Program provides funding for nonprofit groups for ʻāina stewardship

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A new initiative aims to break down funding barriers for community-based organizations in Hawaiʻi, empowering them to lead their own ʻāina stewardship projects. The University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program is inviting organizations to apply for funding to create Community Funding Hubs for Resilience and ʻĀina Stewardship (Community Funding Hub) in five specific moku/hui moku (districts). These hubs will act as a central resource, managing and distributing funding on behalf of smaller local groups, a key strategic vision of the Pili Nā Moku project.

Hawaiʻi Sea Grant will support up to five Community Funding Hubs-one in each of the following moku or hui moku: West Kauaʻi, Waiʻanae (Oʻahu), Molokaʻi, Central Maui and Kohala (Hawaiʻi Island). Each hub may receive up to $300,000 over three years to build the administrative, financial and relational infrastructure needed to support future community-led projects. Hubs will help organizations within their moku develop proposals, manage budgets, and meet funding requirements, among other things-reducing barriers to funding local ʻāina stewardship work.

"These Community Funding Hubs are designed to act as trusted bridges between funders and communities," said Darren Lerner, director of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant. "By investing in local organizations with strong place-based relationships, we can empower smaller nonprofits and community groups to access and manage funding for their own resilience and restoration initiatives."

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and community-rooted entities with strong relationships and experience supporting ʻāina stewardship and restoration in one or more of the five moku/hui moku. Priority will be given to groups with demonstrated capacity in grants management, fiscal oversight or community capacity building.

To assist with the proposal submission process, applicants can register for Hawaiʻi Sea Grant's informational webinars on Wednesday, November 12, at 3 p.m. and Friday, November 14, at 12 p.m.

Interested groups are encouraged to submit a statement of interest. Full proposals are due on Monday, December 15.

For additional information and proposal templates, visit Hawaiʻi Sea Grant's website.

For more information, visit: https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/moku-resilience-and-stewardship/community