Kupu calls for conservation leaders on Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu, and Kaua’i

Kupu, Hawai‘i’s leading youth-focused conservation and environmental education nonprofit, is now accepting applications for the Conservation Leadership Development Program. The deadline to apply is July 18, 2025.

CLDP is a paid, entry-level program for early professionals (ages 17+) interested in launching careers in environmental and cultural stewardship. Applicants are reviewed by a variety of host sites—partner organizations throughout Hawai‘i and the Pacific—and are selected based on how well their goals and interests align with the organization’s mission and projects. 

CLDP terms are between six months to one year with focuses in ornithology, botany, natural and aquatic resource management, marine biology, Hawaiian cultural studies, agricultural science, and more. 

CLDP host sites for this term include:

Maui

• The Nature Conservancy Maui Marine Program
• National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kahanu Garden and Preserve
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Maui Bird Conservation Center

Hawaiʻi Island

• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
• Pa’auilo Elementary and Intermediate School

Oʻahu

• Grow Good Hawaiʻi
• Hiʻipaka LLC, Waimea Valley
• Hawaiʻi Technology Academy
• Saint Louis School, Palolo Stream Project
• Harold L. Lyon Arboretum

Kauaʻi

• DLNR DOFAW Nēnē Program
• National Tropical Botanical Garden, Limahuli Garden and Preserve
• The Nature Conservancy Kauaʻi Terrestrial Program
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kauaʻi National Wildlife Refuge Complex

CLDP participants receive a bi-weekly living allowance, health insurance, and upon term completion, an education award up to $7,395, as well as access to the Kupu Pathways program, which offers a kick-start to college (no transcripts needed) through Arizona State University.

• Apply now: https://kupuhawaii.tfaforms.net/318
• Learn more: https://www.kupuhawaii.org/conservation-leadership-development-program