ABOUT

About Us

Funder Hui is emerging as a resource we are all learning to collectively leverage. Folks are not just joining working groups or attending Zoom meetings. They are organizing them. Planning them. Reshaping them. 

Funder Hui has become a landing pad and connection point for new arrivals and new funders in Hawai’i. By connecting with Funder Hui these individuals, companies, and foundations are networking themselves into collaboration with others. 

Funder Hui is a partner to organizations, events, and collaborations that elevate the unique role philanthropy plays in social change. Whether it was our co-sponsored Zoom call on gun violence with the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series or our sold out breakfast on the Future Of Education with HVCA, Funder Hui has helped bridge our sector into important conversations facing our islands. 

Finally, Funder Hui is a space for learning, experimentation, and collaborative action. From our co-fund- ing of Kūkulu, to the growing adoption of trust-based philanthropy, to participants of working groups moving funding towards innovative and emerging opportunities, those who are ready have found ways to extend impact through working together.

What We Do

Funder Hui serves Hawaiʻi’s philanthropic community, as its first association of funders and philanthropy-serving organization (PSO). We’re innovating the PSO in 4 key ways:

1. We think about the equity implications of all that we do. We are committed to acknowledging power and working to transform the relationships in our sector.

2. We’re redefining what it means to be a “funder,” honoring the critical role social capital plays in impact and change making

3. We’ve removed the paywall for participation. In the spirit of inclusivity, membership is not a barrier to entry. Anyone who funds in Hawaiʻi can begin participating in Funder Hui at any time. 

4. We’re elevating the unique innovations our islands offer the world. 

Funder Hui’s origin story began in the wake of COVID-19, when over 100 foundation staff, donors, corporate foundation leads, and trustees convened to rapidly coordinate and accelerate a response. 

Funder Hui now hosts regular virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning calls and events and is also home to multiple sector-focused working groups, led by various philanthropic leaders in our community. We work with various partners to host our events and offer our programming.

Problem

Hawaiʻi is one of the States most economically impacted by the COVID-19 crisis due to the extremely high dependence on the tourism and hospitality sector. The social and environmental issues that have plagued this State for decades were exacerbated by COVID-19. Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, dependence on imported food and energy, an education system that exacerbates inequities, and other deeply rooted problems are getting worse and the solutions and approaches to address these problems are insufficient and ineffective. Generally speaking, philanthropic approaches to addressing Hawaiʻi’s problems have been siloed, piecemeal, and shortsighted. None of these approaches are effective at addressing deeply rooted and complex systemic problems.

About Our Logo

Our Advisory Board spent 3 productive visioning sessions with Keola “Ola” Rapozo of Fitted to design our logo. We imagined a logo that communicated our commitment to moving resources and shaping our community through that work.

Reference name: Ho‘one‘e

Mapping : To move; to shove along; to rub against. To cause to change place. Move from one place to another.

Attributes: Over time water will eventually shape its surroundings, either by force or a gentle nudge from a rock. This path can change during a flood as it moves large boulders, leaving them placed in positions that ever change. Nature keeps everything in balance as resets are good. Sediment builds and leaves the bottom of the river beds filled with unwanted build-up. The funder hui is agile and able to adapt in this space and quickly deploy sourcing in the exact areas that need it. 

Makawalu: Water moves rock rock diverts water.