The County of Maui East Maui Water Authority (EMWA) has selected five recipients for its inaugural community grant program, which supports local projects focused on water stewardship, cultural practices, environmental restoration and community collaboration in East Maui. Projects funded through the program are expected to begin early this year.

The grant program is to support and encourage community-based stewardship of East Maui water resources, cultural practices and knowledge transfer from kūpuna to the next generation of environmental caretakers.

Informational meetings were held in Keʻanae, Haʻikū and online to share about the program with community members and encourage applications from residents and organizations.

“Through the application process, the EMWA learned about the diverse ways Maui Hikina communities are caring for wai, our freshwater resources, and identified opportunities for increased support, resource-sharing and collaboration,” EMWA Director Gina Young said.

The recipients of this first round of grants include:

• East Maui Farm, led by Nāpua Hūʻeu: $20,000 for the Honomanū Lo‘i. The community-led ahupua‘a restoration effort will include stream and shoreline monitoring to track the impacts of water diversion and drought, as well as documentation of ecological improvements associated with restored stream flows and expanded wetland kalo patches.
• Nā Moku ʻAupuni ‘O Ko‘olau Hui, led by Jessie-Ellen Kekiwi-Aweau: $20,000 for its Lo‘i and ‘Auwai Restoration Project in Keʻanae. The project focuses on restoring traditional water infrastructure that supports food sovereignty, cultural continuity and ecological health in one of East Maui’s historically significant wetland taro-growing regions.
• Friends of Twin Falls, represented by Maile Davis: $19,000 for Kupu Wai o Ho‘olawa, a yearlong youth and community education program. The project will bring together students, cultural practitioners and scientists to study the Ho‘olawa Hydrological Unit through place-based learning, water testing and mapping.
• Okada Design, led by Corinne Okada Takara, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math educator and artist with family ties to East Maui: $8,000 for the Mizu-Wai Story Weaving Kit. The project combines lauhala weaving workshops with an online toolkit to facilitate community storytelling and oral history exchanges that document connections among people, place and water.
• Kahu ʻĀina: Earth Guardian Network, led by Liana Murillo: $8,000 for ʻŌhiʻa Lehua Waihonua. The project expands an outdoor education program for children in Huelo, emphasizing intergenerational knowledge-sharing, stream stewardship and cultural and scientific observation.

Young thanked those who submitted applications for this year’s round of grants and encouraged interested applicants to stay connected and apply for future funding opportunities in 2026.

For more information about EMWA grants, call (808) 793-9785 or email emwagrants@co.maui.hi.us.