Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your donation to the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund- and share with you exciting news! Your donation just powered another round of grants to five deeply-rooted local organizations in Hawaii reducing risk and bolstering climate action in their communities. 

Our team distributed these grants with our dedication to building long-term resilience and preparedness in mind. Thank you for trusting us and our partners to find empowering ways to respond to such a complex crisis that was heavily influenced by climate change, environmental degradation, and Western land management and tourism that made recovery for local Indigenous communities more challenging.

Through ongoing, open communication with vetted, local partners, GlobalGiving has identified climate and environmental justice-related work as essential for the long-term recovery and future resilience of impacted Maui communities.

We are excited to see how this round of grants will continue to nourish environmentally focused recovery and resilience efforts for years to come. These grants will support land and water restoration, debris removal, regenerative agricultural and food sovereignty, land reclamation, and Indigenous, land-based community healing.   

Here is a short description of some of the critical work your donation is already supporting:  

• Kula Community Watershed Alliance is a Maui-based nonprofit led by local fire survivors, landowners, and neighborhoods established in response to the August 2023 fires. The organization is restoring 25 acres of high-risk land on the fire burn-scar through soil stabilization, native forest restoration, seed banking, and maintaining and monitoring for regrowth. KWCA has successfully restored eight acres and is using these parcels to educate local and neighborhood community members on proper land stewardship and restoration efforts, as well as provide mental health and healing opportunities. KWCA is working against the clock to stabilize the burned land in a region highly susceptible to flooding and the regrowth of invasive species. 

• Lahaina Community Land Trust is a Maui-based, Indigenous-run nonprofit established by local community members in response to the August 2023 fires. The organization’s focus is to intercept and fight against the mass purchasing of Maui land from developers in response to the fires through land preservation, reclamation, and “land back” advocacy. LCLT’s programs include affordable housing, land buy and lease-back opportunities, and regenerative and place-based economic development. The organization also runs a conservation program focused on providing cultural revitalization spaces, stewarding land parcels, and protecting water sources in partnership with farmers and fishermen on West Maui. LCLT carries out its work with an emphasis on preventing displacement of local and Indigenous Maui community members. 

• Malama Maui Nui is a Maui-based nonprofit whose mission is to educate, inspire, and empower residents and visitors alike to nurture the environment in support of Maui Nui's ecosystems, economy, quality of life, and unique Hawaiian culture. With its vehicles, Malama Maui Nui provided immediate response through daily supply runs to deliver water, food, first aid, healthcare, and social services to people in Lahaina. The organization’s current phase of work is focused on waste and debris removal in coordination with government officials. Malama Maui Nui also continues to host community recycling and debris removal days to restore fire-damaged land and infrastructure in partnership with local actors. 

• Maui Hub is an Indigenous-led, Maui-based nonprofit with a special focus on supporting displaced, multigenerational, Indigenous families.  Immediately after the fires, Maui Hub set up a fund to support survivors and provide long-term food access. Maui Hub currently serves over 80 local families with monthly vouchers to shop at their online grocery store, with every dollar spent returned to farmers. The organization is part of a broader Indigenous-led landback movement to construct a circular food economy and boost Indigenous food sovereignty, climate resilience, soil health, and public health while reducing Maui’s unsustainable overdependence on tourism that has led to housing crises and water shortages. 

• Native Hawaiian Philanthropy is a local Hawaiian-led nonprofit that partners with a network of 14 Native Hawaiian organizations to provide immediate assistance through culturally safe healing spaces and grief counseling addressing collective trauma through traditional ecological knowledge. That includes the management of 14 acres of land through taro farming and Indigenous methods. In addition to this work, its teams are exploring an expansion by purchasing land to build quality, sustainable homes for those displaced by the fires within their existing Indigenous land management model. NHP is also working closely with Indigenous storytellers to preserve and expand Indigenous culture and promote healing. 

Your support of the GlobalGiving Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund powers community-led recovery, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building. It means that organizations like these and the communities they serve strengthen their ability to respond to future changing climate and weather conditions, lowering their risk for future devastation caused by disasters like the wildfires in Hawaii.

With gratitude, 

Alli + the GlobalGiving Team 

Thank you for your generous donation to the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund. Your support continues to help Maui communities receive essential services such as food distribution, healthcare and trauma support, and housing reconstruction.

In our fifth grant round, your donation has supported 10 high-impact and community-led nonprofits at the forefront of recovery on the island. 

Here is a short description of some of the critical work you’ve supported:

• Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers is a Hawaii-based nonprofit dedicated to ending the cycle of homelessness on Maui. The August wildfires destroyed the organization’s 48-unit homeless shelter and 30 rental units in Lahaina, displacing more than 140 people. The organization is still working to find long-term housing for its displaced families as they continue to offer housing assistance and rebuild  their lost shelter facilities
• Maui Mutual Aid Fund, led by Maui Rapid Responseis a local mutual aid group focused on helping Native Hawaiians and people with disabilities navigate the complexities of rebuilding post disaster. The organization has reconstructed over 37 homes and is ensuring families and individuals living with disabilities have the necessary living equipment in their homes. MMAF is also offering casework and advocacy support for Lahaina communities and tenants evicted due to landlords’ exploitation of FEMA rental assistance. Their Native Hawaiian-led financial advisory council is also making structured mutual aid fund distribution plans to provide sustained aid to communities affected by the fires for years to come. 

• Southern SmokeFoundationis working within Maui communities to provide flexible emergency cash assistance for food and beverage workers impacted by the fires. The organization also provides accessible mental health support and, since the fires began, has supported over 300,000 individuals with $3,000 individual cash grants. Due to the substantial loss of local businesses and livelihoods in the fires, the organization is actively working to raise additional funding to continue providing recovery assistance in Maui. 

• Hale Makua Health Services is a local health-oriented community organization working in Lahaina, Napili, Kihei, and Kula, focusing on temporary and long-term housing solutions, transportation coordination, care navigation, behavioral health support, and social services for elderly and disabled Hawaiians. Hale Makua also provides mobile resource centers and technical assistance in partnership with other local and state actors. 

• Roots Reborn is a collective of migrant-focused human rights lawyers and organizers on Maui directly serving immigrant communities. Their goal is to help affected refugees, immigrants, and migrant workers receive access to  translation services, housing and food assistance, support with navigating insurance claims, mental health support, healthcare, economic independence, domestic violence prevention, as well as other resources for which migrant and immigrant communities often face higher barriers of access. 

Your support of the GlobalGiving Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund powers community-led responses, and it means the communities of  Maui continue to receive  the critical resources they need to help their community rebuild after the Hawaii Wildfire.

With gratitude, 

Irene + the GlobalGiving Team

All Nonprofit Partners Receiving Grants This Round:

Aloha Diaper Bank

Arc of Maui 

Hale Makua Health Services

Hui No Ke Ola Pono

Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers

Maui Food Bank

Maui Mutual Aid Fund, led by Maui Rapid Response

Native Hawaiian Philanthropy

Roots Reborn

Upcountry Strong