County invites Kaua‘i public to review proposals for latest Innovation Grants

The county of Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development is inviting the public to review proposals for its Fiscal Year 2024-25 Innovation Grants program, and provide feedback as part of the selection process.

“This public feedback will be factored into the scoring of proposals and will be vital in the selection of awards,” said Office of Economic Development Director Nalani Brun.

To view eligible proposals, visit the 2025 Innovation Grants page on the Kaua‘i Forward website by clicking here.

Each proposal’s public scoring and comments will be given to the selection committee for review and final scoring. The selection committee will consider both the quantity and quality of comments as well as how or why the public feels this project deserves consideration.

Public review will be open until Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.

The intent of the Office of Economic Development’s Innovation Grant program to deploy innovation on island in the areas of small business, technology, transportation, agriculture, local manufacturing, creative industries, workforce development, circular economies, tourism destination management and product development.

Proposals must identify a known deficiency, problem, or need within the Kaua‘i community and deploy an innovative community project that will be or has been successful in other contexts.

These grants would provide up to $50,000 of funding per proposal for projects that generate short-term and long-term economic growth and diversification on Kaua‘i.

Applications for the Office of Economic Development’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Innovation Grants program were announced in early August and closed on Sept. 3.

To learn more about the Office of Economic Development’s Innovation Grants, visit the Kaua‘i Forward Website at kauaiforward.com/grants.