Hawaii nonprofits fight to retain government funding

In the face of national, local state and city government pressure to close budget deficits, many Hawaii nonprofits are struggling against cuts in contracts and grants. Here are a few:

> Kupu says ‘We Need Your Help!’ – The Hawaii nonprofit Kupu alerted its alumni and friends that Congress is considering legislation to eliminate funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service from the budget, jeopardizing thousands of service initiatives around the country, including AmeriCorps positions in the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps Programs. 

“With programs like AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve and Senior Corps at risk, your local community could potentially lose the support of critical organizations like Kupu and the HYCC programs, Teach For America, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, Habitat for Humanity, Public Allies, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, YouthBuild and many others, jeopardizing services in education, youth development, elderly services, healthcare and nutrition,” the nonprofit said, urging supporters to write to their representatives and senators urging them to support CNCS-funded programs like HYCC and to include personal stories about how the programs have benefited or affected them. 

> Hawaii Arts Alliance says federal arts funding is in jeopardy – The Obama administration’s fiscal year 2012 federal budget has proposed reducing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts to $146.3 million from $167.5 million for FY 2010, the Hawaii Arts Alliance notified its member network. “Meanwhile, the final appropriation level for FY 2011 has still not been finalized and is currently being debated in Congress with a series of stop-gap measures known as continuing resolutions.  [As of Feb. 14]  the House of Representatives proposed allocating $144 million in the FY2011 CR appropriations package for the remainder of the year, but this bill must still go to the floor this week and then to the Senate.”

More importantly, the Alliance said, “We expect a series of floor amendments in the House that will attempt to zero-out funding.”

> Hawaii tobacco prevention and treatment funds threatened – The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii alerted supporters “We need your help.” The group seeks action to protect funding of tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs, noting that last year, the Legislature cut such funding in half. This year, the coalition is working to resist efforts to divert Tobacco Settlement funds away from Tobacco Prevention and Control efforts, to protect the state’s Smoke-Free Workplaces Law and to oppose a measure that would allow smoking in bars.  “We can't afford to go backwards,” the group said.

> Olelo opposes diversion and reduction of funding – Olelo Community Media alerted program producers, volunteers, supporters and friends to a number of bills moving through the House and Senate. The public, education and government media access nonprofit is supporting HB112 and SB 583, which enable the DCCA director to designate a PEG access provider and end an incomplete, five-year-old RFP process. However, Olelo opposes HB 1272 and SB 1167 that would reduce or divert funding for PEG providers, potentially to such low levels that PEGs will be shut down and the public will no longer have access to producing or cable-casting programs. “These Bills are a major threat to your ability to exercise free speech via cable television,” Olelo said.