A program of Kupu and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, the Hawaiʻi Youth Sustainability Challenge (HYSC) is an initiative to empower Hawaiʻi youth to create solutions to conservation and sustainability challenges in their schools and communities. The solutions to the challenges must be student-driven. Selected students must be in grades 9-12 and will receive funding (up to $1,000), guidance, and training to support their innovative and grassroots environmental initiatives. Exemplary student teams will also be selected to present at the annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference.

To inspire students to design solutions for conservation and sustainability problems in their schools and communities, while developing a long-term conservation ethic, enhancing their leadership skills, and connecting with each other and members of the broader community.

Our program supports creative solutions to conservation and sustainability problems students identify in their schools and communities.  The solutions to the challenges must be student-driven.  

Some of the questions we think about when reviewing applications are: 

• Is the project student-driven? Is it clear that a student identified the solution and will be the one working on the project throughout HYSC? 

• What kind of impact will this project have? Will this project affect the student’s school or community? Or help a local organization address the problems it is facing? 

• How creative is the project? Is the project innovative? 

• How much thought have they given their proposal? Is the project solving a clearly identified problem in a way that makes sense?

Projects are the student's responsibility - students identify the solution/direction of the project and are in charge of executing the project.

• Teacher-driven initiatives

• Field trips

• General requests for classroom supplies

• General requests for food/beverages that are not directly connected to project goals

Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation offers a variety of programs that support environmental initiatives in schools, including Field Trip Grants and Project Grants for educators looking to cover transportation costs, site fees, etc. for field trips and purchase of materials for school-related conservation projects. 

Please visit kokuahawaiifoundation.org/programs to learn more about their programs and funding opportunities.  

Hawaiʻi students in grades 9th - 12th.

At this time, funding can only be awarded to students enrolled in Hawaiʻi schools. Grants may be awarded to students being homeschooled in Hawaiʻi on a case-by-case basis.   

At this time, funding can only be awarded to students enrolled in Hawaiʻi schools. Grants may be awarded to students working with nonprofits on a case-by-case basis.   

Applications must be submitted through an online Google Form which can be found on our website. 

You will need the following for your application to HYSC to be considered complete:

• Completed application form - You can review a copy of the application on our website

• Project budget - template on our website

• Project timeline - template on our website

• Project visual (e.g., detailed drawings, photos, prototype, etc.) - this should NOT be a stock image from the internet! 

• Find an Advisor from your school to oversee your project 

Note: You may be asked to complete an informal interview about your project upon submitting your application 

The budget and timeline templates are linked into the application form and can also be found under "What You Need to Apply to the HYSC" on our website.

 If you have any trouble accessing the templates, please contact hysc@kupuhawai.org. 

We only require one application per team; therefore, please submit a single application form for all individuals planning to participate in HYSC as “Student Leads”  on a team (max 3 students). There will be a section to fill out each Student Lead’s information separately within the application form. To learn more about what a Student Lead is, please check out the Student Lead Role Expectations Sheet found here.

Yes. Collaborations are encouraged! Please submit a single application form for all individuals planning to participate in HYSC as “Student Leads” on a team (max 3 students). There will be a section to fill out each Student Lead’s information separately within the application form. 

Yes. Collaborations are encouraged! Please pick one school as the "lead" for submitting the application and then fill out a section for each student on the application in the “Individual Student Lead Information" sections. If students are from a different school than the one listed on the application, please include their school in the “other” option when  you list their grades.

Google Forms will automatically save a draft of your application for up to 30 days AS LONG AS YOU ARE LOGGED INTO A GOOGLE ACCOUNT. To ensure that your draft is being saved as you go, make sure that you see the “draft saved” icon toward the top of the application form. You will need to access the application from the same Google Account that you started filling it out with to retrieve your progress. 

We strongly recommend looking at the Application Guide found on our website and preparing your answers ahead of time. 

A copy of your completed application will be emailed to you upon submission. Please contact hysc@kupuhawaii.org with any further questions regarding the status of your application.

Yes, Google Forms will give you the option to go back and edit your application after it has been submitted up until the due date. If you are having trouble and need to edit your application, please contact hysc@kupuhawaii.org. 

