Local communities have resources available from various sources to support climate action initiatives. Although federal and state governments and large organizations can play important roles in supporting local climate action, local governments and community-based organizations are best able to implement tangible action within their local communities. These actors serve as funnels for bringing outside resources to address community needs, and can also significantly influence legislative and budget priorities. A qualitative assessment of efforts in the County of Maui, Hawai'i was conducted to assess the organizational structure, processes, and programs in place to meet local climate action needs. Although substantive efforts are underway by the County of Maui, there is an opportunity to improve consistency, transparency, and follow-through of its approach. Recommended structural, process, and programmatic improvements include: improving collaboration with local partners; increasing transparency of programs and processes to increase community trust and access to climate action efforts; prioritizing hazard mitigation and climate adaptation; adopting adaptive and transformative learning approaches; and establishing permanent staffing and programs dedicated to climate action to eliminate politicization, loss of institutional memory, lack of follow-through, and duplication of climate action efforts. To ensure local community needs are addressed, local government needs to establish transparent, effective, and efficient ways for local community to co-create and participate in initiatives established to address their needs and ensure that informed decisions are made using science-based targets and nature-based solutions coupled with local- and place-based knowledge, and traditional ecological knowledge.