Founded in 1978 and based in Honolulu, it’s a nonprofit membership organization committed to advancing information and communications technologies globally, with an emphasis on the Pacific Ocean and Pacific Rim.

“Our organization and our members focus on satellites, subsea cables, data centers, landing stations, mobile, fiber … we have members across the entire industry,” says Brian Moon, who has been PTC’s CEO since 2022. “As we’ve evolved, we’ve started to use the term ‘digital infrastructure,’ but it’s essentially telecommunications and connectivity.”

PTC has 12 full-time staff, some working on O‘ahu and others on the continent.

Members include megawatt names like AT&T, Starlink, Meta and Oracle; Islands-based companies like Hawaiian Telcom and Hawaii Pacific Teleport; and entities such as Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Fiji’s Ministry of Communications. There are more than 400 member companies, with 4,000 people total participating in the organization.

One member organization, Google, recently announced plans for a $1 billion project called Pacific Connect, which will create new fiber-optic internet subsea cables and link hubs throughout the Pacific, including Japan, Hawai‘i, Fiji, Australia, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

“The bigger picture is it not only increases connectivity and reliability of internet on the Hawaiian Islands, but will also become literally the lifelines to Pacific islands that many of us haven’t heard of,” says Moon. “When you talk about opportunities of what the internet can do, what technology can do, that’s what our organization’s mission is. When you can connect more and more people, especially the next generation, that opens opportunities, whether it is for remote learning, access to digital health or remote work. Some of these locations, we’re not talking about getting access to social media; they’re just trying to make a consistent phone call or start doing SMS messaging.”

“There are certain areas, Latin America and Africa, that are also going to be hotbeds of opportunity for the industry moving forward. But right now, there’s certainly a focus on the Pacific,” says Moon. “We’ve got companies like Google, who are investing a lot of resources financially. From a business opportunity, there are lots of people in the Pacific who aren’t connected, so it’s an opportunity to reach them. But it’s also an opportunity for the United States to connect with Asia.”

Annual Convening

PTC’s flagship event is its annual conference, which has grown into one of the industry’s most important meetings of the year. “It has become synonymous with the organization,” says Moon. “I like to call it the Davos of digital infrastructure.”

The PTC Conference is held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, typically in the second or third week in January. Several thousand people fly in from all over the world, with attendees from China and Singapore rubbing elbows with badge-wearers from Finland and India and striking up conversations over a mai tai with people from Kenya and Nepal.

“It brings the people with the research and academic credentials together with the movers and shakers, the people who are actually doing things. And there aren’t that many times when those people are together in the same hotel, over the same few days, sharing ideas,” says David Lassner, president of the UH System. Lassner is a former chair of PTC’s board and a lifetime member.

Lassner notes that along with conference sessions, plenty of business is conducted on the sidelines. “The major corporations that work in this space, they just rent a lot of rooms, and they are setting them up for offices and conducting business meetings all day, and hosting parties for their clients.”

He says the conference is better known outside the Islands than in it. “I think it’s known to a niche group here, but most of the participation is from outside Hawai‘i,” he says. “And it’s kind of amazing that we have one of the major global events, year in and year out, taking place here, and most people have no idea that it’s going on. Everybody who’s deploying major telecommunications infrastructure, certainly in this hemisphere, but anywhere in the world really, gathers in Honolulu in January. I think for Hawai‘i, we should be very proud that we’re a place that brings these people together.”

This year, PTC added a mid-year conference called PTC’DC that will take place in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 5 and 6.

“This will be approximately 250 to 300 attendees, much more intimate, and it’s very specific,” explains Moon. “What I mean by that is, we are convening with the government – the policymakers, regulators – and we’re bringing them together with the audience that PTC is known for, which is the C-suite.” There are a lot of potential regulations regarding digital infrastructure, and the group wants to educate the lawmakers on the issues.

PTC also conducts webinars year-round on timely topics such as AI. It also has an initiative, PTC Beyond, that supports emerging digital infrastructure professionals aged 35 and younger.

“We’ve also partnered with an organization called the ITU, the International Telecommunications Union, specifically on a program called Girls in ICT (information and communications technology). It focuses on young women professionals, promoting opportunities and careers in telecom,” Moon says.

“This specific one is around the Pacific, so when you look at islands like Fiji, Tuvalu and others, there are so many bright young women who are just looking for an opportunity. Let’s get them connected. … Then you can become an engineer, then you can become whatever you want to be, but you need this foundation first.”

Grazel Caceres, the lead wildlife biologist for Pūlama Lāna‘i, says she and her team work in forests, on mountains and other terrain on Lāna‘i to establish and protect local wildlife so the animal and plant species can survive and flourish.

For example, they keep predators out of an area on Lāna‘i that is one of the most important remaining habitats for ‘ua‘u, an endemic and now endangered seabird also known as the Hawaiian petrel.

Caceres finds ‘ua‘u fascinating and loves their resilience and instinctive nature, and their biological and cultural history.

“They are long-lived birds – 35 years or more – and become lifetime nesting partners. They were useful for voyagers in navigation and were a food source for Hawaiian royalty. Their guano, or excrement, provides nitrogen in their colony areas, which is important for the health of our native forests,” says Caceres.

“They’re easy to study and protect for future generations to experience. It is part of our history that still exists.”

The ‘ua‘u tend to nest in burrows on steep slopes. Despite the challenges, Caceres and her team carefully examine their breeding habits and successful nest hatchings, and observe behavior and seasonal variations that can dictate breeding locations and migration patterns.

They also work with ‘ua‘u kani, better known as wedgetailed shearwater, kāhuli (the Hawaiian tree snail) and ‘īlio holo i ka uaua, the traditional name for Hawaiian monk seals, which translates to “dog that runs in rough water.” Caceres’ team conducts surveys and rehabilitation for those species and traps pests such as stray cats and rats.

Without the work of her and her team, Caceres says, many species might not survive on Lāna‘i.

Though Caceres and her team primarily work with native animals, they also support native plants. “They bring a lot of life to our island and play a big role in keeping our watershed healthy,” says Caceres. “They also provide good ground vegetation for ‘ua‘u.”

She has seen much damage to native habitats from invasive plants such as strawberry guava.

“This tree plant is fast-growing, difficult to control if not done properly, and collects so much of our water to feed itself. Out in the field, they will out-compete the native plants on the landscape,” she says.

Caceres wants everyone to know the impact that plants and animals have on local ecosystems and traditions. Preserving native species not only protects the land but provides connections to Hawaiian culture, roots and history.

“Every native plant or wildlife individual that you see out in the field tells a story because it had importance to the people that inhabited these islands. These resources were key components to survival and their way of life.”

Caceres wants local communities to learn about and participate in conservation and says youth can learn much from hands on exercises.

“Sharing our knowledge about our resources can take many forms, from hosting a formal presentation to just talking story about our work. Allowing youth to be present in the work we do gives them a chance to understand its importance.”

