Kauai Hurricane Lowell Business Recovery Grant

The Kauai Hurricane Lowell Business Recovery Grant provides Kauai, Hawaii small businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by Hurricane Lowell with grants of $5,000 or $10,000 to support their recovery. Administered by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii in partnership with the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT), the program distributes $2 million in grant funding made available by the State of Hawaii. Grant amounts are tiered by business size: the Tier 1 Micro Enterprise Grant provides $5,000 to businesses with annual gross revenue under $250,000 and 1 to 10 employees (including the owner), while the Tier 2 Small Business Grant provides $10,000 to businesses with annual gross revenue of $250,000 to $5,000,000 and 11 to 500 employees. When a business's revenue and employee count fall into different tiers, annual revenue is the deciding factor.

To qualify, applicants must be a non-agricultural business or nonprofit organization physically operating on Kauai prior to September 7, 2026, and impacted by Hurricane Lowell on September 7 and 8, 2026. At least one business owner must be a Hawaii resident, the business or nonprofit must have been registered with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) prior to September 7, 2026, and the applicant must be current on state and federal taxes. Applicants must demonstrate material, economic, or physical harm directly caused by Hurricane Lowell, and claims must be for unmet storm-related needs not already covered by insurance or other public or private recovery assistance. Home-based businesses that meet all other eligibility requirements are eligible to apply.

Applications are submitted online through the Chamber's Submittable application portal (mail-in applications are not accepted). The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii aims to complete application reviews within 15 business days, and approved grants are typically disbursed within 30 days after approval. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and grants are distributed until funding is exhausted. Applicants who receive a denial may submit an appeal with additional documentation within 10 business days. Application forms and assistance are available in English along with Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Additional application assistance is available through the Kauai Small Business Development Center.