Hawaiʻi County awards more than $386K in Impact Grants

Hawaiʻi County announced last week that it awarded $386,300 to 19 projects through the Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development Impact Grants program.

Impact Grants are offered annually by the county Department of Research and Development to Big Island nonprofits through a competitive process.

The grants are intended to support research, programs or projects that advance measurable positive economic, environmental and equitable impacts for Hawai‘i Island residents.

Eligible proposals include research, programs or projects that have a positive impact in SPECIFIC PROGRAM AREAS within Hawaiʻi Island communities:

• Agriculture and Food Systems.
• Business and Industry Development.
• Community Well-being.
• Film and Creative Industries.
• Regenerative Tourism.

The winners in each of the above categories, how much each was awarded and their projects follows.

Visit the Impact Grants website to get additional information about this year’s awardees and their projects.

Fiscal year 2026 Impact Grant winners

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS PROGRAM

• Kohala Food Hub: $20,000; Talk Story, Eat Local: Nourishing Kūpuna, Supporting Farmers, Connecting Community. By bringing locally grown food closer to communities with limited grocery options, the project will reduce travel burdens for busy families and kūpuna while providing an efficient, affordable way to shop for a wide range of local products.
• Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation: $15,000; continuing to build an ag workforce pipeline through ag-tech Initiatives on Hawaiʻi Island. The project’s primary goal is to equip students and teachers with critical agricultural and ag-tech skills, spark early interest in agricultural careers and support long-term sustainability of Hawaiʻi’s food systems.
• Kahua Paʻa Mua: $15,000; Agricultural Intelligence (Ag-1): an agriculture workforce and food security initiative. The project aims to build agricultural career pathways while strengthening local food resilience. During the course of a year, interns will complete training supported by docents who manage year-round farm visits and safety.
• Laʻiʻōpua 2020: $12,500; Papa Kuʻi ʻAi & Pōhaku Kuʻi ʻAi Workshop Series. Throughout a 12-month period, monthly intergenerational workshops guided by cultural practitioner Keahi Tomas will teach ʻohana how to craft their own papa kuʻi ʻai (poi boards) and pōhaku kuʻi ʻai (stone pounders) while learning tool-making, safety practices and cultural protocols interwoven with moʻolelo (stories) of Hāloa.
• Big Island Resource Conservation and Development Council: $12,500; Kaʻū Coffee Growers Cooperative. The council introduces a hybrid initiative to elevate the visibility, market access and economic resilience of Kaʻū coffee farmers. This multifaceted project combines a unified cooperative marketing campaign with the 2026 Kaʻū Coffee Festival.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

• Purple Maiʻa Foundation: $21,206; Digital Creators, East Hawaiʻi. This project aims to strengthen East Hawaiʻi’s cultural economy by training residents in digital storytelling, design and marketing skills that support local businesses and nonprofits.
• Junior Achievement of Hawaiʻi: $20,000; financial education for Hawaii’s future leaders. Expansion of the Entrepreneurial Mentorship Network on Hawaiʻi Island with the primary goal of equipping local youth and emerging entrepreneurs — particularly those from rural and underserved communities — with the knowledge, skills and mentorship needed to thrive in the local economy.
• Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum: $15,847; Keiki Makers. The primary goal of this program that transforms recycled plastic water bottles into 3-D printing filament is to expand access to high-quality science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education while promoting environmental stewardship and fostering a resilient maker community. Participants learn computer-aided design, 3-D printing techniques and the use of an industrial plastic digester/reclaimer.
• Nalukai Foundation: $17,947; Nalukai Academy: expanding youth leadership and entrepreneurship on Hawaiʻi Island. This project expands access to entrepreneurial leadership training for youth, cultivating a skilled and innovative local workforce. Students will be equipped with practical skills in business development, innovation and cultural stewardship with a goal of preparing the next generation to strengthen Hawaiʻi Island’s economy through diversification, job creation and locally rooted enterprises.

COMMUNITY WELL-BEING PROGRAM

• Hawaiʻi Island United Way: $25,000; Hawaiʻi Island Furniture Bank. This project aims to improve housing stability and health equity for marginalized communities by expanding Hawaiʻi Island United Way’s Furniture Bank initiative and embedding human-centered support services led by trained community health workers.
• Parents and Children Together: $25,000; Rooted in Health: Plan, Cook, Flourish. This project seeks to strengthen family nutrition, food security and sustainable eating practices by providing a comprehensive series of expanded food and nutrition education workshops to 27 Head Start families in Hawaiian Beaches. These families, many of whom face barriers to affordable healthy food access, will benefit from hands-on, culturally responsive nutrition education and practical skill-building designed to improve long-term health outcomes for children and parents.
• Community First Hawaiʻi: $25,000; Advance health care directives expansion. The project’s primary goal is to increase AHCD awareness and completion rates by transitioning a volunteer-driven program into a robust, staff-managed initiative. The project will expand access to proactive healthcare planning, reduce stress on families during emergencies and ensure patients’ wishes are honored.

FILM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES PROGRAM

• Hawaiʻi Songwriting Festival: $22,500; Hawai’i Songwriting Festival 2026. This festival is increasing access to careers in the music industry for island residents. In doing so, we strengthen our local creative sector is strengthened and songwriters get help to establish reliable careers in the music industry without leaving home. The festival also brings local songwriters together, resulting in countless collaborations and connections that last year round and make the entire music community stronger.
• Naʻālehu Theatre: $22,000; Mālama Kō Aloha. A countywide creative industries workforce development initiative designed to expand access to training and employment in film, television, music, media and fashion on Hawaiʻi Island. The project addresses underemployment, outmigration of youth and limited on-island training by offering mentorship, technical instruction and integration into professional productions.
• Nā Leo ʻO Hawaiʻi: $21,300; NLTV Creative Media Workshops. Industry professionals will deliver seven unique workshops covering skills such as drone camera operations, social media campaign development, podcasting, digital art and graphic design, animation, advanced video editing and community storytelling. Tthe series will build workforce readiness, expand entrepreneurial opportunities and cultivate a culture of collaboration among local creatives.
• International Cultural Arts Network: $20,500; acting workshops. This project aims to expand access to professional creative industry training through two intensive, 2-day acting workshops. Participants will receive hands-on training in voice, movement, character development, scene study, audition techniques and on-camera performance.

REGENERATIVE TOURISM PROGRAM

• Kelii William Ione Legacy Foundation: $25,000; Kuu Home Sustainable Tourism Design. The objective of this project is to create a sustainable tourism model and management plan for the Keaukaha area in Hilo. The project will result in a formal visitation guide and set of policy recommendations to establish appropriate management protocols and ensure accountability.
• Destination Kona Coast: $25,000; Aloha Greeting and Cultural Program. The primary goal is to educate new visitors about the historic sites within Kailua Village and the surrounding area. Volunteer greeters are ambassadors of aloha, and we have a unique role in the hospitality mission. Greeters distribute brochures about historic landmarks, ocean safety, safe-ocean sunscreen, shopping at the farmers market, boutiques, galleries and locations for essentials such as the post office and drugstores. They are providing our stewardship by endorsing the Pono Pledge for Hawaiʻi Island.
• VASH Hawaiʻi Island: $25,000; VASH Ocean and Safe Travel Campaign. This project aims to increase visitor safety by reducing preventable injuries and accidents. The campaign will primarily benefit tourists and visitors of all ages, who engage in ocean recreation, hiking and cultural site visits. The project is expected to increase awareness that supports reduced ocean-related incidents, hiking accidents and theft among visitors.