EVALUATION COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES OPEN APPLICATION FOR NONPROFIT GRANTS

News Release from Hawai'i House Democrats, Oct 13, 2025

HONOLULU – Today, the evaluation committee established by Act 310, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2025, (SB 933) announced the opening of the application process for $50 million in nonprofit grants. Act 310 appropriates funding to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Office of Community Services (OCS) to award grants for fiscal year 2025-2026. To support the administration and distribution of grant awards, OCS has contracted the services of Aloha United Way. 

These grants will provide critical support to nonprofits, particularly during a time when many are facing unprecedented delays and reductions in federal funding. The cuts in federal funding have impacted areas such as healthcare, human services, education, homelessness, and food security. 

“Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities,” said Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz (Senate District 17 - Portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, portion of Waipi‘o Acres, Launani Valley, Wahiawā, Whitmore Village), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “With federal funding becoming increasingly unreliable, Act 310 ensures that we are stepping up to preserve essential services and serve the people who depend on them.” 

“Numerous nonprofit organizations in Hawai‘i provide essential health and human services. State-administered grants will play a critical role in addressing federal funding gaps, so that our community partners can continue delivering vital services that our families and residents rely on,” said Representative Daniel Holt (House District 28 - Sand Island, Iwilei, Chinatown). 

The application portal opens today, Monday, October 13, at 10:00 a.m. and is available at the following website: www.capitol.hawaii.gov. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 24, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be recipients or providers that have sustained a reduction or termination of their federal funding, or if the applicant is not a direct federal funding recipient or provider, the applicant must primarily serve populations that have been negatively affected by reductions or terminations in federal funding. 

Additional Information

Aloha United Way will hold an Act 310 Nonprofit Grant Application Webinar on Tuesday, October 14, at 11:00 a.m. Those who are interested in learning more about the application process can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NbLNcFx_S9SU0I3zn8jGJQ.

For more information on Act 310, visit https://www.auw.org/Act-310/. 

Applicants with additional questions regarding the application process can contact the Office of Community Services at (808) 586-8681.   

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Small Group Of Lawmakers To Award $50M To Nonprofits Facing Federal Cuts - Honolulu Civil Beat  -- Rep Daniel Holt, House Finance Committee Vice Chair Jenna Takenouchi, Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and Senate Majority Leader Dru Kanuha.  ... State Rep. Daniel Holt, who oversees nonprofit grant-in-aid awards for the House, said in an interview Wednesday he was unaware of any local nonprofits that have taken a big financial hit from federal cuts.

Hawai‘i Food Banks And Farmers Are In 'Real Trouble' With Federal Cuts - Honolulu Civil Beat