The Hawaiian Islands Environmental Finance Center
Our Mission
We are dedicated to empowering communities and ensuring water abundance for all of Hawai‘i’s people.
The Hawaiian Islands Environmental Finance Center (HIEFC) is a program operated by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF). We provide resources, training, and technical assistance to community groups and government agencies within the Hawaiian Islands. Our goal is to equip these entities with the tools and knowledge necessary to secure federal funding for water conservation, recharge, and reuse projects and to build a healthy water workforce.
How We Help
With a genuine commitment to our community, we connect organizations to the financial resources and development opportunities critical to protecting and stewarding Hawai‘i’s water sources.
What We Do
We offer expertise to organizations seeking water infrastructure project funding and provide workforce development program support for water resource agencies, ensuring a sustainable future for Hawai‘i's water sector.
Testimonials
“The HIEFC is a testament to our organization’s commitment to fostering a more resilient, sustainable future for our state. In Hawai‘i, water is an invaluable resource, essential for cultural and traditional practices and to assure we have thriving healthy ecosystems from mauka to makai. We also need water for our local families to prosper, which requires affordable housing infrastructure so people can stay in Hawai‘i —and a regenerative water system to support that need.”
—Micah Kāne, CEO and president of HCF
“We are so thankful for the HIEFC’s kōkua. The team guided us through the grant application process, providing assistance with application review and editing, and helping us craft a thorough and comprehensive project narrative that captured the essence of what’s happening on Mauna Kea, strengthening the overall grant application. We look forward to working with the HIEFC again in the future.”
—Cheyenne Hiapo Perry, coordinator of the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance