Organization: ʻElepaio Social Services
Project Title: Aʻo Pulapula Cultural Agroforestry Nursery Project
Project Category: Education and Outreach, Food Security, Capacity and Training
Location: Waiʻanae, Mākaha, Nānākuli (Oʻahu), Ualapuʻe, Hoʻolehua (Molokaʻi)
Project Overview: The Aʻo Pulapula Cultural Agroforestry Nursery Project will establish a community tree nursery and host education and outreach events to serve communities in Waiʻanae, Mākaha, Nānākuli, and Molokaʻi. The project will build community capacity to care for and propagate Indigenous trees by supporting the (re)establishment of uluniu, coconut groves, in partnership with caretakers. On Molokaʻi, a separate In situ Niu Nursery will be established from seed collected from the island.
About: ʻElepaio Social Services (ESS) engages in large-scale initiatives like food distributions and manages impactful programs such as the Waianae Ohana Produce Prescription Program and Food Subscription Program. Our beneficiaries include those directly impacted by food insecurity, social determinants of health, and climate change. ESS is a leader in local cultural agroforestry movements, collaborating with partners to affirm the importance of niu, prioritizing Hawaiian cultural revitalization, ecological conservation, and food security.
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Organization: City and County of Honolulu Resilience Office
Project Title: Updating Honolulu Standards, Procedures, and Ordinances for Urban and Community Forestry
Project Category: Policy and Ordinance
Location: Oʻahu
Project Overview: This project will (1) review and evaluate the City’s existing tree standards and regulations; and (2) recommend updates and improvements towards effective and equitable maintenance and growth of the community forest, which is essential for ecosystem health, community wellbeing and adaptation to climate change impacts. Funding will support contracted policy and design technical work, stakeholder and community engagement, and development of outreach and communications materials.
About: Established by O‘ahu voters in 2016 by City Charter amendment, the Mayor’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency (CCSR) works to protect and improve the lives of O‘ahu residents by increasing community resilience in the face of challenge and change. CCSR tracks climate change science and impacts, and coordinates City projects and programs that create a more equitable, thriving, and climate-ready island home.
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Organization: County of Maui Department of Management
Project Title: Maui Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) – Building Capacity and Partnerships and Advancing Equity in Community Forestry
Project Category: Education and Outreach, Management Plan
Location: Island of Maui
Project Overview: This project will develop the first urban forest management plan for the island of Maui, and engage community groups through the planning process. The UFMP will be a road map for managing & growing Maui’s urban forest. Led by a diverse team of forestry & engagement specialists, Maui County departments & community groups, the project will build capacity, advance equity and justice, and build partnerships and community involvement around urban forestry. Developing the UFMP will help Maui County understand the current urban forest, establish canopy cover and planting goals, and create a game plan to achieve these goals.
About: The County of Maui Department of Management (DOM) plays a role in supervising & managing the executive branch of County government. DOM is influential in annual budget preparation, developing standards of administrative practices for all departments, & County-wide capital improvement project coordination. For this project, the DOM will work closely with County of Maui departments that play a role in managing the urban forest, including Parks and Recreation, Planning, Public Works, and Agriculture.
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Organization: Hiki Ola
Project Title: Ola i ka ʻĀina
Project Category: Education and Outreach
Location: Kealakekua Mountain Reserve, South Kona, Hawaiʻi Island
Project Overview: Ola i ka ʻĀina (Life from the Land) connects learners with the ʻāina and culture through native Hawaiian forest restoration. The Kaulunani funding will allow students to learn about and actively engage in the valuable reforestation efforts taking place in their community as an added enhancement to Hiki Ola’s Conservation Stewardship Program contract from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
About: Hiki Ola strives to connect learners with ʻāina and culture, targeting young learners to build knowledge about native forest ecosystems and ultimately spark interest within the youth to become the next generation of culturally grounded stewards and decision makers for our beloved ʻāina. Since most of Hawaiʻi Island’s native forests are privately owned and inaccessible to the public, Hiki Ola prioritizes the youth learning about our forests through ʻāina- and place-based experiences.
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Organization: Grow Some Good
Project Title: Nā Māla Kaiāulu: Cultivating Resilient Communities through Agroforestry
Project Category: Education and Outreach, Food Security
Location: Kahului, Maui
Project Overview: Nā Māla Kaiāulu (NMK) is an innovative response to pressing local and global challenges, strategically addressing the need for sustainable local food production and the impacts of climate change on food systems and societal well-being. This project combines tree and understory food crop planting, community stewardship opportunities, ʻāina-based learning during school breaks, apprenticeship, and food distribution components. NMK strives to ensure that the benefits of sustainable urban agriculture are equitably distributed, creating a foundation for shared prosperity and well-being.
About: Since 2008, GSG has been dedicated to cultivating a healthy community by strengthening local agriculture, enhancing food security, and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. Our mission centers on fostering a resilient future by connecting people, especially youth, to sustainable agriculture, thereby supporting a healthy and vibrant community.
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Organization: Kōkua Kalihi Valley
Project Title: Ulu Koa: Aligning Generational Abundance & Ancestral Wholeness
Project Category: Tree Planting, Outreach and Education
Location: Kalihi, Oʻahu
Project Overview:Ulu Koa strengthens the resiliency of Kalihi’s land and communities by connecting urban land and people through Pacific Island tree-planting culture. Ulu Koa will 1) perpetuate multi-story Oceanic permaculture and out-planting endemic forest trees, traditional agroforestry plants, and lāʻau lapaʻau (native medicine plants), 2) teach and model community-engaged land management and forest stewardship techniques through cultural programming, and 3) connect the transformational stories of the health of land and people through indigenous evaluation.
