Hawaii nonprofits can apply for grants of up to $500,000 for Kilauea recovery projects thanks to a new county grant program.
The Kilauea Recovery Grant Program, which opened applications on Monday, will award selected applicants state funds that can be used “for expenses that are reasonably and directly related to the relief, recovery, mitigation, or remediation of the claim for disaster relief,” according to the application form.
While nonprofits can be awarded up to $500,000, the use of the funds is limited to capital improvement projects on public or private property that rebuild or repair structures or infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed by the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Nonprofits will be required to certify that any given property both existed prior to the eruption and was damaged or destroyed by it.
“The new grant program is part of Puna’s roadmap to recovery,” read a statement by Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, who introduced the bill authorizing the program. “The community is still reeling from the devastation caused by the Kilauea eruption, but knows what it needs to bounce forward. I am honored to have worked with the recovery team to design a tool that empowers community to act. By leveraging this program, residents can implement community-based solutions that address the unique challenges they are seeing on the ground.”
Applications for the grant program can be found at recovery.hawaiicounty.gov. The deadline for applications closes after July 24.