OED’s 2024-2025 Innovation Grant recipients announced

Published on October 31, 2024

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LĪHU‘E – The County of Kaua‘i’s Office of Economic Development (OED) announces the recipients of its Innovation Grants for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.

After receiving 13 proposals for the Innovation Grants, OED invited the public to review the proposals and provide feedback as part of the review process. That public feedback was factored into the scoring and was a valuable part of the selection process.

A selection committee reviewed and scored all the eligible projects and selected six proposals to fund for a total of $204,025. The Office of Economic Development is pleased to share the list of projects that received funding this year.

  • ‘Aina Ho‘okupu O Kīlauea – Community Compost Innovations (Funded by the Ag Sector) – AHK will take distributed composting to the next level by creating a community-scale composting system that works in tandem with the farm site and the local community to more effectively divert food and green waste and turn it into compost essential for soil health and reducing the need for imported commercial fertilizers.

  • Anaina Hou Community Park: Foundations for Fire Safety – Soil Testing for Sustainable Water Catchment (Funded by the Sustainability Sector) – The sustainable water catchment system represents a proactive approach to improving fire safety and environmental sustainability. By initiating Phase 1 with soil testing, we are setting the stage for a robust water management system that will enhance our ability to manage wildfire risks effectively.

  • Hale Puna – West Kaua‘i Farmers Market (Funded by the Ag Sector) – This project moves and expands the farmers market, improving infrastructure, and launching innovative marketing initiatives to increase access to fresh, locally-ground produce for all community members.

  • Ho‘omalu Ke Kai & Kaua‘i Sea Farm – Expanding Opportunities, Education and Workforce Development around Native Restoration Aquaculture (Funded by the Ag Sector) – The proposed project will build capacity for production and research into making native bivalve aquaculture economically feasible and developing an education and workforce development program around ongoing research and production activities.

  • Kuleana Coworking Corporation – Kuleana AI Lab (Funded by New Industry & Business Innovation) – A groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering the people of Kaua‘i with the tools and skills needed to harness the transformative power of generative AI technology – at every level of ability, from beginner to advanced.

  • Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli – Māhaʻihaʻi Sustainable Water Project (funded by the Ag Sector) – This project focuses on enhancing water sustainability and ecological restoration within the Māhaʻihaʻi area and addresses critical issues related to watershed resource management and the restoration and preservation of traditional aquaculture practices in West Kauaʻi.

“We are pleased with the results of this year’s grant process,” Nalani Brun, director of the Office of Economic Development. “This grant program continues to bring more of a greater focus on both innovation and problem solving than in past years and helps to support the many recommendations made by our community in our community plans. We also received a lot of community input that helped with our evaluation. Mahalo to our engaged community.”

This is the fifth year that OED offered funding for Innovation Grants with the intent to support new programs or projects that advance innovation by identifying and solving local problems while also supporting economic development. The goal of the grant program is to provide funding for innovative projects to generate short-term and long-term economic growth and diversification. Proposals were accepted in the areas of small business support, energy and sustainability, creative industries, agriculture, destination management, cultural opportunities, and circular economy in Kaua‘i County.

To learn more about the Innovation Grant proposals, you can view the proposals at the following link:

https://oedinnovationgrant2025.consider.it.

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