Maui Strong Fund awards $575,000 to 3 organizations providing relief for children, families affected by Maui wildfires

Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced the award of $575,000 to three nonprofit partners focused on providing assistance to Maui families with small children who have been affected by the fires in August: Partners in Development Foundation, Child and Family Service, and the Hoʻoikaika Partnership with fiscal sponsor Maui Family Support Services.

In total, the Maui Strong Fund has now distributed $2.8 million in grants in the “Children and Family” sector.

The grants were made possible by donations to the Maui Strong Fund, which was created to support evolving needs, including food, grief counseling, rental support, and other services as identified by HCF partners doing critical work on Maui.

Partners in Development Foundation, in August received a $108,434 grant to support its mobile Tūtū and Me program for Maui families with small children, and this month, has received an additional $250,000 grant to support the expansion of Ka Paʻalana programming to Maui, scaling to address unmet needs for families recovering from the impacts of the fires on their lives and livelihoods. The culturally grounded, trauma-informed family-child interaction learning program is expanding services to ensure the mobile preschool can meet essential community needs on Maui.

Child & Family Service received a $150,000 grant in late November to support its Neighborhood Place of Wailuku program that provides essential resources to the community, offering to fulfill unmet needs for anyone affected by the fires, including financial assistance, information and referrals, basic necessities, and expenses for childcare, car seats, cribs, formula, clothing, hygienic supplies, keiki activities, and more.

Hoʻoikaika Partnership with fiscal sponsor Maui Family Support Services received a $175,000 grant on December 1 to support direct services to families impacted by the fires, including health resources and workshops, as well as education and training centered in Hawaiian values to build resilience in families and the workforce. Funds will support network coordination, counseling services, evaluation, training and concrete support supplies, printing costs, travel, and website design and maintenance.

“We are providing compassionate care to the families we serve, fostering connections, facilitating healing, and empowering them to feel supported in a time of tremendous loss. In addition, we have helped families address fundamental needs by distributing cash or gift cards for groceries and everyday necessities,” said Shawn Kanaʻiaupuni, president and CEO of Partners in Development Foundation. “The collaboration and support from Hawaiʻi Community Foundation was critical to our effective and timely response to these vital needs. We are hugely grateful to be a trusted community partner.”

Justina Acevedo-Cross, program director of the HCF Promising Minds initiative, says, ““These Maui Strong Fund grant awards are a crucial element of Maui’s recovery efforts, because they are directly supporting families with children to create a strong sense of safety and connection to the communities they are part of. Behind each of these grant awards is a child’s chance to process trauma, heal, and get the support needed to have resilient lives long into their adulthood.”

As of Dec. 13, 2023, HCF has awarded $34.9 million from its Maui Strong Fund to more than 150 organizations.

HCF has a unique role in disaster preparedness and response. The organization collaborates with partners, both inside and outside philanthropy, for a coordinated effort to secure maximum community impact. HCF has demonstrated its ability to raise funds quickly—and deploy grants rapidly to community organizations that are at the heart of emergency response efforts.

• For nonprofit organizations seeking funding from the Maui Strong Fund, visit the HCF website here for detailed instructions on how to apply for a grant from the Maui Strong Fund.  
• For donations to the Maui Strong Fund at HCF, visit https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong.
• For questions or additional information on giving, contact Donor Services at 808-566-5560 or donorservices@hcf-hawaii.org.