City to Launch $3 Million in Grants for Oʻahu Farmers and Ranchers on Monday, September 12, 2022
City to Launch $3 Million in Grants for Oʻahu Farmers and Ranchers on Monday, September 12, 2022
HONOLULU – Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced today that the City and County of Honolulu is launching a $3 million Agriculture Grants program on Monday. Applications will be available from September 12 at noon to October 20, 2022 at 10 a.m., at oahuaggrants.org, giving Oʻahu’s small farmers, ranchers, and growers six weeks to apply.
Sixty grants, each worth $50,000 will be awarded. Grants were first proposed by Council Vice-Chair Esther Kiaʻāina as part of a broader effort to deploy federal funds to support local agriculture producers and were unanimously approved by the Honolulu City Council.
“Investing in local agriculture is a vital step in our strategy to create a more diverse and equitable economy,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “These grants will help small farmers expand their production and create much needed jobs for our community. It brings us closer to our vision for O‘ahu and quite frankly it is imperative more of our food is grown, harvested, and prepared for our tables by our neighbors.”
“Local agriculture has played an integral role throughout Hawaiʻi’s history, but in the last few decades, we have increased our reliance on external shipments for our food supply,” said Council Vice-Chair Esther Kiaʻāina. “That is why it is crucial that we invest in local food production, sustainability, and resiliency. This Agriculture Grants program will support our local farmers’ livelihood, ensure food security for local families, and revitalize and diversify our State’s economy. These shared goals are reflected in Resolution 21-79, and I look forward to seeing this program grow to support more farmers and communities in the years to come. Mahalo to Mayor Blangiardi and his administration for their work in establishing this program.”
To ensure broad access to the application process, the Pacific Gateway Center will provide translated applications in several languages -- including Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Ilocano, Lao, Thai, and Cantonese-- thanks to support from Ulupono Initiative.
Grants are designed to help small agriculture producers. To be eligible, an agriculture producer must be located on Oʻahu, have been in operation by March 13, 2020, and demonstrate financial harm during the pandemic.
The grant program is funded with State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Community members with questions can contact the Office of Economic Revitalization at (808) 768-2489 (CITY), Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or contact bce@honolulu.gov.
Key Dates
Monday, September 12, 2022, at noon -- applications available at oahuaggrants.org.
Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 3 to 4 p.m. -- webinar about the grant applications with the City’s Office of Economic Revitalization and Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. It will be live-streamed on OER’s Facebook page: facebook.com/oer.honolulu and will be recorded. No Facebook account is needed to watch the webinar.
October 20, 2022, at 10 a.m. - application period ends.