Hoʻiwai means to return the water, the source of waiwai, or wealth.

Context: Reimagining Philanthropy in Hawaiʻi

• Hoʻiwai was created in response to longstanding inequities and urgent needs, born from the pandemic and activated by the Maui wildfires.

• The fund operates as a philanthropic intermediary, grounding its work in Trust-Based Philanthropy and Participatory Grantmaking.

• Our shared mission: to nourish ecosystems of community-driven solutions and redistribute wealth (waiwai) with humility.

My Role: Leading with Intention and Trust

As a digital strategist, project manager, and community-centered communicator, my contributions have included:

• Strategic Infrastructure Building: Helped assemble and support a committed board. Co-developed the operational scaffolding for the fund’s launch and two participatory grant cycles.

• Grantmaking Process Design & Facilitation: Supported the convening of a steering committee and captured collective insights to inform a values-aligned selection process. Developed workflows and documentation for participatory grant cycles that centered transparency, care, and reciprocity.

• Narrative Strategy & Communications: Crafted messaging that honors community voice while articulating a new model of philanthropy rooted in ʻāina and ʻike. Led storytelling efforts for grantee reporting and philanthropic partnerships—grounding them in reflection rather than extraction.

• Ecosystem Development: Supported partnerships with values-aligned organizations like JustFund and Funder Hui to streamline access for grassroots applicants.

Impact: Community-Led, Values-Aligned Recovery

• Facilitated $100,000 in flexible funding to Native Hawaiian and BIPOC women leading Maui’s recovery.

• Co-created a nomination/invitation model that honored lived experience and localized knowledge.

• Helped design grantee cohorts that emphasized mutual care, peer learning, and regenerative leadership.

What Makes This Work Different

• Shifting philanthropy from gatekeeping to resourcing.

• Centering wāhine and frontline voices in decision-making.

• Prioritizing reflection over metrics, relationships over reporting, and collective healing over deliverables.

Looking Ahead

With the groundwork laid, Hoʻiwai is preparing to:

• Scale across Maui Nui and other islands.

• Host huakaʻi to deepen connection and reciprocity.

• Codify pono practices to shape Hawaiʻi’s funding ecosystem for generations to come.