The Hawai‘i Community Foundation has awarded over $109 million in grants over the past year to support recovery efforts from the devastating Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires on Maui.
Fast-moving flames killed at least 102 people in Lahaina, destroyed over 3,000 structures, displaced more than 13,000 people and led to the loss of over 800 businesses and 10,000 jobs, according to the foundation. The estimated cost to rebuild exceeds $5.5 billion.
Separate fires that same day in Kula and Olinda in Upcountry Maui burned nearly two dozen homes.
HCF reported Friday that its Maui Strong Fund raised $195 million from over 240,000 people across 78 countries and more than 5,000 corporations. The total includes approximately $5 million in interest.
HCF President Micah Kane told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the foundation follows a rigorous process to ensure the integrity of the organizations seeking funds, carefully verifying that the money is distributed to the appropriate organizations, people and communities in need.
As of July 19, $109.4 million from the Maui Strong Fund had been awarded to 196 grantee partners, with additional grant making ongoing.
Of that total, $25.1 million was granted to eight partners who issued over 12,000 payments to Maui fire survivors for immediate needs such as food, gas, rent, mortgage payments, utilities and other essentials.
One of the largest grants was awarded to Maui United Way, which received $5 million to support its Emergency Financial Assistance program, which delivered $1,000 in cash to adults in the fire-affected zones via digital payments through Venmo, PayPal, direct deposits or pre-paid Visa cards.
The support from the Maui Strong Fund enabled Maui United Way to allocate $5 million to assist 5,000 residents, according to HCF.
The foundation said the $109.4 million awarded as of July 19 was distributed across four key sectors: economic resilience, health and social services systems, housing and natural, historical and cultural resources.
The Maui Interim Housing Plan received the largest amount, over $50 million.
Combined with contributions from partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which committed $250 million, the state of Hawai‘i, which committed $150 million, Maui County, which committed $40 million, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which contributed $5 million, and additional philanthropic donations totaling $5 million, the total commitment to the Maui Interim Housing Plan reached $500 million.
The initiative aims to create more than 3,000 stable housing units for households displaced by the fires.
Of the $50 million allocated to the plan by HCF, about $10 million was directed to CNHA to create 68 accessory dwelling units for wildfire survivors. The remaining $40 million was awarded to HomeAid Hawai‘i, which is using the funds to purchase 450 temporary housing units for development in West Maui through a project called Ka La‘i Ola.
“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,” Gov. Josh Green said in a statement. “I appreciate HCF’s leadership and its continued commitment to addressing affordable housing as a priority for the entire Maui community.”
Kane told the Star-Advertiser that the Maui Strong Fund — alongside similar funds for Hawai‘i’s other three major counties — was established in 2018 to efficiently mobilize support for disaster relief and recovery.
On Aug. 9, just hours after the fires, HCF activated the Maui fund. The initial funding of a couple hundred thousand dollars quickly ballooned as the tragedy’s magnitude became evident.
Kane said HCF responded in a similar manner to the Kauai floods in 2018, the Lower Puna eruption that same year and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; however, those fundraising efforts were dwarfed by the response to the Maui fires.
The approximately $85 million remaining in the Maui Strong Fund will continue to be dispersed as the fund stays active, he said, noting that as federal and state resources begin to expire, the community will need ongoing support.
HCF is in Phase 3 of its Maui Strong Fund disaster response, which includes interventions and programs aimed at strengthening Maui’s economy and communities while supporting organizations that engage with families.
Phase 3 could take years to complete and could end up utilizing 70 percent to 85 percent of the total amount raised by the fund.
Phase 1 involved pre-disaster planning to enhance the community’s ability to respond quickly, and Phase 2 addressed immediate needs such as shelter and cash assistance.
The final phase will focus on long-term rebuilding efforts, including implementation of regional development plans that prioritize each community’s sense of place, HCF said.
