The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Legacy Land Conservation Program, is accepting Fiscal Year 2027 applications for land acquisition grants to protect exceptional, unique, threatened, and endangered natural and cultural resources in Hawaiʻi. Funding may support acquisition of fee title or conservation easements that permanently protect qualifying land.
Funding and deadline
DLNR expects $5.3 million to be available for FY2027 land acquisition awards, subject to the fiscal-year program budget. The current public program page does not publish a universal per-award maximum. The full grant application is due November 2, 2026; DLNR does not state an exact closing time or time zone on the current public page.
A required preliminary milestone has already passed: the Agency Consultation Form was due September 14, 2026. Agency responses are expected around October 20, 2026 and must be incorporated into the full application. This makes cold outreach to entirely new applicants impractical unless the applicant already completed the required consultation step.
Eligible applicants and match
Eligible applicants are Hawaiʻi state agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations. Nonprofit applicants must have qualifying IRS nonprofit status and be registered with the Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. County and nonprofit awardees must provide matching funds covering at least 25% of total transaction costs.
Eligible project scope
Funding may be used to purchase land outright or acquire conservation easements for permanent protection of natural, environmental, recreational, scenic, cultural, agricultural-production, or historic resources, including park and trail systems that provide access to protected lands.
Application process and required materials
Applicants begin by signing up with the Legacy Land Conservation Program. DLNR creates separate SharePoint folders for Agency Consultation and the Application. The FY2027 application package includes the Grant Application Guidelines and Instructions, Land Acquisition Grant Application Forms 1–8, Agency Consultation Form, and an optional Forms 3 and 4 workbook for applicants unable to use Adobe calculations.
Required or strongly expected supporting materials include the agency-consultation responses, willing-seller documentation, willing-holder documentation when applicable, nonprofit IRS determination evidence and mission documentation, property maps and photos, title information, and appraisal or other fair-market-value documentation. Final applications and later due-diligence requirements remain subject to DLNR review and the Legacy Land Conservation Commission process.
Atlas analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 62/100. The program offers substantial statewide conservation funding but has narrow applicant and project requirements, and the September 14 agency-consultation deadline has already passed. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The controlling program is for land acquisition and permanent conservation interests, not healthcare, clinical technology, telehealth, or medical equipment. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant or direct-vendor fit is not established.
Official source: Hawaiʻi DLNR Legacy Land Conservation Program — Land Acquisition Grant.