Hawai’i Community Foundation deploys more than 20 grants to nonprofits statewide from Stronger Hawai’i Fund

One month after the kona low storms, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation announced the first round of more than 20 grants to nonprofit organizations statewide from the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, deploying more than $650,000 to nonprofits supporting communities facing over $2 billion in statewide damage. 

Across Hawai‘i, families and small businesses are now confronting a critical decision: can they afford to rebuild, or will they be forced to leave their communities? While the $175 million in state funding and additional federal resources are mobilizing, those funds will take time to reach communities and will not fully cover the cost of recovery.

“We are at a defining moment for Hawai‘i’s recovery,” said Terry George, CEO & President, Hawai‘i Community Foundation. “The support we mobilize in the coming weeks will make a profound difference in whether families, farmers, and small businesses can rebuild or face long-term displacement.”

HCF has begun distributing funds to trusted community organizations across the state, supporting a range of urgent and mid-term recovery needs. These early grants reflect HCF’s approach to rapid, flexible funding, supporting organizations already embedded in communities and able to respond immediately to evolving needs.

As of April 14, 2026, we have made the following awards from the Stronger Hawai‘i Fund:

• Aloha MAP FS: Friends of the Future – $10K for Emergency Response (Hawaiʻi Island)
• Aloha United Way – $150K to support operations of the 211-call center (Statewide)
• Catholic Charities – $100K for Emergency Response (Oʻahu County)
• ‘Elepaio Services – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (City & County of Honolulu)
• Hāna Farmer’s Market, FS: Hawai’i Farmers Union Foundation – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County-Moloka‘i)
• Hoʻakā Mana – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County – Moloka‘i)
• Holomua Outreach FS: Maui Grassroots Collective – $10K for Flood Response & Environmental Mitigation (Maui County/Molokaʻi)
• Hope Services – $10k for Emergency Response Efforts (Hawai‘i County)
• KEY Project – $10k for Emergency Response Hub at KEY Project (City & County of Honolulu)
• Kiloʻau Foundation – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts – Moloka‘i Cares (Maui County-Moloka‘i)
• Lāhui Foundation – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (City & County of Honolulu)
• Living Pono Project – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County)
• Mākaha Community Center – $10K for Flood Response & Community Coordination (Oʻahu County)
• Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. – $10K for Immediate Assistance & Needs Assessment (Maui County)
• Maui Grassroots Collective – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County)
• Maui Rapid Response FS: Maui Grassroot Collective – $10K for Materials Support for Flood-Impacted Households (Maui County)
• Our Hawaiʻi Foundation: Lahaina Strong – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County)
• Our Kupuna – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County – Maui)
• Red Lightning – $82,620 for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County) and $25K for Flood Response & Mitigation (Maui County/Molokaʻi)
• Sust‘āinable Moloka‘i – $10K for Emergency Response Efforts (Maui County)
• Vibrant Hawai‘i – $10k for Intermediary Support to Koʻolau Resilience Network/North Shore (City & County of Honolulu) and $5K for Storm Mitigation & Preparedness (Maui County/Molokaʻi)
• Wahiawa Center for Community Health – $10K for Mobile Health Services (Oʻahu County)

A full list of grantees can be found at hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/strengthening/stronger-hawaii.

“The good thing about the Stronger Hawai‘i Fund was that it was one of the first funding that we got as a Koʻolau Resilience Hub Network to be able to support our community,” said Rainbow Uliʻi-Akina, Executive Director of KEY Project. “And because of that quick response, we were able to immediately, within the first 24 hours, push out supplies into our community.”

Beyond the immediate impacts, the storms are creating longer-term challenges across the state. Agricultural losses will increase Hawaiʻi’s reliance on imported food, where more than 90% of food is already sourced from outside the islands. Infrastructure damage is expected to delay housing development and other critical community projects.

Through the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, HCF is addressing both immediate needs and long-term recovery, stabilizing families now while strengthening the systems that support communities during future disasters. Guided by its four-phase disaster framework, the Fund is focused on relief, recovery, and resilience to ensure help continues well beyond the initial response.

HCF invites individuals, businesses, and partners to continue supporting the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund to accelerate recovery efforts statewide.

To learn more or contribute, visit: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/stronger-hawaii-donate