Operation, Maintenance, and Management Grant

The Operation, Maintenance, and Management Grant is administered through the Legacy Land Conservation Program of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. The grant supports the operation, maintenance, and management of property that has already been conserved by way of the Land Conservation Fund. An organization may apply when it holds property acquired with a Legacy Land grant or an interest in such property. A single application may cover one conserved property or several conserved properties owned by the same applicant. The maximum award is $51,000 per grant. Grant funds are limited to five expenditure categories: equipment; maintenance and repair; materials and supplies; professional services to prepare a management plan; and professional services to prepare an environmental assessment. Nothing outside these categories may be paid with grant funds. Matching fund costs are also limited to these categories and must be reasonable and necessary to accomplish project objectives. For a county agency or nonprofit land conservation organization, matching funds of at least 25 percent of the total project cost are required. Match may consist of direct moneys, a combination of public and private funds, land value donation, in-kind contributions, or a combination of these forms. In-kind valuation must be documented, donated services must be provided by skilled professionals, and in-kind contributions must be integral and necessary to the approved project. Applicants may request an advance payment, but an approved advance is limited to 15 percent of the approved award or the minimum amount needed, whichever is less. The applicant must demonstrate that the advance is urgently needed to protect, restore, or maintain resources at risk and explain the need in the budget narrative. Apart from an approved advance, grant funds are distributed against evidence of actual costs and expenditures, including documentation demonstrating that a reasonable price was secured for a good or service. If actual total project cost at payment is lower than the application estimate, the department requires the same proportion of matching funds to awarded funds that was established in the application. The application period opens August 31, 2026. Applicants first complete the online OMM Grant Application Sign-up Form to request access to the Fiscal Year 2027 OMM Grant Application. The email address supplied during sign-up becomes the main point of contact for application correspondence. LLCP staff manually create a SharePoint application folder and send an email invitation that provides access. The application must be completed in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than in a browser. Applicants unable to use Adobe may use the provided accessible Excel budget workbook for the two budget worksheets and may contact the program office for another format for the remainder of the application. The application includes a cover page, five scope of work pages, an image list, budget rules, two calculating budget pages, and a budget narrative. Scope of work responses address the property and its resources and management history; proposed management activities and need for grant funds; deliverables and completion timeframes; measurable outcomes and indicators; and continuation of the work and tracking after the grant period. Applicants must also provide maps showing where proposed activities will occur and photos illustrating the areas and resources to be maintained or managed, with captions and a maximum of ten images combined. The budget identifies total project cost across Applicant, LLCP, and Other columns, followed by matching fund sources and status. The budget narrative identifies entities providing match, the status of each contribution, and any requested advance payment and its justification. The Legacy Land Conservation Commission reviews, scores, and recommends applications. One hundred evaluation points are available. The largest criterion, worth 20 points, evaluates the role and necessity of proposed activities in protecting, maintaining, or restoring resources at risk or providing greater public access and enjoyment. Other criteria consider resource value to the State, project cost, matching funds leveraged, urgency, short- and long-term efficacy, community support, environmental hazards, management planning, consistency with existing plans, regional benefit, and application completeness. Priority is given to specified categories of lands, including lands with exceptional aesthetic, cultural, archaeological, habitat, agricultural, or other conservation value and lands or resources facing development, modification, harm, theft, or destruction. The application deadline is October 12, 2026. The Commission meeting to review, score, and recommend applications is scheduled for November 10, 2026, subject to Commissioner availability for a quorum. Legislative consultation is expected in February through March 2027, Board of Land and Natural Resources approval in April 2027, Governor approval in May 2027, and encumbrance of Fiscal Year 2027 funds for approved grants in June 2027; dates after the Commission meeting may occur sooner or later than indicated. Completed applications must be present, readable, and navigable in the applicant's SharePoint folder, with maps and photos uploaded separately and bookmarks added to the final PDF. Program assistance is available at legacyland@hawaii.gov or 808.586.0921.

Write substantively toward the narrative character limits because completeness is scored; use measurable indicators with a baseline, target, timeframe, and repeatable measurement method; clearly demonstrate the role and necessity of activities in protecting, maintaining, or restoring resources at risk or increasing public access because that criterion is worth 20 points; verify the required match, $51,000 award cap, reconciliation, and advance-payment calculation; choose the maps and photos that best demonstrate the property and proposed work