HCF’s Maui Strong Fund One-Year Impact Report released; $109.4M in grants deployed following Maui wildfires

The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation today released its Maui Strong Fund One-Year Impact Report sharing the impact of grants deployed to support the immediate and long-term recovery of the people and places affected by the devastating wildfires on Maui in August 2023. 

Over the past year, $195 million has been raised for the Maui Strong Fund, including interest earned, thanks to the generosity of more than 240,000 individuals from 78 countries and more than 5,000 corporations. 

“We want to express a heartfelt mahalo to donors here in Hawaiʻi, across the United States, and around the world for the incredible outpouring of generosity for the communities of Maui,” said Hawaiʻi Community Foundation CEO and president Micah Kāne. “We move into this next phase of recovery with gratitude and hope, as we work to fulfill the community’s vision on how to rebuild Lahaina, and continue our deep collaboration with public and private partners to meet the needs of survivors.” 

As of July 19, 2024, $109.4 million from the Maui Strong Fund has been awarded to 196 grantee partners, with additional grantmaking in progress. Click here for a detailed breakdown of grant making by category. 

“The Maui Strong Fund has been critical to Maui’s recovery in the past year, and will continue to be in the coming years as we look to the community’s vision for a stronger, more resilient Maui,” said Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green. “I appreciate HCF’s leadership and its continued commitment to addressing affordable housing as a priority for the entire Maui community.” 

The Maui Strong Fund was one of four Hawai‘i Strong Funds set up by HCF in 2018—one each for the counties of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island—as a way to efficiently mobilize support for relief and recovery efforts in the event of disaster. In 2019, HCF adopted a four-phase approach to disaster response modeled after FEMA’s National Disaster Recovery Framework. The approach acknowledges both the immediate and long-term recovery needs for the people and places affected by disaster events. On Aug. 9, 2023, just hours after news of the fires’ devastation began to spread, HCF activated its Maui Strong Fund. 

“We mahalo the consistent support and partnership of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation,” said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen. “Since the night of the fires, HCF leaned in to ensure that the Maui community was supported in every way possible to recover from the fires. Words cannot express how much we appreciate their support, and the support of all of the donors in Hawaiʻi and throughout the world who have showed their aloha for Maui.” 

HCF is currently in Phase 3 of its Maui Strong Fund disaster response, Recovery and Stabilization, focusing on longer-range efforts, including interventions and programs designed to strengthen the health of Maui’s economy and communities while supporting community organizations engaging with families. 

Looking forward, HCF will approach MSF grantmaking through a collaborative funding model, working with government and other partners to identify gaps in support that can be best filled with philanthropic dollars. The next phase of funding will prioritize addressing Maui’s supply of affordable housing, supporting economic and workforce development, mental health and healing, boosting educational attainment and post-secondary readiness for Maui’s students, and building resiliency systems so Hawaiʻi is both stronger overall and better prepared for its next disaster. 

HCF reports it is committed to transparency in its grant awards. All partners that have received Maui Strong Fund grant awards, as well as the day the grant was approved, the amount granted, and the work each partner is doing on Maui, can be found on the Maui Strong Fund webpage. 

HCF is not collecting its standard administrative fee for donating to the Maui Strong Fund. Instead, 100% of the funds are distributed for community needs stemming from the Maui fires, and HCF is reinvesting any investment earnings derived from Maui Strong Fund assets back into the fund to carry out its purpose. 

Quicklinks:

• One-Year Impact Report and accompanying message from CEO and President Micah Kāne.
• For nonprofit organizations seeking funding from the Maui Strong Fund, visit this page on the HCF website for detailed instructions on how to apply for a Maui Strong Fund grant.
• For donations to the Maui Strong Fund at HCF, click here.