The Healing Our Island Community Fund grant application contains five distinct sections. Each section is reviewed for completeness and accuracy and some sections are weighted for review purposes.

Applications go through two levels of review. The initial screening determines whether and when an application is reviewed. The next level is the formal grant review.

Initial Screening

HCRC Staff screens all applications against the following application screening criteria:

Grant Proposal Page

• Page should be complete
• Amount requested should be $2,000.00 or less

Project budget

• Budget should be submitted on the pre-formatted form that is part of the application package

Application and Agreement

• The form must be complete and include original signatures and dates
• The names listed on the form must be the same names listed on the Cover Page

Formal Grant Review Process

One Healing Our Island Grant Review meeting is held each month during a funding cycle until the funds are depleted.

The Grant Review team is a multi-disciplinary group of dedicated volunteers whose backgrounds in education, grant making, substance-abuse prevention, healthcare, law enforcement, and community-based nonprofit work bring a well rounded approach to the review process. HCRC facilitates the review process, but no staff member and no District Liaison has grant review privileges.

Each reviewer receives copies of the proposals about a week prior to the review meeting. During the review meeting the merits of each application are discussed and the reviewers agree on the final decision along with the amount approved if any. Often reviewers request clarification or additional information before a final decision is made. The correspndence that applicants receive after the grant review will reflect that discussion.

Grant Review - What do reviewers look for in an application?

Looking at the review weights for each application section listed in the table above, it is clear that every section is almost equally important. So what are reviewers looking for? Here are some general ideas:

Project Description

• Reviewers look for well planned projects. Projects that are hastily planned and lack sufficient detail (e.g., the "who-what-where-when" of the project) are often declined or returned with a request to resubmit with more information.
• Reviewers look for a diverse project planning team that includes the project's target audience, as opposed to a small group planning a project for an audience that may not be as interested in the project as the applicant believes to be true.
• Reviewers look for realistic time-frames.
• Reviewers want to fund really good projects that have realistic and measurable results. Applications should ask themselves:
• How will we measure participation in our project? (Documentation of participation is required in the final report.)
• What impact on our community do we expect our project to have and how will we measure/document the actual outcomes of our project?

Project Budget

• Reviewers look for a budget that clearly explains all expenses.
• Reviewers look for realistic expenses.
• Reviewers look for budgets that balance; the budget should show enough income to cover all budgeted expenses.

Community Group Description

• Reviewers look for a simple but clear description of when, why, and how a  group got started. This is an opportunity for applicants to sell their strengths by listing any community projects and ongoing programs they have implemented.
• Collaboration is extremely important. Remember, community-building is expected to be an integral component of every Healing Our Island funded project. Innovative collaboration also communicates that a group can sustain its efforts through resource sharing.
• Reviewers use this section to assess whether or not an applicant has the capacity to be successful with the proposed project.

Extra Credit

The focus of Healing Our Island is community-based substance abuse prevention and education. Beginning this year, the Hawai`i County Healing Our Island Team encourages everyone to think about Healing Our Island through healthy communities and a healthy environment; to think not just about financial resources, but about our natural resources too.

Applicants can earn extra credit by explaining how sustainable practices will be built into their projects, such as:

• Using post-consumer recycled materials;
• Using compostable cups, plates and utensils;
• Reserving a recycling container for events at http://co.hawaii.hi.us/directory/dir_envmng.htm#dir_solidwaste (scroll to the Recycling section)
• Patronizing local vendors;
• Keeping activities local to reduce automobile travel and fossil fuel use.

There are no specific points awarded for sustainable initiatives, however proposals containing these elements will certainly be reviewed more favorable than those without. It's the righ thing to do to keep our Island healthy!