Innovation Grant
Innovation Grant Recipients Announced:
The County of Kauai’s Office of Economic Development 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 –KISC – Kauai Coffee Berry Borer
- 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.
To learn more about the Innovation Grant proposals, you can view the proposals here: https://oedinnovationgrant.consider.it/
Informational Webinar:
The Office of Economic Development hosted a webinar on Wednesday, December 16th. This informational webinar provided an overview of the Innovation Grants and reviewed the application process. If you were not able to attend the live webinar, a recording of the webinar is shared here.
How to Apply and Timeline:
The application period is now closed, however, the Request for Proposals document is included below for your review. The County of Kauai utilized an online application process through the Amplifund Grants contract management system. All applications for the Innovation Grant were completed and submitted via the Amplifund system. A link to the Application in Amplifund and the Amplifund Submission Guide is included below.
Questions regarding clarification of any information contained in the Solicitation of Proposals document, including all attachments, needed to be received in writing by email on or before December 18, 2020. You can review the official responses to questions received using the link below. For any questions, please email Sandy Kaauwai at oedgrants@kauai.gov.
