Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund Awards Grants to Five Hawaii Charities in 2021
The Hawai’i Life Charitable Fund (HLCF) granted funds to five Hawai‘i charities this year. Each charitable nonprofit received a grant in the amount of $5,000.
Four were carefully selected following the HLCF’s grant application deadline earlier this year. The fifth grant recipient was selected for the Mealoha Kraus People’s Choice Award. The HLCF’s 2021 grant recipients included:
- Cup of Cold Water (Maui)
- Women in Need (Kaua‘i)
- Education Incubator (O‘ahu)
- Vibrant Hawaiʻi (on Hawai‘i Island)
- Maui Swim Club (Maui – Mealoha Kraus People’ Choice Award)
“There are plenty of nonprofits in need right now given the economic impacts of the pandemic,” said HLCF Board Chair Linda Hussey. “The Board felt deeply about these choices because they best represented what ‘Ohana Love truly means to us all,” she continued, referring the HLCF’s giving focus in 2021, defined as: ‘Ohana Love: Assisting Hawaii’s families in need of shelter, food, health care, and education to live as healthfully as possible.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Maui Swim Club. Maui Swim Club team photo at a recent swim meet. Pictured above:
Group photo at Sakamoto Swim Invitational.
Each year, the HLCF chooses a giving focus and disburses grants through the Hawai’i Love grant program to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across the state. Grant recipients apply online and are chosen by the HLCF Board of Directors for their alignment with the fund’s mission and chosen giving focus for that year.
The Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund is is expertly managed and its grants are disbursed through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.
Learn More About This Year’s Grant Recipients
A Cup of Cold Water is an outreach program benefiting the unsheltered population on Maui. The program is a food and clothing distribution service for the poor and needy in the community. It uses a care van to deliver essential food, hygiene, and clothing items throughout the island, with the support of a dedicated volunteer base from the Episcopal Churches on Maui, churches of various denominations, organizations, and other caring volunteers from the broader Maui community.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: A Cup of Cold Water, an outreach program for the unsheltered on Maui.
Women in Need (WIN) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers women who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration. WIN is committed to guiding women and teens towards sobriety, self-esteem, and responsibility through a warm, nurturing, and holistic approach. WIN provides a broad range of direct services, including clean and sober housing, parenting and life skills classes, employment services, domestic violence education, outpatient substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, advocacy, and more.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Women in Need on Kaua‘i (WIN). WIN employees who worked hard and tirelessly to make Kealaula a reality. Pictured left to right: Kai, Alison, Mahealani, Sharon, Keith (Mayor’s office), Kim, Mary Lou, Shan, Mayor Derek Kawakami.
Education Incubator empowers people to live with passion and purpose in service of a better world. They create virtual innovation and invention programs for learners of all ages through a range of activities to promote place-based, culture-based, purpose-driven and innovative approaches to education and entrepreneurship for a thriving Hawaiʻi. Their free Foundations of ALOHA program is in its 10th cohort (visit their site for information on Cohort 11), and has reached hundreds of participants across Hawaiʻi. Participants learn about and practice ALOHA as a way of life through the teachings of Aunty Pilahi Paki and Uncle Pono Shim.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Education Incubator
Vibrant Hawaiʻi convenes island-wide, multi-generational, multi-sector stakeholders from every district of Hawaiʻi Island. They aim to shift the deficit narratives and increase equity and wealth on Hawai‘i Island by implementing strategies developed and resourced by the community that reflect native intelligence in the areas of housing, health, education, financial resilience, and economy.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Vibrant Hawaiʻi. Virtual Field Trip with Ka’ikena Scanlan and Brandon Lee of Kaunamano Farms at Hamakua Youth Center Hub.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Vibrant Hawaiʻi. UHH Meal Bag preparation with student athletes.
The 2021 Mealoha Kraus People’s Choice Award
Following the careful selection process, Hawaii residents were asked to support their favorite island charities from the balance of grant applicants through an online survey.
The Maui Swim Club received the most public support through the HLCF survey and received the Mealoha Kraus People’s Choice Award — a grant of $5,000. The annual award was established to honor the memory of our late Hawaii Life colleague, Mealoha Kraus, who served as the HLCF’s first board chairperson.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Maui Swim Club. Maui Swim Club coaches watching their team compete at the state level.
Please join the HLCF in fundraising efforts for Hawai‘i charitable nonprofit organizations
Donations can also be made by check mailed to:
ATTN: Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund*
C/O Hawai‘i Community Foundation
827 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813-4317
*Please write ‘Hawai‘i Life Charitable Fund’ in the memo line of your check.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: A Cup of Cold Water. A dedicated volunteer at A Cup of Cold Water delivers to the community.
The HLCF will begin accepting grant applications for the next grant cycle early next year. We look forward to your interest in our 2022 Hawai‘i Love grant cycle. More details to follow.
Leave your opinion here. Please be nice. Your Email address will be kept private, this form is secure and we never spam you.