Hawaiʻi Community Foundation awards $282,500 in grants to support mental and behavioral health

The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, through its Mental and Behavioral Health Stigma-Reduction Messaging Grants Program, has awarded $282,500 in seed grants to 17 nonprofit organizations to support building organizational capacity for messaging that reduces mental and behavioral health stigma within Island communities.

These new grants are part of HCF’s Three-Year Mental and Behavioral Health (M&BH) Strategy, aimed at reducing stigma, enhancing access to mental health services, and empowering communities across Hawai‘i. Leveraging HCF’s CHANGE Framework and evidence-based approaches, the strategy builds on initiatives such as Promising Minds to improve mental and behavioral health systems for children and families.

Key objectives include reduced stigma around mental illness in targeted communities, and integration of improved education, screening, intervention, and treatment within health systems. HCF is partnering with diverse organizations serving underserved populations, including Native Hawaiians, Micronesians/Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, parents with young children, and LGBTQIA+ individuals, to address community-specific M&BH issues.

Gregg Kishaba, HCF Health and Wellness program director, says, “At HCF, we envision a future where mental and behavioral health is embraced as an essential part of our collective well-being. By elevating community voices and honoring cultural strengths, we are dismantling stigma, expanding access to care, and transforming systems so every person in Hawai‘i has equitable opportunities to thrive.”

Morea Mendoza, director of leadership and operations at grantee Pacific Birth Collective, said:

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“In Hawai‘i, many families and maternal health practitioners face significant barriers to accessing mental and behavioral health care. Generational trauma, cultural expectations, and historical mistrust of Western systems discourage help-seeking, while the belief that seeking support reflects weakness or failure prevents many from reaching out. Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino mothers experience the highest rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, yet fewer than 25 percent receive treatment. At Pacific Birth Collective, we work to dismantle these stigmas by providing culturally grounded, trauma-informed care, normalizing mental health conversations, and creating pathways that honor both traditional healing and modern support – ensuring that every parent and practitioner can access the help they need without fear or shame.” 

The full list of grantees, by island: 

Multi-Island

Child and Family Service – $15,000
Family Hui Hawaiʻi – $20,000
Hawaiʻi Association for Infant Mental Health – $20,000
Hawaiʻi Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders FASD Action Group – $15,000
Pacific Birth Collective – $15,000
Spill the Tea Cafe – $20,000

Hawaiʻi Island

He Hoʻomaka Hou Ana O Puna – $17,500
Jue Jue’s Safe Space – $15,000

Lānaʻi

Lānaʻi Community Health Center – $20,000

Maui

Maui Family Support Services – $10,000

Molokaʻi

Hoʻakā Mana – $15,000

Oʻahu

Bobby Benson Center – $15,000
Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center – $20,000
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services – $10,000

ʻOhana Services Network – $20,000

Residential Youth Services and Empowerment – $15,000
Saint Louis School – $20,000

As part of this grant program, Strategies 360, contracted by HCF, will provide technical assistance to grantees, supporting message development and dissemination across key channels.