Caceres found her passion for conservation during a high school internship, when she helped remove invasive plants from native species’ habitats. During summers as a teenager, she worked for the conservation nonprofit Kupu and gained experience in habitat control and restoration, predator control, native wildlife monitoring, education and outreach.

“I learned why vegetation clearing and invasive species control was so important; not only to protect our watershed or keep it for the future generation to see, but to also protect and take care of all species that play a role in providing a healthy ecosystem,” she says. “Everything made sense to me.”

Today, she says, she loves seeing the seabirds grow in numbers, native plants flourish and reclaim habitats, and Hawaiian monk seal pups feed and then wean off their mothers. She loves the work, even when it means challenges like an exhausting hike on a humid day.

“I understand that our species are not abundant and without the proper care to protect them, they will likely become extinct. If we lose these species, we will also start to lose our connection to the land, the history that connects to the species that exist and the life that the island depends on.”

The Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui strong fund raised $194 million by June 28 and has already allocated $107 million for relief efforts on the Valley Isle. Of that allocated, 52% has gone to housing; $27% to health and social services; 20% to economic resilience and 1% for natural, historical and cultural projects.

HCF says that so far, 583 grant applications have been received and 234 approved. Examples of approved grants are all over the map. Some $55 million from the Maui Strong Fund has covered rental assistance, payments to host families and interim housing, including $40 million for the 450-unit Ka La‘i Ola temporary housing project that broke ground April 30.

Another $1.9 million is helping to build a Maui Fire Department station in Olowalu, south of Lahaina, plus $2 million for specialized fire trucks. Additionally, $20 million goes toward emergency response, mobile services, distribution of relief and grief counseling; $21 million for cash assistance and workforce development; and $2 million to make the watershed more resilient, remove contaminants and improve coastal water quality. You can read specifics about the grants at tinyurl.com/mauigrants.

How Decisions Are Made

HCF CEO Micah Kāne and Lauren Nahme, senior VP of Maui Recovery Effort, answered dozens of my questions in three recent interviews, including how HCF’s spending decisions are made, how the foundation is facilitating further donations for Maui and the biggest question of all: how to make future housing affordable to people on Maui and across Hawai‘i.

Kāne says HCF’s Maui relief spending follows the foundation’s overall model. “We spend a lot of resources trying to make people comfortable for today. Most of our transactional grants to food banks, homeless shelters and other providers are serving immediate needs,” he says.

“But at the same time, we’re trying to get far upstream to mitigate the challenges we face and reduce that problem pipeline substantially. The Maui experience has been that, times 200.”

Left: Micah Kāne, Right: Lauren Nahme | Photos courtesy: Hawai’i Community Foundation

Both Kāne and Nahme agree that as many as 10 years of hard work, rebuilding and pain lie ahead, but they also express optimism, both for the work already accomplished by government, relief organizations and people on Maui, and in the hope for a better future.

“As challenging as the last 10 months have been,” Kāne says, “I’m more inspired today than at any time in my career by the possibilities for the future of Maui and the role it can play to prove we can make Hawai‘i affordable – especially around housing.”

Under current conditions, affordable housing is virtually impossible to build on Maui or anywhere in Hawai‘i, so we have to change the system, Kāne says. For how he proposes we do that, read further in this story, where we dive into the costs of building even simple homes and the solution he sees. But for now, I will keep this story’s focus on the bigger picture of relief for Maui.

The needs in West Maui are enormous and matched by countless requests for funding plus tension, clamor and anger – in meetings, on social media and elsewhere – with accusations about unmet needs, ignored people and misspent money. These actions are not unique to Maui; they happen after every disaster.

“Didn’t Reinvent the Wheel”

In the aftermath of the Lahaina disaster, Nahme says, “We didn’t reinvent the wheel.

FEMA has a framework that has guided us” in allocating resources on immediate needs and long-term spending. FEMA’s framework includes eight principles:

• Individual and family empowerment
• Leadership and local primacy
• Pre-disaster recovery planning
• Engaged partnerships and inclusiveness
• Unity of effort
• Timeliness and flexibility
• Resilience and sustainability
• Psychological and emotional recovery

For HCF, the principle of “engaged partnerships” means coordinating with everyone else on the ground, including three levels of government, myriad nonprofits and community organizations, companies and other stakeholders. “The more that we align with others, the better it can be coordinated with less waste and better strategy,” Nahme says.

She gives an example. “In the week after the fire, we met with the mayor and have met with him basically every week since. That’s because every disaster starts and ends locally. Maui could not manage the disaster on their own, but they have to be in the driver position … especially over the long term.”

In October, Maui County created its Office of Recovery and set six areas that would shape the effort. Nahme says HCF’s spending tracks with those six categories:

• Community planning
• Housing, both interim and permanent
• Infrastructure
• Natural and cultural resources
• Health and social services
• Economic recovery

“Spent the Time Listening”

Many people talk about “the community” driving short-term and long-term relief decisions on Maui, but finding consensus among something as amorphous as “the community” is difficult. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and the Maui County Council are obvious choices to consult, since the voters of Maui elected them. Beyond them, relief organizers and leaders are turning to trusted relationships and then branching out from there, Kāne and Nahme say.

Right after the fire, the first organizations HCF consulted about spending decisions on Maui were nonprofits that the foundation had worked with for a long time: Maui Economic Opportunity, Maui United Way, Catholic Charities and Maui Food Bank. “Those relationships are built up over decades and they’re trusted opinions,” Kāne says.

“Later, you go broader in where you get your intel because you’re making bigger investments with more people in the decision-making process, whether it’s the County Council, mayor, governor, a government department, another benefactor or philanthropic organization, a corporate entity that wants to make a major contribution, a landowner.”

At the same time, you’re listening to ordinary people on a very local level, Nahme says. “Just within the Lahaina community, there’s neighborhoods, there’s streets. We’ve definitely spent the time listening … and we also lean on nonprofits that are directly serving on the ground.”

She adds: “We know HCF is not going to set the overall vision and strategy. We have to be very responsive to the actual disaster and then get the community and those directly affected to be in the lead position, deciding what happens, especially over the long term.”

Kāne says HCF looks at what government and other nonprofits are already doing, and then tries to tackle the unmet needs – immediate and long-term.

How to Make Housing Affordable

Kāne says Hawai‘i needs to disrupt the financial model of affordable home construction. First, he acknowledges that overregulation, financing and uncertainty drive up the cost of housing, but before addressing those things, he wants to focus on five main drivers of housing costs in Hawai‘i: land; off-site infrastructure; on-site infrastructure; the actual building of the home, which is often called vertical construction; and the fifth driver, the relatively modest “soft” costs such as design and project management.

In the chart below we do the math on those five costs, using numbers for building simple homes – “carport, no enclosed garage, no PV or any fancy stuff,” Kāne says – that are common back-of-the-envelope calculations used by some members of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii.

