The Foundation's mission includes promoting stewardship, preservation and protection of the natural environment.  As a way of carrying out this mission internationally, we are making a grant to Global Greengrants Fund, an organization that makes small grants to grassroots groups in developing regions around the globe for conservation efforts.  In Hawai‘i, we are focusing our grantmaking in two areas that we hope to develop into long-term grantmaking strategies:

• Invasive Species Prevention; and

• Environmental Leadership Pathways – Developing the Next Generation of Environmental Resource Professionals in Hawai‘i.

Environmental Grantmaking in Hawai‘i

The Foundation is partnering with the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) in support of its goal of preventing invasive species from further damaging Hawai‘i’s native ecosystems.

Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS)

Formed in 1995, the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) is a voluntary partnership comprised primarily of management-level staff from every major agency and organization involved in Hawai‘i-based invasive species work; including federal, state, county and private entities.  The group is a voluntary, public-private partnership formed to protect Hawai‘i from invasive species.  Members participate in regular meetings in an effort to influence policy and funding decisions, improve communications, increase collaborations, and promote public awareness.  The CGAPS 10-Point Vision and Action Plan (1995, rev. 2009) produced by the CGAPS Steering Committee provides a summary of the highest priority issues and long-term needs, along with specific short-term tasks that each participant has agreed to work on towards achieving a common vision.

Environmental Leadership Pathways – Developing the Next Generation of Environmental Resource Professionals in Hawai‘i.

To support the work of developing the next generation of environmental leaders in Hawai‘i, the Foundation is working with the following Partners:

• Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance &  Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation

The Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance (HCA) is a cooperative collaboration of conservation leaders representing nineteen Hawai‘i focused government, education, and non-profit organizations. Collectively, HCA is responsible for managing the biodiversity of Hawai‘i’s lands and waters. The organization also represents people who work and use the land and water for social, cultural, and agricultural purposes.

The mission of the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance is to provide unified leadership and advocacy on conservation issues critical to Hawai‘i.  HCA’s purpose is to work together to continue a legacy of stewardship and to achieve the goal of promoting the preservation of native terrestrial and marine ecosystems, increasing the diversity of native species, and ensuring that the unique biodiversity of our islands is maintained into the future.

• University of Hawai‘i at Hilo – Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES)

The TCBES program provides graduate training in conservation biology and environmental science to people with baccalaureate degrees and others currently working in the field. The program utilizes the extraordinary biological, physical and cultural complexity on the Island of Hawai‘i as a focus of investigation and study. Program objectives include:

• Foster knowledge of current trends and issues in conservation biology and environmental sciences including basic and applied research and natural resource problems;

• Provide participants with experiences in conceptual and technical research in ecology, evolutionary genetics, geographic analysis, environmental monitoring and assessment in marine and terrestrial environments;

• Promote research and scholarly activities that will enable participants to enter the scientific research community.

• University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa – Natural Resource and Environmental Management Program (NREM)

The NREM department emphasizes the science and management of natural resources and their links to environmental quality. They provide students with scientific knowledge of the physical, chemical, biological, economic, social, and policy elements of natural resources management, allowing them to understand the principles that underpin productive, sustainable land use, and enhanced environmental quality. Graduating students are able to solve contemporary resource use problems and assist insound decision making for optimizing land use and managing agricultural and forestry systems, watersheds, and landscapes in an ecologically sound manner. Graduates are also skilled in addressing resource policy issues and the needs of diverse clientele and communities including policy makers and planners. Scientific objectivity is emphasized as an important element of environmental planning and students are trained in the use of quantitative models and such tools as decision aids for optimizing natural resourcemanagement and ecosystem stewardship.

• KUPU

Formed in 2007, KUPU is a Hawai‘i-based nonprofit organization supporting a variety of conservation and environmental efforts.  Kupu provides a home organization for the Hawai‘i Youth Conservation Corps (HYCC), Urban Corps (UC), and Rewarding Internships for Sustainable Employment (RISE) Program. Through its various programs, Kupu aims to provide experiential education, as well as job training, leadership, teamwork, and life skills development opportunities to help youth and young adults succeed in life and encourages them to serve their communities.

International Environmental Grantmaking

Global Greengrants Fund

Global Greengrants Fund (Greengrants) makes small grants ($500-$5,000) to grassroots groups working to achieve clean environments, sustainable livelihoods, and healthy communities across the globe. The organization’s efforts are focused in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and island nations – in regions where local communities must confront significant challenges and do not have the resources they need to protect the water, land, and environment they depend on for survival.

Global Greengrants Fund identifies groups to support through a network of locally-based environmental activists. These expert advisors—biologists, nonprofit managers, lawyers, economists, foresters, journalists, engineers, and activist leaders— identify dedicated organizations capable of improving their communities and defending their environments.  Then, Greengrants provides the funding these leaders need to make a difference. Greengrants operates on the belief that incredible work can be done, even with small grants.

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