Community Tourism Collaborative - Community Stewardship Program

Eligibility & Information

• NOTE: APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2024 COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP COHORT ARE NOW CLOSED

  Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) organization, Hawaiʻi non-profit, or entity that is organized for purposes other than profit. Applicants should currently be engaged in or actively working towards stewarding a DMAP-identified hotspot. For a list of all DMAP-identified hotspots, please see the FAQ section below. If you steward ʻāina that is not listed, there will be an “OTHER” category where you will be able to list the place your organization stewards and provide additional information about the project/program location. Entities organized for-profit will not be accepted into this program. For-profit businesses who apply under a fiscal sponsor for the purpose of achieving non-profit status will not be accepted at this time. Applicants must be able to provide a Hawaiʻi Express Compliance certificate and W-9 at the time of the award.

  Multiple proposals from an organization for different and separate programs may be submitted and will be reviewed and considered independently of one other. In order to ensure resources are available to support a range of organizations, there will be some limitations on awards:

  • An applicant may only apply for funding from one (1) of the Community Tourism Collaborative programs (CTC - Community Stewardship and CTC - Regenerative Experiences) for the same project/program.

  • If an applicant applies to both CTC programs, they may only be accepted into one, depending on space.

  • A project/program may not receive funding concurrently from multiple HTA programs. [Ex. If an organization received 2024 ʻUmeke funding for a project/program, that same project/program will not be eligible for these CTCs for 2024.]

  Applications must include:

  • All applications must be submitted online and respond to all questions and budget forms.

  • Applicant’s Articles of Incorporation (preferred) or other documentation such as Bylaws that verify the person(s) authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the organization.

• The following criteria will be considered in reviewing applications to determine the appropriate fit and eligibility for the CTC Community Stewardship program, funding request, and consultant support. Evaluators may take into account the written application, follow-up interviews, consultation with subject matter experts, and any other information that helps to inform these criteria. In making a final selection of cohort members, evaluation scores will be one element of selection. The final cohort may also take into consideration representation among geographic regions, diversity of projects, availability of consultants, and the overall feasibility of the project to meet timing and funding requirements.

  The preference will be to provide selected applicants the full funding requested as well as the two identified priority consultants; however, the program may make a different offer depending upon availability and fit. Selected applicants will also need to meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the application. At the discretion of the program administrator, technical corrections may be allowed during the evaluation process.

Timeline

Funding Opportunity:

• Applicants may apply for professional services and consultation in the identified areas in the following section to extend their community stewardship activities and build internal capacity. Applicants may be awarded up to two (2) areas of interest and will select from the list of offerings on the following page. This does not guarantee selection and awarding. If selected to be a member of the community stewardship cohort, services and consultation will be provided for an organization and paid directly to the consultant on behalf of the organization. All assets produced by the consultant will be the property of the organization upon completion of the cohort activities.

  Cohort members may apply for funding to expand their stewardship efforts and further their mission. Applicants must be able to quantify and project the future benefits of the product(s) or service(s) that the direct funding will produce. Direct funding awards may average $50,000 and must be spent by December 1, 2024.

  Matching funds are not required for this funding opportunity.

• The following activities are not eligible for funding:

  • Business or organizational start-up plans;

  • Fundraising events (an event to raise money for your organization or a specific cause);

  • Litigation efforts;

  • Endowments;

  • Real Property, fixtures, and durable goods over $2,500;

  • Capital improvements;

  • Conferences/Conventions;

  • Prize money;

  • Merchandising (HTA funds to purchase goods (e.g. T-shirts) which will be resold for a profit);

  • Projects receiving funding from other HTA programs for the year 2025, including, but not limited to, the HTA’s Kūkulu Ola Program, Signature Events, Resort Area Hawaiian Culture Initiatives, and Destination Management Plans (DMAP);

  • Projects receiving State Grants-In-Aid (GIA) funds. If GIA funds are received for a different project, the organization can still apply to this opportunity;

  • Reimbursement for pre-award expenditures or costs before September 1, 2024; and

  • Sum of goods purchased may not exceed 50% of total award funds.

Assistance Areas

• Marketing/Social Media Consultant

• Examples of tangible assets: marketing/social media strategic plan, templates, content creation, etc.; organization’s public-facing moʻolelo development

• Examples of capacity building: how to use marketing/social media strategies and templates to tell the organizational moʻolelo and increase engagement; how to use social media tools to create a long-term social media plan (e.g., scheduled posts)

• Marketing/Website Developer

• Examples of tangible assets: an easy-to-use, easy-to-update, drag-and-drop website; integration with external platforms like FareHarbor, Travel2Change, Eventbrite, Google Suite, etc.

• Examples of capacity building: how to upkeep, update, maintain, and edit the website; how to engage with external platforms in a way that builds the organization’s reach, capacity, and expediency

• Funding Opportunity/Report Writing/Data Collection Consultant

• Examples of tangible assets: grant opportunities list, writing of a grant application, review of past unsuccessful grant applications with advice for future success, writing of final reports, data collection best practices, review of obtained data, development of questionnaires or survey instruments for data collection

• Examples of capacity building: how to structure and write a grant application, how to collect data to inform the organization’s mission, structure, and purpose, how to write final reports

• Land Management Consultant

  • Examples of tangible assets: site planning, land-specialized legal learning, land management strategic plan, best practices in acquiring land, stewarding ʻāina owned by other landowners, or partnering with large-scale ʻāina management organizations

  • Examples of capacity building: how to understand and navigate public agencies and understand jurisdiction, how to engage legal and planning professionals in supporting the organizational mission from a land and property perspective; how to balance cultural and environmental needs in land management systems

• Volunteer Management Consultant

  • Examples of tangible assets: volunteer management plan, including how to communicate, organize, utilize, and keep existing volunteers or develop a volunteer stream; connections with visitor industry (e.g., hotels, cruise ships) to support voluntourism; best practices in engaging volunteers; stewardship management plan

  • Examples of capacity building: how to utilize local and/or visiting volunteers to support organizational mission and activities; how to find, recruit, and maintain volunteers; how to engage visitor industry partners in supporting a voluntourism program

• Cultural Education Consultant

  • Examples of tangible assets: wahi pana content (e.g., moʻolelo, mele, oli, moʻokūʻauhau) to include in stewardship events, cultural consultation on initiatives, experiences, and programs provided

  • Examples of capacity building: how to share wahi pana content and ʻike with malihini in a way that is easy to understand; how to interweave different cultural elements together in a clean narrative; how to steward ʻāina in a values-based manner

• Organizational Development Consultant

  • Examples of tangible assets: strategic action plan, succession plan, growth plan, leadership plan, board training, etc.

  • Examples of capacity building: how to leverage organizational assets to prepare strategically for the future; how to scale the organization in a manageable, intentional way; how to mentor organizational members or locate external community members to continue stewardship work into the future; how to structure leadership (and/or paid staff) to best support the organizational mission, programs, and goals

• Other Consultants

  • Organizations are able to request consultation for specific organizational needs, considered on a case-by-case basis. For example:

    • Community relations, Community engagement, Community outreach

    • Navigating working with public sector agencies

    • Architectural, construction, and/or design consultants

    • Financial consultants

    • Environmental/sustainability consultants