Foundation distributing $600K for recovery By The Garden Island | Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 12:05 a.m.
LIHUE — The Hawaii Community Foundation announced Monday that more than $600,000 in grant funding is being distributed to Kauai nonprofits from the Kauai Relief and Recovery Fund that was created following the storm and flood of April 2018. To date, over $1.8 million in grants have been made from the fund to support immediate and long-term recovery projects. Past grants have supported nonprofits in activities including food and supply delivery, building repairs, and debris cleanup. “Our communities on Kauai have demonstrated that we are strong and that we will work together to overcome hardships,” said Darcie Yukimura, director of community philanthropy at HCF. “Thanks to the leadership and responsiveness of the grantees, great strides have been made on the path to recovery, and these efforts were made possible by the generous donors who gave to the Kaua‘i Relief and Recovery Fund.” This round of grants will be the final distribution of funds and will close down the Kauai Relief and Recovery Fund. HCF identified 11 nonprofits to receive funding for stabilization and rebuilding projects for communities impacted by the flooding. Nonprofit grantees were identified through a competitive application process. The fund raised over $1.9 million to support the recovery effort and was created in partnership between the Hawaii Community Foundation, Pierre and Pam Omidyar, and numerous other donors. In the first 24 hours following the fund’s creation, the first round of grants were distributed to assist community members with food, water and emergency provisions. Since then, HCF has distributed 47 grants in total to 26 nonprofits to assist in recovery efforts. Grants distributed from the Kauai Relief and Recovery Fund were categorized based on three priorities: Immediate — emergency provision of food, water, shelter, healthcare Stabilize — help for communities to get back to normal including childcare, reopening of schools, public health information on standing water, assistance with refuse, mold, and debris Rebuild — repair of homes and facilities