A Blueprint for Affordable Housing

None of those totals match anyone’s definition of “affordable.” For single-family homes and duplexes, your costs total hundreds of thousands of dollars before you actually build the house.

“We can talk about regulation until we’re blue in the face but we will never meet affordability unless we eliminate land costs, eliminate off-site infrastructure costs, and probably in some cases eliminate some on-site infrastructure costs, such as some of the interior roads,” Kāne says.

“You want to get a market unit at about $500,000, so families can actually start saving money (after buying a home). A small subdivision lot where it’s in the high threes, low fours. And a duplex where somebody can enter the market at about $200,000. That’s the ideal state.”

That can only happen if the land comes at no cost and government pays for the off-site infrastructure, he says. “That’s what taxpayer dollars are supposed to be for: major roads, water, sewer and public facilities. That’s not really the responsibility of the private sector. The handoff on infrastructure should happen at the housing site.”

Kāne says public leaders are having conversations within those parameters now: How to eliminate land and off-site infrastructure costs, plus reduce the costs of regulation and capital to bring down the cost of building housing on Maui and throughout Hawai‘i.

The Ka La‘i Ola temporary housing project has elements of that business model. HCF’s Maui Strong Fund contributed $40 million to the project. The 450 studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units are designed to be occupied for up to five years. But the project is also a long-term investment in off-site and on-site infrastructure.

Still Asking for Donations

HCF is still asking for Maui donations, almost a year after the fire, including both general donations and more targeted donations from big donors.

“We set up a funders’ collaborative with other philanthropic organizations that want to support Maui but are not tapped in. We’re collaborating with them on a process to make it easy for say, an entity with a proposal for an interim housing project or a mental health hub or whatever, that entity can go to this group and pitch one time. All the philanthropic organizations will hear it. If it’s aligned with someone’s board and mission, they can support it, and we can coordinate among the funders to have shared reporting and monitoring so that the grantee doesn’t have to do it separately for five or six funders.”

One group receiving support comprises homeowners who lost their homes in the fire and need a bridge until they can move back into their rebuilt homes. HCF coordinated a $7 million grant funded by banks, their foundations and the Federal Home Loan Banks that is going to Hawai‘i Community Lending, a nonprofit mortgage lender.

“That money is going to be used household by household for homeowners struggling to get their full insurance proceeds, because they don’t know how to advocate for themselves or whatever reason, working with the bank or mortgage holder, figuring what the rebuild cost is, and what government programs are there to fill that gap,” Nahme says.

“The goal is to ensure that anybody who owns a home and is an owner occupant will be able to keep it and stay there.”

Nahme says the future is daunting “but there are bright spots. The remediation and clearing of lots and allowing folks to go back to their places and start rebuilding is happening at least a year earlier than the earliest projection. They’ve cleared over 1,000 lots already.”

And there is energy about building the future. “There’s always going to be tensions, but I really believe in this community. They’re going to fight through those challenges. So pre-fire issues they had, they got worse during the disaster, like housing, energy costs, education and prospects for economic development and diversification. I think that changes will happen with all of those things and people are ready to talk about it.”

The Maui Farm is a nonprofit that provides a safe place to live for women and children who have experienced traumatic, violent relationships or homelessness. They are nurtured there and learn essential skills for self-sufficient living.

“Families can rest and reside as they navigate this transitional time and space in their lives,” says Executive Director Gabrielle Schuerger. “The campus includes a small farm in which the program participants help to care for the animals and propagate food for the families. It is a beautiful space where hearts and lives are transformed.”

Photo: courtesy of The Maui Farm

Last year’s wildfires left the farm structurally undamaged but financially stressed. Schuerger says government funding has slowed just when the farm’s programs are needed most.

“We have seen a significant increase in requests for our services, even as funding is decreasing as a result of shifts in countywide service priorities,” she says.

On top of that, people who want to leave the farm face much higher rents on Maui and fewer housing options than before the fires. They are often unable to find a new home.

“Many of the local families we serve are having to move off-island. It’s an extremely difficult situation,” Schuerger says.

Three Decades of Service

Photo: courtesy of The Maui Farm

The farm was founded in 1993 and initially provided long-term care for youths from troubled families. Today, the farm’s main residential programs empower families to become educated, self-sustaining members of the community. They learn skills to help them as parents and as heads of their households, and receive guidance on possible jobs and careers. Children receive a farm-based education through lessons and hands-on experience, and get to socialize with other youths.

The Family Strengthening Program’s transition plans help guide participants through the process toward independent living.

Natalia Barboza was once a resident at The Maui Farm. “One-on-one meetings with staff allowed my family to identify needs, create a plan and focus on the necessary steps to become financially and emotionally stable,” says Barboza, who is now a case manager at the farm. “I was able to further my education, raise my income, attain child care and transportation, secure housing and strengthen my family.”

Schuerger says such personalized plans help families “navigate from crisis to stability to self-sustainability. The Maui Farm staff then meets with each family weekly to map out action steps and provide support for implementing their transition plan, until the family is ready to exit the program and live a healthy, stable and self-sustaining life.”

The farm’s Stipend Program provides practical job training and skills such as project management, agronomic practices, effective communication and self-accountability.

The Maui Farm also hosts community programs such as farm tours and encourages others to get involved. For instance, volunteers can help with garden upkeep and service projects. To sign up for community programs or to volunteer, visit themauifarm.org.

Photo: courtesy of The Maui Farm

Donations are welcome at the same website.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text BEGIN to 88788.

Hawai‘i’s Department of Human Services operates a domestic violence hotline at 808-531-3771.

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii is a nonprofit that provides access to maternal health care and education for mothers and children.

Tanya Smith-Johnson, the organization’s policy director, says HMHB’s mission has been the same since its founding in 1992: to help underprivileged mothers and at-risk newborns.

“We believe in a child’s right to be born healthy and raised in a safe and nurturing environment,” says Smith-Johnson, who’s also director of the nonprofit’s community-based doula program. She says the group strives to provide equal access to quality health care and to eliminate health disparities. Respect for diversity is key, she says, and so is educating families to make healthy choices.

HMHB’s Hawaii Cribs for Kids program has guided 1,200 families on safe sleeping practices for their children. The curriculum includes education on risk factors and how to create a safe sleep environment. And parents learn the importance of tracking their baby’s health throughout the first year of life, and gain insight into infant crying, which can help reduce infant abuse.

Upon completion of the course, each family receives a free Graco Pack ‘n Play portable playpen.

“It’s one of those things we use for everything,” says mother Colleen Veasey. “We use it as the crib for my baby. It’s his primary sleeping spot. That was a huge help.”

Donated diapers being distributed on Maui for wildfire survivors.

In another program, Piko Pals, new parents meet in small groups to share their experiences. Smith-Johnson says parents can often learn from each other, while gaining emotional support and reducing social isolation.

