Hawai‘i Community Foundation awards $1.2M to protect nearshore marine areas
The Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced more than $1.2 million in grants to 18 organizations and programs providing meaningful contributions to the goal of the Holomua Marine Initiative, which focuses on protecting and restoring nearshore marine areas in Hawai‘i through community engagement and co-management. The grantees have programs in Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Island, Moloka‘i, Maui, O‘ahu and statewide.
“For generations, Hawai‘i’s marine environments have been integral to the cultural, physical, and economic health of our islands and people,” says Dana Okano, HCF’s Director of Natural Environment “We are proud to support the organizations working tirelessly to safeguard our marine ecosystems and foster community stewardship.”
Cleaning up ghost nets on Moloka’i. Photo credit: Jasmine Buerano (2022)- Cleaning up ghost nets on Moloka’i. Photo credit: Jasmine Buerano (2022)
- Cleaning up ghost nets on Moloka’i. Photo credit: Jasmine Buerano (2022)
- HOKWO North Kīhei Testing. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
- HOKWO North Kīhei Testing. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
- HOKWO North Kīhei Testing. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Amy Hodges, executive director of the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council said, “Thanks to support from the HCF Laulima Grant, the Hui O Ka Wai Ola [program] can continue to make reliable water quality data available to Maui’s residents and to leaders and decision-makers as they plan for the future of our island home.”
Leinaʻala Thornton, project coordinator for the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation said, “The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation is committed to the continued protection and care for our ocean resources. The restoration of Haleolono fishpond began in the 1990s, and today, it continues to bring together our community through our educational, cultural, and community efforts. We are pleased to welcome the support of the Holomua Marine Initiative Laulima Grant through the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation for this important cause.”
In 2016, the state launched the Sustainable Hawai‘i Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to ensure a healthy environment and economy for Hawai‘i’s people. As part of this effort, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, introduced the Holomua Marine Initiative to effectively manage Hawai‘i’s nearshore waters by partnering with communities to implement traditional management practices and knowledge with guidance from fishers, cultural and scientific experts, and community leaders.
The Hawai‘i Community Foundation manages philanthropic donations that support the Holomua Marine Initiative and the communities engaged in nearshore marine management efforts. HCF’s role is to develop and administer a pooled field of interest fund to support robust implementation of the Initiative, which includes providing grants and contracts to strengthen state, community, and nonprofit organizations’ capacity to engage in this critical work. To date, more than $6M has been awarded since the inception of the pooled fund in 2020.
The following 18 organizations and programs awarded HCF Laulima Grants include:
| Organization Name | Program | Program Location | Total Awarded |
| Hawaiian Islands Land Trust | Improving Nearshore Water Quality through wetland and fishpond restoration at Kapoho, Waiheʻe | Maui | $150,000 |
| Hui Aloha Kīholo | Mālama Kīholo: Ensuring Perpetual Co-Stewardship Through Community Engagement and Sustainable Revenue Development | Hawaiʻi Island | $149,896 |
| Kuleana Coral Reefs | Building technical capacity for in-water reef restoration | Oʻahu, Maui | $125,000 |
| Mālama Maunalua | Incorporating Community in Restoring Maunalua Bay | Oʻahu | $150,000 |
| Maui Nui Marine Resource Council | Integrated Coastal Monitoring and Community Collaboration for Leeward Maui | Maui | $45,600 |
| Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi | Kahuku Solutions Center and Coastal Care Project | Oʻahu | $50,000 |
| Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation | Kaiea Project – Promoting traditional ways of observation and restoration to inform and address coastal management and sea-level rise. | Hawaiʻi Island | $25,000 |
| Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Hawaiʻi – Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology | Revitalizing Kāneʻohe Bay: A Community-Driven Approach to Updating the Master Plan | Oʻahu | $50,000 |
| Hoʻomalu Ke Kai | Kauaʻi Coral of Opportunity Restoration and Rehabilitation Initiative – Expanding a coral nursery for coral reef restoration | Kauaʻi | $50,000 |
| Kauhakō Ohana Association | Kauhakō/Hoʻokena Koʻa Hānai – Shoreline survey, coral monitoring, reef restoration, and youth engagement. | Hawaiʻi Island | $23,000 |
| Ke Ao Haliʻi | ʻĀINA ALOHA – Native species restoration and monitoring based on traditional cultural practice. | Maui | $100,000 |
| Ka Honua Momona International | Mālama I Na Loko Iʻa O Molokaʻi – Removal of invasive species to improve water circulation in fishpond and reef. | Molokaʻi | $50,000 |
| Kipahulu ʻOhana Inc. | Mālama I Ke Kai O Kīpahulu – Implementing the Kīpahulu CBSFA management plan. | Maui | $50,000 |
| Mālama Pupukea-Waimea | Implementing the Four Marine Holomua Initiative Pillars at Pūpūkea | Oʻahu | $50,000 |
| Na Mamo O Muolea | Welo Mau Ana No Na Hanauna Hou – Education, outreach, youth program, community stewarding | Maui | $50,000 |
| Pacific American Foundation (FS To HFACT & Lynker) | Building Capacity Within Hawaii’s Fishing Communities To Engage In The Holomua Marine Initiative – Engaging fishers and fisher groups to strengthen collaboration and voice in nearshore marine management | Statewide | $50,000 |
| Reef Guardians Hawaii | Malama i ke Kai – Wanini Water Testing Program | Kauaʻi | $30,000 |
| Resources Legacy Fund | Strengthening collaboration and partnerships to achieve policy goals for nearshore marine management | Statewide | $50,000 |
| Total | $1,248,496 | ||
The HCF Laulima Grant program was designed to provide funding opportunities to a broad range of stakeholders and projects, with applicants implementing programs in at least one of the five focal areas:
- Capacity: Strengthen community and organization capacity to deliver programs that result in effective community co-management of nearshore marine areas.
- Coordination: Strengthen coordination and collaboration between diverse groups or agencies to effectively manage nearshore marine areas.
- Data: Improve data collection, analysis, management, and application to resource management, decision making, and community awareness and knowledge, including uplifting and integrating local and traditional knowledge.
- Engagement: Strengthen community engagement in effective management of nearshore marine areas, including through activities that highlight shared core values.
- Governance: Prioritize projects and programs that lead to shared policy goals, good governance, and effective management of nearshore areas.
The following organizations provide funding support to the HCF Holomua Marine Initiative: Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Oak Foundation, Kōaniani Fund, Oceans 5 a sponsored project of Rockfeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Aditi Fund, Jon and Kim Chen Bock, Flora Family Foundation, and two funding partners who prefer to remain anonymous.
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