Pacific Rainbow Foundation concentrates on place-based community support in Hawaii with a strong emphasis on Native Hawaiian advancement and basic human services. Its grants are largely unrestricted gifts to local nonprofits and institutions that provide health care, food security, social services and K–12 education, with occasional support to external medical research partners. The foundation favors pragmatic, flexible funding to frontline organizations addressing immediate community needs.
Modest number of unrestricted, one-off grants concentrated on Hawaii-based nonprofits with a single larger gift and several smaller awards; mostly flexible operating support rather than project-restricted funding, with occasional repeat support to a health/research partner (UCSF).
Pacific Rainbow Foundation’s largest recent gift was a $50,000 unrestricted grant to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, signaling a clear emphasis on Native Hawaiian advancement alongside practical community support. The foundation gives mostly through unrestricted gifts, and its recent record shows a steady mix of Native Hawaiian advocacy, basic-needs services, education, health care, and medical research. Grants have gone to Honolulu-based organizations that provide food assistance, shelter, rehabilitation, literacy support, and school support, as well as to a regional medical research partner in San Francisco. The pattern suggests a funder that backs organizations already working on the ground and leaves them room to use funds where they are most needed. Within Hawaii, its giving reaches both community-facing service providers and institutions serving broader population needs. The foundation’s recurring support for several organizations over multiple years points to an ongoing relationship with local nonprofits rather than one-off project funding.
Native Hawaiian advancement appears as a defining priority. The foundation awarded $50,000 to Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement for unrestricted support, and that stands out among its recent grants. Basic human services are another major theme: it gave $10,000 to Hawaii Food Bank for unrestricted support and also funded Salvation Army, River of Life Mission, and Institute for Human Services with unrestricted gifts. Health and rehabilitation show up through unrestricted support to Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, while education is present in a $10,000 unrestricted grant to Keeolikolani Middle School and additional support to Hawaii Literacy. The foundation also maintains a medical-research connection through repeated unrestricted grants to University of California - San Francisco.
Typical grant size is modest and tightly clustered: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $6,250. That distribution fits a foundation that uses a relatively small number of standard grant amounts, with one much larger outlier at $50,000. The recent record shows recurring support across multiple years for several recipients, including Salvation Army, Hawaii Food Bank, Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, River of Life Mission, Institute for Human Services, Lanakila Pacific, and University of California - San Francisco. The grants are unrestricted gifts, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$201K
$896K
$48K
$84K
Most grants fall between $5K and $6K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$6K
About 89% of grants go to recipients in HI.
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Notable grantees: Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, University of California - San Francisco, Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, Hawaii Food Bank, Keeolikolani Middle School
Pacific Rainbow Foundation’s giving is overwhelmingly Hawaii-based: 89% of grants go to recipients in HI, and the top state by grant count is also HI. Most recipients are in Honolulu, with additional grants to Kapolei and Kailua. Outside Hawaii, the only recipient city in the recent list is San Francisco, which appears through grants to University of California - San Francisco. The overall pattern is local, with nearly every grant landing in the foundation’s home state.
Its recent grants go to Native Hawaiian advocacy, food security, shelter and basic-needs providers, rehabilitation and health services, K–12 education, literacy, and medical research. Examples in the record include Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Hawaii Food Bank, Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, Keeolikolani Middle School, and University of California - San Francisco.
Yes. Every recent grant in the list is labeled as an unrestricted gift, including awards of $50,000, $10,000, $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000. That points to a consistent preference for flexible, non-designated support.
The foundation’s grant sizes are clustered around $5,000. The 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $6,250. Most recent grants in the list fall at $5,000 or $10,000, with one $50,000 award standing above the rest.
It gives primarily in Hawaii. Ninety percent of grants in the record go to recipients in HI, and the top recipient locations are Honolulu, Kapolei, and Kailua. One non-Hawaii recipient city appears in the recent grants list: San Francisco.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEEOLIKOLANI MIDDLE SCHOOL | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| LANAKILA PACIFIC | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| SALVATION ARMY | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| HAWAII FOOD BANK | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| RIVER OF LIFE MISSION | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| NEVER QUIT DREAMING | KAPOLEI, HI | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| MAVEN MANIFOLD DEVELOPEMENT | KAILUA, HI | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| COUNCIL FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN ADVANCEMENT | KAPOLEI, HI | $50,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| SALVATION ARMY | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| HAWAII FOOD BANK | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| LANAKILA PACIFIC | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| RIVER OF LIFE MISSION | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| HAWAII LITERACY | HONOLULU, HI | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| NEVER QUIT DREAMING | KAPOLEI, HI | $2,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| MAVEN MANIFOLD DEVELOPEMENT | KAILUA, HI | $2,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| SALVATION ARMY | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| HAWAII LITERACY | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| HAWAII FOOD BANK | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
| RIVER OF LIFE MISSION | HONOLULU, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GIFT |
KEEOLIKOLANI MIDDLE SCHOOL
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
LANAKILA PACIFIC
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
SALVATION ARMY
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
HAWAII FOOD BANK
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO
UNRESTRICTED GIFT
REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
NEVER QUIT DREAMING
$2,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
MAVEN MANIFOLD DEVELOPEMENT
$2,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
COUNCIL FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN ADVANCEMENT
$50,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
SALVATION ARMY
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
HAWAII FOOD BANK
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
LANAKILA PACIFIC
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
HAWAII LITERACY
$3,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
NEVER QUIT DREAMING
$2,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
MAVEN MANIFOLD DEVELOPEMENT
$2,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN FRANCISCO
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
SALVATION ARMY
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
HAWAII LITERACY
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
HAWAII FOOD BANK
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN SERVICES
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
REHAB HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GIFT