The Mana Mama program is HMHB’s holistic approach to maternal care. Clinical services, including prenatal care, contraception services, pregnancy testing and counseling, and basic infertility services, are provided to mothers by HMHB’s staff. Clients can also learn about pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, lactation, and wellness.

Veasey says the lactation consultant she worked with through HMHB was incredibly helpful with breastfeeding. “When breastfeeding wasn’t going super well and I was getting stressed out, I got a lactation consultant through them, certified, and my insurance covered it,” she says.

Healthy Mothers Heathy Babies shipped its mobile clinic from O‘ahu to Maui after the Lahaina fire to bring families pre-natal and post-natal care and supplies.

“Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies will help women get a lot of these services covered through their insurance. I wouldn’t know how to get any of these things covered by insurance, or even know they were covered by insurance, if it weren’t for HMHB.”

After the Lahaina fire, HMHB shifted more resources to help families on Maui. From day one, Smith-Johnson says, “we were able to immediately get supplies and our team on the ground to help out.”

Necessities such as baby wipes, formula, food and diapers were provided and HMHB’s mobile clinic, typically located on O‘ahu, was shipped to Maui.

The mobile clinic gave “us the ability to be mobile and reach displaced people and get them care and supplies,” says Smith-Johnson.

“Seventy-seven years later, whether it’s been autism, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome or other things that have happened like Covid and now fires, we’re still doing exactly what we’ve always been doing. We’ve been advocating for resources and reaching out to find the professional means to support children,” says Dean Wong, executive director of Imua Family Services for the past 12 years.

Imua serves children across Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i. Wong says it is the largest early childhood development organization in the state.

“Ninety percent of a child’s brain development happens before they’re 5 years old, so working with children in those years is the most critical time to make an impact,” he says. “The thing children grow and develop the most from is play. Being connected to each other, building healthy relationships, learning to make friends, negotiating those friendships and using imagination is all related to play.”

Wong says he and his staff work hard all year, but the pace picked up tremendously after the fires.

“In the immediate crisis, when there was still smoke coming out of the ground and fires burning, our response was to find our families and take an inventory, ensuring everyone in those families was accounted for and their needs in terms of food, shelter and water,” Wong says.

To get supplies like diapers, breast pumps, formula and more, Imua used social media to reach people in Hawai‘i and on the mainland, who sent those items through online retailers like Amazon. That way, supplies on Maui would not be depleted.

“Just like we did during Covid, we provided child care and respite for families in West Maui alongside one of the immediate distribution sites in Nāpili Park.”

For six weeks, Imua shuttled over early childhood professionals with supplies for children so their families could sort out business with FEMA, Red Cross, SNAP and food hubs.

Laura Aki, parent of two daughters, says, “As we tried to navigate the situation it became clear that our keiki needed normalcy, they needed space and time to play, to escape the tears and ‘fire talk.’ ”

“When we heard about what Imua was doing, we suddenly realized how much we all needed it – it was such a thoughtful, critical resource, giving us time to tackle insurance claims and find shelter, while offering a haven for our children.”

Imua also partnered with a toy maker, Jakks Pacific, which sent a 40-foot container full of toys to Maui. The nonprofit opened a store in Ma‘alaea for families to pick out free merchandise.

“It’s hard to admit how difficult it is to afford to buy anything new these days, let alone toys,” Aki says. “We have visited the store twice and the freedom to choose a new toy and a costume for Halloween brought so much joy to our girls.”

Imua also provided pancake breakfasts and break camps for families, helped a local pharmacy get medicine and supplies to people in need, and started plans for a new preschool. Wong says Imua is always looking for financial donations, volunteers and business partnerships.

“My staff already had caseloads that were too high, but I have not heard any staff complain since Aug. 8,” he says. “Everyone has just buckled down to be here for this community and we’ll continue to do that.”

Now that months have passed since the fires, Wong says the worst is over, but the work doesn’t stop.

“To be able to get a child who has experienced trauma or negative health impacts to play, laugh and smile again, to know that they’re on a better road for their life, development and recovery, that’s our why. That’s why everybody here works as hard as they do.”

“As a nearly 100-year-old nonprofit, we have a special obligation, commitment and connection to the community that we have to constantly nurture and strengthen and grow in a continual way,” says Norton-Westbrook, who became HoMA’s director in January 2020 – two months before the Covid pandemic began.

“Coming out of the pandemic, there’s so much in our society that is being reorganized, renegotiated and reconsidered. So, the business model has to be somewhat flexible. You must have a structure, goals and direction, but you also must be responsive to the fact that this is a time of massive societal change.”

These days, the museum is open until 9 on Friday and Saturday evenings so more working people can visit. And HoMA brought back the Honolulu Surf Film Festival as a fully in-person event this year at its Doris Duke Theatre.

Attendance is up 70% from pre-pandemic numbers and museum engagement has increased four-fold compared with the 2021-22 fiscal year. That engagement includes more people participating in its Art School classes, in-museum activities, tours, workshops, online programs, Family Sunday storytelling and other programs.

Before the pandemic, more tourists than residents visited the museum. Now the ratio has switched, HoMA says.

Among the things that haven’t changed are HoMA’s showcasing exhibitions from local artists and reflecting the diversity of the Islands. Recently, the museum helped launch the careers of Native Hawaiian artist Noah Harders and Korean American artist Lauren Hana Chai, Norton-Westbrook says.

“I think we’re on a good trajectory but there’s always more that we can do, such as getting the word out about the museum and all the different things to see as well as intentionally building local relationships with individuals and organizations.”

She says audience feedback helps the museum understand how to explain and present the nuances and stories of its art in a way that connects to people’s personal experiences.

“The arts contribute to a holistic, fulfilling life. As humans we need time for reflection and appreciation of other cultures and viewpoints. We need time to experience beauty to heal and process things, and I think the museum plays a critical role in providing that space for people,” she says.

HoMA has been doing that since it opened to the public in 1927. Its main funding comes from admission fees, philanthropic donations and the museum’s endowment. Its biggest expense is its staff of 150 employees, whose knowledge and experience the museum depends upon, Norton-Westbrook says.

“Museums are both a business and a mission-driven organization. You can’t let one outweigh the other. There is also the balance of honoring the history but envisioning a further future. In that way this nonprofit is more complex than a for-profit company.”

Norton-Westbrook draws on her own experience and expertise to help lead HoMA. Before coming to Hawai‘i, she was director of curatorial affairs and curator of modern and contemporary art at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. She holds a master’s degree in art history from Courtauld Institute of Art in London and a doctorate in museology from the University of Manchester.

One way people can support the museum is to spread the word, she says.

“It makes a huge difference to us when people bring their friends, tell their friends how much they love the museum, and become a member,” she says. “That really helps the entire operation and is meaningful to us in terms of keeping our nonprofit going and being here for another 100 years.”

Jump to a section in the list:
A-C  |  D-G  |  H-I  |  J-L  |  M-R  |  S-Z

Nonprofits help Hawai‘i thrive, but they couldn’t do their crucial work without generous donations of time and money. That’s where Hawai‘i’s private businesses and philanthropic institutions come in, contributing year after year.

