PROJECTS

Hope for Kids

The Foundation’s newest grantmaking initiative is Hope for Kids, established to expand opportunities for children to build hope and a positive future. The initiative provides multi-year funding to nine nonprofit organizations which are working with children in programs that promote resiliency, develop life skills and instill a sense of environmental stewardship. Read more about Hope for Kids (PDF) or Review the Foundation’s Hope for Kids Theory of Change (PDF).

Hau`oli Mau Loa Village

One of Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation’s largest projects to date was the creation of an affordable housing community on the island of Kaua`i. Located on 4.4 acres in Waimea Valley, the Village consists of seven homes, a community center, and private roadways. It was a collaborative project conceived and funded by Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation, developed by the Kaua`i Housing Development Corporation and integrated into the West Kaua`i community by Aletha Kaohi. Completed in the summer of 2000, the project took four years and was built at an all-inclusive cost of just over $2 million. The project serves as a model for other charitable organizations interested in creating affordable housing. Read more about Hau‘oli Mau Loa Village (PDF).

REPORTS

Developing Environmental Grantmaking Strategies, Coffman, Mann & Dietrich (2010)

Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation commissioned Dr. Makena Coffman to help inform its development of environmental grantmaking strategies. Dr. Coffman convened a study team which provided a comprehensive report to the Foundation. The study team conducted research on environmental stressors and indicators in the areas of land conservation, marine conservation and climate change adaptation. As part of this research, nearly fifty experts in the fields of environmental management, grantmaking, and the non-profit sector were interviewed. Participants identified high-priority environmental issues, proposed a number of community and policy-based solutions, and provided recommendations on target areas and strategies for environmental grantmaking.

After reviewing and discussing the findings of the study, two interest areas have emerged that the Foundation is further exploring. They are:

• Invasive Species Prevention; and
• Environmental Career Pathways for Hawai`i Youth with a focus on post-secondary and vocational opportunities

Over the next several months the Foundation plans to further explore how it might develop long term grantmaking approaches in these two areas. When plans are finalized, they will be posted on the Foundation’s website. Pending the completion of this next phase, the Foundation will also be exploring the possibility of addressing a specific issue that emerged during the initial planning process – ensuring better capacity for the preservation of endemic species in Hawai`i.

Authors of the Report:

Dr. Makena Coffman - Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

John Dietrich - Masters Candidate, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Upon completion of the report, the authors and the Foundation produced separate key portions of the report for general publication. The following links contain these separate portions: Summary of Key Findings (PDF), Environmental Indicators for Hawai‘i (PDF), Characteristics of Successful Environmental Organizations (PDF), Survey Questionnaire (PDF), Participant List(PDF) and A "Primer" on Climate Change and Hawai‘i (PDF).

Strategic Directions for the Children of Hawai‘i, Farnsworth Consulting (2008)

Commissioned by Hau`oli Mau Loa Foundation, this report identifies the major issues currently affecting children in Hawai`i. The report combines the analysis of existing data with expert opinions from leading child advocates, policy makers and service providers. It covers demographic indicators, economic indicators, child health, child safety and education. Read the report Strategic Directions for the Children of Hawai`i (PDF).

UPDATES

Leadership Transition Discussion

In late September, 2011 the Foundation hosted 11 CEO/Executive Directors from Partner organizations to discuss their experiences in developing the next generation of leadership to support their own and other key individuals’ leadership transitions. Miki Lee served as the facilitator and her summary of highlights from the discussion are attached: Leadership Development Meeting Summary (PDF).

Invasive Species Prevention work as of July 2011

Following the completion of Dr. Coffman’s report, the Foundation began exploring opportunities to support the prevention of invasive species in the State of Hawai‘i.  With the help of the Nature Conservancy, the Foundation was introduced to the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS).  Formed in 1995, the CGAPS partnership is comprised primarily of management-level staff from every major agency and organization involved in Hawai‘i based invasive species work; including federal, state, county and private entities. In 2009, CGAPS produced an updated strategic plan.  Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation is supporting three stand-alone projects which are tied to the strategic plan (in addition to providing funding to support key CGAPS staff).  A summary of the three projects is as follows:

Prevention of ‘Ōhi‘a Rust: Eucalyptus rust is a disease caused by the fungus Puccinia psidii which attacks a wide range of plants in the Myrtaceae family.  Known locally in Hawai‘i as ‘ōhi‘a rust, one strain of the rust was accidentally introduced to Hawai‘i, where it was discovered on ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha). The rust has killed large numbers of rose apple trees (a non-native tree in the Myrtaceae family) across the state. Although impacts to ‘ōhi‘a have been limited to date, research shows that the arrival of potentially more virulent genetic strains of the rust pose a great risk to the endemic ‘ōhi‘a, which comprises eighty percent of the native Hawaiian forest and is an important watershed tree. The introduction of a more virulent strain of Eucalyptus rust to Hawai‘i could be devastating to the dominant native tree species, forest habitat, and the many dependent plant and animal species. The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has already intercepted the rust on cut foliage entering the state.

