March Funding Opportunities

This program offers loan guarantees to lenders for their loans to rural businesses.

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This is the most popular loan OHA offers that supports Native Hawaiian business owners. Loan amounts are $2,500-$149,999 with 4.00% APR and up to 7-year term.

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The Hua Kanu Business Loan Program is available to Native Hawaiians who own established business. Created on July 17, 2013, the low-cost loans are intended to help these small-businesses expand. It is meant to provide them access to credit and capital that allow them to grow as well as remain financially viable.  Loan amounts $150,000-$1,000,000

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Discover how AI can elevate your grant proposals and save you valuable time. This hands-on workshop will cover:

• “Chunking” approaches to use AIs more effectively
• Strategies for using AI to tackle tricky proposal sections
• Tips for getting the tone right and crafting compelling narratives
• Budgets! (Sorry, no silver bullets yet… but there are tricks and tips.)

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This year’s East Meets West Pitch Competition will be a regional qualifier for the Startup World Cup! We will select 5 companies from the West and 5 companies from the East to pitch before a panel of international venture capitalists at the finale of the East Meets West conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 15th, 2024. The winner will go on to the semi-final competition of the SWC for a chance to win $1,000,000

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Join us for the YWCA Level Up! Pitch Competition, presented by the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership and sponsored by TJX.  Exclusive to women-owned small businesses, the Pitch Competition will be held on Tuesday, May 7, from 5:00-7:00pm, at YWCA Oahu’s Fuller Hall.

Seize the opportunity to win a share of $18,500 in prizes! Don’t miss out on this chance to elevate your business.

PRIZE CATEGORIES:

3 Start-ups (0-2 years in business) competing for $5,000
3 Growth Businesses (2-4 years in business) competing for $6,000
3 Expansion Businesses (4-5 years in business) competing for $7,500
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

1. Complete and submit the application by March 15, 2024
2. Applicant Interviews run from March 18 – 29
3. Three finalists will be chosen in each category by April 3
4. Finalist Pitch Training the month of April

5. Pitch Competition Event on May 7, 2024 from 5:00p-7:00p

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If you’re a small brand or up-and-coming supplier looking to work with us, LEAP is for you. The initiative, which launched in 2022, advances Whole Foods Market’s core value of seeking win-win partnerships with local suppliers. With this program, we aim to grow local and emerging producers through education and mentorship.

Participants benefit from the mentorship of Whole Foods Market experts, tailored educational programs and the potential for direct financial support. Each participant’s products are also considered for placement on the shelves of Whole Foods Market stores in their home city or region at the conclusion of the six-month program.

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The Lau Maiʻa Scholarship program to support culturally-grounded tech makers and problem solvers in pursuit of their post-secondary academic goals. In the same way that lau maiʻa were used as lāʻau lapaʻau to encase the body and offer an extra layer of healing and protection, we hope that the $2,500 Lau Maiʻa Scholarship can help ease the burden of tuition and empower students to stand tall in their growth.

If you are (or know of) a graduating high school senior who will be attending a 4-year college and will be majoring in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or Entrepreneurship and committed to ʻāina, kaiāulu, lāhui and got the receipts, then we encourage you to apply.

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Cyber awareness training for companies to offer their employees, technical assessments of IT systems to identify vulnerabilities, and penetration testing to validate security, and recovery services if applicable.

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