1. Our Review Committee will meet in October to review all completed applications. 

2. HYSC Program Staff will follow-up with you/your team through a phone/video interview to clarify any questions we have about your project as well as to share more about the program. 

3. HYSC Program Staff will send out selection emails in late October once decisions are made.

HYSC Student Leads are leaders of their projects and are responsible for completing program requirements. Other students can still actively work on the project without being an HYSC Student Lead. Read more about the role expectations of an HYSC Student Lead here.

HYSC allows between 1 - 3 students to participate in HYSC as "Student Leads" working on a project. It is perfectly okay to have just 1 person acting as a Student Lead and you are not required to find others to join your team to apply to HYSC.

Teams are required to identify an adult from their school to serve as a “School Advisor” for the duration of the HYSC program. HYSC School Advisors can be a teacher, counselor, principal, advisor, coach, etc. as long as they are employed by a team's school. An HYSC School Advisor should be familiar with the team's project idea and kept up to date on its progress throughout the HYSC term. They should be someone that can help a team achieve its project goals/overcome challenges and be comfortable with HYSC staff potentially reaching out to them about a project. For more information about School Advisor expectations, please see this document.

You will receive:

• Up to $1,000 in funding

• Guidance and connections facilitated by HYSC staff

• Training opportunities to support your project work and your overall learning

• Opportunities to have your project shared with larger audiences (through our networks via social media and blog posts, on the local news, or during a forum at the annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference!)

The maximum amount of funding provided per project is $1,000. 

Note: your requested amount needs to be justified in your project budget and final awards are based on scope and need. We have supported teams in the past that required little to no funding.

Not at all! Final awards are based on project scope and need. We have supported teams in the past that required little to no funding.

Awarded funds will be distributed as reimbursements on a monthly basis.

There is an option for teams to submit a purchase request (where HYSC makes the purchase for them) on a special-case basis.

To learn more about funding through HYSC please check out our "Funding and Profitable Projects" Guidelines found here. 

Any amount you spend above your award will not be reimbursed.

All equipment, supplies, hardware, software, etc. purchased through HYSC are retained as property of your school once the project is complete.

Prototypes, inventions, ideas, schematics, etc. will remain with the Student Lead(s) as their property at the end of HYSC.

No. Funding is distributed either as reimbursement in which you will receive a check for the amount project-related materials were purchased for, or through purchase requests in which project-related materials are purchased on your behalf. Funding is not distributed as "wages" for completing a project.

Though you will not receive your funding as "wages," certain HYSC projects that involve the creation and sale of a product, good, or service may result in the project generating money. If your project happens to fall into this category, there are a number of ways we have identified as being appropriate means for handling this money; please review our “Funding and Profitable Project Guidelines” found here to learn more.

In addition to completing the project, all Student Leads must:

• Attend orientation

• Attend required training sessions (1-2 virtual sessions + in-person all-team training day)

• Complete required Program Check-ins over the course of HYSC

• Submit all final reporting requirements

1. Each Student Lead must sign a program agreement and media releases upon acceptance into the program

2. Student Leads must complete all final reporting requirements which include:  

• Final reporting forms

• Final budget form

• 5 photographs with captions

• Video or Presentation 

On average, teams spend about 20 hours on their projects per month - this includes time spent participating in or completing specific HYSC program requirements as well as time spent generally making progress on your project. Of the 20 hours, we anticipate about 2-3 hours each month be spent solely on completing specific HYSC-related tasks/assignments (such as participating in check-ins with program staff; filling out feedback surveys, etc.).

That being said, we know high school is a busy time for extracurricular clubs, sports, family commitments, jobs, etc. all in addition to completing schoolwork, so please communicate with us if HYSC is becoming too much to handle or you need some extra time/help with requirements.

Please visit our website to learn about the program, how to apply, get ideas, and check out past projects.

Yes! Please contact hysc@kupuhawaii.org or call (808) 735-1221 x2008 to schedule a virtual or in-person class presentation for your students to learn more. 

Kupu and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation each support a variety of youth environmental initiatives. For more information on other Kupu and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation programs, please visit:

• www.kupuhawaii.org/programs (or contact info@kupuhawaii.org)

• https://kokuahawaiifoundation.org/our-programs/