List recommends 41 Oahu nonprofits share $5.1M

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HONOLULU (AP) — A commission is recommending that 41 Oahu nonprofit agencies share $5.1 million in grants.

HONOLULU (AP) — A commission is recommending that 41 Oahu nonprofit agencies share $5.1 million in grants.

A 2012 charter amendment requires half of 1 percent of city revenues be distributed to nonprofits. The Grants in Aid Advisory Commission was established to help select which groups should receive funding.

The commission this week provided its list to the City Council, drawing from 134 submittals. It determined 14 of the 134 were ineligible for various reasons.

Hawaii Meals on Wheels and the Waikiki Health Center are recommended to get the largest amounts — $364,095 and $300,000, respectively.

City spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke said the recommended groups were evaluated solely on grant proposal scores. Proposals were scored on a scale of 1 to 100.

The council ultimately will determine which groups get funding.

The commission was required to ensure each of the nine council districts received at least $250,000. The commission recommended that the Waianae to Ewa district receive $1,026,843, the largest amount. The Ewa to Mililani district is recommended to get the least at $276,296.

Six council members pushed through a budget that included $8 million in earmarks for specific nonprofits. But Mayor Kirk Caldwell has indicated he likely will not approve funds beyond the mandated $5.1 million.

He said additional funding goes against a standardized process for nonprofits to apply for money without political manipulation. Those who would have benefited from the earmarks were told to apply through the commission’s process.