving care, strengthen family and build a model of hope for islands. Mahalo.

Thank you. Susanna Wesley Community Center.

Aloha, my name is Joni Chan and I'm the Executive Director of the Susannah Wesley Community Center located in Kalihi. We are requesting support to sustain our food pantry, free store and family stabilization and strengthening programs, a critical safety net for families most affected by reductions in federal programs.

Kalihi is one of Oahu's most economically challenged communities where nearly one in three households relies on these programs to survive. Since December 2024 alone, we've seen a 70% increase in households visiting our food pantry and 131% rise in total pantry visits.

More than 75% of our families we serve through our free store and family strengthening programs are impacted by the federal funding cuts. Funding will help us meet the growing need keeping food on their tables, family stable and hope alive in one of Hawaii's most underserved neighborhoods. Mahalo for your time.

Thank you. The Food Basket.

Aloha, Chairs and Members of the Committee. My name is Sarah Hamakawa, Grants Director of the Food Basket and we're Hawaii Island's Food Bank. Because of federal program cuts to TFAP and CSFP, Hawaii island has lost more than 2 million in USDA food resources.

These programs have provided essential nutrition for over 50,000 island residents and more than 1100 seniors every month. These federal reductions come at a time when 43% of our island's residents experience food insecurity, which is the highest in the state.

Interisland shipping costs have also risen more than 64% since 2020, making the cost of food even higher for our residents. Our request of 1.5 million through Act 310 will specifically go towards replacing lost federal food to keep our warehouses operating, enabling us to continue serving all nine districts of Hawaii Island.

This funding will also allow us to make more purchases from local farmers, producers and distributors, strengthening our island's economy and food security. With your support, we can ensure that no family or kupuna is left hungry because of federal cuts. Mahalo for your time and continued commitment to Hawaii's food security.

Thank you.

The Spirit Horse Ranch

Aloha and good morning. My name is Paige Deponte from the Spirit Horse Ranch of Maui. We are requesting 500,000 in Act 310 emergency funding to sustain our trauma informed care equine assisted programs.

We provide over 1200 sessions per year in long term recovery for wildfire Survivors on Maui, Youth at risk, Foster youth, families in Crisis, Kupuna and first responders across Maui Molokai. We were directly, directly affected. Our federal funding ask of 800,000 through ACF was not reinstated due to CDS budget cuts.

Our OVC, HHS, SAMHSA and DOJ grants equaling over 900,000 remain in limbo due to the shutdown leaving us unable to cover costs for staff and operating beyond the next two months. Without this critical funding for our groundbreaking program, our groundbreaking program will cease and hundreds of residents will lose access to this critical mental health program.

We prevent hospitalization, stabilize families and rebuild hope. These programs literally save millions in annual health care and social services including incarceration we've provided.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Mahalo.

Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.

Aloha Chair and community Members Leinaala Kanana of the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center in Mohalo for this opportunity. For over 50 years, Waianae Comp has been more than a clinic.

We've been a lifeline for over 36,000 residents of the Waianae coast and surrounding leeward communities, many of whom are kupuna and low income families. Most of our patients live at 200% below 200% of the federal poverty level, relying on Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP benefits.

With recent federal funding reductions, thousands of our neighbors and will now face the real risk of losing access to care, to food and to the support that keeps them healthy.

Act 310 funding will allow us to maintain crucial programs such as keeping Medicaid and SNAP coverage through our digital kiosk in the communities, supporting our local workforce development and training new physicians for our communities and then also ensuring our copuna can continue accessing care through our telehealth and transportation support.

Mahalo for your consideration and your support, thank you.

Wanai District Comprehensive Health and Hospital.

That would be us.

Yeah, same same. Okay. Waikiki Business Improvement District.

Aloha Members of the Committee. My name is Katie Kaahanui, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Waikiki Business Improvement District. We're applying on behalf of our Heart initiative which focuses on continuing our key efforts, such as medicine 24/7 outreach, a court to care partnership and other key wraparound services that connect people to pathways out of homelessness.

Through the WBID, we also conduct a biannual homeless count, and our most recent count that was conducted just last week, shows an uptick of homelessness, up 34% from our last count, which tells us that people are already being impacted and we are only anticipating more individuals coming into Waikiki looking for key resources and assistance.

We are humbly requesting $250,000 to support expanding these services across all in district zones within our Waikiki area. This also includes a centralized hub for Waikiki Heart used for coordinated services and behavioral health assessments. Mahalo for your time and consideration for our application and our services. Mahalo.

Good morning. My name is Stephanie Hamano. I'm the Chief Impact Officer at YWCA Oahu. We're requesting support for two critical programs that serve socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs statewide. We're requesting $1,096,000 to support our capital readiness program which lost over 1.6 million in federal support due to the October 25th shutdown.

