We Are Puna Strong

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The 2018 Kīlauea eruption destroyed hundreds of homes, covered miles of roadways, and altered the landscape of lower Puna. But, through this adversity, the people of Puna have shown their resilience. The County is aiming to tell the stories that show how residents rose to the challenge and implemented community-driven actions, often with partnership from the County. Puna Strong is a grant program supported by the County of Hawai'i and Hawai'i Community Foundation that remains focused on disaster readiness and building community resilience for the Puna communities impacted by the 2018 Kīlauea eruption on the Island of Hawai‘i with an investment in nonprofit organizations and partnerships leading community-driven projects.

For more information on our Puna Strong grantees, click here.

Puna Strong Highlight Videos:

Presentations:

June 13, 2023:

If you missed our webinar with Hawai'i Tracker about the AI revolution, not to worry! Check out the video below:

April 19, 2023:

PART I + PART II of the Grants for Grassroots webinars including recordings, slides and additional resources.

PART I + PART II WEBINAR RESOURCES:

PART I - Grant Vocabulary + Narrative

Webinar Recording
Slide deck
Federal grants training series that includes information on the SAM.gov and DUNS numbers
More on de minimis rate
Additional grant vocabulary

PART II - Funder Landscape

On Friday February 24th, 2023, Puna Strong held two Technical Assistance presentations about non-profit board recruitment and board governance.

Session 1: Board Recruitment slide deck and accompanying audio:

Session 2: Board Governance slide deck and accompanying audio:

Uncle's Kokua Center

Website: https://hi-employment.com/covid-19

For nearly 10 years, I served on the boards of Puna non-profits: HVC (SPACE), KAPONO Red Road, the Hawaii Sustainable Community Alliance, Hawaiian Sanctuary, and I founded the HFUU Puna Chapter. I have also obtained funding and organized free regenerative farming classes for several years, all while I was a single mom working to maintain our livelihood. After being evacuated from Kapoho, I found the strength to write a proposal to the State, to manage the Kilauea Lava Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant program which provided good paying, year-long jobs to 18 people in Puna. Once that program ended and the Pandemic began, I moved to Honolulu with my college student son, and began work as the Statewide Project Manager for the Covid-19 Dislocated Worker Grant Program, which provides jobs at local non-profits to people who were laid-off due to the Pandemic. I have since re-focused my volunteer efforts on helping Hawaiian people who have a multi-generational connection to Puna, and with whom I share reciprocal appreciation. Additionally, I advocate for movable tiny homes in Puna, as I gratefully moved mine away from the lava's path. A few months ago I founded Uncle's Kokua Center to help Uncle Robert's Ohana continue serving the Puna community and its visitors, as they have selflessly done for many years. This new non-profit was recently awarded a Puna Strong Grant to enhance Uncle's Saturday Farmers Market.

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