Community-Based Environmental Stewardship is sponsored by Kosasa Foundation. Supports projects combining local knowledge with western science to improve specific environmental conditions in Hawaiʻi.

Community-based Environmental Stewardship – Kosasa Foundation Community-Based Environmental Stewardship Hawaiʻi is the most isolated island community on the planet. To thrive and flourish here, we must embrace our kuleana (responsibility, privilege) to care for one of the most ecologically diverse places on Earth.

Traditional indigenous knowledge underscored the need to live within the islands’ ecological boundaries and in kinship with nature. With the impacts of climate change being felt in real ways, the Kosasa Foundation wishes to support and advance practices that increase the resilience of our islands.

We believe that engaged communities that understand and embrace stewardship of our home will help us face the challenges that we are experiencing.

The Kosasa Foundation Community-Based Environmental Stewardship (CBES) Program fosters stewardship of our natural resources and island ecosystems by supporting nonprofits that: engage community in achieving clear goals to improve specific environmental conditions ; weave together local knowledge and practices with that of western science ; work collaboratively with the scientific/academic community and government ; help to develop and implement policy change to affect broader environmental impacts.

In reviewing applications, we prioritize projects that reflect the following principles: Clear goals focused on specific environmental improvements that are meaningful to the local community. Deep Community Engagement Strong community involvement that invites residents to learn about environmental issues, understand their kuleana, and take part in solutions.

Tangible and measurable results that demonstrate movement toward addressing an identified environmental challenge. Partnerships that bring together community members, academics/scientists, and relevant government agencies to strengthen both the process and the outcomes.

Please note that, while important to environmental health in Hawai‘i, activities focused primarily on food security, general environmental education, or leadership development are not a focus of the CBES Program. Program Effectiveness and Measures of Success The Kosasa Foundation hopes to advance its understanding of effective community-based environmental stewardship approaches.

We expect to learn as much from what does NOT work as we do from what does. To that end, our goal is to have a productive engagement with our grantees that supports meaningful data collection of all kinds and builds the capacity to use results to improve on practice. We plan to describe our impact in the following ways: Specific impacts in different fields.

This will depend on the organizations that we fund and what they are striving to accomplish. For example, you may be able to measure numbers of acres protected, invasive species removed, native plants planted, etc. We will look to our grantees to identify information that aids in assessing their success. Engagement, participation and inclusion.

We believe that successful environmental stewardship happens when relevant local communities are deeply involved in problem solving and advocating for places that matter to them. Building engaged, knowledgeable, and caring communities will sustain the work for the long haul. Understanding the elements of successful partnerships.

Environmental Stewardship is complex work on many levels. It requires skills and knowledge from indigenous practices, local conservation experiences, and western scientific practices. We would like to understand how communities weave these belief systems and approaches together to accomplish their goals.

The Community-Based Environmental Stewardship Program offers a range of grants based on project scope and funding availability. Funding requests will be considered for new and existing programs that clearly demonstrate improvements and impacts that are aligned with the Program’s Principles, Effectiveness, and Measures of Success described above. Grant funds are limited to no more than 20% of operating budget.

Small grant requests, typically in the $10,000 to $50,000 range, should demonstrate specific measurable results and outcomes for up to an 18-month project period. Grant requests greater than $50,000 can be for up to a 2-year project period.

Please note that larger requests are intended for more strategic, complex projects that have value and scope commensurate with the level of funding request, significant and robust partnerships and community engagement, and dramatic impact to the communities and constituencies to be served.

Higher funding requests will be reviewed with greater scrutiny to assess cost-effectiveness and to ensure that potential environmental stewardship benefits justify the level of funding. The application for the next round is August 7, 2026 . Read our grants page for more information about our grant-making process.