About Maui Pono Foundation
Established by our community to support the rebuilding of Lahaina after the August 8, 2023 fires, the Maui Pono Foundation empowers the community through transparent grant-making and strategic partnerships to foster resilience and drive sustainable rebuilding initiatives.
Focus Areas
Disaster recoveryCommunity rebuildingSmall business supportIndividual cash grantsScholarshipsEnvironmental restorationArts and culture
Who They Fund
K-12 students (Lahaina Intermediate and Lahaina High School)school teachers and staffyouth and community recreation participantsfire-affected Maui residents and school communitiesarts program participants (children)
About Maui Pono Foundation
Established to support rebuilding in Lahaina after the August 8, 2023 fires, Maui Pono Foundation has centered its grantmaking on recovery work that reaches schools, local businesses, arts groups, and residents affected by the disaster. In 2025, its largest listed grants went to Lahaina Arts Guild and Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, each at $30,000, showing that the foundation is funding both community recovery and arts programming as part of the broader rebuilding effort. Other grants in the recent record support fire-damaged local businesses, school-related improvements, and community services tied to the post-fire response. The foundation’s work reflects a local, place-based approach. Grants are directed to Maui organizations and Lahaina recipients, with a strong emphasis on restoration of daily life after the fires. Its programs include direct assistance for individuals, support for local organizations, small business recovery, community rebuilding, scholarships, and environmental restoration. The recent grant record also shows funding for capital and facility needs, including classroom infrastructure, storage, and outdoor spaces, alongside restricted support for programs serving children and youth. Charles S Iverson leads the foundation.
What Maui Pono Foundation Funds
Arts and cultural recovery is a visible part of Maui Pono Foundation’s giving. The foundation awarded $30,000 to Lahaina Arts Guild for teachers, staff, supplies for children’s art and music programs, and the construction and placement of a prefabricated classroom, storage unit, and painting deck. It also gave $30,000 to Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center to support visual art outreach programs. Disaster recovery remains the core theme. Akua Seva received $29,200 for the Malama Aina project, with firebreak trees to be installed at Lahaina Intermediate School and Lahaina High School. In another recovery-linked grant, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement received $25,000 for the Maui Care Flights program. The foundation also supports community recreation and youth-oriented facilities. Maui Mountain Bike Coalition received $15,000 for a community bike park, while Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii received $20,000 to replace batting cage equipment and supplies lost in the fire.
How Maui Pono Foundation Gives
Maui Pono Foundation’s typical grant size is tightly clustered: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are $15,000, $15,000, and $25,000. The recent record includes a mix of $15,000 awards and larger $25,000 to $30,000 grants, suggesting a standard local grant size with some higher awards for projects such as arts programming and recovery infrastructure. The pattern in the available data is mostly one-off awards tied to specific post-fire needs rather than repeated multi-year grants to the same recipient. The foundation does not fund individuals in the sense of personal discretionary giving outside its stated relief programs, and it does not make program-related investments. Its grant programs are structured and local, with unsolicited applications not accepted in the listed programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$220K
Total Assets
$419K
Total Revenue
$258K
Total Expenses
$463K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $25K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
CHARLES S IVERSON
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