Business Development and Support Division

Honolulu, HI—The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) recently launched a community-based economic development accelerator program, the CBED Accelerator^TM.  CNHA-Technical Assistance Services administers the program designed to accelerate community-based economic development in Hawaii. The first five nonprofit organizations have been selected for the CBED Accelerator^TM, which will specifically assist organizations in the development of revenue generation projects, thus diversifying their revenue streams and enabling them to fulfill their missions, which impact community economic development.

Mark J. Ritchie, Branch Chief of the Business Support Branch of DBEDT, said “We are excited to launch the CBED Accelerator in partnership with CNHA-Technical Assistance Services. Community-based nonprofit organizations are increasingly becoming key economic development drivers, so we hope this program will assist them in creating revenue streams to supplement their traditional grant funding.”

The five nonprofits selected include Waimea Nui Community Development Corporation (Hawaii Island), Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (Hawaii Island), Hawaii Forest Industry Association (Hawaii Island), Garden Island Arts Council (Kauai), and the Homestead Community Development Corporation (Kauai). Each nonprofit submitted a plan to use $7,000 in grant money and a year of Technical Assistance to initiate projects that will increase unrestricted funding for the organization. CNHA-TAS President & CEO, Michelle Kauhane said, “We look forward to working with these five non-profits to help them realize their recurring revenue generation projects thus enabling them to fulfill their community development missions.”

Over the course of a year, CNHA-TAS will develop a customized plan for each of the five nonprofits. Each plan will help prepare the nonprofits to launch their new projects by mitigating obstacles and by assisting with business planning. While the five participants are varied in industry and approach to revenue generation, all have identified the strengths of their new endeavors and the gaps to success they look forward to closing. The five projects will focus on agriculture, food production, forest industry enterprise, creative artist interaction, and retail development.

CNHA-TAS is a division of CNHA, a national network of Native Hawaiian Organizations, providing assistance in accessing capital and technical resources. Its mission is to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians.

The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) is Hawaii’s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. DBEDT’s mission continues to be achieving a Hawaii economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all Hawaii’s citizens. Through our attached agencies, we also foster planned community development, create affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments, and promote innovation sector job growth. More information on the CBED Program can be found at: http://invest.hawaii.gov/business/cbed.

For more information contact:
Kehau Meyer, CNHA Program Manager
Email: info@hawaiiancouncil.org
Phone: (808) 596-8155 extension 111