Out of over 200 applications from nonprofit organizations statewide, more than a dozen serving the Big Island were among the 95 selected Thursday to received a portion of $50 million in emergency state funding awarded by the state Legislature from the 2025 Nonprofit Grants Program of Act 310.
The program was created earlier this year to support nonprofits impacted by recent federal funding delays and reductions. The funds are appropriated to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations鈥� Office of Community Services to distribute grants for fiscal year 2025-26 based on the selections made by an Evaluation Committee.
The Boys and Girls Club of Big Island (BGCBI) was the recipient of the largest grant amount in 91直播 County, with $2 million going to the organization providing free child care, supplemental nutrition, and youth enrichment to families islandwide.
Chief Executive Officer Chad Cabral said he was watching the Thursday morning livestream of the announcement in Honolulu of the grant recipients with several other staff and board members from BGCBI when they heard the news.
鈥淲e were not just excited, but relieved to get the support that we really needed to just keep up afloat during this time of hardship for everybody,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e needed to have tough conversations about scaling back and the discontinuation of services like our daily after-school feeding program.鈥�
Cabral said the nonprofit experienced repeated cuts in federal funding this year, including a $1 million grant of federal funds secured by Sen. Mazie Hirono that BGCBI was meant to receive over the summer.
The ongoing reduction in funding forced the group to reduce its services and the number of children it could help, Cabral said. He explained that the nonprofit closed its Hilo and Kona locations 鈥� where Cabral said up to 850 to 900 meals were served daily Monday through Friday 鈥� to focus resource allocation to the other six locations across the island, including those serving rural communities like Ocean View, Pahoa and Na鈥榓lehu.
鈥淲e provide after-school shuttle transportation so kids can access club services. We were feeding kids a hot meal before they went home for the evening, because in some of our locations like Ocean View, Ka鈥榰 and even South Kona, we were seeing kids having their last meal at lunchtime at school,鈥� Cabral said, adding that in addition to four hours of after-school care, the nonprofit offers child care over every school break. 鈥淲e provide these essential services so that struggling working families and parents 鈥� which includes single-parent households 鈥� can continue the hours that they need at work. We鈥檙e absolutely essential to our families in need across the island.鈥�
Because the Act 310 program is so new, it鈥檚 not clear yet how quickly the grant funding will be released, Cabral said, explaining that how the nonprofit chooses to use the funds will partially depend on whether it can cover more than one fiscal year. One of the nonprofit鈥檚 goals is to restore services to the Hilo and Kona locations, he said.
State Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz 鈥� who announced the recipients alongside fellow Evaluation Committee members state Sen. Dru Kanuha and state Reps. Daniel Holt and Jenna Takenouchi 鈥� said before reading the list that 鈥渕any will agree that the programs with long reach will have high impact with this investment.鈥�
On the Big Island, 14 nonprofits supporting health care, food access, child care and substance abuse treatment received a combined total of $7,457,050 in Act 310 emergency funding. After BGCBI, The Food Basket was the second-highest recipient with $1.5 million granted, followed by the West 91直播 Community Health Center, which received $1.4 million.
鈥淭hese funds will help us offset recent federal grant cuts and ensure that families, keiki and kupuna on 91直播 Island continue to have access to healthy nutritious food,鈥� said Kristin Frost Albrecht, executive director of The Food Basket. 鈥淭his investment allows us to purchase directly from our local farmers and producers, strengthening our island鈥檚 food system while sustaining our emergency food programs for those who need them most. We are deeply grateful for this commitment to our community鈥檚 well-being.鈥�
鈥淭his $1.4 million award comes at a pivotal moment for our health center and for our nation,鈥� said Richard Taaffe, chief executive officer of 91直播 Island Community Health Center. 鈥淲ithout the Act 310 funds, we faced the possibility of a budget shortfall that might have required us to reduce our essential healthcare services or programs. The Legislature鈥檚 investment ensures that no patient will feel the impact of that loss, and provides crucial time for our organization to plan and adapt for the continuity of our healthcare services.鈥�
91直播 Island will also benefit from the $5,058,000 an additional 11 nonprofits serving all the islands were granted, including $86,000 to 91直播 Cattlemen鈥檚 Council Inc. and $750,000 to 鈥楢ha Punana Leo, both based in Hilo.
The most modest grant request of the 213 that were submitted 鈥� $8,000 for the Hilo United Methodist Church to continue its 鈥淧eanut Butter Ministry鈥� meal service twice a week 鈥� was also granted in full.
鈥淔rom rural health care to social services, child care, education, food security and housing support, our state relies on these organizations to meet community needs that the state cannot meet alone,鈥� Lt. Gov Sylvia Luke said in a press release. 鈥淥ur investments reflect our values, and the Act 310 grants make clear that supporting our nonprofit partners remains one of 91直播鈥檚 top priorities.鈥�
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.