Without state investment, over 5,000 women and minority entrepreneurs will lose access to tech assistance, capital readiness training and investor matchmaking, jeopardizing about 90 million in projected capital and jobs. We're also requesting $150,000 for our Maui Women's Business center that faced a funding cliff in June.

This program is vital to wildlife recovery, wildfire recovery and rural economic resilience serving Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and immigrant women across Maui. With the 150 we can continue counseling, training and capital access for about 150 clients annually. Thank you.

Thank you. Alzheimer's Association. The Arc of Maui County.

Aloha, my name is Aspen Wallwork. I serve as the CEO at Arkhamu County. For over 70 years we've provided direct care services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Maui County. As the only ICF provider on the neighbor islands, we deliver 24 hour residential care across our group homes.

A lack of funding once forced us to close a group home, a situation we cannot repeat. Most of our residents today have no family able to care for them if we close another home. As a direct care provider, our ability to provide quality care rests entirely on the strength and stability of our workforce.

Chronic underfunding and upcoming federal reductions to HUD, Medicaid and Medicare have forced us to rely on savings each month. If this continues, we risk depleting our reserves. We deeply appreciate your consideration and continued support for Hawaii's developmentally disabled community. Mahalo.

Big Island Substance Abuse Council

Aloha I'm Dr. Hannah Preston-Pita, CEO of the Big Island Substance Abuse Council. We are requesting funds to stabilize staffing and sustain our detox, residential and outpatient programs. They're at risk due to federal pass through reductions and reimbursement delays.

BISAC is Hawaii Island's only licensed detox program and serves nearly 1,000 individuals each year across detox, therapeutic living and outpatient care. These services reach residents from Hilo to Kona, Kohala to Kau and everything in between, many living in rural areas with no other access to treatment.

Without this funding, detox and residential beds could close, leaving no alternative on Hawaii island and putting families, hospitals and public safety at risk. This request directly supports health care, human services and homelessness prevention. Key priorities of this Fund. FYSAC has the trained staff, systems and partnerships in place to use funds immediately and report measurable outcomes.

This isn't just funds. It is a lifeline that will prevent a role public health crises and protect lives. Mahalo Nuilo for your consideration.

You're muted. We can't hear you.

Sorry. Hello, my name is Darrell Whitaker and I'm the Executive Director of Camp Mokule'ia, a nonprofit camp and retreat center that's been located on the north shore of Oahu for 75 years. We provide summer camp and day camp opportunities to children and youth across the state, but primarily on Oahu.

We also provide services for young adults with intellectual disabilities and for families who are being impacted by childhood cancer. Many of our participants are from low income populations who are struggling to afford much needed child care.

We are requesting $128,425 to expand our day camp program so we can provide free child care to those underserved families who have had their benefits reduced or completely cut.

These funds will allow us to expand our current day camp offerings in several traditionally underserved areas here on Oahu and to start new day camp programs on our neighbor islands. Mahalo for your time and consideration. Thank you.

Common Ground Collective.

Aloha Community. My name is Jennifer Karaca. I'm the founding Executive Director of Common Ground Collective. Amount based on profit. Working to increase food security, economic opportunity and investing 389,000 in funding. Food security remains one of Hawaii's most urgent issues. Statewide pre federal funding cuts, nearly 30% of households struggle to maintain reliable access to nutritious food.

And now with federal benefit reductions, mass layoffs and government shutdowns, many family kupuna and Keiki are in a major crisis, forcing them to choose between food, housing, transportation and healthcare, contributing to more than $80 million per year in preventable health care costs. Why the recent federal funding reduction cuts on our organization?

They've increased the number of residents and now rely on emergency distributions at a time when our capacity has been reduced. CGC provides access to local produce to more than 22 organizations and feeding groups that serve thousands island wide with rising demands. We need support in order to keep our residents fed and our local growers and business.

Mahalo Nui for your time and consideration.

My name is Josh Stambro, Chief Administrator for Kalahiki, the Utility Relief Program at Hawaiian Council. CNHA directly lost $800,000 in federal funding for our utility program and re request $500,000 from this Committee. From COVID to Maui Fire Response, CNHA has deep experience delivering economic relief to Hawaii's people.

Our Utility Relief program offers energy retrofits for Alice households that permanently reduce bills, not just one time assistance. We can save a family over $1300 each and every year and that's cash in their pockets to spend on food, health care or whatever they need to survive.

Just one example with Hawaii Energy, we're delivering over 2,000 high efficiency appliances for free to Maui Fire survivors. These families are saving hundreds in electric bills as they rebuild their lives. Our commitment is to bring energy, sovereignty and permanent utility relief to every household we serve with Act 310 funds.

