CFON Spotlight:
For more than a century, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF) has been guided by a simple but powerful belief: that the people and places of Hawaiʻi deserve the resources, investment, and care needed to truly flourish. That belief has never been more actionable than it is today as HCF pursues one of the most comprehensive, community-driven approaches to equity in its history.
HCF created the CHANGE Framework to better understand and address the most critical, complex challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s communities. By organizing its work into six essential sectors – Community Centered Economy, Health and Wellness, Arts and Culture, Natural Environment, Governance, and Education — HCF built a shared roadmap for where resources, expertise, and collective effort can make the most meaningful difference across the state.
What makes CHANGE distinctive is that it was built with the community, not for it. From 2022 through 2024, HCF held community convenings across the state, gathering nonprofits, community leaders, and everyday residents through open-house events, site visits, and face-to-face meetings. The approach allowed HCF leaders to hear directly about the challenges Hawaiʻi’s people face and the strategies most likely to create real, lasting change. The visions that emerged from each sector reflect the knowledge and experience of those closest to the work.
At its core, CHANGE is grounded in the belief that when communities come together around shared data, shared goals, and shared action, they can begin to dismantle the inequitable systems that have held people back and build something better in their place.
sectors organizing HCF's equity work
of statewide Community Convenings
years serving the people of Hawai'i
HCF’s equity commitment doesn’t pause in a crisis, it accelerates. When the 2023 Maui wildfires caused devastating loss across the island, HCF launched the Maui Strong Fund in close collaboration with state and county leaders, nonprofits, and community members. As of December 2025, more than $212 million had been donated to the fund, with more than $158 million awarded to 66 grantees supporting both immediate relief and long-term recovery all with no fees collected by HCF, and all investment earnings reinvested back into the fund.
HCF continues to advance the CHANGE Framework across all six sectors, deepening partnerships with the Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative, Hawaiʻi Executive Collaborative, and Holomua Collective. With deep roots in every corner of the islands and a century of earned trust, HCF remains committed to a Hawaiʻi where all people and places can thrive together.