The 80 companies and charitable organizations on this year’s Most Charitable Companies list gave nearly $241 million and 73,768 volunteer hours in 2022. The money, time and effort help sustain an array of groups working to improve health care, housing, education, food security and community farming, the environment, animal welfare and other vital areas.

Every summer we survey companies and nonprofits to gather information on the previous year’s cash and in-kind donations, as well as employees’ volunteer hours during work time or through company-sponsored events.

The top five givers on the list this year are all charitable organizations with wide-ranging missions to help Hawai‘i’s people: Hawai‘i Community Foundation, UH Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, Aloha United Way, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Two of these givers, the UH Foundation and Aloha United Way, were also top receivers of donations from companies on the list, with 26 naming Aloha United Way or United Way branches on the Neighbor Islands as a primary recipient, and 22 naming the UH Foundation or specific university programs.

Among for-profit companies, First Hawaiian Bank was the top charitable giver in 2022, donating $6.3 million and 11,264 volunteer hours. Rounding out the top five among for-profit companies are Matson, Bank of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance and Hawaiian Electric Industries.

Congratulations to these organizations, and all the others on this list, for their generosity and hard work.

Related Story: When Fire Struck Lahaina, Hawai‘i’s Private Sector Rushed in to Help

A-C

AHL

About: For-profit architecture, interior design, planning, sustainability, existing building services and historic architecture firm
Employees: 86
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $238,899
Employee Volunteer Hours: 975
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Child & Family Service, Aloha Tree Alliance
ahl.design

Alaka‘ina Foundation

About: Nonprofit Native Hawaiian organization
Employees: 1,400
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,642,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Pauahi Foundation, UH Foundation, Chaminade University, Alaka‘ina Digital Bus Program
alakainafoundation.org

Alaska Airlines

About: For-profit commercial airline
Employees: 10
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $583,430
Top Nonprofits Supported: travel2change, Kupu Hawaii, Aloha United Way, Kanu Hawaii, ClimbHI
alaskaair.com

Alexander & Baldwin

About: For-profit commercial real estate company
Employees: 107
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $975,000
Employee Volunteer Hours: 572
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Maui United Way, Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, Kaunoa Senior Services – Nutrition Program, Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae
alexanderbaldwin.com

Aloha Green Holdings

About: For-profit, state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary
Employees: 98
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: : $50,000
Employee Volunteer Hours: 240
Top Nonprofits Supported: AccesSurf, Honolulu Zoo, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hawai‘i Appleseed, Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation
agapoth.com

Aloha United Way

Top 10 Donor

About: Nonprofit charitable organization
Employees: 48
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $13,368,000
Employee Donations: $30,068
Top Nonprofits Supported: Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, The Institute for Human Services, Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Services, Hawai‘i Foodbank, Waikīkī Community Center
auw.org

AlohaCare

About: Nonprofit health insurance provider
Employees: 268
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,054,127
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 463 / $23,755
Top Nonprofits Supported: Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, Waikiki Health, University Health Partners of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Foodbank, Mālama I Ke Ola Health Center
alohacare.org

American Floor & Home

About: For-profit retail flooring and installation company, with remodeling services
Employees: 140
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $160,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 240 / $63,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Pali Momi Medical Center, The Salvation Army, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Navian Hawaii
americanfloorandhome.com

American Savings Bank

About: For-profit banking and financial services company
Employees: 1,100
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,462,474
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 12,329 / $212,043
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Child & Family Service, Kapiolani Health Foundation, Kupu Hawaii, Partners in Development Foundation
asbhawaii.com

Most Charitable Spotlight

Photo: courtesy of Kupu Hawaii

Members of the Kupu ‘Āina Corps help the nonprofit Kauluakalana plant kalo at the 25-acre Manu site in Kailua, O‘ahu. It’s the first time the land has been cultivated in more than a century. Since starting up in 2007, Kupu Hawaii participants have logged about 3 million hours of service, planted more than 1.5 million native specimens and removed 151,000 acres of invasive species. The organization has trained about 5,700 young people for jobs in conservation, sustainability, the culinary arts and environmental education. Four companies on this year’s list – Alaska Airlines, American Savings Bank, Finance Factors and Par Hawaii – named Kupu Hawaii as a primary beneficiary of their giving in 2022.

The Art Source

About: For-profit manufacturer and retailer of framed art, cabinets, closet systems; retailer of top slipper brands
Employees: 165
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $45,000
theartsourceinc.com

Atlas Insurance Agency

About: For-profit insurance agency
Employees: 94
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $250,477
Top Nonprofits Supported: PBS Hawai‘i, Parents And Children Together, Hawaii Theatre, Hale Mahaolu, Hale Makua Health Services, Child & Family Service
atlasinsurance.com

Bank of Hawai‘i

Top 10 Donor, Third Place Employee Giving

About: For-profit financial services company
Employees: 2,105
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $3,400,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 6,026 / $577,202
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, American Red Cross of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Foodbank, The Institute for Human Services, UH Foundation
boh.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty

About: For-profit real estate company
Employees: 201
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $50,601
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 51 / $10,522
Top Nonprofits Supported: UH Foundation’s Advantage Kokua Scholarship, Alzheimer’s Association, Habilitat, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua, The Salvation Army
betterhawaii.com

Bishop & Company

About: For-profit staffing, executive recruitment company
Employees: 10
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $28,719
Top Nonprofits Supported: Women’s Fund of Hawai‘i, American Red Cross of Hawaii
bishopco.net

Blood Bank of Hawaii

About: Nonprofit sole provider of blood components to Hawai‘i hospitals
Employees: 164
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $61,558
Top Nonprofits Supported: HUGS, Hawai‘i Foodbank, Blood Centers of America Foundation, Adventist Health Castle
bbh.org

Bowers + Kubota Consulting

About: For-profit engineering and architecture company
Employees: 277
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $218,800
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,250 / $42,830
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Hawai‘i Foodbank, AdoptA-Highway, UH Foundation, American Public Works Association
bowersandkubota.com

Cades Schutte LLP

About: For-profit law firm
Employees: 155
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $47,700
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,188 / $12,997
cades.com

Central Pacific Financial Corp.

