Holomua Marine Initiative Strengthening Community Advocacy Grant

The Holomua Marine Initiative Strengthening Community Advocacy Grant, offered by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, aims to enhance advocacy capacity in community organizations across Hawai‘i. This funding opportunity supports groups working towards effective management of nearshore marine resources through a one-year Community Advocacy Cohort. Grants, up to $10,000, will assist in training and capacity-building initiatives, fostering collaboration, and strengthening advocacy knowledge to achieve local policy goals. Applications are encouraged from eligible community organizations.

Hawai‘i Community Foundation invests charitable funds in communities across the State primarily through nonprofit organizations.
We administer a number of grantmaking programs with targeted purposes or an island-based focus. Hawai‘i Community Foundation also assists several private foundations in delivering their grantmaking programs according to their specific strategies.
Holomua Marine Initiative Strengthening Community Advocacy Grant
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to strengthen the capacity for effective advocacy in community organizations and programs in Hawaiʻi that make meaningful contributions to achieving the collective goal of the Holomua Marine Initiative, which focuses on effectively managed nearshore marine resources in Hawai’i with strong community co-management.
Grant requests for up to 10% of current annual operating budgets or no more than $10,000 USD will be considered. HCF anticipates awarding 20-25 grants. Awards will be used for participation in a one-year Community Advocacy Cohort, December2025 through December, 2026.
The primary focus of this opportunity is to provide capacity support and training for communities in Hawaiʻi on a range of topics that will help to further their abilities to advocate for policy goals that underpin effective management of marine resources and ecosystems. The types of training support to be provided may include but are not limited to:

• Exploring and identifying community and organizational advocacy goals;

Understanding of the legislative process and opportunities therein to have positive impact on local and state decision-making;Strengthening advocacy knowledge and skills, including the preparation and delivery of testimony, understanding the rules related to advocacy and lobbying, etc.;Agreeing on advocacy pathways to support community-identified advocacy goals;Collaborating with partners to support community-identified site-specific and state-wide advocacy goals; and,Articulating how place-based advocacy priorities connect to collective efforts to achieve effective nearshore marine management.