We will serve half as many families across the state without those funds. Mahalo for your consideration.

East Hawaii Cultural Center

Aloha Committee Members. Can you hear me?

Yes.

My name is Lisa Solomine, Executive Director of East Hawaii Cultural center in Hilo. We are humbly requesting $120,000 in Act 310 support as an indirectly affected provider that serves thousands of low income and rural families and youth of East Hawaii.

These vulnerable families and their youth are most impacted by the federal cuts to programs like SNAP child care and arts education and increasingly need resources like ours that support well being and creativity through arts.

A small organization, EHCC offers one of Hawaii's widest range of free and low cost creative opportunities including hands on workshops, music, theater and a broad range of exhibitions. We are not backed by a trust or business and we rely on community support for the power of art to heal and connect with increasing requests for free programs.

Only with your support will we be able to stabilize our current operations and programs that provide outlets for creativity and well being, especially for those that rely on our resources. Mahalo for recognizing that art and culture are vital to Hawaii's well being and thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

Family Promise of Hawaii.

Aloha. Members of the Committee, My name is Ryan Catalani and I serve as our Executive Director. Mahalo for the opportunity to testify. We serve children and families facing homelessness through unique programs supported by over 4 million in federal funding, some of which has already been cut.

Our request will directly prevent and end homelessness for at least 100 families through our centers in Wahiawa, Chinatown, Nuuanu, Wailuku and other regions. Your support will sustain the only program in our community that rapidly rehouses families experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence, which lost nearly half a million in federal funds this year.

We've received an unprecedented increase in calls from families who need emergency housing help. About 75% of these families are Alice employed but unable to weather federal impacts. We have the capacity to Immediately deploy these Act 310 funds to protect Hawaii families.

Mahalo for your consideration.

Five Mountains Hawaii.

Aloha Mai Kakou. Clarion Kealoha Bode, Clinical Psychologist at Five Mountains Hawaii we are a federally qualified rural health clinic on Hawaii Island. Koko Ask today is twofold. First, we ask that you consider providing 200,000 in financial support to address the current income loss that we have experienced through Medicare.

That's not including our anticipated losses. Second, we ask that you consider helping Cocoa to shore up the losses that we have experienced through USDA Community Facilities Grant and Loan Program. We spent three years working through the USDA process to build our new rural health clinic on DHHL lands.

Since January of 2025, we have not been able to revitalize this communication process. Mahalo Nui I appreciate your help and your time today.

Aloha Global Empowerment Mission. Aloha My name is Danielle Dries, the Executive Director of GEM Hawaii. Since the August 2023 Maui wildfires, GEM case managers have stood beside families every step of the way, helping them find housing, rebuild their lives and restore stability.

GEM is a trusted state partner managing the $22 million DHS rental assistance program and Maui relief check. 80% of our Maui operations are federally funded. The current FEMA funding ends February 102026 and all decisions about program extensions are now frozen during the government shutdown.

Even once operations resume, there's no guarantee FEMA will continue to provide ongoing assistance to Maui. More than 1400 Maui households are still in temporary FEMA and state housing. GEMS Housing Team assists some of the most vulnerable survivors to navigate resources and seek long term sustainable housing. Mahalo for your consideration

Amakua Youth Foundation.

Aloha Kakou My name is Monica Shupidar and I'm speaking on behalf of the Hamakua Youth Foundation on Hawaii Island. For more than 20 years, we've been a steady, trusted place for Keiki and families offering after school care, summer programs and food support rooted in Native Hawaiian values and community connection.

Roughly 85% of our Keiki identify as Native Hawaiian. This past year, federal cuts to programs like SNAP, WIC, Head Start, Section 8, Medicaid and childcare subsidies have left many of our families struggling. We've directly seen parents working longer hours than Keiki arriving at our doors hungry or needing extra support.

We are seeking $76,000 to help sustain operations in order to support our families during this time. This funding would help us keep our doors open and our vital youth programs, ensuring that every child in Hamakua has a place to learn, grow and feel seen. Mahalo Nuiloa for your consideration.

Hawaii Good Food Alliance.

Aloha. My name is Kaiolani Odom. I'm the Executive Director of the Hawaii Good Food Alliance, a statewide coalition of community based organizations, federally qualified health centers, farmers and food hubs. We are requesting 1.52 million to sustain Hawaii Community Food System work after the termination of 25 million in USDA funding this past July.

That loss halted planned grants for more than 150 local farmers and 20 community food programs. With the focus on Native Hawaiian and underserved communities. We lost several staff Members and the salaries of over 70% of our remaining team have been affected.