About: KKV is a federally qualified health center that serves over 11,000 residents of Kalihi from nine locations, with primary care, social, community, and cultural services, including an array of clinical programs, a food hub, elder care and youth program, and a 100-acre mālama ‘āina program. KKV’s mission is to advance health, inspire healing, foster reconciliation, and celebrate abundance in the ahupuaʻa of Kalihi through strong relationships honoring culture and place.
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Organization: Mālama Hāmākua Maui
Project Title: Restoring the Hamakualoa Coast through a Community lead Native Plant Project
Project Category: Tree Planting, Education and Outreach
Location: Hāmākualoa Open Space Preserve, Maui
Project Overview: This project will expand an existing native plant restoration and community engagement project by supporting a dedicated manager, planting food, and supporting a cultural practitioner to offer classes on-site. The Hāmākualoa Open Space Preserve, a Maui County property, provides a great opportunity to cultivate native and food plants as an educational site for a wide range of groups, and to ultimately become a collection forest.
About:Founded in 2016, Malama Hamakua Maui (MHM) is a 501c-3 non-profit organization, uniting cultural entities, community organizations, and Hamakua lineal descendants. Our mission centers on managing the Hamakua Open Space Park Preserve, a 318-acre stretch along Haiku’s coastline. Acquired by the County of Maui, this land is safeguarded for perpetual cultural, recreational, educational, and agricultural use.
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Organization: Mālama Kauaʻi
Project Title:Village Harvest: Engaging and educating Kaua‘i residents in community forestry
Project Category: Education and Outreach, Food Security
Location: Kauaʻi
Project Overview:Through this project, Mālama Kaua‘i’s (MK) Village Harvest program will educate and engage Kaua‘i residents in growing and caring for community-based food trees. This will include educating and empowering residents, food systems, and tree professionals with gleaning, propagation, and tree care events. The project will also develop three food tree nurseries to expand on-site planting and community distribution.
About: Mālama Kauaʻi has focused on increasing local food production and access for a resilient Kaua‘i since 2006. We do this through a lens of resilience and sustainability, which leverages economic development efforts, partnerships and innovative programs to grow community capacity. We are Kaua‘i leaders in food producer support, farm to school, and food access and distribution for those who need it.
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Organization: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Project Title: Restorative Resilience: Growing a Community Landscape for Lahaina
Project Category: Tree Planting, Community Engagement
Location: Lahaina, Maui
Project Overview: This project will transform Kahoma Village’s public green space into an urban forest that serves as a vital component of Lahaina’s post-wildfire recovery, providing both community resilience and ecological restoration. The trees, ground cover, and shrubs planted in this effort will be accompanied by educational signage about the plants and their history. Post-planting community events will be held to teach the community how to maintain plants and consume the new produce on the property.
About: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) is a marine conservation nonprofit working toward healthy coral reefs, abundant native fish, and clean ocean water. Since 2021, MNMRC has implemented a Reef Friendly Landscaping (RFL) program to assist properties transitioning to using holistic and organic practices. MNMRC works for the health of the environment and people of Maui Nui.
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Organization: Molokaʻi Land Trust
Project Title: Community Plant Production and Monthly Tree Giveaway for the Island of Molokaʻi
Project Category: Tree Distribution, Community Engagement
Location: Molokaʻi
Project Overview:This project will support native tree production and distribution across the island, and offer supporting educational events and workshops offered to students and community members. Beyond the core of plant distribution, the project will create networks of community groups, develop a standardized evaluation process through a partnership with the National Tropical Botanical Garden, develop a native tree seed bank network of ‘community tree planting’ property owners for the local mobile market, and enhance reforestation efforts by local entities and organizations on the island.
About: The mission of the Moloka‘i Land Trust (MLT) is to protect and restore the land, natural, and cultural resources of Moloka’i, and to promote, educate, and perpetuate the unique Native Hawaiian traditions and character of the island for the benefit of the future generations of all Moloka’i, particularly Native Hawaiians. MLT is a leader on Moloka’i for restoration, native plant production, education, and conservation efforts within our island community.
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Organization: Trees for Honolulu’s Future
Project Title: Trees for Pālolo…Planting Trees, Growing Community
Project Category: Tree Distribution, Community Engagement
Location: Pālolo, Oʻahu
Project Overview: This project in Pālolo will: 1) increase the tree canopy to capitalize on the myriad benefits of trees; 2) improve food security and community resilience; and 3) leverage institutional success and expertise to equip the community to sustainably maintain and advance this initiative long after the grant funds are exhausted. The project builds upon the Trees for Kaimukī initiative that proved when neighbors come together, successful outcomes result.
About: Trees for Honolulu’s Future (TFHF), a 501(c)(3) established in 2017, reinforces the efforts of government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations. We: 1) facilitate; 2) educate; and 3) advocate for urban trees. We do this work because we believe kumulāʻau are among our greatest natural and cultural assets in response to climate change. People and the environment are the beneficiaries of our work.
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Organization: Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative
Project Title: Waikōloa Community Forest Expansion
Project Category: Tree Planting, Education and Outreach
Location: Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve, Hawaiʻi Island
Project Overview: This project seeks to increase Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative’s (WDFI) capacity to enhance native forest health, preserve biodiversity, improve land stewardship, boost public awareness, and foster community engagement. Planting will be led by WDFI staff and include hundreds of volunteers so that our community can learn about native trees, develop a sense of connection to the natural environment, and actively engage in land stewardship.
About: WDFI’s mission is to protect, promote, and restore native Hawaiian dry forest. Since 2011, WDFI has established a large-scale forest preserve with documented success in outplanting native trees, establishing native forest plants through seed broadcasting, and mitigating invasive species and wildfire impacts. In conjunction with forest restoration, WDFI offers a range of enriching educational programs and stewardship opportunities to the public.
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