Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program
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Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program
FY 2026–2027 Awardees Announced
Eight organizations across five islands have been awarded $1.8 million through the FY 2026–2027 Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program.
The selected projects will reduce hazardous fuels, improve evacuation planning and emergency access, strengthen wildfire preparedness, and increase wildfire resilience across Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island.
The FY 2026–2027 application period is now closed, and grant funding is no longer available through this round.
DLNR News Release – $1.8 MILLION AWARDED FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION PROJECTS ACROSS HAWAIʻI, July 29, 2026
Program Overview
The Hawaiʻi Urban Interface Wildfire Grant Program supports high-impact wildfire mitigation projects in areas where communities and natural landscapes meet.
The program funds practical projects that reduce wildfire risk to residents, homes, infrastructure, cultural resources, and surrounding lands. Supported activities may include hazardous fuels reduction, managed grazing, vegetation management, firebreak construction, defensible space improvements, evacuation planning, emergency access improvements, and landscape restoration.
Funding for the program is provided by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The program is administered by Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization.
FY 2026–2027 Funding
A total of $1.8 million was awarded to eight projects across the state, an increase from the $1.5 million awarded through the program in 2025.
Awards range from $25,000 to $300,000.
FY 2026–2027 Awardees
Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteaders Association, Maui
Kailapa Community Association, Hawaiʻi Island
ʻĀina Alliance, Kauaʻi
Mālama Learning Center, Oʻahu
West Kohala Wildfire Alliance, Hawaiʻi Island
ʻĀina Momona, Molokaʻi
Wailea Property Owners Association, Hawaiʻi Island
Waialae Iki Ridge and Waialae Iki V, Oʻahu
For more information about each of the grantees, see the 2026 Grant Awardees section below.
2026 Grant Awardees
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![Aerial view of a dry hillside with some green trees and shrubs, a rocky path, and three people working near the greenery. Mountains in the background and a white vehicle on a dirt road.]()
Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteaders Association - Maui
Grant Amount: $300,000
The association will reduce hazardous fuels along the perimeter of the Waiohuli community and support residents in clearing vegetation within high-risk homestead parcels. The project will connect household defensible-space efforts with broader perimeter treatments. -
![Hillside with dry grass]()
Kailapa Community Association - Hawaiʻi Island
Grant Amount: $300,000
Kailapa will establish a managed grazing system across approximately 320 acres. New fencing and paddocks will support livestock grazing to reduce hazardous vegetation and create defensible space for Kailapa and nearby communities. -
![ʻĀina Alliance - Kauaʻi]()
ʻĀina Alliance - Kauaʻi
Grant Amount: $300,000
ʻĀina Alliance will launch the Anahola Community Action Teams initiative, a pre-disaster preparedness model that combines community coordination with on-the-ground wildfire mitigation. Work will include firebreak construction, debris removal, vegetation management, and grazing-based fuel reduction. -
![Mālama Learning Center - Oʻahu]()
Mālama Learning Center - Oʻahu
Grant Amount: $298,828"
Mālama Learning Center will remove invasive, fire-prone vegetation, establish fuel breaks and green firebreaks, improve emergency access, and expand wildfire education across several Leeward Oʻahu sites. The project will also support Firewise USA® recognition for Palehua. -
![West Kohala Wildfire Alliance- Hawaiʻi Island]()
West Kohala Wildfire Alliance- Hawaiʻi Island
Grant Amount: $300,000
Representing six Firewise USA® communities, the alliance will reduce hazardous fuels and improve emergency access across West Kohala. The project will use manual clearing, mechanical vegetation management, and managed grazing along community boundaries, roadways, and evacuation routes. -
![ʻĀina Momona - Molokaʻi]()
ʻĀina Momona - Molokaʻi
Grant Amount: $228,584
ʻĀina Momona will expand wildfire mitigation and land restoration across 60 acres in the uplands of the Kaʻamola ahupuaʻa. Native Hawaiian land stewards will remove invasive vegetation, install fencing and irrigation, outplant native species, and expand retention basins. -
![Wailea Property Owners Association - Hawaiʻi Island]()
Wailea Property Owners Association - Hawaiʻi Island
Grant Amount: $25,000
The association will reduce tall, dry grass and remove lower growth and ladder fuels from kiawe trees near the community. The work is intended to reduce wildfire intensity and protect residents, homes, and first responders. -
![Waialae Iki Ridge and Waialae Iki V - Oʻahu]()
Waialae Iki Ridge and Waialae Iki V - Oʻahu
Grant Amount: $47,588
The neighboring communities will complete a wildfire hazard and evacuation assessment for approximately 924 residential lots that share a primary evacuation route. The project will evaluate fire behavior, traffic capacity, evacuation timing, and future mitigation priorities.
Watch the Information Session
This recorded webinar provides an overview of the Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program and walks through the application process, eligibility, and project requirements.
Recorded on April 2, 2026.
Impact from the Program’s First Year — Hawai‘i Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Grant Program
In its first year, the program funded 9 projects across 4 islands, helping reduce wildfire risk for more than 8,000 homes and treating over 12,500 acres statewide through vegetation management and other mitigation activities.
Projects also improved evacuation routes, firebreaks, and other infrastructure that support wildfire response and community safety.
To learn more about the first year of the program, click here.