Applications open October 1, 2026 

 

Starting October 1, Providers or community organizations across Hawaiʻi that provide, or plan to provide, Medicaid-covered health-related social needs (HRSN) services can apply for Community Capacity Grants, a new funding opportunity created through Hawaiʻi’s Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver. 

The grants are designed to help organizations build the operational, technological, and workforce capacity needed to deliver two new Medicaid benefits: Community Integration Services Plus (CIS+), which addresses housing needs, and Nutrition Supports, which addresses food and nutrition needs. Funding up to $40 million will be available in Community Capacity Grants in total over the next three years. 

Eligible applicants will have 3 opportunities to apply:  

Funding Round	Application Opens	Application Closes	Funds Released By*
Round 1	October 1, 2026	October 31, 2026	February 27, 2027
Round 2	June 1, 2027	July 15, 2027	November 1, 2027
Round 3	June 1, 2028	July 15, 2028	November 1, 2028

* For multi-year grant awards, these dates represent when funds for the first year will be released by. 

What These Grants Can Fund 

Eligible organizations can request funding in four areas that aim to build organizational capacity needed to deliver two new Medicaid benefits: 

• Business & operations: policies, workflows, equipment, administrative support 

• Technology: billing systems, referral tracking, data sharing tools, software licensing 

• Workforce development: hiring, required certifications, training, translation/interpretation services 

• Education & outreach: materials and activities to raise awareness of HRSN services 
  
  

Who Can Apply 

Entities are eligible if they are: 

• HRSN providers enrolled in Hawaii’s Online Kahu Utility (HOKU) system as an eligible HRSN provider type; OR 

• Community organizations that are currently delivering similar or related services outside of Medicaid and intend to enroll in the HOKU system as one of the eligible provider types.  

• Have at least one year of relevant experience delivering HRSN or similar services in Hawaiʻi, or one year operating in Hawaiʻi with the capacity to deliver HRSN services. 

Organizations not yet enrolled in HOKU may still apply for limited funding to support enrollment readiness. 

How to Apply 

The first round of applications will open on October 1, 2026 and will be accepted on a rolling basis through each funding window. 

Applications may be for terms of 1 year or longer; all funds must be expended by Oct. 31, 2029. 

Please check back here for the application link on October 1.

For questions, please reach out to the AUW team at communitycapacitygrants@auw.org. 

About the Program 

The Community Capacity Grant program originates from Hawaiʻi’s Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration (the “QUEST Integration” waiver), approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Under this waiver, the State of Hawaiʻi was granted authority to establish two new Medicaid benefits addressing health-related social needs (HRSN): 

• Community Integration Services Plus (CIS+): providing housing-related supports. 

• Nutrition Supports: providing food and nutrition-related supports 

Community Capacity Grants are administered by Hawaiʻi’s QUEST Integration (QI) Health Plans, including Kaiser Permanente, AlohaCare, UnitedHealthcare, and HMSA, under the oversight of the Department of Human Services’ Med-QUEST Division, and will run through the end of the demonstration period in December 2029. 

Read more here: QI-2613 Fund Disbursement Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions: Community Capacity Grants FAQ

Preview the application questions here: Application-Questions.pdf

These will be updated periodically; please check back for more information. 

Materials Needed for Application

• Completed Budget Template

• Organizational Chart 

• Viable Financial Plan (as applicable) 

• Documentation for co-applicants (as applicable)  

• Most recent audit 

• Proof of demonstrated capability