To restrict importation of Myrtaceae, HDOA must prepare the case for the restriction and conduct formal rulemaking. Foundation funding will be used to help develop local capacity for propagation and distribution of locally sourced florist-variety eucalyptus, myrtle, cut flowers (e.g., waxflower), and produce alternatives.  In addition, funds will be used to support staff training and improved ‘ōhi‘a rust diagnostic techniques.

Strengthen Air Cargo Inspection and building capacity within the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture: According to CGAPS, the vast majority of invasive pests are introduced to Hawai‘i via air in fresh produce and live cargo.  Hawai‘i’s Department of Agriculture inspectors are faced with inspecting hundreds of containers of air cargo nearly every hour. Recently passed legislation now requires the airlines to provide detailed manifests listing the contents of containers before the arrival of the flight so that inspectors may better use limited resources to target high-risk commodities for inspection. HDOA developed a database system called “INVICTA” to track the movement of pests from foreign, domestic and island sources, but it has not been updated.  The automated ability to receive, review and prioritize cargo before the arrival of flights greatly enhances inspection capacity, which results in more pests stopped at ports, the expedited release of low-risk cargo, the potential for checking compliance and risk ratings, and potentially cleaner shipments of goods. Foundation funding will help to offset expenses related to updating the INVICTA system for air cargo, and will help facilitate electronic manifest exchange between HDOA and select air cargo carriers.

Build Electronic Capacity to Support a Petition for Federal Inspection Assistance: The goals of this project are to coordinate, update, and improve government databases of insects, plant pathogens, and mollusks known to occur in Hawai‘i. These data, along with pest interception data from the aforementioned INVICTA database would then be used to request federal assistance in watching for these priority pests.

The federal U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) requires documented presence/absence data and potential pathway information on specific pests that Hawai‘i inspectors are working to prevent from entering the islands. Currently, there are several databases of various types of pests in different agencies and institutions. However, it is not known if databases exist for all relevant types of pests or if they have been updated recently.

The goal of the combined “presence/absence” database project (i.e. does the specie exist in Hawai‘i or not?) is to apply to USDA APHIS for federal recognition of specific pests to gain inspection capacity on international conveyances. To do this, data must be gathered on “presence/absence” of insects, mollusks, plant pathogens and compared with species intercepted at ports (already collected by HDOA via inspectors and the INVICTA software system) but not present to show pathway and potential for introduction. Coordinating the agencies and entities with existing databases and identifying needs is the first priority in this three phase project.  Foundation funding will be used to offset costs related to the coordination and updating of these databases in preparation for a formal request for additional federal inspection assistance.

The Foundation achieves LEED Platinum Certification

Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation is proud to announce that following the recent renovation of our office facilities at 701 Bishop Street in Honolulu, we pursued and received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the United States Greenbuilding Council (USGBC).  LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

The Foundation achieved LEED Platinum certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings help save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contributes to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

The Foundation made a commitment that the renovation of its long term offices would be as “green” as possible, and started with hiring an architect who shared this commitment – Hawai‘i Architecture LLP.  The project team made considerable efforts to ensure that the project was done with sustainability at the forefront, from coordinating deconstruction of the pre-existing office space and the selection of energy efficient fixtures, to the handcrafted reception murals made by the youth of Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike – a nonprofit organization in Hāna, Maui.  In addition to the aforementioned sustainability efforts, Hawai‘i Architecture LLP designed the commercial space to reflect the historic character of the existing space within the Dillingham Transportation Building.

Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation would like to thank the entire project team for their efforts in assisting us in the renovation of our home!  For more information on the project team, please refer to page six of the presentation.

The following presentation was developed by Hawai‘i Architecture LLP to help provide an overview of the project and additional information regarding the pursuit of LEED certification: LEED Presentation by Hawai`i Architecture LLP (PDF). For more information please contact Phil Camp directly, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Message from the Foundation

This letter from the Foundation provides highlights and reflections on the major activities of the Foundation since it received its full funding from the Benefactor in 2008: Year in Review 2010 (PDF).