About: For-profit financial institution
Employees: 743
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,810,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 6,200 / $430,000
cpb.bank

Century 21 iProperties Hawaii

About: For-profit real estate sales
Employees: 4
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $33,859
Employee Volunteer Hours: 1,040
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawaii State Senior Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Korean Catholic Community, Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, Hope For Dogs Rescue
c21ipropertieshawaii.com

Child & Family Service

About: Nonprofit human services counseling
Employees: 324
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $14,707
Employee Volunteer Hours: 338
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, Kaua‘i United Way, Maui United Way
childandfamilyservice.org

The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation

Top 10 Donor

About: Nonprofit private foundation
Employees: 2
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $5,790,474
Top Nonprofits Supported: Saint Louis School, Punahou’s PUEO Program, PBS Hawai‘i, St. Francis Healthcare System, REHAB Hospital of the Pacific
clarencetcchingfoundation.org

Clinical Labs of Hawaii

About: For-profit medical and clinical laboratory
Employees: 777
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $130,433
Employee Volunteer Hours: 40
Top Nonprofits Supported: Straub Foundation, American Heart Association, Kapiolani Health Foundation, Hilo Medical Center Foundation
clinicallabs.com

Coconut Condos

About: For-profit vacation rental management company
Employees: 13
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $92,374
Employee Volunteer Hours: 30
Top Nonprofits Supported: Compassion International, Cup of Cold Water Ministries, Maui Food Bank, Kumulani Chapel, Faithfully Restored
coconutcondos.com

This Lahaina-based company was impacted by the wildfires. To support its team members, go to https://bit.ly/45YoPSy.

Contract Furnishers of Hawaii

About: For-profit, Herman Miller-certified dealer providing furnishings to businesses, government, health care and higher education
Employees: 42
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $13,767
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Rotary, UH Foundation, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua, Women’s Fund of Hawai‘i, Diamond Head Theatre
op-hawaii.com

Corteva Agriscience

About: For-profit agriculture company
Employees: 161
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $72,500
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations:  350 / $20,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Foodbank, Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Kaua‘i United Way, Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank
hawaii.corteva.com

D-G

Dorvin D. Leis Co.

About: For-profit mechanical contractor
Employees: 400
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $131,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: American Heart Association, Maui Health Foundation, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Boy Scouts of America – Aloha Council, GIFT Foundation of Hawaii
leisinc.com

Dynamic Planning & Response

About: For-profit, service-disabled, veteran-owned small business
Employees: 54
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $168,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Feeding Hawai‘i Together, Oahu Veterans Council and Center, Kīnā‘ole Foundation
dynapnr.com

Finance Factors

About: For-profit company specializing in residential mortgages, CRE loans, savings accounts, certificates of deposit
Employees: 113
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $94,150
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations:  2,175 / $11,803
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kupu Hawaii, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, American Judicature Society, Assets School
financefactors.com

First Hawaiian Bank

Top 10 Donor, First Place Employee Giving

About: For-profit banking and financial services company
Employees: 2,093
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $6,341,174
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 11,264 / $932,310
Top Nonprofits Supported: ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, Bishop Museum, Child & Family Service, Kaua‘i Housing Development Corp., The Queen’s Health System
fhb.com

First Insurance Company of Hawaii

About: For-profit property and casualty insurance company
Employees: 244
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $707,274
Employee Donations: $20,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: American Heart Association, Aloha United Way, American Red Cross of Hawaii, UH Foundation, Mālama Learning Center
ficoh.com

Most Charitable Spotlight

Photo: courtesy of Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii

A young participant of the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii’s after-school programs shows the Native Hawaiian cordage techniques she mastered and tested for strength. Every year at the nonprofit’s nine clubhouses on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, thousands of young people engage in art, activities and sports, while also getting homework help and healthy food. The programs fill the gap between the school day ending and parents returning home – a vulnerable time when many children and teens, particularly those from low-income working families, are left on their own. The nonprofit was named as a primary recipient of charitable giving by Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, Hilton Grand Vacations, Locations, Servco Pacific and Waikiki Health.

G70

About: For-profit architecture, planning and environmental services, interior design, civil engineering, sustainable development and technology services company
Employees: 102
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $363,356
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 151 / $2,500
Top Nonprofits Supported: Waikīkī Community Center, The Salvation Army, Oahu Economic Development Board, YWCA O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Foodbank
g70.design

H-I

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Top 10 Donor

About: Private charitable foundation
Employees: 61
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $12,648,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae, Partners in Development Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Lending, The Food Basket, Hui Mālama i ke Ala ‘Ūlili
hjweinberg.org

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

Top 10 Donor

About: Nonprofit community foundation
Employees: 73
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $63,300,000
Employee Donations: $20,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: As one of the largest grantmakers in Hawai‘i, HCF supports numerous nonprofits in the state.
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Hawaii Dental Service

About: Nonprofit dental benefits provider
Employees: 131
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,481,954
Employee Donations: $20,315
Top Nonprofits Supported: UH’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Foundation, Hawaii Academy of Science, HDS Foundation, ‘Iolani ‘Āina-Informatics
HawaiiDentalService.com

Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance

Top 10 Donor

About: For-profit wholesale food distribution and manufacturing company
Employees: 550
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $3,016,580
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Food Bank, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center’s ‘Elepaio Social Services Program
hfahawaii.com

Hawai‘i Gas

About: For-profit, full-service gas energy company
Employees: 353
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $281,730
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 350 / $30,669
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, American Red Cross of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation, Hawai‘i Green Growth, UH Foundation
hawaiigas.com

The Hawaii Group

About: For-profit accounting and tax services, HR outsourcing, health care staffing, home care, consulting and advisory services company
Employees: 167
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $15,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: : 300 / $3,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: AccesSurf, Mālama Maunaloa, Kapi‘olani Community College and UH, Charity Walk, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
thehawaiigroup.com

Hawai‘i Life Real Estate Services

About: For-profit real estate sales, and long-term and vacation rentals company
Employees: 57
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $132,713
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Land Trust, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Maui Film Festival
hawaiilife.com

Hawaii Medical Assurance Association

About: Non-profit health insurance company
Employees: 3
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $179,500
Top Nonprofits Supported: American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, American Diabetes Association, St. Francis Healthcare Foundation, March of Dimes
hmaa.com

Hawaii Medical Service Association

About: Nonprofit health organization, health insurance
Employees: 1,277
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,095,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,380 / $143,711
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, UH Foundation, Blood Bank of Hawaii, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, Ohana Pacific Foundation
hmsa.com

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

About: Nonprofit credit union
Employees: 385
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $136,038
Top Nonprofits Supported: Friends of the Library of Hawaii, GIFT Foundation of Hawaii, Chaminade University, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Parents And Children Together, Kapiolani Health Foundation
hawaiistatefcu.com

Most Charitable Spotlight

Photo: Ryann Noelani Coules

More than 200 houseless people live at Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae, a self-organized community near the Wai‘anae harbor. Through fundraising by their nonprofit, Dynamic Community Solutions, the group purchased nearly 20 acres of land in Wai‘anae Valley and is now building permanent dwellings with communal kitchens and bathrooms, surrounded by land for growing food. The Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae Farm Village project was named as a primary recipient of charitable giving by Alexander & Baldwin and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; the latter gave a $1 million capital grant in 2022. Other recent funders on the Most Charitable list include Cades Schutte, Central Pacific Bank, The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, G70 and First Hawaiian Bank.

