Proposals Sought for Arbor Day Hawaiʻi Programs

The state invites residents to submit proposals for Arbor Day projects and is offering grant funding to support them.

Arbor Day Hawaiʻi will be celebrated on Nov. 5 next year and Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry, a program of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, wants the community to get involved. Nonprofits, private organizations, schools, churches, community groups and state, county and community agencies from all islands can apply for funding through Kaulunani’s community partnerships grant program.

Throughout the Hawaiian Islands, communities have honored the holiday in the past with tree planting events, tree care workshops, landscaping and gardening demonstrations, tree adoption events and much more.

This year, the Kaulunani Advisory Council encourages projects to share how you can go beyond giving away trees. Priority will be given to proposals that:

• Enhance relationships between trees, forests and people in your community.
• Nurture the trees already around us.
• Cultivate well-being and resilience in your community.

Proposals for celebrations other than tree adoptions will also be considered.

Projects must be publicly accessible. Trees cannot be planted on inaccessible private land and programs and events must be open to all.

The deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 12, 2022. Grants range from $500-$5,000, with a total pool of $28,000.

Kaulunani will host an interactive webinar from noon-1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, to share details and answer any questions. RSVP for the webinar here or email to [email protected].

Kaulunani has awarded grants to hundreds of nonprofit groups, schools, community organizations, parks, museums and arboretums. As of 2021, more than $4.1 million dollars has been awarded to more than 400 projects.

For more information, click here.