Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program

In Partnership:

Logos of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Forestry and Wildlife, and ATMC.

Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program

FY 2026–2027 Funding Round Now Open

The Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program provides funding for projects that reduce wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure, and landscapes across Hawaiʻi.

Program Overview

The Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program supports high-impact wildfire mitigation projects that reduce hazardous fuels and strengthen wildfire-resilient landscapes and fire-adapted communities across Hawaiʻi.

The program focuses on areas where communities and natural landscapes meet, supporting work that reduces wildfire risk and improves community safety.

The program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) in partnership with the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR-DOFAW) and funded through DLNR-DOFAW.

Program Funding

$1.5 million in funding is available statewide through the Hawaiʻi Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program. Grants of up to $300,000 are available for projects that reduce hazardous fuels and improve wildfire safety in areas where communities and natural landscapes meet.

Funding details

• Up to $300,000 per project
• 25% cost share (match) required
• Project period: up to 12 months

Eligible Project Types

The program is seeking proposals for high-impact, shovel-ready wildfire mitigation projects that reduce hazardous vegetation and wildfire fuels.

Projects may include:

• Hazardous fuels reduction and vegetation management
• Firebreak, fuel break, or green break construction and maintenance
• Defensible space improvements around homes and neighborhoods
• Wildfire mitigation and landscape resilience planning
• Other projects that reduce wildfire risk to homes, infrastructure, and communities

Eligible Applicants

Applicants may include:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Community organizations and homeowner associations
• Local government agencies
• Organizations applying through a fiscal sponsor

Important Dates

Virtual Information Session: April 2, 11:00 AM HST

Application Deadline: April 20, 2026

Award Notification: May 2026

Project Start: June 1, 2026

Join us for a virtual information session on the HUI Wildfire Grant Program on Thursday, April 2 at 11:00 AM HST. Register to attend and learn more about the application process, eligible projects, and how to apply:  click here to register

Apply for Funding

Applications are now open for the FY 2026–2027 funding round.

Application Preparation Worksheet
Download the Program Guidelines and Request for Proposals (RFP)
Click here to apply

Please use Google Chrome when accessing the application portal.

Note: All application materials must be submitted in PDF format.

Questions

For questions about the program: grantprograms@hawaiiwildfire.org

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.

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