Hawaiian Airlines

About: For-profit commercial airline
Employees: 6,226
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $951,402
Employee Volunteer Hours: 6,795
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, KEY Project, Ko‘olau Mountains Watershed Partnership, Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i Foodbank
hawaiianairlines.com

Hawaiian Electric Industries

Second Place Employee Giving

About: For-profit energy and financial services company
Employees: 3,602
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $3,000,000
Employee Donations: $750,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way and United Way branches on Neighbor Islands, UH Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Polynesian Voyaging Society
hei.com

Hawaiian Host Group

About: For-profit consumer packaged-goods company
Employees: 335
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $217,800
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Foodbank, Merrie Monarch Festival, Aloha United Way, Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation, YWCA O‘ahu
hawaiianhostgroup.com

Hawaiian Ocean Adventures

About: For-profit, Hawaiian-owned beach stand and sailing canoe activities company at Disney Aulani and Four Seasons
Employees: 16
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $20,010
Employee Volunteer Hours: 280
Top Nonprofits Supported: Da Hui Paddle Race, Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, Kahuku Motocross Park, Kawaipuna Foundation
hawaiianoceanadventures.com

Hawaiian Telcom

About: For-profit provider of integrated communications, broadband, data center and entertainment
Employees: : 1,200
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,225,217
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 3,256 / $124,751
Top Nonprofits Supported: American Heart Association, Hawaii Island Adult Care, Aloha United Way, Palama Settlement, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i
hawaiiantel.com

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union

About: Nonprofit credit union
Employees: 380
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $380,355
Employee Volunteer Hours: 1,578
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association’s Kaua‘i Charity Walk, Weed and Seed Hawaii, Alzheimer’s Association, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i’s Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, Partners in Development Foundation
hawaiiusafcu.com

Hilton Grand Vacations

About: For-profit vacation ownership company
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $202,236
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,970 / $32,093
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Clean the World, Waipā Foundation
hiltongrandvacations.com

J-L

JR Doran Inc. / Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

About: For-profit, family-owned tile, countertop and cabinetry store
Employees: 30
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $50,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation, Maui Search and Rescue, UH Shidler College of Business, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, Maui Food Bank; also, donates parking lot and water every Saturday to nonprofits for car-wash fundraisers
ceramictileplus.com

Kāhala Nui

About: Nonprofit life plan community
Employees: 201
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,396,493
Employee Volunteer Hours: 883
Top Nonprofits Supported: Alzheimer’s Association, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels, Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Services, Project Dana
kahalanui.com

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii

About: Nonprofit integrated health care organization, health plan and medical care
Employees: 2,834
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,915,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,707 / $900
Top Nonprofits Supported: Partners In Care, Project Vision Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Community Assets, The Institute for Human Services, Feed the Hunger
kp.org

Kamehameha Schools

Top 10 Donor

About: Private, nonprofit charitable educational trust
Employees:  2,210
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $44,025,436
Employee Donations: $120,730
Top Nonprofits Supported: Ho‘okāko‘o Corp., Chaminade University, UH Foundation, UH System, Partners in Development Foundation
ksbe.edu

Kawailoa Development

About: For-profit resort and golf course
Employees: 891
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $90,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Community Foundation, UH Foundation, Wilcox Health Foundation, Island School
poipubaygolf.com | grandhyattkauai.com

Kilauea Pest Control Inc.

About: For-profit termite and general pest control services company
Employees: 61
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $124,500
Employee Volunteer Hours: 50
Top Nonprofits Supported: The Salvation Army, Child & Family Service, Latter-Day Saint Charities, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Boy Scouts of America – Aloha Council
kilaueapest.com

Kualoa Ranch Hawaii

About: For-profit visitor attraction, cattle ranching, diversified agriculture and real estate company
Employees: 349
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $372,134
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kualoa Ranch Foundation, UH Foundation, Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawai‘i, KEY Project, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
kualoa.com

Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts

About: For-profit hotel and resort company
Employees: 2,495
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $296,980
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,653 / $83,400
kyoyahotelsandresorts.com

Layton Construction

About: For-profit commercial construction company
Employees: 62
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $26,416
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,939 / $363,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: 5 For The Fight, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Adopt A Family, Wilcox Health Foundation
laytonconstruction.com

Locations

About: For-profit real estate sales and services company
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $198,688
Employee Volunteer Hours: 727
Top Nonprofits Supported: Backpack to School, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Family Programs Hawaii, Hawaiian Hope, UH Foundation
locationshawaii.com

M-R

MacNaughton

About: For-profit real estate development and investment company
Employees: 20
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $332,186
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 272 / $7,575
Top Nonprofits Supported: U.S. Vets, Teach For America, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, American Red Cross of Hawaii, Housing Hawai‘i’s Future
macnaughton.com

Matson

Top 10 Donor

About: For-profit ocean transportation, logistics and supply chain services company
Employees: 2,362
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $5,900,000
Employee Donations: $202,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Foodbank, United Way (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Maui, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i branches), American Heart Association, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, American Red Cross of Hawaii
matson.com

Maui Divers of Hawaii

About: For-profit fine jewelry manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer
Employees: 160
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $120,000
mauidivers.com

The Nakupuna Companies

About: : For-profit, Native Hawaiian-owned family of companies
Employees: 822
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,825,266
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 197 / $15,471
Top Nonprofits Supported: Pauahi Foundation, Polynesian Voyaging Society, APIA Scholars, Purple Mai‘a Foundation, Mālama Loko Ea Foundation
nakupuna.com

Nordic PCL Construction

About: For-profit general contractor
Employees: 250
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: : $338,602
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 900 / $38,946
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Kapiolani Health Foundation, UH Foundation, American Heart Association
nordicpcl.com

Only the Best Inc.

About: For-profit clothing manufacturer and retailer
Employees: 200
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: : $107,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 165 / $1,500
Top Nonprofits Supported: Ronald McDonald House Charities, Soles4Souls, American Red Cross of Hawaii, Hawaiian Humane Society, Maui Humane Society
crazyshirts.com

Pacxa

About: For-profit consulting services, cloud services, managed services, value-added resale company
Employees: 95
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $32,900
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: : 88 / $455
Top Nonprofits Supported: Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative, Waipahu Public Library, American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, Navian Hawaii
pacxa.com

Par Hawaii

About: : For-profit refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and transportation fuels company
Employees: 607
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $424,567
Employee Donations: $32,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Nature Center, Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, Kupu Hawaii
parhawaii.com

Pasha Hawaii

About: : For-profit ocean transportation company, operating between Hawai‘i and the U.S. West Coast for containerized and roll-on/ roll-off cargo
Employees: 483
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $700,817
pashahawaii.com

Prince Resorts Hawaii

About: For-profit hotel, hotel management services and golf course company
Employees: 1,290
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,161,361
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,368 / $94,928
Top Nonprofits Supported: The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, Hawai‘i Land Trust – Mahukona, Charity Walk, Hawai‘i Island United Way
princeresortshawaii.com

