HONOLULU — A local investment firm is going to help Hawai‘i state government officials compete for federal grants.
Gov. Josh Green announced last week that Ulupono Initiative will help state agencies and departments apply for and obtain federal grant funding at no cost to the state under a one-year arrangement.
The pro bono partnership is focused on federal funding opportunities in the areas of renewable energy, local food production, clean transportation and fresh water.
Green said the private- sector assistance is needed because so much federal funding has become available under two federal spending initiatives, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
“I commend the outstanding work of our dedicated state personnel who pursue federal fund opportunities,” Green said in a statement on June 10. “Given the magnitude of available federal funds, we need to increase our capacity as a state to secure these resources.”
Anticipated assistance from Ulupono includes identifying available funding opportunities, writing grant proposals, reviewing applications and other support.
Murray Clay, president of Ulupono, described the available federal funding as a once-in-a-generation opportunity that can help local communities.
“By seeking and attracting more federal dollars, the state of Hawai‘i will be able to fund projects that will benefit our residents and businesses,” he said in a statement.
Ulupono was established in 2009 by Pierre Omidyar, the billionaire founder of eBay, and wife, Pam, as a for-profit investment firm concentrating on initiatives in the areas of local food production, renewable energy, clean transportation and better management of freshwater and waste.
The firm, with a staff of about 13, also provides grants and program-related investments to nonprofits through the Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.
Since 2009, Ulupono said it has committed to make more than $79 million in investments and grants under a strategy that typically aims to make several investments of $1 million to $3 million annually.
Some of Ulupono’s past investment initiatives have included a plan to invest $15 million in Hawai‘i rooftop photovoltaic systems for SolarCity customers, $3 million put into the San Francisco- based company Carbon Lighthouse that works to cut energy consumption in commercial buildings and $3 million lent to Hawai‘i Island fish farm operator Blue Ocean Mariculture.
Ulupono also unsuccessfully tried to establish a Kauai dairy farm and sustain an endeavor to use cold deep seawater to air-condition buildings in downtown Honolulu.
