Email Updates

Aloha,

The wait is over! Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced today that applications for the Agriculture Grants Level 1 will be available on Monday at www.oahuaggrants.org. The application period will be from Monday, September 12 at noon to Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m., giving Oahu’s small farmers, ranchers, and growers six weeks to apply.

Sixty grants of up to $50,000 each will be awarded. To qualify, an agriculture producer must be:

· Based on Oʻahu.

· Able to document financial harm from the pandemic.

· Have been in business by March 13, 2020.

· Be fully compliant with the IRS, the state Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), and the Department of Taxation (DOTAX).

Help applying

To help farmers, ranchers, and growers get ready to apply, there will be a webinar on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 3 to 4 p.m.:

· It will be live-streamed on our Facebook page: facebook.com/oer.honolulu.

· No Facebook account is needed to watch the webinar and it will be available later for those who are unable to attend.

· We are hosting the webinar and our colleagues from the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services will be available to answer questions.

To ensure broad access to grant applications, the Pacific Gateway Center will provide translated applications in several languages -- including Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Ilocano, Lao, Thai, and Cantonese-- thanks to support from Ulupono Initiative. If you need language support for the webinar or a translated application, please contact me at this email address [lucas.mckinnon@honolulu.gov] or at (808) 768-2332.

We’re thrilled to support our neighbors in agriculture and are glad you are part of this journey!

Aloha kākou,

The City is finalizing the applications for Level 1 Agricultural Grants and will open the application period shortly. Under this inaugural program, a minimum of twenty grants will be awarded to selected farmers, ranchers, and growers based on Oʻahu. Each grant will be worth up to $50,000.

To ensure that applicants are prepared, we want to highlight a few preliminary steps that will help farmers, ranchers, and growers get ready. These steps were also shared in the Ag Grant webinars found on our Facebook page.

1. Each applicant must register with Vendor Self-Service (VSS). To register, you will need the following:

o Federal Tax ID Number

o Legal Organization Name

o Contact Information

o Identify an Account Administrator and Commodity Code

Here is a link to a helpful guide that can be used while registering with VSS.

2. Applicants must also register with Hawaii Compliance Express (HCE). This system is to easily document that you are compliant with applicable tax laws. To register you will need the following:

o Taxpayer Identification Number (FEIN or SSN)

o Hawaii Tax ID # (General Excise Tax number)

o Unemployment Insurance ID (UI ID#) – if applicable

o Valid credit card for $12 annual fee

Here are FAQs that can be referred to while registering with HCE.

Mahalo for your patience as we stand up the City’s first agriculture grants program.

Aloha,

The City is working to finalize the Ag Grant program. In the meantime, the City would like to introduce you to one of our partners who will be providing technical support to applicants.

Additional support:

The City would like to highlight the Oʻahu Agriculture and Conservation Association (OACA), Executive Director, Amanda Shaw. She will be available for assistance throughout the Ag Grant application process at oahuaca@gmail.com.

The City would also like to share other funding opportunities you may be interested in pursuing.

Other Funding Opportunities:

FY 2022 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program

· Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-UAIP-22-NOFO0001178

· Purpose: Support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as traditional or indigenous, agricultural practices.

· Webinar: https://youtu.be/hgVgYgU9SU0

· Deadline: August 2, 2022

Ranchers and Farmers Providing Products to Hawaii DOE Public and Charter Schools

· RFI D22-153 Generate New Business Opportunities for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers to Provide Four (4) Food Commodities (Bok Choy, Sweet Potato, Kabocha, Local Ground Beef) to the Hawaii State Department of Education Public and Charter Schools

· Purpose: Provide funding for 18 months to cover the costs of the four commodities requested in being sold to schools.

· Link: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/21613

o If the link does not work, please search "Farmers" at this link: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities

· Deadline: June 23, 2022, 2 p.m.

Please do not hesitate to contact the City for more information or any questions. Via email, please contact: dexter.kishida@honolulu.gov or visit: OahuAgGrants.org.

Aloha,

Thank you for joining the Agriculture Grant email list. We wanted to inform you about a City survey that gives the agriculture community the chance to make their voices heard about federal recovery funds.

The results of this survey will inform how the City invests $386 million in recovery funds to benefit our community. This same federal recovery fund has helped to establish this Agriculture Grant program.

Many folks from the agriculture community have already taken the survey and we hope you will too. You can take the survey at oneoahu.org/frf/#survey through June 12.

The Level 1 Agriculture Grants are still being finalized and we will keep everyone informed of when they will be released.

Aloha,

Mahalo for all that attended our Agriculture Grant webinars these past two nights on Facebook.

Another mahalo to Mayor Blangiardi and Council Vice-Chair Kiaʻāina for supporting these agriculture grants, local producers, and sharing their insights with us.

For those who were not able to attend, recordings of both webinars are available on our OER Facebook page at facebook.com/oer.honolulu under “Videos.” No Facebook account is needed to watch the recordings.

Here is a PDF of the Agriculture Grant presentation for those who’d like to look back at the slides.

Also, the City has a new survey about developing our economy and workforce of the future. The results from this survey will inform how the City invests federal funds in our community. You can take the survey at www.oneoahu.org/FRF and make sure the agricultural community is represented.

Aloha,

Thank you for signing up for notifications about the City and County of Honolulu’s Agricultural Grant program.

We are honored that Council Vice-Chair Esther Kiaʻāina will join us for the informational webinars about the grants tonight and tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Council Vice-Chair Kiaʻāina originally proposed the grants as a part of a bigger plan to support local agriculture and the Honolulu City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to establish the grant program. Grants are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

The webinars will be live-streamed on our Facebook page: facebook.com/oer.honolulu. Attending the webinars is not a requirement to apply, but may be helpful.

You don’t need a Facebook account to watch the webinars. They will be recorded and available after if you can’t attend.