July 7, 2026, 9 a.m.
Kalana O Maui Building
To: Maui County Council
Alice Lee, Chair
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Vice Chair
From: Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
RE: Bill 73 (2026) — ON REVIEWING THE MAUI COUNTY GRANTS PROGRAM
Aloha Chair Lee, Vice Chair Sugimura and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 73, CD1 (2026), which would standardize the process for grant programs administered by the county by requiring the Maui Department of Management to write administrative rules applicable to all agencies that disburse grants.
Current code dictates that each department or agency that issues grants must write its own administrative rules and procedures for grant applications and awards.
This creates inconsistencies across departments, which makes the grant application process more challenging to navigate. It also raises concerns that certain groups could obtain grants based on relationships with county officials rather than the strength of the application and the organization’s ability to meet a public need.
To be clear, Grassroot does not solicit funding from Maui County, so this bill would not affect our organization. However, Grassroot does believe this legislation would be helpful in improving accountability in Maui government.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
