Hawai‘i Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Grant Program
In Partnership:
2025 Grant Awardees
-
![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.]()
Kaʻala Farm, Inc. - Oʻahu
Acres: 1,100
Homes protected: 500
Removal of invasive species, and establishment of a green fuel break using native plants, an irrigation system and food crop -
![A rural landscape with a dirt road, a tree, power lines, and mountains in the background under a blue sky with some clouds.]()
Honolulu Board of Water Supply - Oʻahu
Acres: 7
Homes protected: 3349
Securing critical water infrastructure serving West Side Oʻahu communities through vegetation management, equipment acquisition, and establishment of fire breaks -
![Group of people planting trees on a hillside under a blue sky with clouds.]()
Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation - Maui
Acres: 650
Homes protected: 3000
Establish managed grazing in the Kuʻia area to reduce wildfire risk and support land restoration -
![Comparison of a tree before and after trimming or pruning. The top image shows the tree with dense green foliage, while the bottom image shows the tree with fewer branches and more open space underneath.]()
Wailea Property Owners Association - Hawai‘i Island
Acres: 15
Homes protected: 270
Support ongoing firebreak maintenance through removal of invasive tree species and ladder fuels -
![A small red and white compact excavator digging into the earth in a grassy field with trees and bushes in the background.]()
ʻĀina Alliance - Kaua‘i
Acres: 432
Homes protected: 250
Establishment of long-term vegetation management infrastructure for grazing and removal of combustible debris. -
![A herd of black cattle grazing on a grassy field with a few white cows in the background, overcast sky, distant trees, and mountains.]()
Hawaiʻi Rangeland Stewardship Foundation - Maui
Acres: 1079
Homes protected: 300
Reducing wildfire risk through invasive shrub removal, improved forage production and road way vegetation removal for safe ingress and egress. -
![Aerial view of a dirt road running through a green, bushy landscape with several cars parked along the roadside, and a distant horizon with cloudy sky.]()
Hui Aloha Kīholo - Hawaiʻi Island
Acres: 4000
Homes protected: 6
Create 13.1 acres of firebreaks along 2.16 miles of roads within the park, including the development of a new emergency access route to provide secondary egress to protect important cultural and ecological sites. -
![A rural landscape with a dirt pathway, utility poles and power lines, dry grass, and a boat-shaped structure in the foreground, with a lake and mountains in the distance under a clear blue sky.]()
West Kohala Wildfire Alliance - Hawaiʻi Island
Acres: 5000
Homes protected: 750
A six community coordinated effort to reduce hazardous fire fuels along roadsides and around homes, creating defensible space, and improving firefighter access. -
![A landscape with red soil, sparse bushes, grassy hills in the distance, and a partly cloudy sky.]()
Kailapa Community Association - Hawaiʻi Island
Acres: 310
Homes protected: 195
Develop a strategic grazing plan and lay the groundwork for a grazing cooperative to manage hazardous vegetation using livestock for the long term
Hawai‘i Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Grant Program
A high-impact, community-driven wildfire mitigation investment
The State’s initial $1.5 million investment is already reducing wildfire risk across four islands. Communities are organizing quickly, reducing hazardous fuels, expanding defensible space, and improving access routes.
By the Numbers
From the 2025 pilot cohort:
• $1.5 million invested statewide across 9 projects
• 12,500+ acres treated, restored, or maintained
• 8,000+ homes made safer, protecting 24,000+ residents
• $375,000 in match funds leveraged
• More than 20 miles of access roads, firebreaks, and evacuation routes improved
• Piloted across Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island
Why This Matters
Hawaiʻi’s wildfire risk is among the highest in the country.
• Hawaiʻi’s wildfire risk is higher than 88 percent of states nationwide
• 360,000+ buildings remain at risk of ignition
• Every dollar invested in mitigation saves four to six dollars in avoided disaster and recovery costs
Communities Are Ready
State investment is unlocking fast, on-the-ground action:
• Rapid deployment of fuel-reduction crews
• Managed grazing projects reducing dry grass in high-risk corridors
• Community wildfire planning that complements state and county mitigation work
• Strong cross-island participation showing scalable demand
About the Program
The Hawai‘i Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Grant Program is a partner program with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO).
Launched in 2025, this pilot program was created to reduce wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure, and natural resources across the state. Modeled after national Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) grant program, it supports hazardous fuels reduction projects and wildfire prevention planning designed to strengthen community resilience.
2025 Cohort Overview
We received a total of 22 applications requesting $4.7 million. From these, nine awardees were selected: eight received their full budget requests, and one received a reduced, revised budget, for a total of $1.5 million awarded.
Fuel reduction projects: 8 awardees were funded to reduce hazardous vegetation and fuel loads across 12,283.3 acres, totaling $1,445,000.
Wildfire prevention/mitigation planning: 1 awardee was funded to develop wildfire mitigation plans covering 310 acres for $55,000.
Across Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island, these projects represent shovel-ready, community-driven solutions to reduce wildfire risk on the ground.
2025 Grant Awardee Map
$1.5 Million Toward Wildfire Risk Reduction:
Protecting Hawaiʻi Communities Together
This video highlights how a $1.5 million State investment is supporting community-led wildfire risk-reduction projects across four islands. Through fuel reduction, improved access roads, managed grazing, and local partnerships, communities are working to reduce wildfire risk near homes, roadways, and critical infrastructure.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, partners with the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization to administer the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Community Risk Reduction Grant Program. Nine projects are funded statewide, helping protect more than 8,600 homes and 24,000 residents while treating over 12,500 acres of land.
This video showcases the people, places, and work behind these efforts and demonstrates how state investment, combined with local leadership and matching community resources, is strengthening wildfire resilience across Hawaiʻi.