A $100,000 grant has been awarded to the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu for the planning and design of environmentally sustainable buildings on the new Kapolei campus.

The grant was given by the Kresge Foundation, a national group committed to helping nonprofit organizations that advance human well-being. Gene Awakuni, UH-West O'ahu chancellor, said the grant from Kresge's "Green Building" initiative, intended to encourage nonprofits to "build green," is a first for the UH system.

Groundbreaking for the Kapolei campus is slated for early 2008. The first phase is expected to be completed in fall 2009.