Hawaiʻi Sea Grant is partnering with the Pili Nā Moku project to give out $7 million worth of funding to community-led efforts across the state.
The initiative aims to support projects that care for the land, promote cultural and ecological stewardship, and foster resilient communities throughout Hawaiʻi. Each project must be based in one of five districts — Kona, Kauaʻi, Waiʻanae on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Central Maui, or Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island — and must align with that district’s priorities.
Potential focus areas range from forest and watershed conservation to community governance and disaster preparedness.
The initiative presents organizations with a historic opportunity to invest in the communities that care for Hawaiʻi, according to Darren Lerner, project principal investigator and director of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, which is part of the University of Hawaiʻi.
The opportunity to allocate the $7 million is made possible by Pili Nā Moku, a five-year project that seeks to strengthen communities throughout the state.
“Through Pili Nā Moku, we have been provided the privilege and opportunity to support place-based partnerships that build on generations of knowledge, strengthen community capacity and advance lasting resilience across each moku,” Lerner said in a press release.
Pili Nā Moku is funded by a 2024 award from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, and $7 million from that initial NOAA award will now be distributed, in partnership with Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, to community-led efforts. The money will be evenly divided among each of the five districts.
The initiative is offering $1.2 million per district for a collaborative project between organizations, while $200,000 will be available for one to two individual projects.
Any nonprofit organization with a history of supporting its land and community is eligible to apply. Statements of interest are due Aug. 28. More information can be found on Pili Nā Moku's website.