S-Z

Servco Pacific

About: For-profit company specializing in automotive distribution and retail, musical instruments, car sharing, venture/growth capital
Employees: : 2,210
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $315,203
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 1,852 / $198,578
Top Nonprofits Supported: Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, UH Foundation, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Honolulu Habitat for Humanity, Kaua‘i United Way
servco.com

Symbrosia

About: For-profit, cleantech startup dedicated to reducing livestock methane emissions with Limu kohu
Employees: 26
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: : $14,600
Employee Volunteer Hours: 573
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Hui Ho‘olako for Hawaiian Initiatives, Kupa ‘Āina o Keauhou, Hui Kaloko Honokōhau
ahl.designsymbrosia.co

UHA Health Insurance

About: Nonprofit health insurance, workplace wellness solutions company
Employees: 167
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $660,000
Employee Volunteer Hours / Monetary Donations: 34 / $10,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kapiolani Health Foundation, American Heart Association, American Red Cross of Hawaii, Assets School, Friends of Hawaii Charities
uhahealth.com

United Airlines

About: For-profit commercial airline
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $530,000
Employee Volunteer Hours: 529
Top Nonprofits Supported: Elemental Excelerator, Kanu Hawaii, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Movers & Shakas
united.com

University of Hawai‘i

About: Nonprofit higher education and research institution
Employees: 8,164
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: See UH Foundation
Employee Volunteer Hours: $214,594
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Hawai‘i Foodbank
hawaii.edu

Most Charitable Spotlight

Photo: courtesy of Hawai’i Foodbank

In 2022, Hawai‘i Foodbank distributed 17.4 million pounds of food on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, including 4.6 million pounds of fresh produce. On average, the nonprofit helps feed more than 120,000 people a month, many of whom would go hungry without the assistance. Hawai‘i Foodbank says the number of food-insecure people in Hawai‘i is high, with 1 in 6 residents experiencing hunger in the past year, including 1 in 4 keiki. Thirteen donors on the Most Charitable Companies list named Hawai‘i Foodbank as one of their top recipients: Aloha United Way, AlohaCare, Bank of Hawai‘i, Blood Bank of Hawaii, Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Corteva Agriscience, G70, Hawaii Foodservice Alliance, Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Host Group, Matson, University of Hawai‘i and Young Brothers.

University of Hawai‘i Foundation

Top 10 Donor

About: Nonprofit provider of alumni services and fundraising for UH
Employees: 91
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $48,644,881
Top Nonprofits Supported: University of Hawai‘i programs, research and students
uhfoundation.org

Waikiki Health

About: Nonprofit federally qualified health center providing affordable medical and social services
Employees: 197
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $11,000
Top Nonprofits Supported: Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Honolulu Pride – Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation
waikikihealth.org

Wells Fargo Advisors

About: For-profit financial services company
Employees: 41
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $1,505,500
Top Nonprofits Supported: YWCA O‘ahu, Habitat for Humanity, The Queen’s Medical Center, Goodwill Hawaii, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
wellsfargoadvisors.com

Wet‘n’Wild Hawaii

About: For-profit water park and amusement center
Employees: 422
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $284,700
Top Nonprofits Supported: HUGS, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawai‘i, Carole Kai Charities and many schools
wetnwildhawaii.com

Windward Auto Group

About: For-profit new and used car and truck sales, parts and service company
Employees: 130
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $36,904
Employee Donations: $2,272
Top Nonprofits Supported: Kapiolani Health Foundation, special needs children’s programs, Habilitat, Laulima Giving Program, Giving Hope Hawaii, American Heart Association
jerryforthepeople.com

Y. Hata & Co.

About: For-profit food service wholesale distribution, wholesale store, public warehousing company
Employees: 460
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $770,279
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha Harvest, The Salvation Army, UH Foundation, Hawaii Restaurant Association, UH’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific
yhata.com

Young Brothers

About: For-profit interisland freight transportation company
Employees: 383
Company’s Total Cash and In-Kind Donations: $179,915
Employee Donations: $5,500
Top Nonprofits Supported: Aloha United Way, Relay For Life, Hawai‘i Foodbank, Coast Guard Foundation
youngbrothershawaii.com

To view past versions of our Most Charitable Companies list, click here.

If you’d like to receive surveys for this list and others, please contact cynthiaw@hawaiibusiness.com

Related Storu: When Fire Struck Lahaina, Hawai‘i’s Private Sector Rushed in to Help

“The focus has always been to help parents be the best that they can be,” she says.

“We’re here to encourage and empower them and give them knowledge so they can feel confident.”

The nonprofit creates and nurtures small groups of families, with parents and keiki interacting and supporting each other in gatherings at parks, schools or recreational centers. From there the relationships between families often deepen.

With the help of Family Hui Hawaii, these groups are building parental resilience, sharing knowledge about childhood development and appropriate parenting strategies, and rooting families with support networks.

The core program lasts 10 to 12 weeks, “but the friendships you make within it last so much longer,” Shiinoki says.

“Our expertise is creating and holding that space for families to share with each other.”

The program supports children’s health, wellness, education and welfare, while protecting against child abuse and neglect. One way it does this is by providing parents with practices that align with early childhood development and are based on research and solid evidence.

Family Hui Hawaii has grown since its inception in December 2013 and last year served 1,800 individuals across Hawai‘i. It has expanded through word of mouth, community support and partnerships with agencies like the Salvation Army and its Family Treatment Services programs, and the Malama Family Recovery Center, an addiction treatment facility in Kahului.

It has also formed partnerships with businesses: UHA Health Insurance and Hawaiian Electric have both run pilot programs with their employees using the Family Hui Hawaii model.

Among those Family Hui Hawaii has helped are teen parents, single parents, special-needs families and extended ‘ohana, Shiinoki says. The nonprofit even works on early interventions at neonatal intensive care units to safeguard children’s well-being.

“Over half of child abuse and neglect victims are under one year old,” Shiinoki says. “It emphasizes just how important that prevention piece is. I’d like all families to have this experience. Let’s connect at birth. This is truly the ‘have a baby, join a hui’ concept.”

“I got to see a slow degradation of the coral reefs, also of our fish supply. What used to be plentiful and big and abundant wasn’t so much as it was before,” says Kaluhiokalani.

That inspired him and others to start Kuleana Coral Restoration in 2019 “to give back to the ocean for providing for us for so long.”

The nonprofit maps, researches and restores coral around O‘ahu, and educates local communities. Its current restoration sites are at Ko Olina and Pōkaī Bay, and it has community partners to do coral restoration on Maui, Kaluhiokalani says.

The nonprofit uses camera systems and computers to track and map coral sites and applies traditional Hawaiian practices based on the data collected.

The group is seeking other nonprofits and community groups that would benefit from marine monitoring and mapping beyond the shoreline.

Kaluhiokalani says anyone can help with coral restoration: Go out and “create a relationship with the ocean, with coral reefs. When you create that relationship, now you develop responsibility to take care of it.”