Making an Impact

Every1ne Hawaiʻi (E1), a grassroots collaborative formed by nine friends, pivoted from its initial focus on civic engagement to join Hawaiʻi's rapid response efforts for COVID-19 by procuring 2 million nonmedical for statewide distribution to the public at no cost. E1 has also supported the Dept. of Health in leveraging mobile app technology to support contact tracing efforts, and is in the sensing phase to discover where our rapid prototyping skills may be useful to bringing internet to families without access needed for telehealth and distance learning. Every1ne Hawaiʻi is deeply grateful for all the hearts and hands that have made this possible. They are the collective reminder that aloha is essential. Follow them on Facebook or @every1ne_hawaii on Instagram.

Hawai‘i Energy is calling for applications for its Energy Relief Grant program that will award a total of $1,000,000 in funding for energy efficiency improvements for nonprofits, small businesses and other qualifying organizations experiencing economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant can cover 100% of legible expenses on pre-approved energy efficiency projects, up to $25,000. Grants are available to organizations in Hawai‘i County, Maui County, and the City and County of Honolulu. Applications for the first round of funding must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. HST. To learn more and apply, visit: https://hawaiienergy.com/grant.

In response to COVID-19, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) has collaborated with community leaders, government agencies, and local businesses to raise over $11.4 million (as of 6/5/2020) for nonprofit organizations across the state to protect front line health care workers with PPE, conduct mass food distributions, support a team who is building respirators for our state's shortfall, and more. Over $7.6 million in donations collected through the Hawai‘i Resilience Fund at HCF has been deployed to community nonprofits and health care providers who are addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic ramifications for Hawai‘i’s families. To learn more, please visit HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/Coronavirus.

Hawai‘i is Hiring is a one-stop online resource that connects kamaʻāina to job opportunities, training programs, and career navigation. It provides local job seekers and new graduates with a streamlined job board and simple access to training and education tools valued in Hawaiʻi’s in-demand and emerging industries. Hawaiʻi is Hiring also helps residents find local short-term certificate programs and earn-and-learn opportunities like internships and apprenticeships that provide workers of all ages with opportunities to gain new skills to re-enter the workforce.

House of Mana Up is utilizing 100% of their e-commerce profits, generously matched by King's Hawaiian, to develop programs to grow online sales for Hawai‘i-based product businesses while we experience the effects of decreased tourism in our local market. Their first series of free workshops, entitled "Level Up Your Digital Marketing" was held from May 27-29, 2020. The workshops are open to local Hawai‘i small businesses currently selling their products online, with a goal of helping homegrown Hawai‘i businesses better leverage digital sales channels during this unique time.

This initiative is a rapid prototype to learn how to address systemic digital and broadband inequities in Hawaiʻi in response to COVID-19. It utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach by working on immediate acquisition and distribution of hardware directly to keiki and ‘ohana in need, as well as developing a statewide network to provide broadband access to rural communities. The initiative also works with lawmakers and critical decision-makers to advocate for policies that remove the barriers preventing communities from accessing technology.