Pacific Whale Foundation mobilizes global support for Maui recovery

Pacific Whale Foundation, a Maui-based nonprofit dedicated to marine conservation, started two separate funds in response to the August 2023 wildfires on Maui: the PWF Maui Community Relief Fund and the PWF Maui Conservation Fund. These funds are designed to provide crucial assistance to the community and ocean. 

The PWF Maui Community Relief Fund is a restricted fund that was established to provide emergency supplies to survivors and to support organizations working to rebuild the Lahaina and Maui communities. Through support of the Pacific Whale Foundation network around the world, a total of $313,852 has been raised for this fund to date. These contributions have enabled PWF to directly support the community through fresh water and food deliveries to families living near the burn zone, installation of Starlinks to provide internet access, and other services (including garbage removal) to community hubs.

Pacific Whale Foundation Executive Director Kristie Wrigglesworth said, “Maui has given Pacific Whale Foundation so much over the last 44 years, and we are committed to supporting Maui’s recovery and the organizations that are helping to rebuild.”

Specifically, the PWF Maui Community Relief Fund has allowed Pacific Whale Foundation to make $300,000 in financial contributions to:

• Lahaina Community Land Trust to ensure any lands in Lahaina acquired are kept in trust for the community, whether that be for housing or other community uses. The organization has been carefully built to protect and care for native lands.
• Lahaina Restoration Foundation, a Hawaiʻi nonprofit organization chartered in 1962, to protect and preserve Lahaina’s historic and cultural heritage by supporting the restoration of historic sites and collections. 
• Maui Rapid Response, an ahupuaʻa based disaster response team made up of individuals from the Maui community and a number of nonprofit and direct-aid organizations, to support ongoing operational needs and supplies for Maui Rapid Responses Central Hub, Regional Community Resilience Hubs and transportation. 
• Treecovery Hawaiʻi to grow trees for future generations in Lahaina by keeping the trees in the fire zones alive and providing trees to residents and businesses in Lahaina and Kula that lost trees in the wildfires. 

In addition to the financial investment, PWF is actively partnering with these organizations to support and promote these efforts. 

The second fund, PWF Maui Conservation Fund, was established to assess, monitor and respond to the negative effects on the marine environment that have resulted from the wildfire disaster. This fund has enabled Pacific Whale Foundation to conduct ongoing efforts to monitor coral reef environments offshore of Lahaina, assess the health of whales and dolphins, and partner with other local conservation groups to provide hands-on support for projects that restore the ʻāina. 

Highlighting Pacific Whale Foundation’s dedication to transparency and impact, the organization ensures that 100% of the donations made to the PWF Maui Community Relief Fund and the PWF Maui Conservation Fund are allocated directly to the initiatives as earmarked. This commitment guarantees that every dollar donated is fully utilized for emergency supplies, recovery efforts, and conservation projects, with no deductions for administrative overheads or costs.

Organization leaders say this approach underscores the organization’s promise that donor contributions have the maximum impact on the ground, aiding in the swift recovery and ongoing preservation of Maui’s community and coastal environments.