Agriculture Grants Hawaii – Is there any agriculture grants in Hawaii? Well, it is obvious that the answer is yes. But how can one find them? That’s easy, just read on this post and you will see several opportunities available in Hawaii through some programs available from both the federal and state government.
People living in the county of Hawaii (Big Island) can go to their local Hawaii Department of Research and Development. There are grant programs available for efforts that improve the Hawaii County’s people’s quality of life through sustainable practices in agricultural research. They also support the marketing and promotion of agricultural products.
People in County of Maui have the Economic Development Program grants, available for various economic sectors (which also include agriculture). You just need to contact the office of Economic Development in Maui at 200 S. High Street, 6th Floor or make a call to (808) 270-7710 to learn more about the grant opportunity.
There’s also a grant program in the County of Honolulu and other cities under the name of Community Development Block Grant. Although it comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) instead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the grant is actually available for agricultural development project too. Aside of grants, there are loans and technical assistance from the same office. Contact the Department of Budget & Fiscal Services in your area.
Federal Agriculture Grants Hawaii
The USDA Rural Development agency, through its Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS – http://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/agencies/rural-business-cooperative-service) helps people who owns business in the area and may provide some kind of assistance. There’s also the Rural Development’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) that can be used for agribusinesses projects. Contact the USDA Rural Development office at Hawaii State Office Room 311, Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue or call (808) 933-8302 to learn more about the opportunity.
Aside of the RBEG grant, there’s also the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE – http://www.westernsare.org/) grant. While we’re not really sure whether they provide grants or not, we do know that the program aims to assist people to use integrated system of plant and animal production to improve food sources. Contact the program administrators at the Agricultural Science Building, Room 305, Utah State University 4865 Old Main Hill or call (435) 797-3537.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR – http://www.sbir.gov/) grant can provide free money for science-based small based business firms. The grant is known to provide funds for a wide area of business type, including plant production and protection, food science and nutrition, aquaculture, and many other areas. If you are running on a business that applies recent technology, you may be eligible for the grant. Submit your grant proposal for funding to the Director of SBIR program (currently Dr. Charles F. Cleland) at the U.S. Department of Agricultures, STOP 2243 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington D.C. You can ask for more information on this subject by calling (202) 401-4002.
As you can see, there are many opportunities available from the government. We haven’t even listed the grants available from corporate foundations etc. Bottom line is, you should be proactive when you’re looking for Hawaii agriculture and farming grants.
Reference :
- USDA awards grants to five Hawaii farms – http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/16915661/usda
- Image : wtop.com
