What's Being Discussed
Two Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) committees — Beneficiary Advocacy and Empowerment (BAE) and Budget and Finance (BF) — are holding a joint meeting on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. The main topic is the Malu Project, a proposed plan for how OHA will manage and distribute $55 million that was transferred to OHA by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature under Act 032 (2026). This funding is intended to address urgent, short-term needs for Native Hawaiian communities, including organizations and programs that have experienced cuts or loss of funding.

Decisions Expected

Vote on the Malu Project framework: The committees will decide whether to approve the overall plan and funding approach for distributing the $55 million to Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and organizations.
Approval of meeting minutes from the October 19, 2026 joint meeting.
The meeting will also include a closed (executive) session to approve minutes from several private meetings held in September 2026. The public is not permitted in this portion of the meeting.

Who Should Pay Attention

Native Hawaiian individuals who rely on programs or services that may have lost funding recently.
Nonprofit organizations and programs serving Native Hawaiians that may be eligible for Malu Project funding.
Community members interested in how OHA allocates significant public funds on behalf of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.

Public testimony is welcome in person, online via Zoom, or by phone. Oral comments are limited to five minutes. Written testimony can be emailed to botmeetings@oha.org.