The County of Kauai’s Office of Economic Development (OED) recently requested proposals for its Innovation Grants for Fiscal Year 2020-21. This is the first year that the Office of Economic Development offered funding for Innovation Grants. The intent of the Innovation Grants is to support new programs or projects that advance innovation by identifying and solving local problems.
Proposals were accepted in the areas of small business, technology, transportation, agriculture, local manufacturing, circular economy and tourism in Kauai County. The goal of the grants is to provide funding for innovative projects to generate short-term and long-term economic growth and diversification on Kauai.
The County received 37 proposals for the Innovation Grants. As part of the review process, the Office of Economic Development invited the public to review the proposals for the Innovation Grants and provide feedback. The public feedback was factored into the scoring as part of the selection process.
A selection committee reviewed and scored all of the eligible projects and selected 11 proposals to fund for a total of $500,000. The Office of Economic Development is pleased to share the list of projects that received funding in this inaugural year.
Agriculture:
- Kauai Economic Development Board – Ulu: Fruit to Flour
- Aina Ho’okupu O Kilauea – Kauai Pig Pen System
- Kumano Ke Ala – KIKA Online Instruction Project
- Garden Island Research Conservation & Development
- Aina Ho’okupu O Kilauea – Farm Tech
- Iwikua – Greens & Things
- Kauai County Farm Bureau – Lydgate Farms – The Kauai Vanilla Partnership Program
Sustainability & Conservation
- WAI.org – WAI Wastewater Alternatives
Small Business
- Kauai Government Federal Credit Union – Lei Kauai – Collaborative Learning Environments,
- Hawaii Technology Development Corporation – (Kauai Chamber) – Kauai Business Recovery Project
Technology
- Kauai Community Science Center – KCSC Industry Partnership Program
“We are pleased with the results of this grant process thus far. The new process brought greater focus on both innovation and problem solving than in past years. We also received a lot of community input that helped with our evaluation. This was the first year for the innovation format and it is something we expect to improve on in future years”, said Ben Sullivan, Office of Economic Development.
To learn more about the Innovation Grants, visit www.KauaiForward.com/InnovationGrant
Last modified: March 31, 2021