This funding will keep our statewide coordination intact, provide Noikua Rapid response business builder grants to local farmers, food hubs and producers, and sustained community food distribution, delivering over£100,000 of healthy local food to 10,000 and more families. Two thirds of this funding will go directly back into our community. Mahalo for considering our request. Thank you.

Thank you. Hawaii Island United Way.

Aloha. My name is Jessica Thompson, President and CPO of Hoy Hawaii Island United Way. Not to be confused with Aloha United Way, our partners on Oahu. We are a separate independent nonprofit serving Hawaii Island. Since 1967, we've been a trusted funder supporting nonprofits that uplift our most vulnerable neighbors.

Last year we distributed $218,000 through our community impact Grants. Those are dollars raised right here in Hawaii and we administer the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program and those funds ensure critical resources reach those in need. We recently submitted our state grant and aid proposal to replace the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

As we have not received that funding, this is urgent. Hawaii county has the highest rate of food insecurity in the state and nearly 48% of the households live below the Alice threshold. In some rural districts, families are already skipping meals are going entire days without food. With your support, we look forward to strengthening the safety net. Mahalo.

Hawaii Keiki Museum.

Aloha and thank you for this opportunity. My name is Dana Mclaughlin. I'm the Founder and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Keiki Museum. The Hawaii Keiki Museum is a hands on learning center in West Hawaii. Our exhibits encourage tinkering.

It's a place to learn coding, robotics, drones, laser cutting, polishing geodes and exploring the stars. But the HKM is more than a museum, it's an experience. We believe that every young child, no matter where they live, no matter how rural, should have access to stem.

This funding will allow us to extend our proven successful model to bring island science literacy to Keiki and their caregivers in extremely rural neighborhoods. Last year we reached 2000 keiki with all these microlearning experiences.

But the Federal Institute for Museums and Library Sciences had all of its funding cut and they are unable to support us with this program to help our staff develop or even to curate our exhibits. But the deepest, deepest cut from that federal grant was rural community outreach.

Because science is not just a school subject, it is a way of understanding the world and that is what affects the Keiki of the Big island the most. Your support gives Keiki the two things they crave the most. Mahalo.

Hawaii Pacific University.

Aloha Chair Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to apply for Act 310 funding. My name is Jennifer Walsh and I'm representing Hawaii Pacific University. HPU, a nonprofit higher education provider.

In the last few months, HPU has lost more than 3 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education, NSF and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. HPU is humbly requesting 996,000 to replace a portion of the eliminated federal support.

These funds will allow us to continue a multi year student success initiative that provides tutoring, dedicated academic coaching and career counseling for nearly 500 undergraduate students who enroll from across the State of Hawaii.

The funds would also allow us to offer partial scholarships to fulfill the aims of the Noise Scholarship Teacher Program to increase the number of well qualified math and science teachers committed to serving public education students in high need high schools here on Oahu.

Finally, the last piece of funds would cover equipment and personnel costs to complete a research study from the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Mahalo for your consideration of this request.

Thank you. Homeless Task Force.

My name is Kent Anderson with Hoola Napua and we humbly request your investment to prevent sex trafficking and heal trauma in sexually exploited youth. As SNAP and wicker cut, thousands in our Ohana will suffer food and shelter insecurity. Food and housing insecurity causes increased transactional sex, abusive relationships and sexual violence.

Please partner with Hoola Na Pua to protect and heal Hawaii's youth during this turbulent season. Together we'll provide basic food and shelter needs for exploited children at Pearl Haven which was federally recognized as an innovative best practice. We'll provide prevention education across all the islands.

We'll launch a sex buying reduction campaign across all islands and provide trauma responsive groups and one to one mentoring to help youth meet basic needs and seek healthy pathways. Together we can break the cycle of exploitation and build a safer future for Hawaii's children. Mahalo.

Yes, can you hear me?

Yes.

Aloha, honorable Senators and representatives. My name is Regina Weller, Executive Director of the Homeless Task Force doing business as an 808 homeless task force. I have 33 years in homeless advocacy. The last eight years on the Big Island Hawaii.

We are requesting 403,000 to continue to place the in house into options of permanent housing, drug rehab facilities and family reunification out of state. Last year we provided 178 homeless individuals with family reunification, giving special attention to the mental health consumers who are returning home. We placed 10 into permanent housing and 15 into drug rehab facilities.

We emphasize permanent because we know permanency decreases the homeless count. Though we do not receive federal funding, we perform boots on the ground outreach weekly and respond to many crisis calls from caseworkers from organizations that are experiencing cuts to their federal funding on Big island such as Salvation Army Hope Service.