Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry is proud to deliver the Kaulunani Community Grant Program.

The purpose of the grant program is to encourage community involvement in creating and supporting long-term and sustained urban and community forestry across Hawai‘i.

Tree Planting at Blanche Pope Elementary

Kaulunani has awarded grants to hundreds of non-profit groups, schools, community organizations, parks, museums and arboretums. As of 2021, over $4.1 million dollars has been awarded to over 440 projects through these cost-share grants, which have been matched by over $9 million dollars in cash and in-kind contributions. Our grant program funds proposals that support urban and community forestry projects as well as the Arbor Day tree giveaway programs across the State.

Kaulunani believes community-driven solutions are a vital part in addressing the Forest Action Plan (FAP) Objectives.

Kaulunani Community Partnership grants are awarded biannually.

The Kaulunani Council encourages applications from communities large and small across all islands, and values the principles of equity, access, and environmental justice in project partnerships.

• Grants to support Arbor Day Hawai‘i celebrations across the state are awarded in February, with the RFP released in November and application due early January (Award range $500-$5,000). Click here to read more about previous Arbor Day Hawai‘i partnerships!
• The second RFP is more general in nature and we welcome proposals across the categories of Technical Tools, Education & Outreach, Tree Planting, and Professional Training. The Council reserves the opportunity to release a targeted/themed RFP should it be deemed appropriate. The RFP is released in May, with applications due mid-July and funding recommendations made at the August council meeting. Click here to learn more.

Please read our Grant Guidelines carefully for additional details. We also suggest contacting Kaulunani staff ([email protected]) to discuss your application well in advance of the deadline so we can provide guidance.

Additional Grant Opportunities:

The table below lists some of the known opportunities for Urban & Community grant funding for which funding is available.

We welcome your proposals to pursue any and all opportunities, please contact prior to submitting an application.

Pre-Proposals are required for most opportunities and we strongly encourage you to complete this brief form so we are aware of your wonderful work and can match you to appropriate funding opportunities that may arise.

A Note for Proposed Tree Planting Projects:

Tree planting projects are asked to use native species, Polynesian introductions, or non-invasive plants that are screened by the Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment and are predicted to be a low risk of becoming invasive. All Budget forms for tree planting/giveaway projects must include Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) scores. These can be found through the Plant Pono or Hawaii Weed Risk Assessment websites.

Assessing Weed Risk Background:  The federal Executive Orders on invasive species (EO 13112 and reaffirmed by EO 13751) directs executive departments and agencies to take steps to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species, and to support efforts to eradicate and control invasive species that are established.  Kaulunani has supported the refinement and expansion of the Weed Risk Assessment system developed in Australia into a system tailored for Hawaiʻi and similar Pacific islands. In subsequent years, Kaulunani funds supported a liaison position to work with nursery and landscape industry and conservation, to bring awareness of the HPWRA, and in 2010, Kaulunani funded a user-friendly website (Plant Pono) where the public can access the HPWRA information and search for appropriate plants.  Use these tools to demonstrate your project promotes the expansion of a healthy, non-invaive urban and community forest.

Submitted?

Congratulations! The Kaulunani Advisory Council reviews and makes decisions on all applications during the forthcoming quarterly Council meeting. Check out the Kaulunani Council Page for more information on the Council and quarterly meeting dates.