Urban and Community Forestry Grants Available

The DLNR’s Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program announces a call for statewide grant applications to support urban and community forestry projects.

Kaulunani is a USDA Forest Service federally funded urban forestry program of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and is managed by the non-profit organization Smart Trees Pacific. PC: DLNR.

The program intends to make communities and urban spaces greener, healthier, and more beautiful by funding forestry projects across the State of Hawaiʻi.

Grants are awarded to projects that respond to a need identified in DLNR’s Forest Action Plan, Urban Forestry Chapter. The program intends to combat the decline in the urban tree canopy and enrich Hawaiʻi’s urban spaces.

The Kaulunani Grant Program has awarded hundreds of grants to nonprofit organizations, schools, community groups, parks, museums and arboretums across the State of Hawai‘i for a diverse range of urban and community forestry projects.

Several different levels of grants are available:

• “Cool Your School” Grants: School grant requests between $500 and $3,000.
• ‘ILIMA Grants: Requests under $2,500.
• MĀMAKI Grants: Requests between $2,500 and $14,999.
• ‘ULU Grants: Grant Requests OVER $15,000, targeting specific special funding opportunities. ‘Ulu grants consider requests up to $300,000.

The complete list of grant opportunities is available on the Kaulunani website.

Applications are accepted on a quarterly basis with the following deadlines for 2019: Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1, and Nov. 1. Applications received by Aug. 1, 2019 will receive priority consideration for current year funds. The Kaulunani Advisory Council reviews proposals at the subsequent quarterly meeting following each deadline. Grants are made to projects that match or exceed the federal grant funds in cash and in-kind contributions. Only one grant request per applicant will be considered.

An in-person information workshop for this grant will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at the DLNR Board Room, 1151 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, HI 96813 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Interested participants are asked to RSVP by June 25, 2019 with Jolie Dollar by email at jdollar@smarttreespacific.org.

Neighbor island participants may also engage in a “webinar” workshop on Friday, June 28, 2019 from 12 to 1 p.m. Interested participants will be provided further information on how to join if they RSVP by June 27, 2019 with Jolie Dollar at jdollar@smarttreespacific.org.