Active full-proposal phase. Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 5/100 conditional.
The University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program is administering the Pili Nā Moku Community Funding Opportunity, a $7 million community-resilience initiative funded through a 2024 NOAA Office for Coastal Management award. Up to $1.4 million is available in each of five focal moku or hui moku: West Kauaʻi, Waiʻanae on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Central Maui, and Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island.
Applicant-stage restriction: the required Statement of Interest closed August 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. HST. Only organizations that timely submitted that required Statement of Interest may proceed to the current full-proposal stage. Full proposals are due November 6, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. HST through eSeaGrant.
Funding pathways
The Collaborative Project Pathway provides $1.2 million per moku, with one collaborative two-year award sought in each moku. Selected collaborative projects receive funding through the designated Community Funding Hub serving as fiscal sponsor.
The Individual Project Pathway provides $200,000 per moku, with one to two two-year awards sought in each moku. Individual awardees may receive a cost-reimbursable subaward directly from the University of Hawaiʻi or funding through the Community Funding Hub.
Eligibility
Applicants must be nonprofit organizations with strong place-based relationships and a history of supporting ʻāina restoration and thriving communities in one of the five focal moku or hui moku. Project activities must substantially benefit those same areas. The current FAQ clarifies that applicants need not always hold 501(c)(3) status, but they must demonstrate legal and fiscal capacity or use an eligible Community Funding Hub as fiscal sponsor.
Program focus
Projects may address one or more of six focus areas: conserving and restoring forests and watersheds; enhancing coastal stewardship; restoring marine abundance; sharing knowledge and strengthening networks; reducing risk and improving disaster preparedness; and advancing community governance.
Budget and cost rules
Awards are cost reimbursable. Costs must satisfy 2 CFR Part 200 standards for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness. The current FAQ states that large equipment may be allowable when justified, while purchase or rent of land, purchase/construction/repair of buildings, docks, or vessels, foreign work, entertainment, lobbying, and generally construction are prohibited or restricted. Indirect costs are allowable; organizations without a negotiated indirect cost rate may use the program’s 15% de minimis rate. The RFP budget guidance calls for both direct and matching budgets but does not state a fixed mandatory match percentage in the current public materials.
Required full-proposal materials
Collaborative applicants invited to advance must submit a proposal narrative of no more than 15 pages, a data management plan, a list of current and pending funding sources, a budget, and a budget narrative. Individual applicants encouraged to continue must submit a proposal narrative of no more than 7 pages plus the same supporting materials. Proposal materials are submitted through eSeaGrant.
Atlas analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. The opportunity is substantial and strategically relevant for Hawaiʻi community resilience, but the required Statement of Interest gate has closed, so new cold outreach is not appropriate. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 5/100 conditional. The program centers on ʻāina stewardship, resilience, governance, and disaster preparedness rather than clinical service delivery or healthcare procurement.
Official sources: Hawaiʻi Sea Grant — Pili Nā Moku Community Funding Opportunity; Official RFP; Official FAQ.